FIRST LIGHT - My (Daddy's) Boat-SPLASHED

[robbiro]

Just to keep everyone up to date, the hull has been turned. A friend came by that I did not expect and said, "Let's get this thing done!!" So with the help of our wives holding things we got it turned and placed on horses where I can do a couple of things from the bottom side (Cleaning up some not too good looking spots and leveling the frames with the chine), stitching the bottom and then here we go again.
Thanks for reading this and I hope that my feeble efforts will give others hope that IT CAN BE DONE! by almost anyone that wants to try to do it and will take their time (My biggest area for improvement).

Later,

ADDENDUM:

To all who helped me through my squaring crisis, the bottom rear of the back transom corners to the opposite outside corners of the front bulkhead came within 3/16ths. Ya'll are great and give superb advice to those of us who are SLOWLY learning what a boat looks like from the inside out. But then there is the guy from Turkey with that splendid new boat. I wish him well when he finally gets her underway.

Good Night

[ks8]

go man go!

[robbiro]

Progress report:
The boat has been turned and the bottom is almost totally stitched in place. This should be finished tomorrow night. The kids are ready to see this thing wrapped in duct tape and I could not agree more. Then the tedious work starts, one step and one seam at a time. This I have learned listening to all of you and I am getting better at that, my work with fillets and tape will be the next test. Until the next report,

[robbiro]

The boat is finally right-side up and ready for fillets and top finishing. I am reading all of the tutorials several times before I start applying the fillets and glass on the corners and transoms. My question is when you are working on a bulkhead area, do I do epoxy, fillet, epoxy, tape and then glass and epoxy filling the glass in one string of steps or can I do part one night and then another part the next night? When the discussion is working wet on wet, that is the reason for asking this question.
Thanks for all of the help so far and as my friend said when we turned her tonight, "She's looking like a boat!!"

Later

[timoub007]

Congrats on getting her back over Robbie! I was wondering when you were going to post another report.

As far as the work goes, wet on wet would be something like:
Pre-coat wood with unthickened epoxy
Build your filet with epoxy thickened with wood flour
Lay the wetted out glass tape on this filet while it is still wet

If you want to or have the time to it would be great to continue on with the full glass at this point. If you can get it laid down while the epoxy is still tacky it would prevent some sanding and generally make your life easier.

If you can't get the full glass down in the same day, no problem. I did all of my filets first and didn't work wet on wet at all. If I had to do it over again (or should I say when I build my next boat) I will do the tape over wet filets. I won't likely have enough time to do the full glass at the same setting, but would try to plan that out.

Keep chugging along...

Tim

[robbiro]

As building keeps chugging and sweatting along, I have gotten the fillets and tape down in the rear bulkhead and transon area This morning. I will try to do the glassing tonight, but it has been slightly warm here (where in America has it not been warm {HOOOOTTTT} ) and that makes the epoxy get real tacky real fast. The fillets went easier than I thought . Just like some of you told me. Now I realize that one step at a time and only one step is the way to build this fishing machine.
I have the layout of hatches and covers about figured out and cut for the middle and back seat areas. I got two sealable hatches on an auction on ebay and this is going to keep me from worrying about losing a hatch as I pull the boat on the trailer over some of our bumpy Mississippi roads. It will also give me the ability to have watertight compartments for dry clothes, etc. just in case I forget where the boundaries of the boat are and get wet!!@!!!

[Cracker Larry]

Pictures We want pictures

[robbiro]

I know, I know, I know...!!
Pictures have been taken all along, but the Koday Easyshare software on our pc decided to go .
As soon as my live in help desk (wife) gets to re-install the software, she said that the photos were the first thing to get done, so as soon as she gets time, we will all see them. I am not sure what all I have shot, but I have tried to shoot each stage as I finished it. I am going to be like some of Ya'll and not show off some of my first fillets, but once I get the hang of it, you will see what I can do.
Anyone got any answers to a 90+degree day (garage) and only medium hardener?
That has slowed me down more than anything else lately in the evenings, but Hopefully it will cool down one day!!!

Keep Building

[ArizonaBuilder]

Anyone got any answers to a 90+degree day (garage) and only medium hardener?

I store the jugs in the house and take them out to the garage when I want to do some epoxy work. I work in very small batches and get the epoxy spread out very quickly.

Buy some slow hardener.

[robbiro]

Terry,
I mix in the utility room which is AC. This gives me some time, but not enough as I am working on the fillets, taping, and what ever else I can get done. The other problem is the amount of sweat that I am trying to not get in the epoxy while I am working it. I din't know what you face as far as humidity, but we can see 75-90 % at times especially when we are getting thundershowers like tonight. I am trying to keep things on as close a budget as I can and buying more hardener is a possibility, but I had not planned to do it unless I absolutely had to, and I may have to. Thanks for the info and Keep on Building