TW28 for Adriatic Sea

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tobolamr
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by tobolamr »

I am glad to see you making new progress! Keep up the good work!

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Corto Maltese
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Corto Maltese »

Thanxs! It's a long way waiting me.
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peter-curacao
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by peter-curacao »

Beautiful signature you have there Dario! 8)

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Corto Maltese
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Corto Maltese »

Beautiful signature you have there Dario! 8)
Peter it is somewhere in Dalmatia (Croatia), but I can't recognize exactly the place, because there are more than 1200 islands.
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Corto Maltese
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Corto Maltese »

June... the hull was ready for lamination
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but there were some preparations to be done.
Cooking? No, I hadn't stored the epoxy properly and there was a 25 kg of hard brick in the can. Hot bath melted it, but this year I'll store it under my bed :)
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First layer of biax was pretty heavy - 606 g/m2 (18 oz/yd2) and I made a simple stands for heavy roll and for vertical support when laminating the sides.
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The laminating of sides was very tiresome for me doing it all by myself (8 hours all together). I used the vertical stand with 9x1,27 m of biax.
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First I washed the plywood and then worked meter by meter (maybe even less...). I am using only rollers. It works just perfect for me. I needed 2 rollers for each side. First I roll up to 1 m of epoxy on the ply (it's very good okoume). If it is getting hotter and over 25 degrees C (77 F) I worked on shorter distances (around 60 cm). The sides were sticky and it was easy to "glue" the fabric onto the fast vertical sides (you have to smooth it with palms). Then the dance started. I used 200 g of epoxy and 60 g of 30 minutes hardener (it's 9 oz batch). Even there is a hurry, it is not good to roll to much intense as it builds air "foam" between the strands of glass. Afterwards you're chasing the bubbles out of glass and producing the new ones :? Epoxy is strange and everybody finds its own way called "The Zen of goo". Beside the advices from Jacques, Joel, Larry and other gurus from this community, maybe the most useful would be the book "How to seduce women" or something alike :lol: My advice would be: Don't work if it is to hot. It is possible with slower hardener but with the temperatures around 30 degrees C (85 F) you'll use to much epoxy and make unnecessary thick layers. But... you guys from south of US, Australia, Carribean, SE Asia and other hot and humid places, have mastered some other secret skills to overcome this issue.
Well, I've managed to glass the hull with first heavy layer. I'm quite satisfied. There were just few bubbles I've ground away and patched them with a piece of cloth. It is worth to plan your working day and have "plan B" if something goes wrong. But all in all the laminating is not much more complicated than the brain surgery. I'm joking... you'll learn very fast your way of doing it.
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In June I had not much time, so only this first layer was done. July is usually to hot and we were on the vacancies:
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Of course, I was again wrong. July was moderate and now (August) we're living in the hell: every day the temperatures in the city are near 40 degrees C (100 F). We have the highest temperatures for a century after one of the longest winter. Something really strange is happening with the climate (or I'm just getting old).
Never mind: it is time for sanding. And yes, I've ordered 100 kg of epoxy today (1400 euros).
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Knottybuoyz
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Knottybuoyz »

Thanks for the update! Your story sounds all too familiar! :wink:

Between the weather, working alone and accidents I'm not much farther ahead. I just laid out the second layer of glass on the sides today. Tomorrow they'll get 'gooped'!

Keep posting updates. It's always nice to see another going through the same agony I am! :lol:
Yours Aye! Rick
"It's not the boat "you built" until you've sworn at it, bled on it, sweated over it, cried beside it and then threatened to haul the POS outside and burn it!"

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Corto Maltese
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Corto Maltese »

Dear fellows I have to apologize for not posting so long anything about the progress of my build. There are some excuses, but the main reason is, that last year I was really disappointed, because I couldn't achieve my goals. The main reason was the wave of extreme hot weather: the temperatures in August were above 35 degrees C (95F) and hit the record of 42C (108F). Even though we're living at the brink of Alps and not in Sahara. You bet epoxy does not like such environment and the plans for fiberglass lamination were postponed until mid September.
The second layer of woven 282g/m2 FG (8,32oz/yd2) was silky and "runny", the threads tending to get stuck. Masking paper helped:Image
I stuck with my wetting tehnique: 1. throughly wash the previous FG layer; 2. sand with RO sander and 40 grit paper; 3. vacuum cleaner; 4. wash again; 5. let the surface dry; 6. with 10cm velour roller apply on the hull approx. 1m of epoxy; 7. stick on the fabric and gently smooth with hands (don't forget nitryl gloves); 8. roll over next layer of epoxy; 9. repeat from 6-8 till you drop dead :) Didn't use much more than 1:1 epoxy, maybe 1:1,2 , but I'm not sure.
This kind of light fabric was easier to sand and left smoother edges than biaxial.
All work was done alone by myself, with moments of epoxy panic: if over 27C, epoxy coagulating fast, if near 18C being goopy and saturating the cloth to slow :? Therefore no time (energy, will..) for taking photos. Luckily there were not many bubbles or other spots to correct.
Next step was 3rd layer of 450 g (13,27oz) biaxial FG. I didn't find 0-90 degree fabric, so I had to put it 45 degree on the hull and overlapping it approx. 15cm. In fact it was much easier than working with 9m long roll of FG. I've done it from the edge of keel down to the sheer line. I always laminated the keel at the end, with FG overlapping tape bonds. That should also add some strength. But the November chill arrived and there was no more time for keel. I covered the hull until the springtime. There are two nuisances in my shop: leaky roof above and stray cats below (I mean, what they leave behind after meals given by a Samaritan girl). The first one I met with plastic cover, and the second ... with broom and some strong words in March.
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Corto Maltese
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Corto Maltese »

