Small fiberglass fishing boat?!?!

Hello everybody!
I'm fresh brand new here. Looking for some plans for a 14'-16' fiberglass. I would really like to build it myself. Something that will fit two guys for fishing. I do have little experience with "glassing" RC planes with anything I can get my hands on for a lite protective skin. The thickest cloth I use is 3/4oz... Nothing as thick as the stuff for hulls......bla bla *anyways. I would love some reading material. Looking for info on the structure build for inside for strength and making plugs or glassing over something. I would prefer shaping a plug since I love making RC planes.

In other words a little direction on how to search these forums would be great. I'm so excited I could glass my garage walls

I've been lurking around on this site for a good two days now and LOVING all this great information.

 

Steph. your's is possibly one of the most typical posting request by new boatbuilders. There is much more than meets the eye in the basics of boatbuilding. In your case you are taking on two new ventures, woodworking as it pertains to the construction of the vessel and the entirely different field of FRP (fiberglass reinforced resins). Both require a certain amount of study and alot of hands on to become reasonably proficient. Your past experience with model building will certainly come in handy but i recommend you do some further basic study and purchase a set of full size plans or a pre cut kit for your first build. You'll find this a rewarding confidence building education that will arm you to take on more difficult and bigger builds.

 

No, it's not a typical request at all.

No one ever asks that.

If you go to the main list of forums, there is a search button where you can search the whole site. If you are on an individual forum such as 'boat design' or 'materials' there is a button for 'search this forum' which narrows the search to that forum. If you are on a thread, such as this one , there is a button for 'search this thread' which narrows it down more.

Also, if you scroll down to the bottom of every thread, there is a list of 'similar threads' which can lead you to more information.

Under 'FAQ' , in the top bar there is a part on searching, but it seems a little complicated for me. http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/faq.php?faq=vb_board_usage#faq_vb_board_search

I know GlenL has a lot of inexpensive designs and some come in plans for wood or fiberglass, http://www.glen-l.com/boat-plans-catalog-300-boats-you-can-build/ but I suppose you want to design it yourself. Good searching. Good luck. Ask questions.

 

Good point on the interest in searching out the info-- agree that is not typical. However in many cases this can be almost as frustrating as building a first boat from scratch-- being that there is so much info available. Thought i'd give him a shortcut in that most postings on the subject would recommend the same. Dam good advise if I say so myself -- Thank You Popular Mechanics for my early education.

 

Thanks guys!! Much appreciated the time for the direction. I really believe I could have a lot of fun with this hobby. I also can get some good prices on materials from a local shop.

I would love to design the interior with gadgets and containers of all types. Keeping it strong and lightweight at the same time is something I want to start learning first.

I will be lurking around checking out ideas and methods for a good bit till i discover the right one to try first.

 

There are several places to look for plans, try Glen-L.com and Bateau.com for a good start. You should focus on a building method first. Plywood methods are easy and fast for the novice builder. They can be skinned with 'glass so they're waterproof. Building in 'glass is much more difficult for the first time builder. There are "one off" methods so you don't need a mold and these are easier, but still more difficult than a plywood build. 'Glass builds are all about sanding (many 10's possably 100's of hours of it) and playing with goo's you'd rather not have to fool with. Plywood on the other hand, can be cut and fitted with basic tools that most already have, plus is naturally self fairing to a degree.

 

PAR, I'm just so interested in the glass. Just seems fun to me. I'm actually thinking about making one on a much smaller scale to get a good idea of some methods. I already have thin fiber cloth and resin. I might even put a RC system to it just for giggles(who knows).

I have made plugs for plane parts before so I may be leaning towards that system.

 

Plugs and molds are for making the same piece over and over and absolutely unnecessary for a single boat. In fact, it's like building the boat 2 or 3 times over.

