timbo
Junior Member
Posts: 74
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Post by timbo on Apr 8, 2014 10:36:44 GMT -5
Oh, I forgot to say that I hope you got a job lot on all those clamps wow!
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Post by juliangibraltar on Apr 8, 2014 12:45:35 GMT -5
Thanks guys, I've got to say again that what was previously a huge mental block and delay on the rails, with Blairs Blocks it really does make the hardest part easy! (relatively!)
Blair I totally agree with you on the worry of only doing one side...especially as I now have to leave it for a while....it crossed my mind but I got on a roll and just kept going....I hope it doesnt flex the board and am hoping the use of 1 inch triangles may not be as strong a pull as the full size....my wife keeps smiling at me with comments like, "I think you're hoping the fibreglass will hold it all together" and she's not wrong!!
Thanks Tim for the youtube links will take a long look at those. I did some basic fiberlglassing when i made a stitch and glue canoe and learned something from that but am worried about the overall "glass" finish on this with the wood showing (I painted my canoe!) Re clamps, well I've been building since before Xmas (way too long!) so have been stocking up every now and again so she who must be obeyed didnt notice....but they are fairly cheap ones which make working fast a little more taxing!!
I now have all the remaining rails cut and will leave to soak for a week while I'm away and then over Easter will be speeding along to get this one finished. One piece of advice which I would recommend and which may be bloody obvious to others is that for the next one (mine!) I will precut all the elements necessary and then move onto the gluing, makes for a cleaner environment and if you have enough clamps you can do a number of things in parallel and move much quicker!!
Until after Easter break!
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 7, 2014 8:03:54 GMT -5
Well, I've been finishing the rails and getting some planing down, man that is such a serene feeling when the plane works its magic and you can start to see something of a shape coming through! Heres a few pictures of where I am.... The first one and two shots are to show the difference between before and after planing as I was a bit daunted by how much planing I would need to do but actually in a couple of hours I had most of one side done....starting to feel like a carpenter if not a shaper! 2. the next shot is tail to toe with my hand grip in position and the fin blocks.....my fin blocks are twice the width of what the plans say as I had cut the ribs to the width of the block before reading the measurements!!! No worries just a little heavier. By the way those with keen eye will see various patches on the bottom as I felt the bottom slats in places were too thin and when sanding may come through (actually the quality of the photos is not good enough and the wood is the same...but they're there!!!) Hope this prevents major cock-ups and certainly learn to rip my strips better for the next one! Thanks Blair for the insight into pre-drilling the hand grips and having a starter hole for when I come back to it after the top is done and I can find it precisely! And finally the shot from the nose (actually on the next post as limit reached).....here you will see another slight cock up due to bad ripping of the bottom slats, the left hand side of the board (looking at photo) is slightly curling up and over as the wood was thin and I focussed on that side of the rails (as you predicted Blair!) but again hopefully nothing too major and I hope I have enough rail to blend it all in and equalise it on both sides with some good planing and shaping. Next stop is either place the top or fill with foam which considering the above comment might give it a bit more structural integrity.....and then order some resin....can anyone tell me roughly how much resin you need for around 3 coats...I'm thinking someone said around 5 litres or 1.5 Gallons US?? excluding varnish and top coat. Back soon!
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 7, 2014 8:04:34 GMT -5
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blair
New Member
Posts: 30
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Post by blair on May 8, 2014 0:36:53 GMT -5
Julian I have been using a 6 litre kit (4l resin, 2l hardener) As a rough idea per coat per side I have been using - cheater coat - 750ml, glass - 750ml, fill coat - 450ml, hot coat - 750ml, those measurements are for resin and hardener. Always have a bit left to dump but think it's better than running out part way through and having to rush to mix more before everything starts to go off. The resin I use seems pretty thick so I would think with a thinner resin you may get better coverage.
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 8, 2014 3:48:38 GMT -5
Perfect, many thanks Blair for concise instructions. I shall be scouring the internet to place the order.
Quick update, I've placed tabs on the ribs last night and also bought some foam to fill her up.
First I am planning to add the strips one by one on the top to make sure the fit is right and while longer I feel more confident that the contact will be good. Once I get about 3/4 of the way across either side, just before the rails, I plan to clamp the top down and then start to fill with foam. This should hold the top in place while the foam expands and doing it this way allows me to still place the strips on one at a time which I couldnt do if the foam was there.
Will upload photos and update on progress this weekend.
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timbo
Junior Member
Posts: 74
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Post by timbo on May 11, 2014 14:42:51 GMT -5
Hi Julian, the SUP is looking good I bet it will look especially nice when glassed up, etc. On my Kayak I used a West System 6Kg B pack 105/207. The 207 hardener is a special slow one and ideal for you out there in Gib and is one of those recommended by most people who build ‘Strippers’. As for quantity, I agree with Blair and based on my kayak experience 6Kg should be enough for the job. It’s very expensive over here and came in at around £140 but well worth it. There are other makes they use in the States (see Rob Macks piece on glassing) but I could not get them in UK.
