Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
I need a materials list for fiberglass bottom
Hi All, I just bought my first wooden drift boat. I need to replace the bottom. You all have helped more than you know, already. Now, I'm looking for a little more help. The boat is 16' x 48". I bought it off Craig’s list. The previous owner had removed the UHMW shoe and found holes in the plywood bottom. Looking through these forums, I've learned how to remove sections between the frames, and repair the things that need to be repaired. I feel I can scarf the 1/2" plywood sheets. I want to use fiberglass with graphite on the bottom, and do away with the UHMW, because of the temp. swings in Idaho. What I need now is a materials list for the glass products needed. One point I'm not clear on, is what size rounding bit would I use in my router to round the edges of the plywood bottom, or should I just belt sand them, and to what radius? I've never used fiberglass before, so it will be what I've learned here in the forums getting me through. I will be taking pics and posting them later.
Thanks in advance,
John
While out fishing, my friend put a big red X on the side of my boat. He said, he put that X there so he could find the same fishing spot again next time we go fishing. As it was a good one.
Thanks in advance,
John
While out fishing, my friend put a big red X on the side of my boat. He said, he put that X there so he could find the same fishing spot again next time we go fishing. As it was a good one.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bryan McDade on
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Awesome! You are in for a lot of fun and a addiction that if you have a wife or girlfriend, you should send them to counseling now to get over. In regards to the bottom, I would keep the edge of the ply square with a slight sanding to make sure the fiberglass goes over it well without becomeing such a sharp edge that it tends to fail. The edge allows for better manueverability in the water. The materials depend on what type of resin you will use. I found tap plastics to be helpful with a product called "coat it". They also have many types of fiberglass. I applied "coat it" after the fiberglass layer as a final coat and liked how it worked. A slight drawback is that it only continues to look pretty until you tip the boat over.
Someone here will have it pretty lined up in amounts that you need. Good Luck!
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Permalink Reply by Jason Knight on
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John,
Read this previous thread. Good info in there.
http://www.woodenboatpeople.com/forum/topics/fiberglass-bottom-install
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Permalink Reply by John Ward on
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Thanks,
I’ve got that one and several others book marked. I’ve read in WBP Forums, some folks are using 20-oz. stitched cloth with 6-oz by 4” wide tape around edges. But I need more input.
I’ve read in the forums where one person used three layers of 6-oz cloth followed with multiple layers of epoxy with graphite powder added.
Which is stronger? 1 layer of 20-oz or 3 layers of 6-oz. Either way I go, the cloth is followed by at least 3 layers of epoxy with graphite. Is this correct?
Which is more forgiving for first time users to apply? How much drying time do you give the 4” tape so it does not create problems while wetting out the cloth? Like lifting the tape off the sides. Would I run the 6-oz by 4” tape if I go with three layers of 6-oz cloth? Or do I roll the all three layers over the side?
After the cloth is wetted out and soft set, and I’m looking to put first coat of epoxy on it, about how much epoxy should one mix? How much graphite do you add to that amount of epoxy?
What I’ve read is one of the more common mistakes, rookies make is mixing too much epoxy and applying it too thick and/or wasting it.
I’ve looked at web sites and see different cloth thread counts and weave patterns, different strengths for different ones. Some are harder to wet, because of tighter weave and I don’t know what cloth I should be using/pricing. S class, E class, mat or what?
Does anyone have a kit for fiber glassing drift boat bottoms? Or do I need to just buy it piece meal.
How many yards of 20-oz cloth what dimensions 50” x 15’ OR. how many yards of 6-oz cloth for three layers and what dimensions. Should I even think about splicing smaller pieces of cloth together on the bottom? Because of the loose thread bunching problems. What width of 6-oz cloth?
How many feet of 6-oz x 4” tape?
How many gallons of epoxy will I need?
How much graphite do I need per coat?
Thanks,
John
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Permalink Reply by AJ DeRosa on
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For this proceedure you need only cloth and epoxy. 20-23 oz triaxial is a good choice. a 1-2gal epoxy/ hardener kit should be plenty. Always buy more than you need for the project at hand cuz it's good stuff to have around.
The most common mistake for 1st timers is to wrap the cloth over the chine cap. Might sound like a good idea but it's not
To get a proper bottom you must first remove both chine caps. Run the glass to the edge of the plywood bottom panel. Coat the end grain of the bottom panel with epoxy. Now reattach the chine cap using 3M 101 or Life Caulk's similar product after the epoxy has cured These are polysulfide bedding compounds and will provide a long lasting seal that is easily removed if you need to replace the chine cap down the road. Attach the chine cap with silicon bronze fasteners, nails or screws. I like to leave the cap about a 1/16"proud to the bottom to protect the edge of the glass.
There is a school of thought that likes to round the bottom edge and wrap glass over the chine joint. It may or may not be as good as the above described method. Just one of those things that builders will be knocking back and forth for years to come. I put my money on thirty years of success with the method just described.
You will get plenty of advice on these boat building forums but it is up to you to determine how valid the advice may be.
When working with glass cloth and epoxy always apply in several thin coats and be sure to squeege out any excess resin on the saturation coat. Foam rollers will allow you to add additional thin coat evenly.
Graphite powder can be added to the flow coats. Some folks skip the graphite, I think it may create a slightly slicker surface. Years of dragging boats over gravel makes think it helps.
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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on
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http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/
Above is a website for a fiberglass supply house that can quickly ship to Idaho.
four yards of their 19oz triaxial
two gallons of epoxy
1 pt of graphite additive. Mix the graphite only on flow coats at no more than 10% of volume. It will take a few coats to turn pure black.
I like to use their epoxy rollers for laying out cloth. They have an inexpensive plastic roller with wheels that spread epoxy without removing too much. The little rollers make the job pretty easy; however, people have used a small scrap of plywood as a spreader for years.
Since you are ordering epoxy to laminate the cloth there is no need to order Coat-It. Just add the graphite (or not) Coat-It is a premix of epoxy, graphite and kevlar. It's good stuff but you shouldn't use it to laminate the cloth.
That's all you need. Do as A.J. recommends and you'll have a great boat bottom in a jiffy.
I am the proponent of rounding the 1/2 bottom and wrapping the edges with 6oz tape before the chine is put back on. That will require two extra steps: 1. rounding, soaking the end grain with epoxy, applying the tape. (get 30ft, 15ft per side) Then attach the bottom the same as A.J. 2. After you bed the chine you need to use Fillet (either wood flour mix or a pre-mixed fillet such as System Three EZ Fillet) to fill the gap made between the chine and the rounded edge of the boat bottom. This will add about three hours of work but will also add at least two days of dry time for epoxy. One overnight dry for the tape and one overnight dry for the fillet. All other processes are the same.
http://www.woodenboatpeople.com/forum/topics/laying-up-glass-bottom...
Click Here for another forum thread that is near the same as this one. There is an image I've posted showing how similar the two methods are and showing that the outside edge of the chine batten remains sharp as Bryan suggests.
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