Laziness/Invention/Fairing

[VT_Jeff]

As Reid so succinctly put it, I'm in the fairing "Doldrums", leaving me too much time to think about things I could be doing besides fairing. I had an idea and am wondering if anyone has seen this tried or tried it themselves:

Consider the side of an FS14LS: for much of the boat, it's a long flat panel, until it gets near the bow. Why not take the "mold" approach to fairing this part:

1. slather on some compound,

2. take a flat, smooth surface the same size as the panel(mdf?), covered in something that won't stick(wax? Saran Wrap?), and attach it to the panel with some amount of clamping pressure(throughbolts spread out over the panel with wingnuts, leaving holes to fill afterwards, or maybe just a bunch of long-gullet clamps)

3. allow the compound to cure, and remove the "mold"

Theoretically I would have a smooth, flat panel without doing any fairing.

For parts that are not completely flat, I'm thinking of maybe a thick, heavy rubber mat that will conform to the curve without waving too much, there is probably something better I'm not thinking of.

I know it will be easy to find holes with this solution but am curious if anyone has tried anything like this with this building method.

I once got the idea to attach a pipe-clamp to my drill to make it easier to drill through metal that I could not get on the drill press, like on a trailer. Works amazingly well, saves a load of effort and is super-simple. So I know that not all my labor-saving ideas are insane.

Jeff

[Jaysen]

There’s a product called peel ply. You put it in over the wet glass to reduce fairing. It’s expensive. For a reason. It works well if you do it right. All the other shortcuts seem to require... fairing.

Give your idea a shot though. Maybe your plan has what others have missed.

[fallguy1000]

I use 1/8" rubber molds. Maybe I will take a picture of all our fairing tools. We just bought a new one.

[BarraMan]

I think people make too big a deal of fairing! Maybe they are using the wrong stuff or not going about it the right way.

Its not that hard!

I faired my 22' boat - it didn't seem like such a big deal.

1) I used peel ply on my last layer of glass only. Someone above said it is expensive - not so much here, and definitely worth it.
2) After a light sanding with 80 grit on an orbital sander, I applied a slurry of fairing compound and spread it with a 1M straight edge on a level that I had taped to allow the fairing compound to be easily removed. I used West System fairing powder in West System epoxy.
3) Then I got stuck into it with the 3M fairing boards that I bought from Bateau2, one stiff for flat surfaces and one flexible for curved surfaces. 40 grit and 60 grit makes light work of the West System fairing mixture.
4) Repeat 2 and 3 until you have a "fair" surface. I rubbed on graphite powder before sanding to check for low/high spots.
5) Once fair I gave it a good sanding with 120 grit on an orbital sander.
6) then I applied 3 x coats of epoxy to seal the surface, followed by 3 x coats of graphite/epoxy on the bottom.
7) Then I worked my way through multiple coats of epoxy primer/2 pack polyurethane undercoat/2 pack polyurethane topcoat, sanding in-between with ever increasing fine grit sandpaper first dry then wet for the really fine grit - orbital sander for the dry sanding and cork-block hand-sanding for the wet sanding.

Its a little laborious - but not that difficult!

I thought it turned out pretty well!

[BarraMan]

After posting the above, I thought I had best check that I am not just showing early signs of "oldtimers" disease, given that it been a few years since I faired my boat. I checked my build thread and found some entries.

Bit of an update for those interested in my build.
Fairing is progressing well and I can actually see the progress and imagine an end to it. Not that fairing this boat is particularly hard given that I used peel-ply on all my external glassing - it just that it is BIG, and fairing the bottom is really uncomfortable sitting on a sloping surface with a sharp strake running down the middle of it.
I have become a bit anal and am essentially "blue printing" the bottom - aspiring to the high standard set by CL. It is straight (at least for the last 3 metres), fair and true.
My new random orbital sander is my best friend. The old one threw in the towel!

At one point I got poetic!

I got the blues
I got the boat fairing blues
I got those epoxy dusty, sander noisey, longboard arthritisy, boat fairing blues
I got the blues

and I found a post by the guru, Cracker Larry, that pretty much sums up fairing!

Fairing is the doldrums of boat building. You work for days and weeks, and the picture never changes. Not much gratification. But then one day you're finally done. When you first think you're done, walk away and rest for a couple days, then come back and do it one more time !

[blueflood]

Fairing is time consuming finicky work but is not difficult as barraman points out. Stitch and glue hulls by nature have flat panels curved on only one direction and not compound so that makes work much more easier. The only “problem” areas are the chines, butt joints and wherever there is tabbing such as the bow, glass overlaps and other corners.

Using a stiff longboard sanding at 45 degrees over a guide coat, QF and S3 HBP and feeling with your palms, the lows are easily taken cared of. Thin coats of QF is a must however and only within the low spot, with a rigid trowel. You will gain experience and feel over time and your palms will be the guide for feathering. High build primer built up with 2 or 3 coats is the next step to bring your hull ready for that glossy paint job.

Take your time but don’t over do the passes with QF spread on like icing on a cake. It is a long process but not difficult. A fair hull without noticeable bumps is what you strive for and every successive pass brings it one step closer to perfection.

Marc

[fallguy1000]

After posting the above, I thought I had best check that I am not just showing early signs of "oldtimers" disease, given that it been a few years since I faired my boat. I checked my build thread and found some entries.

Bit of an update for those interested in my build.
Fairing is progressing well and I can actually see the progress and imagine an end to it. Not that fairing this boat is particularly hard given that I used peel-ply on all my external glassing - it just that it is BIG, and fairing the bottom is really uncomfortable sitting on a sloping surface with a sharp strake running down the middle of it.
I have become a bit anal and am essentially "blue printing" the bottom - aspiring to the high standard set by CL. It is straight (at least for the last 3 metres), fair and true.
My new random orbital sander is my best friend. The old one threw in the towel!

At one point I got poetic!

I got the blues
I got the boat fairing blues
I got those epoxy dusty, sander noisey, longboard arthritisy, boat fairing blues
I got the blues

and I found a post by the guru, Cracker Larry, that pretty much sums up fairing!

Fairing is the doldrums of boat building. You work for days and weeks, and the picture never changes. Not much gratification. But then one day you're finally done. When you first think you're done, walk away and rest for a couple days, then come back and do it one more time !

It appears your walk to school 12 miles uphill without shoes is a bit far fetched!

Awesome man.

May your boat be filled with barramundi!

[VT_Jeff]

There’s a product called peel ply. You put it in over the wet glass to reduce fairing. It’s expensive. For a reason. It works well if you do it right. All the other shortcuts seem to require... fairing.

Give your idea a shot though. Maybe your plan has what others have missed.

I have used peel ply in the past and you're right, it's pricey. And it conforms to whatever shape it's on so it can't be used to, say, fair a step between a single layer of glass and a couple of layers of tape. But, for the larger, open areas, it's probably something I should consider next time around.

I've come up with a lot of issues with my idea, like how to apply enough pressure evenly to distribute and squeeze out compound without ending up with a lot of dimples where the screws or clamps are.

[VT_Jeff]

Maybe they are using the wrong stuff or not going about it the right way.

I'd say that statement pretty much sums it up: using the wrong stuff and going about it the wrong way. Probably applies to many aspects of life!

I'm actually starting to get some traction and feeling like I'm moving forward, the keys for me were Fallguys insistence on metal tools and everyone's insistence on thin coats. I feel like I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know I have a fair amount of work to do still but at least I now feel like I can get it done.

Appreciate all the feedback/ideas!

Jeff

[VT_Jeff]

I thought it turned out pretty well!

May qualify as an award-winning understatement from the photos, nice work!