JEM Watercraft

I think your system should have some advantages of stability and regularity. I'm lazy.

Jack

Has enough problems just building the boat and making sure the neighbors cat does not get stuck in the epoxy before it cures.
He said it was the neighbors cat ... I think it was actually Jack with that problem.

Chuck.

Yeah, I do still have a lumpy spot on one side of the boat. Took that cat most of the summer to rot away. Some boats grow barnacles; mine grew a cat.

NOTE: the above is all make believe - but! never let the truth get in the way of a good story, I allus say.

Hi guys,

hull is all cleaned up. Saturation epoxy coat is on. Tomorrow, a light sand then on with the fibreglass.

also started on the cockpit & seat supports.

a couple of piccies.

Looking good Mick!!
Good thing about the boat building is that just about anything can be fixed, and everybody ooh-ahh'ing your boat when its on the water or on top of your car, never even notice.

Got my wadefish plans in the mail a few days back. Probably wont get around to starting it until late Oct. Gonna turn it into a fisher, so kinda just looking at the plans for now, thinking.....hhummm.

So until I get started, I'll just keep an eye on yours.

DM

Mick,
what's the purpose of the saturation coat of epoxy on the hull before fiberglassing? Is the photo of the cockpit/seat supports showing those having been coated with epoxy as well?

Some builders thin the epoxy and apply a saturation coat to penetrate deeper into the wood grain and seal it.

You can apply this coat or skip it and let the epoxy soak in from when you apply the fiberglass. Just be sure not to spread the epoxy so much that you resin-starve the cloth. But this is difficult to do with 6-ounce.

Wood will sometimes out-gas when it's temperature increasing. This can cause gas pockets in epoxy when it's applied and look like tiny air bubbles. By applying a saturation coat, you all but lock in the gases so there is less chance trapping air or gas under you fiberglass.

But again, with regular weave 6-ounce e-glass, this is less of a concern.

Thanks guys,

I got the glass and two coats of resin on the outside today.

Dangermouse, congrats mate on the selection of an Outstanding fishing kayak
Love the handle too.

Scott, as Matt said. I am using a dark wood flour and it staines my ply.

Re the cockpit supports. I will be covering EVERYTHING with epoxy AND fibreglass matt. I am trying to make this boat as good as I possibly can. If it takes more time and weighs a couple of pounds more, than so be it.

She will be coming and going through some serious surf and shore breaks and she will need to be as strong as possible. There wll also be some extra internal bracing to help my cheap 3mm ply stand up to it. Will post pics as I go.

a couple more piccies.

Here We go!


clothes pegs to hold matt in place


First Wet Out


Second Wet Out


'Glassing Cockpit supports.

Mick

She is coming along really nice and it made me feel good knowing that someone besides myself likes to use the clothes pins to hold the glass for them. Looks like all of us great minds have the same thoughts. Cough , gasp , gag , choke ,

Chuck

That boat is coming along great! I am a little jealous as I look around your shop, I think you have more boats in there than the last canoe and kayak shop I was in

Now for the really dumb question, I have only used fiberglass tape and on my next boat I want to completely glass the outside of the hull like you just did. In the pic of the bow you have quite a few folds of glass, how do you trim or lay down or overlap all of that to get it to lay down smoothly?