Fiberglassing the Bulk Heads, Bowpost and Transom Cuts

Today we cleaned out the garage and fiber-glassed one side of the bulkheads. We made small batches, maybe about 15oz batches, using Resin Research Epoxy,  First we coated the bulkheads, and then added the pre-cut fiberglass and applied more epoxy and used rollers to smooth it all. I believe this is called the wet-method." We'll see how it all tuned out tomorrow.

Safety first. First Aid kit, Fire extinguisher, and canteen of water just in case anything gets really hairy.

Above are the pieces after waiting a few days. Spoke to Greg Loehr from Epoxy Research about how long it should take to harden. He has been extremely helpful. We figured out that the epoxy didn't set because of the low temps.

Second go around I used the dry method of applying the epoxy with patches of that were around 25 oz.  The pictures show the prep below, but the results were unreal. The epoxy hardened up and looks great. The 70 degree temps definitely helped.

 

So after a few trial and errors we have refined our method. First we made a bunch of blocks to go under the bulkheads so the epoxy doesn't drip under. 

The bowpost and transom have been more difficult than we had anticipated. The first bowpost and transom we cut to short and narrow. So we redid that. My advice for this is to leave plenty of room. Ripping the bevels with the table saw required some extra room.

Links: 
http://www.westtavaputs.com/2015/11/cutting-panels-glassing.html

Sharpening the Hand Plane

Sharpening the Hand Plane.

Sharpening the hand plane blade is a much more interesting task than I had originally thought. After a little research I decide to pick up a bench grinder and order some wet stones.

The sharpening stone and jig seem to be lost in the mail... could really use them help polish the edge off. I'm aiming to make the blade sharpen enough to shave my arm hairs. The links below help describe how to use the grinder and setup the hand plane. These two aspects of scarfing the joint have proven to be critical. Who would've thought that woodwork would required learning the skill of sharping tools.

Bench Grinder Basics:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/2012/04/05/bench-grinder-basics

Sharpening a Hand Plane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUDUR-8lkLY

Restoring a Hand Plane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EWXg9Y6_TU#t=667.038941

Sharpening and Setting the Bench Plane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE4yVgdVW7s

Every step of the way on this boat build has led to acquiring fascinating knowledge. The terminology is by far the best. Speaking of which, I scarfed the second side of the plywood. The hand plane is now sharp but I still need to practice more and hone it in more a stone. For now the belt sander has proven to get the job done. It is not the most accurate at first, but you get the hang of it. The whole goal here is to learn how to scarf a joint on the river before putting a hole in the boat.

Self Bailing Thoughts

While I have yet to get to certain aspects of the build, they still way heavily on my mind. Below are a few links that I have compiled on ideas for helping the boat self-bail.

Thru hull scuppers are sure to be the answer. That or just home made drainage systems. What I have learned so far is that you want to have large ports. 2" or bigger. Add them to the front and back passenger sets. If I'm going to add a bilge, better make it big 1000 GPH.

The game plan at the moment is to have two 2" PVC pipe draining the front and back passenger areas. The drain will go down through the seat and then through the side panels. The rowers footwell will have thru hulls with a scupper flap also exiting on either side of the boat.

I would like to add a bilge to both the front and back and run it off a large 12v Marine Battery. How I am going to accomplish this is beyond me at the moment. But for the rest of it, the links provide some useful information.

Thru hull drainage:
http://www.westtavaputs.com/2015/12/night-shift.html 
Links on Gutter Systems:
http://kellyneu.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-39.html 

How to drill the thru hull video.
https://www.wakemakers.com/resources/how-to-drill-fiberglass-and-install-thru-hull-fittings/

Discussion on self-bailing
http://www.montana-riverboats.com/phorum/read.php?3,9847,21137#msg-21137

Crazy drainage surf dories. 
http://www.pearsonunlimited.com/DorySpecs.html