Mini - something.......

[Firemanjim]

How do you apply resin and leave a glass smooth finish ? You can see all my brush strokes, pretty much...... Do I sand it down and apply again?
I'm using Bondo brand resin #20122 and mixing 56 drops of hardener to 8 ounces of resin.... Should be 10 : 1..... Doing 7 drops per ounce gives me about 15-18 minutes of work time.
Any tips or advice? How many coats do I REALLY need to ensure I stay 100% water proof ?

 

[PAR]

Using a brush is wasteful and not very effective at laying down a smooth coating. A plastic applicator or squeegee is far better. Are you applying this over wood? This is polyester resin and designed for use over polyester and sometimes used over other things, but wood isn't the ideal substrate. Without a pretty thick film and topped with gelcoat, not especially waterproof on wood. It'll last a few years, before issues (cracks, splits, etc.) start showing up, so if this is all you need, you'll be fine.

If you want a mirror smooth surface, the appropriate tools and techniques are necessary, either this or lots of sanding, fairing and smoothing are necessary. Simply put, the backyard builder will apply2 or 3 coats, sanding off 50% of each coat, trying to make it smooth. Eventually, with enough coats and sanding sessions, you'll get it, but expect 90% sanding time, compaired to goo applying time. This is the hardest thing for a novice builder to get right, generally requiring many coats and many sanding sessions to get a reasonable result. A pro will make 3 passes, the first to identify the low spots, the second to knock the filled in lows and still remaining highs and the last pass will be to get it deadnuts. A novice might require several passes to get the same results. You'll sand too much or not enough. You'll miss areas that are too high or too low, etc. It's a learning process and you'll get it, but you have to pay for it with elbow grease.

 

[Firemanjim]

WHAT?!? You can't lay it out on bare wood? I called and talk to a Bondo rep and he told me I was "good to go"..... Said wait about 3 hour (with the reduced hardener Ratio) before sanding or in my case, floating it..... Well s..... o...... b.......
Yeah, I probably just wasted a quart of resin..... Looks sad..... ....... When I mixed up the first 8oz and poured it on the boat exterior bottom, I used a clean smooth wood strip to spread it out real quick. Then I brushed it out like paint, like my neighbor suggested. And then realized that I needed about 10oz to cover the bottom. It's 8oz per side.... So about a gallon to do this little boat right I reckon.
I'm still "building stuff " inside the boat. I'm going to add another couple frames (or just bottom the bottom part) and then rip up some 1x2's into thinner strips, and run a few side by side, from bow to stern..... Like a wood slat bench seat.... ? I don't really want to sit directly on the floor...... Kinda scared.....
So I guess I need to break out a drum of El Bow brand grease and sand this mess down, and prepare to do some video watching...
Why do you say it will crack, over time? If I add fiberglass to it, and or, that fiber dust stuff my neighbor has? It's like fiberglass strand chopped up to almost like table salt.... What could I do, at this point, to help the boat last? I haven't done anything to the inside yet.
I truley appreciate the help, Par. I've been going through your posts and replies. And your site too.... I dig that 12' racer you just designed. That's pretty slick... Maybe when I learn more skills, tips, and tricks, I might revisit that in more depth. I don't like buying stuff, that I could build myself, how ever it may turn out. I always do the best I can, with what I have or have access to. I take pride in my work. And in the end, I believe I enjoy it that much more. If I lived closer to you, I'd come work weekends for free, just to learn.... I prefer hands on learning, to text and blah blah... At any rate, I know my time would not be wasted.
Happy 4th !!

 

[PAR]

Texas ain't that far away, bring a couple of six packs.

Again, you can use polyester, but it doesn't stick to wood very well, particularly compaired to other choices. I'm not sure what your neighbor is using, but he doesn't have much experience, otherwise he wouldn't have told you to brush it out. The best method is to spay it, but most backyard builders don't have this capacity, so the next best is to use a squeegee or a plastic applicator (body filler spreader). The stuff your neighbor is using, is reinforced polyester resin. It's the same as the stuff you're using, except it has milled and chopped glass fibers mixed in, for additional reinforcement.

In all honesty, you don't need any of this stuff. You could just caulk the seams with tub and tile caulk, slap on some house paint and call it a day. Let's face it, the wild grain patterns of rotary peeled plywood looks like crap under varnish anyway. At the local big box store find some DAP Dynaflex 230 caulk. It's cheap, works much like the expensive marine grade stuff and is easy to apply.

 

[Firemanjim]

When I woke up this morning, and saw the boat on the dining room table, my first thought was
It needs paint.... It looks like poo... Kinda looks like I let the kids put on the resin. some shiney spots, some dull looking spots. Clumpy.... Just looks like poo... Now I'm thinking bright maroonish color boat with white trim.... We will see what the majority says....

 

[Firemanjim]

For chits and giggles, we took the boat down to the local lake tonight. It FLOATS,!! LOL My kids all took turns, letting me push them out to the end of a 25' rope. Then I pulled them in real fast. The boat only sank down about an inch, IF that, with my little kids in it. Sank down almost to the top of the chines, but not quite, with my oldest son (110lbs) .... Now, with me in the boat, depending where I sit, it only goes to the top of the chines. I can see this boat holding an easy 200+ lbs.....
Only one tiny leak, but only if you sit up at the bow. Not bad..... It's tiny....
Oh,..... We noticed that with a slight jerk of the rope, the boat moves fast with little effort. I was able to paddle a 20+foot circle with just my palms. (no paddles lol) I can get the boat to run at a fast walk, with just my hands. So, that little weed eater out board I made will probably be more than really needed. Now I'm worried it might be too fast.
Gonna post some video and pics in a little bit.

 

[Firemanjim]

First boat ride..... https://youtu.be/IvHpIW7Jlxs
It needs a skeg..... Not sure if I want a full length 1x2 skeg, or the shorter, fin like skeg. Both options were shown in the plans and say both work equally well. It's just an astetics thing...... I like the short fin version, but the 1*2 option makes loading it up on top of my Tahoe pretty easy. I can load the it up by myself, as it just slides right on up there...... This is gonna bring us lots of enjoyment.......

 

[PAR]

If the boat will be rowed or paddled, a small skeg might be beneficial, but if it's going to be outboard powered, just skip the skeg, as the lower leg of the outboard will be good enough.

That boat is small enough that 5 HP will be more than enough to putter you along just fine. If it's you and the kids in it, you'll probably need a tiller extension so it'll trim out, without being too bow high. It's really a one man boat, with the option of a couple of kids (crowded), if they're placed where the boat can trim out. With you in it and a 5 HP outboard, you can expect mid teens (MPH) for it's top speed, though it'll be wet and pounding a bit at times. It'll be difficult for a weedwhacker conversion to get this amount of power, so you'll be stuck with just a few MPH (5 - 6) in displacement mode.