fiber-glassing a small boat

hi

as most of you probably know I'm trying to find a small 8 foot boat too row in well I've gone with the apple pie design but I've been mislead about the fiber-glassing bit i though you just put don a epoxy glue and taped it with fiberglass tape but it turns out that this is wrong so I've tried to read up and i think you just paint a resin on the boat sand it and then paint it,bang some yacht varnish on and off you go is this right could i just paint the fiberglass resin on like paint then paint over it ?? also will this do the job :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cray-Vall...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item35a5f96302

thanks guys

Alex

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

This is how you lay fiberglass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsupx-IXOzU&feature=related

The polyester resin in your link won't work without fiberglass underneath it, if you just want to resin coat your boat use 2 part epoxy resin.

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

jigngrub said:

This is how you lay fiberglass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsupx-IXOzU&feature=related

Click to expand...

Um.. no .. its NOT how you lay fiberglass in general .. its ONE ways to wet out finish cloth glass with a lot of wasted resin/glass.

Can you just resin coat a dink ? .. no. You have to glass it.

You can use the poly that you linked to if you use mat and enough of it to make it strong enough to heal the top edges. I would cap the top edges with wood with through bolts and instal the ore locks.

Poxy the ores.

YD.

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

There are a number of different construction methods used on small boats, I just looked up the Apple Pie design that you are considering- It is a 'stitch and glue' boat- You'll want to use epoxy resin for sure. You assemble the parts, 'stitch' them together with wire, wire ties, or something similar, then put glass tape on all the seams with epoxy... Then, you fillet the inside seams with thickened epoxy... Then, you sheath the whole boat in a thin layer of glass, again using epoxy.

Some of the designs eliminate the glass coating on the outside of the hull to save some money, but in the long run it's probably better to fiberglass the outside, too. It will just last longer!

There are other similar designs out there, too. If you are looking for something super simple, and want to eliminate the fiberglass all together, take a look at this boat-

http://www.instantboats.com/tortoise.htm

Two sheets of 1/4" ply, a couple of 2 x 4's, some glue, and hardware and you're set. I've built a few of them- And they can get you on the water for $150-$200 if you watch your spending. I've built them for less- and in a weekend! They actually do pretty well on the water, too- Stable and fun to row. The full plans and building instructions are in this book-

http://www.instantboats.com/btnib.htm

There are also some stitch and glue boats in there, too- Much like the apple pie design, if you want a slightly nicer looking boat. But, Because of the epoxy, it'll cost you 3-4 times more!

-Andrew

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

andgott is there any better plans for the tortoise as i cant see any dimensions ?? thanks to all

Alex

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

king murphy said:

andgott is there any better plans for the tortoise as i cant see any dimensions ?? thanks to all

Alex

Click to expand...

You'd have to buy the plans or the book- OR get the book at the local library. Plans are all in there.

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

Its a bit harder than that. First off you need resin and fiberglass cloth. you paint on the resin, put the cloth down and put more resin over it. Than you squeegee out the excess resin. Because you are doing the whole boat its going to take a lot of material, is going to cost a lot, and sounds like it is probably more trouble than its worth, but if you want to do it than do it.

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

Matt12345 said:

Its a bit harder than that. First off you need resin and fiberglass cloth. you paint on the resin, put the cloth down and put more resin over it. Than you squeegee out the excess resin. Because you are doing the whole boat its going to take a lot of material, is going to cost a lot, and sounds like it is probably more trouble than its worth, but if you want to do it than do it.

Click to expand...

I agree..

Now how would someone Prep the Epoxied coated Cloth glass for primer and paint. .. Sand it ?

If you break the cloth while sanding .. ..

YD.

Re: fiber-glassing a small boat

It depends on what kind of a boat, where it will be used & what you'll use the boat for: fishing, rowing, floating, etc etc etc...

I would not use my wooden kayak-canoe knock down boat anywhere other then flat water. It isn't designed for much more then VERY light chop.

There are TONS of plans online free or cheap, that are suitable builds for some people & some uses. The joints between the plywood (inexpensive build material) parts need to be fixed in place, epoxy or poly resin & fiberglass cloth. The rest of the plywood needs to be sealed.

I am not anywhere near an expert boatbuilder, and not much of a boat restorer based on current evidence. But if you are looking to build an inexpensive 8ft row boat, there are lots of inexpensive options. Some will last longer then you will likely use them with little or no extra care or maintenance, others need diligent attention annually, some more often then that.

You can scan thru the plywood boat linked in my signature, if you have any questions feel free to PM me anytime w/ them & an email address, I will do my best to answer them thoroughly & quickly.

I wouldn't have chosen to spend last summer any other way. I enjoyed building that boat more then I could ever express.....