JEM Watercraft

All primary panels are marked and rough cut. When they are trimmed to the lines, I will be using them as templates to mark, cut and trim all the other panels. Laker is a symmetrical hull with four identical panels for the bottom and four for the sides. - easy



Once, the primary, or template panels are marked and rough cut, II trim them down with a belt sander or electric hand planer to about half the thickness of the pencil lines.

I then use each master panel as a template to mark out any panels that need to be identical to it. I can get better use of each sheet of plywood this way. (less waste) Once all panels required are marked, I cut them to within about 1/4" inch or so of the pencil lines ( not important, near enough is good enough at this stage.)

Once all panels are cut, I stack them carefully with the master panel on top and screw them down onto my bench. even easier (I love my new bench)




Using a good router with a solid flush trim bit, (care is need with this)




I trim all the matching panels at once to be identical to the master panel.




I got all hull and deck and coaming panels cut and trimmed today



Back to work for a few days, should get the panel splices done next week.

Hi Mick, Laker mk 2 for the missus eh . Good luck, any chance of this one being purple . Love the router set up for multi panel cutting , nice and easy with a symmetrical hull.

I've got a quick Q for you, where are you getting your plywood and epoxy from now? It's just that I've moved to Redcliffe now and am looking for somewhere to get proper marine ply and epoxy for another project starting soon. Thought you might have a good supplier up this way somewhere? Any help appreciated.

Cheers.....Nick

Hi Nick,

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but I'm a bit more local to you, I'm at Lawnton. I ended up getting my marine ply from Janden Wood Products, on Kremzow Rd in Brendale (about 15 -20 min from Redcliffe) and I get my epoxy from ACME fibreglass in Eagle Farm, on Harvey St. (I use Australian Mega Resin, same stuff that some of the big offshore power boats are useing in their carbon/kevlar composite hulls)

Sorry for butting in Mick.




Andrew

G'day guys,

Nick, Good to hear from you again mate. WELCOME TO QUEENSLAND!!!!! Some very good fishing around the reefs at Redcliffe. (I grew up there)

Mate, I get my 4mm Gaboon from Australian Wood Panels. I don't have their address with me but they are in Brisbane and I get it freighted up. Beautiful stuff ( I buy it in bulk) and pay about 26 bucks a sheet.

Epoxy, I get from ATL composites on the Gold Coast. It is by far, the best epoxy I have used. West Systems 105 reson and West 207 special purpose hardener. Scott Alexander is the bloke to talk to. Knows his stuff and is a real good bloke. This resin is a long way superior to the International stuff.

Fibre-glass, I got my last lot from Duckworks in the US and shipped it out. Even with the shipping, it worked out much cheaper than I could get it here. I haven't used any yet but it seems to be of a lighter weight than the 200 gram stuff I got from Whitworths but with a much tighter weave.

Gonna use a little of it tonight to see how it goes.

G'day Andrew,

Sorry for butting in Mick.

No problem mate.

When I first started my obsession with boat building, I had no end of trouble sourcing quality materials. Thanks for the heads - up re the other suppliers. I have never heard of them.

Started my butt splices today - will post a piccie soon.

hey Mick,

Just out of interest, how much is the West system epoxy? I am paying around $70 for a three litre kit of the Mega Resin (2 litre resin, 1 litre hardener)


Andrew

Last batch I bought, that is for a 3 to 1 mix, 4 litres of resin and sufficient hardener was about $170.00 plus freight.

A bit dearer than what you are using but the west system is beautiful stuff to use with no ammine blush and I am very happy with it.

That reminds me, I need to order more.

OK,

All panel splices are done. in-between sides, I cut all my shear clamps and gave my band saw a badly needed tuneup. I will probably re- cut the cockpit and hatch coamings this week end. Not happy with the last lot. Nothing really worth taking a piccie of at this stage.

I used some small pieces of the Duckworks cloth on the panel splices and for that, it is very good. I will need to wait to see how it conforms to the curves of my hull, but so far, it has wet out beautifully. It is way thinner than the stuff I can get locally but of a much tighter weave.

I should be able to save some serious weight with this stuff. Lighter is better in this boat.

Mick, a caution to you on tight weave cloth. When you lay it, line up the weave parallel to the keel line. On my canoe, I lined it up with the gunnels and tried to stretch the tight weave cloth on the bias. It did not like that at all.

It laid down nicely with some work, but an hour later, I enjoyed an adult beverage after completing the inside of the boat, that tight weave cloth had started to rebel the bias stretching. It was trying to revert to original shape and it got wrinkles all over the inside of the boat.

I'll never use it again; I'm evidently not good enough of a craftsman to do that.

I've fooled around with some 6-ounce tight weave from Raka. Good on mostly flat surfaces but a bear to get around exterior curves.

My experience exactly. Looser weave accommodates curvilinear surfaces such as we routinely use in boats. (Pretty big word there, ehh? Aint'tcha proud of me?)