FS19 New England build

[Pstrizzle]

Looking into starting to build the fs19 this fall/winter in my garage. What can I expect working epoxy in colder weather?

[silentneko]

It really needs to be north of 60 degrees for it the cure right. If you have a heated garage then you will be golden.

[Pstrizzle]

Thanks Neko. As along as wife says it’s fine I think it will be fine. I guess she’s got few options heat the garage while curing etc. or let me build in basement and knock wall down when finished to move to garage...

[Browndog]

Welcome to the forum.

The FS19 is an excellent choice. I built one for my brother and he is really enjoying using it on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in Virginia.

The boat has an excellent ride and with the optional spray rails it is extremely dry.

Happy to help answer any questions you might have along the way. There is a build thread that covers most of the build that might help as well.

Best wishes on your boat building project.

[remedy32]

OK, back to the original question.

Looking into starting to build the fs19 this fall/winter in my garage. What can I expect working epoxy in colder weather?

I built my FS17 in my unheated CT garage 9 years ago. About half of the build was done between November and April. While "fast" epoxy will cure down to temps of 55-60 the reality is that the surface, not just the air must be at this temp as well. While the air can be warmed up quickly, the 500 lb. hull will take much longer to reach this temp on colder days. I was lucky enough to get the "upside down" structure built and glassed before it got too cold. I then flipped the boat and continued over the winter with the much slower fitting of the interior structure, rigging and endless "stand there thinking" moments. This left me with 2 more flips to get the bottom finished and the turn back over one last time. The FS19 will be a good deal heavier and "flips" won't be a casual thing. But I still would caution that expecting to do much of the large scale laminating unless the garage is at 60 or more ALL THE TIME could be a frustrating challenge.

Agree with others that these are great small boats. The 17 is a bit wet in rough stuff but tough and seaworthy. The 19, especially with spray rails, should be dryer and more comfortable. Either can be powered with motors that make other boaters look twice. The 17 breaks 30 mph with an older 40. 60 to 90 should be plenty for the bigger sister. Good luck.

Bill
CT USA

[OrangeQuest]

Welcome to the forum. Will be following your build with interest.

[Jeff]

Welcome to the Forum!! Look forward to following your build!! Jeff

[joe2700]

I'm building an FS17 in New England in an unheated garage that is not insulated but isn't drafty either. I use a propane forced air heater, 30k-60k BTU that runs off BBQ tanks. I have been able to work through any weather the past 2 winters without a problem, but have spent a few hundred dollars on propane.

It's an advantage in a way because I can do some work at 60F without racing the pot life and then when done crank the heat up to 85F to get the epoxy to cure very quickly so I can go on to the next step. I can only be at the boat on weekends, so working quickly no matter the weather when I am there is important. Also maybe I'm just weak, but I'm a lot more motivated to keep working in a 60 degree shop than a 30-40 degree one.

If you go this route make sure you get a CO detector! I can run the heater for a while with no detectable CO, but if it's really cold after a certain amount of time the level rises slightly and I get a chirp and a reading on the display. That's still far under the level that triggers an alarm but I will open the door a little and use the heater to blow fresh air in for a few minutes until the reading is 0 again. Most of the time the temperature is high enough before this happens.

I also recommend a temp/humidity gauge. With epoxy temp is important and with paint temperature and humidity are important. The air is very dry in the winter, but burning propane releases water vapor so you will see humidity increase to a good range, but then it can go past that to overly humid. Good luck with the build!

[Pstrizzle]

Thanks joe. Your build looks great. Really like the fs17. I’m just south of Boston where about a are you

[joe2700]

The build is at my Mom's on the Cape, but I live just west of Boston. I boat out of the Charles here, taking the river out to the harbor.