Also it’s not one of those areas that you can afford to scrimp on after all the hard work you’ve already done. You need a long lasting, strong and durable finish and only Epoxy Resin will give you that.
As for the final finishing I rubbed it down and then took it to a local spray shop and had it coated with a 2 part clear coat lacquer as used on cars. The idea came from an American who makes kayaks professionally, it's really hard but also flexible, uv protective, etc - just think of your car door and the abuse it receives. I have had a fair bit of use out of the kayak and it's as good as new after 3 years.
Anyway I hope you had an enjoyable time doing the deck – look forward to the pics.
Once I’ve sorted out all the bits and pieces that ‘she who must be obeyed’ wants doing (got to get her onside!) then I shall start mine. I can’t wait.
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1974
Full Member
Posts: 131
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Post by 1974 on May 13, 2014 5:49:00 GMT -5
I just finished glassing mine and I used 1.5 gallons total part A and B. this was for the cheater coat, glass coat, and a hot coat. I used every bit of the 1.5 gallons. I had to sand off one of my hot coats because I messed it up. So I had to order an extra quart. If I had some everything properly 1.5 gallons should have been enough.
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 13, 2014 8:13:00 GMT -5
Thanks 1972, that quantity seems to fit with everyone else, converting to around 6kgs. Lets see some photos of your finished board with the fin in place!
Tim, thanks for the input also. Re the West System, yes it seems to be a very popular resin but here it is over €200 for an equivalent quantity so If I can I'll use it otherwise there are some cheaper alternatives....for my first board I may not want it to last too long!!!!! Just kidding!
Re the decks, it seems that I am constantly proving the saying that "a bad worker blames his tools"...I ripped the deck slats with a friend so they came out much better than the bottom slats....half way through my bench saw got something in it (not sure from where) and started smoking and spluttering so need to review that in the next few days. But at least I got some planking done to get started.....only to find that the edges are not straight as I don´t have a planer/thicknesser so now I am spending this week trying to carefully sand the edges to fit using a mixture of scribing and basic thumb plane to get a good fit....at least on the first couple of planks! Every time I think I'm getting closer something else turns up that makes me think I should have invested in some other machine!!!! Part of the problem is my own doing because I found an old broken beach umbrella made of mahogany which I cut and glued as a centre strip to bring some zing to the otherwise white boring board!! - except it's made up of 5 pieces and of course when gluing it it was difficult to keep it 100% straight....its passable but this is causing the knock on problem with the planking..ha ha ha!
Will post photos of deck planking when there is something glued down!
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1974
Full Member
Posts: 131
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Post by 1974 on May 13, 2014 15:36:54 GMT -5
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1974
Full Member
Posts: 131
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Post by 1974 on May 14, 2014 8:40:40 GMT -5
You also asked for the size of my fin. It measures 10.5" tall and 13" long. I think this is overkill. I added provisions for a fin box so if I don't like it I will remove and go that route.
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 19, 2014 2:56:45 GMT -5
Hi guys, thanks 1972 for the fin info....your board is looking excellent, really sweet. What's it weigh because I've picked mine up this weekend and I'm pretty sure my wife will have a problem carrying it...it is bloody heavy - still need to shape it and lose some weight but also needs a couple more deck lengths and the fibreglass! Well my week ended badly with some misalignment that I though would be a problem but in fact it all started to come together quite well and easy....definitely prefer to lay the planking on one by one (unless you have cut everything else to perfection!). All was going well until I burnt out my table saw beyond repair with only the last 4 strips left to rip!!! A number of expletives were used and now will have to see if some lumber yard here will cut my last couple of strips (not as easy as it sounds here) before I save up for another saw to do the next board! Its like she doesn't want to be finished!! A couple of photos to show the progress of gluing down the top planks and then another with the last planks missing and being filled with foam. figured this was a good option to avoid the heat expansion problem and fitting the vents and this way the expansion is perhaps a little more controlled with just a small gap to come out of. Will continue tonight as ran out of foam.
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1974
Full Member
Posts: 131
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Post by 1974 on May 20, 2014 6:23:50 GMT -5
Looking good! If I build another board I will have to do the individual plank method. It looks like it would be much easiest to handle.
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 20, 2014 7:23:58 GMT -5
I certainly found it easy doing it strip by strip and doing 2-3 a day (with glue drying time) actually doesn't take too long and it makes sure that all points of contact are working!
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Post by juliangibraltar on May 23, 2014 3:08:25 GMT -5
Heres a few more pics of the board with the foam being cut down and sanded, important to make sure the planking edge is nice and clear for gluing. Gotta say, after seeing 1972 do this it really is a good idea to avoid the heat expansion/air vent issue and it's pretty simple and quick and not sure of the added weight to the board but certainly takes the weight off my mind...plus overall the board deck looks cleaner in the end....that's my opinion only of course ! Hopefully get the last 4 planks cut this weekend (after my saw burnt out!) and get it finished so I can start sanding. Still not sure on whether to get a fin kit or make one....it certainly looks much more "hand made" with your own wooden fin.....might try one as always have the the fin box option available later.
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