AR15 questions

Sail Boats 15' and up. Please include the boat type in your question.
MichiganPaul
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AR15 questions

Post by MichiganPaul »

I bought the plans for ar15 and have had a lot of questions. I've found most of the answers by mining the board archive and rereading the plans. This will be my first boat and I haven't been around sailboats in about 20 years.
Before I got the plans I assumed that if I kept the boat painted it would last indefinitely. However there are a few spots on the rocket that don't have good access for maintenance paint. Inside the bow, under the seats and sole, and especially the centerboard trunk. I was ok with epoxy only to protect the wood until I read in the forum that plywood can check open when covered with epoxy only. The centerboard trunk can be lined with glass which makes me feel better. Inside the bow will get wet and be used for storage but still be difficult to inspect and or recoat. Does anyone have some thoughts about this or am I just overthinking and getting cold feet about starting?
Paul

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Jaysen
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by Jaysen »

Use light glass inside before you seal the chambers.

Process would be
Cut pieces
Epoxy seal
Assemble to tape but do not close
Glass over wood
Prime/paint with quality product
Seal
Finish

The important part there is to stop the prime/paint step so you have clean surface to glue too.

That said, unexposed wood/epoxy will last a long time if the underlying wood is quality.

Hope that makes sense.
My already completed 'Lil Bit'. A Martens Goosen V12 set up to sail me to the fishing holes.
Currently working on making a Helms 24 our coastal cruiser.
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Jaysen wrote: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:44 pm I tried to say something but God thought I was wrong and filled my mouth with saltwater. I kept my pie hole shut after that.

MichiganPaul
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by MichiganPaul »

Thanks Jaysen,
It does make sense. I was kind of hoping that someone would tell me not to worry about it. :P There is a lot of area on the AR15 that could be glassed. Maybe I could glass some of the more vulnerable areas like where water could collect. This project has given me a lot to think about. I think I've gotten my money's worth from the plans already.
Paul

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Jaysen
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by Jaysen »

My last line was kind of … don’t worry about it.

The key to not worrying about it is to use high quality ply, get your epoxy seal right, then use a solid finish (primer/top coat).
My already completed 'Lil Bit'. A Martens Goosen V12 set up to sail me to the fishing holes.
Currently working on making a Helms 24 our coastal cruiser.
“Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens” wrote:Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
Jaysen wrote: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:44 pm I tried to say something but God thought I was wrong and filled my mouth with saltwater. I kept my pie hole shut after that.

fallguy1000
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by fallguy1000 »

If you are worried about scrapes or abrasion; glass the bottoms of lockers.

Most of the checking happens from uv exposure on exterior stuff. The paint and the substrate and even an epoxy layer all have varying thermal expansion rates. So does fiberglass, but fiberglass and epoxy create a pretty uniform expansion rate versus wood fibers.

The sun is the real culprit.

On my boat, I plan to paint the lockers later. Inaccessible compartments did not get painted on my boat. I am a tad worried about it, but only because I can see a bit of light as the bottom is about to be painted. I have inspection ports, but a different boat.

I spent a lot of time considering all this business. You are not alone. My boat is all glass, though. A couple of okume panels I used were left raw even.
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jacquesmm
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by jacquesmm »

About checking: those comments are about cheap standard exterior plywood, not marine plywood. That exterior fiberglass is recommended on cheap plywood, not on marine plywood. This defeats the idea of saving by using cheap plywood because you need more glass. The final total cost will be the same and you will have inferior materials.
Build her from marine plywood, coat ALL plywood surfaces with epoxy resin but there is no need for fiberglass everywhere. Once that is done, don't worry about it.

Paint the epoxy and it will last forever. There are boats built in wood-epoxy that are more than 50 years old and look fine.

I design my CB trunks wide enough so that you can reach in there with a paint brush or foam brush and recoat with epoxy if needed.
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cape man
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by cape man »

I will only add to use quality, BS1088 rated marine plywood. That rating is based on the lack of voids in the inner plies and the type of glue used to laminate the ply. Both the Okume and Meranti sold here has the 1088 rating. "Marine" plywood is also available that is still cheap plywood that won't last.

And then "don't worry about it!"
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MichiganPaul
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Re: AR15 questions

Post by MichiganPaul »

Thanks for your responses everyone. I find it helpful to understand the why's that go with the how's. I should have said that I was planning to use the okoume plywood. That's one thing that everyone agrees on in the forum. It looks like I may use some extra glass but will be buying more primer and paint.
Now it's back to planning until the next question. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be building without this forum to help. Thanks again,
Paul

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