Started with a bargain buy.

[goanywhere]

Oops! I rearranged my albums in Photobucket. I need to re-post them.

Here:


Here:


And Here:

[goanywhere]

Ok, the skegs are finally finished. I am afraid that they are a bit rough but they will do the job - for now.

I discovered that the fibreglass tape I was using wouldn't stick down when applied along the sharp edge of the fins. I tried feathering the edges by taking some threads out along the length of the tape but it just wouldn't stick down, so I removed it and applied a thicker coat of resin to the edges. It ran a little and is a bit lumpy but they aren't a showpiece so they will do. I could tidy them up by alot of sanding but they aren't going to be seen mostly so I'll leave them. The main thing is that they are strong and the plywood is totally sealed. And the aluminium brackets are totally encased in fibreglass and resin.

I'll fit them today ready for hitting the road to a favourite fishing spot tomorrow for a few days. When I get back I'll decide whether to fix them up, leave them as is or remake them.

I've achieved what I wanted, I've made a pair of skegs that will hopefully assist my little yak to hold a straight line when sailing (or paddling for that matter), and I've learned a heap about working with epoxy and fibreglass, at least enough to go ahead with my next project, a pair of plywood outriggers to replace the PVC pipe ones I have now.

Thanks for the interest and encouragement everyone. This is a super-steep learning curve for me, but alot of fun.

[Bemm 52]

Getting cloth to stick over sharp edges can be difficult sometimes it just wants to stick up and not adhere. If you let it go off abit and then push it down with a gloved finger or a spatula it will usually stick............... it never looks nice, once its cured I give it a light sand then go over it with thickened epoxy once this is sanded some good results can be achieved.

Cheers Paul

[goanywhere]

I took the 'yella terra' out for a bath today. The skegs definitely make a difference, and the effort was worth it from many angles. I sail it, and the fins reduced the weather cocking alot. (Sorry, no pics of sailing).

I think I would make these alot differently if I did them again. First, after laminating the ply I would plane them to a sharp edge, then when fibreglassing I would just lay the cloth flat both sides. The edge could still be glassed but the cloth I would cut into small strips and lay them in several pieces. A bit time consuming but I am sure it would work better and they would be much more streamlined. Second, I would inlay the aluminum for the brackets into the ply, cutting a groove that the aluminium would fit into nicely. That way the glass would be flat and smooth all over, and the brackets would be much stronger.

I doubt that I will be making them again though, once my Sabalo is finished I don't think I will be going back to my 'plastic yaktastic' to do any more mods.

[jem]

Getting fiberglass to bend around a sharp edge is nearly impossible unless you're working with fiberglass sleeving.

What you could do is what wooden paddle makers do (the three paddles on the right):



They build up an edge band of thickened epoxy that is harder than the wood that protects and takes all the bumps and scratches.

[goanywhere]

Yes, that's a good idea. I guess I should have asked! (Somebody's already thought of the answer to most problems!) I was in a hurry to come up with an answer, and mine was something similar, only I didn't thicken the epoxy, I simply applied two generous coats. It'll probably not last as long as if I'd done as the one you refer to, but that's not an issue with my skegs.