new build GT Cruiser 23

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LaChefels
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by LaChefels »

Thank you Fuzz. Fall Guy, Corpus is a great town.
I have a couple of questions:
1. I have stitched together the bottom and side panels. What happens if that wood gets wet before I fillet the joints and put on the resin and fiberglass cloth?
2. Is it wrong to try to stitch together the bow side panels to the bottom panels before the bow transom is in place?
Your help is much appreciated.
Naylene

Dougster
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by Dougster »

1. I'd try to get the end grain coated in epoxy before it gets wet. If it does get wet before that I'd sure make sure it was plenty dry before I put epoxy on.

2. No problem

IMHO Dougster

LaChefels
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by LaChefels »

Thank you Dougster.
I've read the epoxy tutorials. I have a question.
How long may I put in the epoxy fillets before I apply fiberglass tape and epoxy resin? Can the fillets just sit there for awhile?
Thank you
Naylene

Fuzz
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by Fuzz »

The short answer is they can sit for as long as you need them to. If you want a more detailed answer just say :D

fallguy1000
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by fallguy1000 »

Epoxy fillets are a pain to sand and the bonding is secondary. There is so much sanding in a boat, I try to avoid it like the plague.

The best way to fillet is to fillet and tape same day.

Make the fillet material stiff enough so it doesn't sag. This is done by a slump test of sorts.

Mix 3 ounces of epoxy by volume and add about 6-7 ounces of silica to it, pile the homogenous mix up in the pail and watch it. If it moves in say 5-10 seconds; it needs more filler.

After mixing it stiff ebough, move to a board and make it thin to slow down the kick rate.

Make the fillets, then wetout the tapes for a no sanding method. About 98% of my fillets on the Skoota were no sands. There have been a few times when I did not.

Otherwise, epoxy degrades in the sun. So, if you can't tape same day and a few days goes by, sanding is needed. Find a piece of pipe that fits the fillets and get some 40-60 grit sandpapers and sand before tabbing. After you do some fillet sanding, you'll understand why I don't like it in a boat with miles of fillets.
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

fallguy1000
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by fallguy1000 »

Also, once you apply the tapes, the putty won't sag, so you can also tape immediately after fillets and not worry as much about sagging on verticals.
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

LaChefels
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by LaChefels »

Thanks for the fillet info Fall Guy.
Always more questions. Where do I find info on prepping wood for resin . I vacuumed the two surfaces I'm going to glue together. These are the pieces for my bow transom. Is there more I should do than vacuum? I looked in the tutorial area but nothing there mentions prep.

fallguy1000
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by fallguy1000 »

LaChefels wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 11:15 am Thanks for the fillet info Fall Guy.
Always more questions. Where do I find info on prepping wood for resin . I vacuumed the two surfaces I'm going to glue together. These are the pieces for my bow transom. Is there more I should do than vacuum? I looked in the tutorial area but nothing there mentions prep.
Yes. There are some important steps.

Plywood can be resin thirsty. Well, all woods can be. Older wood is especially 'thirsty'.

So, you can precoat all wood with a neat coat of resin on each face. Just mixed epoxy applied at a rate of about 2 oz per yard plus roller losses if you roll it.

Then, I like to wait an hour and then apply thickened resins with a 1/16" vee trowel to each face or a 1/8" vee trowel to one face. The resin must be thickened enough to not slump or sag into a pile. How can you tell? Watch it for 10 seconds in a troweled high pile and see if it moves. If so, add more thickener. I prefer fumed silica, but it can kill you so don't use it without a mask.

Locating pins are helpful. Drill a hole and spot nails into three/4 spots so when the thing is all greased with epoxy; it won't move on you. Nothi g more frustrating than not pinning and comi g back and the thi g has wandered. Well, maybe except for my phone not taking the n's and a space instead. Screws create another issue with varying the bond thickness, so I avoid them.

Then use some weight or vac. 9" of mercury is about 4 psi. But 2 psi is enough.

2 psi on a board say 12"x40" is 1000#. It will be hard for you to achieve that. But I would place some 2x4s or flat timbers on top of the boards after they are pinned and weigh them down with weights on the boards at least a couple hundred pounds, patio blocks work well, for example.

You may want to ship tape the boards where they cross the joints to avoid bonding them.

I have always used vacuum, but you won't need to if you follow my advice

1. Drill and pin four spots or six up to you, four min, pull apart
2. Precoat both sides
3. Vee trowel thixo
4. Put them together and install the pins. I like aluminum nails for pins, by the way. They can stay in.
5. Provide up to 2 psi weight to the boards using timbers to even out the loads to avoid squeezing glue in one spot.

Also, if you haven't got weights, you could buy say 4 bags of concrete or some such and use it. A trash bag filled with water also works, but generally water bags are used to keep down fabric in a vee section. A couple hundred pounds is probably good, but I am guessing on the size. A 1 millimeter final bond is considered perfection.
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

LaChefels
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by LaChefels »

Thank you for that great info.
I just glued the bow transom together. I hope I did it correctly.

LaChefels
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Re: new build GT Cruiser 23

Post by LaChefels »

I need some advice.
I did not glue the side panels together before I stitched them to the hull panels. Should I remove them and glue all of the puzzle joints, then stitch them back to the hull panels?
Where the hull panels join the side panels, is this "joint" supposed to be at a right angle or, should the hull panel join the side panel where the inside parts of the two pieces of wood come together to make a "V"?

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