First time constructing

Hello everyone.

I have background in composite and some gel coating experience in the aircraft industry. I’m also an outdoorsman with a lot of experience in the wilderness. I had a small wooden boat upon a time that worked well for transporting game out of deep woods. As I kept being successful I switched to kayak which made extraction extremely non existent without cleaning my take in the middle of nowhere.


I have great skill set for welding aluminum and polishing to a mirror Finish. My question is:

if I used thick aluminum plate, to create a plug mold, could it be used to make my outer hull plug? I have researched tooling Gelcoat, I’m just trying to go down the right road so I don’t waist materials. Thanks in advance



Hackdogg

 

Are you trying to build a fiberglass boat? Molds only make sense when you are building several boats. Otherwise, you build three boats. First the plug, then the mold, and finally the boat you want.

 

With your skill set for welding aluminium maybe you could build a dory in thin gauge ally?

There are many plans available online for plywood dories, and these could perhaps be adapted for thin gauge aluminium?

 

Would think you'd end up fairing seams/welds. Would only need material thick enough to keep stringer print through controlled. Would think a welded plug might as well be a boat.... although cnc cut files to a female mold out of alloy would be easily assembled on a strong back. Although evem tig is going to have a surface profile needing fairing work.

Aluminum works for a mold, helped do some big panels a few years back that a local guy set up to do large flat panels. Good polish and wax and it worked pretty good.

By the time you one off an aluminum plug or mold your mostly done with an aluminum hull....

 

I plan to weld out a hull mold. Polish to a shine and

yes I am going to construct my boats from fiber glass and composite lay-ups. Re-using the aluminum mold

 

Are you trying to avoid making a plug?

 

The inside of the boat , will be another mold. I’m just trying to determine if aluminum will work for repetition and continued quality of the finish for the outer hull

 

The plug is a boat that will be used as a pattern for the mold. If you are planing on selling them, it is a really good idea to make a prototype and then work the bugs out.

 

Aluminum is common in small part glass molds, so it clearly can be polished up and effective for a mold. Not positive its the most effective method for a mold unless you have extreme numbers of parts or a heat cycle you want to do.

 

There will be more plans online.

Plans by type - Steel and Aluminum Boats - Duckworks https://duckworks.com/plans-by-type/steel-and-aluminum-boats/