Boat Builder Central

drbobopp@gmail.com wrote: ↑Sat Feb 10, 2024 5:34 pm I also use a roller to apply the epoxy. Any objection to that?

Rollers suck up epoxy and could add bubbles if you roll fast. I think fallguy used notched trowels with small notches to spread the epoxy. Just make sure you keep well away from gel times.

I don’t know that I’d be too quick to cut that. Did you put a stringer in that interior channel?

Congratulations on missing the point. If redfishjim has 40yrs using boat with no issues, is it worth the risk of changing the boat’s known behavior simply because “a lot has been learned”. I’m not saying that the ideal of 18” clean isn’t best but that making that change may cause changes to handling...

See, that makes me wonder if changing it is smart. General wisdom is that the skeg should term 18” forward of the tunnel. But 40yrs of practical usage says that maybe this location has been accounted for in the design.

Hang on. Did you add that or was it in there from the factory?

While I agree with the statements, if the FACTORY had the skeg/strake that far back I’m not sure we should be so fast to recommend cutting it off. It’s probably the right thing, but why would the factory do it wrong?

There is the possibility that you are mixing bubbles into the epoxy or apply a bit “late” in the cup time. Former can be from high speed mixing the later just too big a batch. I’ve had some success with a heat gun on LOW to get bubbles to move out of the epoxy. That said, sometimes it’s best to brea...

Run it without. If you find you need them, add them later.

You built it, you can modify it.

The big shops do finishing way different. For example the gelcoat is often put into the mold before the glass. This means the hull is “faired and finished” the minute it’s popped with only touchups required. That 1/3 number is really just about working the rigging and other stuff that we think of as...

And how much longer the small things at the end take to do than the giant things at the beginning. So much faster to get a stack of plywood to look like a boat then a “hull shaped thing” to be an actual sea worthy vessel.

Honestly, it’s not a problem to name what you’re building and ask questions to get help for ANY designer’s plans. Just be aware that BBC doesn’t support them and the advice you get is that of “amateur boatbuilders” unless you get certification of their qualifications. And don’t try to push the other...