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