SD11: Bow and seams

Ruud · Post by **Ruud** » Sun Sep 29, 2002 9:18 am

Thinking ahead of the next step: - would it be wise, when installing the frames, before starting with the expoxy to use small screws to connect frames and sidepanels? If so, can I leave them in? - same question, but when installing the bottom? - when the epoxy and fiberglass tape have hardened out, will you be able to get a "smooth" surface? I.e. when you sandpaper too much, won´t you disturb the effectiveness of the tape and weaken it to much? - any tips on how to get a smooth, sharp bow? The pictures in the tutorial are from a boat without a sharp bow. Would grinding a small 45 degree edge on the panels where the bow is formed, help? Thanks again, Ruud

Bart · Post by **Bart** » Sun Sep 29, 2002 5:07 pm

Ruud, I´m sure you´re gonna find answers to all of these questions when searching the old forums.... (as we say in ICT-business: RTFOFF). About leaving the screws in: I personally do not like the idea (they are not necessary for strength after the epoxy has set), but it will be no problem as long as you use screws made of a non corroding alloy. About a sharp bow: you won´t be able to put the glass tape on the bow with a sharp corner. Round to a 10 mm radius to get the tape smoothly around the bow. It won´t differ in speed. have fun, Bart

Ruud · Post by **Ruud** » Tue Oct 01, 2002 3:34 am

Hi Bart, I am having fun allready ... and made the first mistake too <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_cool.gif">. I have found the OLD archives too, and thank you, found more info there. I realise I donot need the screws for strenght: I think that fitting side panels / frames is the crucial part of the building process, and hope that the screws will secure the form of the boat before applying the fillets. For my mind´s rest: can you please confirm that for the SD11 the bottom is from 9 mm plywood?

Bart · Post by **Bart** » Tue Oct 01, 2002 7:14 am

Ruud, Regarding your last question: I´m building a FL11 myself. But if you do a search in the <A HREF="http://amateurboatbuilding.com/forum/index.php" TARGET="_blank">old forums</A> on the text ´SD11 bottom´ (all forums/all dates) you´re gonna find at least 3 threads where the same question is being answered... Success, Bart

Leon_Steyns · Post by **Leon_Steyns** » Fri Oct 04, 2002 5:37 am

Hello Ruud, (this is turning out to be a real Dutch thread <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif"> My advice is to take out the screws. I´m (still) building a Caravelle. I only used screws to hold the frames to the side panels. I used plastic zip ties (snelbinders) to tie the panels together. Using the tack weld method (similar to spot welding), I applied epoxy putty in between the zip ties (leaving them clear!). When the epoxy is hard, you simply remove the zip ties and build continuous seams (don´t forget to fill the holes!). I used little pieces of 3mm ply to leave a small gap between all the panels to aviod hard spots (wood touching wood). At the same time I would like to invite you to a Bateau.com meeting to be held in Veere, The Netherlands, somewhere in the beginning of August 2003 (are you still planning to be there, Jacques?). More details to come! Good luck with building. Greets, Leon Steyns. [ This message was edited by: Leon_Steyns on 04-10-2002 05:39 ]

Ruud · Post by **Ruud** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 4:05 am

Hi Leon, I am now starting the hull-assembly (and still have a lot of fun). In August 2003 she should be finished ... and Veere is a beatifull spot, so I´ll try to be there. I was there in June this year again with our 33ft sailing yacht. I understand you are removing the tiewraps? I have only used them at the bow, and use temporary screws to keep the frames in place while bending the side panels to the desired form. I will now search the archives for the ´measuring diagonals´ as the assembly is NOT straight at all ....

Laszlo · Post by **Laszlo** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 9:56 am

Hi Ruud, If you do it right, the tape will not be smooth. It will be saturated and transparent, but the weave will be very obvious. This is a good sign, it means that you have not used excessive amounts of epoxy. Also, one edge of the tape will probably have formed a pronounced ridge. The next step is to eliminate the ridge and fill the weave. What a lot of builders do is to use a cabinet scraper to get rid of the ridge when it has cured hard enough not to be firm and non-sticky, but before it has cured completely hard. By doing it then, you can then immediately move onto filling the weave without having to worry about blush. In my case, I didn´t have time to work on the boat before the epoxy cured all the way, so I washed the seam to get rid of any blush and then I sanded only the ridges at the edges. In neither case do you ever sand the tape except at the very edge. Otherwise, you´re right, you would damage the seam and reduce its strength. As far as the bow, you can put on a layer of putty and sand it to a nice shape when it hardens, but be sure the radius is large enough so that the glass tape doesn´t pull away. Good luck, Laszlo

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