If you want to build in 'glass then look over the one off methods and Glen-L and Bateau. You'll save tons of work, but before you do, cover one side of a beach ball or other heavily curved object, with several layers of 'glass. Once you've done this, attempt to fair it smooth enough to accept paint. Next paint it with the glossiest paint you can find and see how well it works out for you. What you'll find is that the 'glass laying process is a very small percentage of the effort it takes to make a boat, particularly getting it smooth enough to be presentable. I'm not kidding, you can spend several hundred hours building a boat, with 70% of this time being sanding 'glass. Lastly I hope you don't mind itching.

 

Sanding and fairing FRP is among the worst of the punisments dealt out by the rulers of hell. One off builds mean that you have to build two boats just to get one boat, and do a lot of sanding and itching on both of them. Why in hell would anyone want to do that? If you intend to build several boats of the same design then you will build a plug, make a mold, and then pull the first hull that might very well be a reject because the mold did not release the way it might in your dreams.

Why are so many people so thoughly stoked on building with stinky, sticky, miserable, resin soaked glass fibre? You can build a wood boat that will be lighter, less costly, and ultimately stronger, pound for pound, than fiberglass. Just sayin'

 

"hell" you say? Itchy? I'm very curious now. I never really had any problems making fiberglass parts for rc planes. Maybe I'm actually barking at the wrong dog. I just figured if I wanted to make another one for a friend I'd already have a plug ready. Plus if I made something nice I could sell one of them to try to break close to even.

I did not know that wood can be stronger and lighter.. Well I guess stronger but..

 

In small craft, some wooden build methods easily are lighter then most 'glass methods, unless you spring for exotic fabrics (bring your first born to the cash register).

Sanding a little RC model is one thing, being covered from head to toe with 'glass dust, fibers and goo is entirely another. Ever install insulation in your attic? Well fairing up a 'glass boat makes that look like an Easter day parade.

Some one off methods for 'glass boats are less troublesome than others, but all require lots of sanding, a very itchy material. You can protect yourself, but invariably, you'll still itch for weeks.

Again, do some research on these one off methods and access the value of a plug/mold versus a one off build.

 

Power tools, mask, hazmat suit, well ventilation?!?!? Still itching?

 

Yup still itching -- oneself can put up with it -- it's after multiple showers (cold first) it still it gets dragged into the bed and the woman starts itching you'll feel the real negative impact of sanding FRP.

 

Yep, especially with power tools. Again, test this by covering the beach ball (or what ever), then making it fair. Pay attention to the percentage of time spent actually laying 'glass and making it smooth.

 

One size doesn't fit all. You can cover yourself in fiberglass and be extremely uncomfortable for days, but you don't have to, it's not an inevitable consequence of building in fiberglass. It's hard to avoid a little bit of itch, but it's usually not all that terrible anyway.

There's all kinds of cleaning up theories, It's mostly the arms and legs (if you wear shorts) that are a bother and what I found best was a hot shower and soap and thoroughly scratching with fingernails. My thoughts were the itching came from the fibers sticking out of the skin and rubbing on stuff so as to be constantly irritating. I figured to break them off flush or beneath the surface left less sticking out to be worked around by contact with everything.

A light duty female mold for a few (10 or more) pulls of a sheet developable boat can be cheaply and fairly quickly made with

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...rd=paneling&storeId=10051#product_description

Wet sanding can keep the Itchy and Scratchy to reasonable levels. If you end up covered from head to toe in dust and chemicals, you're simply doing it wrong.

Before Tyvek suits, the plan was to wear clothes from Goodwill, and throw them at the end of the day. Forget washing the stuff, that doesn't work. I used to wear these $4.98 type gloves

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...talogId=10053&productId=202273291&R=202273291
all the time for laminating. Plenty flexible and dexterous enough. Tough and reusable for days and weeks until they wear out, with the cuffs rolled up to stop the drips they still cover well past the cuff of a long sleeve shirt or well past your wrists if naked. Plunge your gloved hands into a bucket of acetone every once in a while and they're just like new. If the insides get grungy, filled them with soapy water, shake them up and rinse out with the garden hose.

Also, it's not the resin, it's the fiberglass cloth that itches. I've been told that kevlar doesn't itch and if that's so, I imagine most other fabrics don't itch either. Not that that matters much as fiberglass just has so many advantages over other materials.