Panga 20 Build

[FluidDynamic]

I blended my skeg in.

[OrangeQuest]

I like the way that looks! Very good job!

[FluidDynamic]

It's hard to tell in the pic, but it is a really smooth transition. Pic makes it look crooked.

[FluidDynamic]

I'm planning on vacuum bagging the fiberglass on over the rail and I have a few questions on the setup. I'm going to use perforated release film, breather fabric, and then the bagging film. Do I make the width of the release film wider than the fiberglass? Does the breather fabric need to be the same width? I'm a little confused on I set those items up. Also, is the tubing supposed to be throw away. I would imagine the tubing will be messed up when the epoxy cured in it.

[fallguy1000]

I'm planning on vacuum bagging the fiberglass on over the rail and I have a few questions on the setup. I'm going to use perforated release film, breather fabric, and then the bagging film. Do I make the width of the release film wider than the fiberglass? Does the breather fabric need to be the same width? I'm a little confused on I set those items up. Also, is the tubing supposed to be throw away. I would imagine the tubing will be messed up when the epoxy cured in it.

1. Where do you intend to seal the pull?

2. The release film is intended to provide a release of the breather. Anything the breather touches that gets epoxy on the breather will stick. So, the release is required to be in excess of the areas wetted. A bunch is best. Think like a 6" overlap all the way around, plus the feed line needs film under it or it will stick. But just under the feed end, not under the sealant tape. Release film there would cause a leak.

3. The tubing gets reused. When you apply vacuum, you generally have a resin trap. However, for your small job, it is unneeded. I have never gotten any resin into my traps. If I did, my resin losses to the bag would be like 50% and Jeff could retire on my purchases of epoxy. What you do is this. Run the vacuum line off the rail about 6-12" and install a bunch of breather media between the rail and the inlet, like folded over itself and made 4 layers thick. This area will need release film under it or you will stick the media to the hull. And the release film goes just under the inlet, but not at the bag seal. If you use a vac inlet on top the bag, disregard the concerns about the release film under the hose. When you pull vac on your job, you need to see release film all the way around. The reason release films are highly colored is to make sure you see release film when you bag the job instead of breather. Release film showing all around is good. Release film hidden by breather is bad. Anyhow, any excess resin will fill that portion of the breather media going to the line.

4. It is kind of hard to do this job with vac and I sort of advise against it. I saw your work and it is exceptional and glassing it will be easy with a lighter glass like 6 ounce woven. Vac is really unnecessary and the gains from it are very incremental if any at all other than experience. If you want to do some vac work, it is much easier to do on a table for a noob.

5. When you do this work on a side piece, the parts(release film, breather media) are going to want to fall off. When they fall off, they will disturb your work. Think pull the glass off or over, etc. In order to avoid that happenstance, what you do is tape the release film to the hull bottom in just the right spot. And same with the breather media. So those things will be ready to just lay over the top and the tape on the hull will hole them. Use something like a 2" wide 7 day release tape. The vac will pull it down, but it will come up if you don't epoxy it down. When they are taped, you just roll them back over the vac bag you prepped on the hull. After glassing, you'll roll the release film over the work, then roll the breather, then roll the bag. The bag would have been stuck on the long edge. Then you seal the bag on the sides and the hull side further down.

6. Closing the bag requires pleating. Make sure and watch a video of how to do it or ask me how I do it.

7. Closing the bag will require gum tape. You can use butyl tape.

8. This is important. You will need some slack in the bag or the vac won't pull down on the edges of the rail right where you want it. This means the bag needs to be a little loose. When you turn on the vac, you will want to help the bag lay down into those areas a bit. Don't over think it, but you need to avoid bridging or you'll have a big bunch of epoxy over your beautifully coved fillets. And this is why I advise against it. That said, I vacuum bagged over the keels on a Boston Whaler and this is similar, just that the keels are easier because they are on the boat bottom upside down.

9. I hate to tell you this, but this job needs peelply more than vac or in addition to vac. The peelply will keep the resin from running down the hull sides. Any resin on the hullsides that even as much as touches the vacuum bag will destroy the vac. Epoxy is the biggest problem in sealing a bag. If I was going to glass those rails, all I would do is cut the glass and cut a piece of peelply about 4"-6" wider then the glass. Once the glass was on and wetted, I'd hit it with the peelply or even have a 2nd person follow with the peelply. Drips are a worse enemy than a small air bubble in this lamination.

Kind regards.

[fallguy1000]

by the way, if you try to peelply the job and vac, the peelply goes on after the glass, then the release film goes over the peelply, but you'd have the same problems with the release and breather falling off the boat, so you'd still do everything else the same, the peelply is the only way I would vac it because you won't need much sanding with it on there

[FluidDynamic]

Thanks for the very good explanation. The reason I wanted to do the vacuum bagging was I had trouble getting the 6 oz woven to lay down over the rails. I even used peel ply and it still would lay down without having a lot of air bubbles. I ended up removing the glass when it was still wet and just used peel ply over the epoxy to smooth it out. Could it have been the fact I was trying to do this over the raw wood?

[fallguy1000]

Most likely you were laminating wrong.

Yes, it can be done wrong.

You can only roll the laminating roller into the cove fillets.

You don't go in and out or out. Only roll into the fillets.

When you roll outwards, it will pull the glass away from the fillets. In only.

Another thing to recognize is glassing over the fillets jist set is easier. This means fillet, then glass immediately. The curing fillet coating puts a great hold on the glass. It can be trouble if too sticky, so plan how you will lay the woven to avoid cursing me!

You can also hotcoat over the finished fillets. This would be a batch of thickened epoxy you trowel over the rail all the way. You'd use a wide trowel to speed it up. Actually, I would coat it with a 4" trowel first and fast and then clean it up with a 9-12" trowel. Then you lay the woven into that and it holds it super well.

As for raw wood; you need to prewet it. Either the hotcoating or a wetout and let it suck resin for a bit.

[FluidDynamic]

Thanks. I wasn't using a roller. I was only using a chip brush. I'll try the roller. . Ill try pre wetting it and let it sit. Last time, I pre wet it and immediatly put the glass over it. I think the pine soaks up the epoxy and starved the glass.

[fallguy1000]

Thanks. I wasn't using a roller. I was only using a chip brush. I'll try the roller. . Ill try pre wetting it and let it sit. Last time, I pre wet it and immediatly put the glass over it. I think the pine soaks up the epoxy and starved the glass.

Just prewet the pine and let it go to kick time and then rewet it so the glass does not stick.