I'm not very fond of winters. The town being usually packed by tourists, after Christmas becomes foggy and gloomy. This year there was not much snow, but luckily it's less than hour ride to the first skiing resorts, and the sun above our foggy basin. So, I was happy the time for cleaning all that cat's poo in my shop came. Having a lot work to be done on my job, my family did not have much use of me. I was taking all free moments to make up the “deficit” from last year. Until June the hull was laminated also with 4th light woven layer on the top of biax FG. Sanded and prepared for fairing:
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At that time I was quite sick of my trusty RO sanders, the bigger Metabo with turbo switch :D and smaller devilish Makita, which I use on the sides, as my biceps are not so big like your former Californian Governor (born 100 miles away in neighbor town) has. How naive I was! The fairing was waiting at me around the corner.
But before fairing hell: Hurrah, the vacancies! I had covered the hull, left shop to the stray cats and went with my family to the seaside for next three weeks.
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Before fairing I glued a strip of 12mm plywood, which wood be basis for more decorative rub rail from African mahogany. I won't fair bulwarks and rather gonna try to veneer them with the same kind of wood (+ epoxy, varnish).
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I start fairing with a version of Cracker Larry cocktail: mixing usual batch of 200g epoxy and 60g hardener with 8 spoons of microbaloons and 2 spoons of silica. I'm not sure... and there is some need for rum, I think, or is it Ricks variant with beer. Well, you have to get a mayonnaise and spread it with squeegee over the hull. It covers the texture and the edges, where FG has been overlapped.
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The “CL mayonnaise” worked good and was not difficult to sand. I used it mainly on the bottom and horizontal areas and keeping a pricy fairing putty for vertical sides, because it does not sag. Oh yes: don't use can spray for leading color. I had to wash it down with acetone :( I sanded, vac cleaned, washed, applied the putty and merry-go-round again one month (or was it little less than eternity?). With my trusty RO friends, bare hands, and Flexicat tool. I didn't use much putty. There are two different approaches: use a thick layer of putty and sand it down or repeat the job many times filling and sanding the low spots with thin layers. The first one is pricy and faster, but IMO needs an experienced worker. The second way is easier, cheaper (it took me 3kg of 2 compound epoxy putty), but mind cracking dull never ending story.
I want the boat to have a work-boat look, not yacht finish. The main reason is that I'm not professional boat builder and other is, that fancy yachts on east Adriatic have to pay anchorage for every safe cove, but not so rich boaters maybe can do it with some chat with native guy and a glass of wine (this ancient custom is, of course, dying out). My strategy was to make nice sides and well done bottom. If fish will complain, I'll fry them and drink another glass of wine. At the end of process the result was surprisingly better than I expected. Finally I covered the hull with a layer of unthickened epoxy. And sand it. And vac it. And wash it.
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Covered the hull with 2 layers of Hempel's two component light primer. The third should be done at the end of this project, just before paint. There are few pin holes and spots to correct with fairing putty just before this last priming.
At that time I was looking at Ricks preparing and turning of boat. My way should be closer to Colin's. Bought for 160 eros of beams and spent a fortune on large Spax screws and start with another project with any experiences. Luckily the frame was much stronger than needed. I don't know what I was waiting for. Going around the caged boat, adding more pricy screws and reinforcing battens.
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Then 12th November, ta-dah:
http://youtu.be/WifADhn7n-A or https://vimeo.com/124430395
Now, the boat is again covered against leaky roof and shop at the disposal to stray cats until next spring.
Last edited by Corto Maltese on Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Cracker Larry
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by Cracker Larry »

Amazing work 8) That is a heck of a project to tackle, you are handling it well !
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Re: TW28 for Adriatic Sea

Post by terrulian »

Didn't know Pete Seeger was a sailor.
Anyway, the heavy equipment approach! The video makes it look a little less stressful than knottybuoyz but I'm sure it wasn't.
I'm blown away with you guys building the big boats, by which I mean anything bigger than ten feet, which seems like a plenty big job to me 8O.
Tony
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