Lessons learned 1

Yesterday I attempted to coat the inspection ports with a brush. I did a good job of it, until today when I noticed all the epoxy that dripped to the other side and made somewhat of a mess. Oh well, I had some cleanup to do. I had purchased some cabinet scrapers from CLCBoats a while back, so I decide to try them. They worked great! I just scraped the blobs of epoxy off with a few scrapes and then a little sandpaper and then I was good.

First Time Fiberglassing

This past two days, I attempted to do my first fiberglassing. This is step 1 in the 1st chapter, so I have a ways to go. In looking at all the different blogs, I see a lot of people using portable tables to do a lot of the work. I picked up a plastic 8 ft table this past week. I used it to lay out the 2 different centerboard panels. I then rolled out the fiber glass and cut two pieces. The fiber looked like it laid down ok and smooth, but after I finished wetting it out, there looks to be a line across each piece. There seems to be a small ridge in this area. I think it will get better after I put the 2 additional coats on each pieces. The only thing I can think of is that I folded each piece when I was getting things out.

Overall, I think I did a good job. I applied the epoxy to each of the centerboards and wetting them out. I first poured some on the fiberglass and tried to use a plastic spreader, but switched to a roller. The spreader seem to pull and move around the fiber too much. I found the roller a lot easier to use and I think will give me a good even coating.

Below is the fiber laid out prior to wetting out.

This is after the first coat.

I let the first coat dry overnight and applied a 2nd coat the next day. I plan on doing the 3rd quote tomorrow night after work.

It's here!

My kit arrived. I had it shipped and the shipping company had to send 2 guys out to get it off the truck. Since I ordered the timber package as well, the weight was close to 1000 lbs. The three of us managed to get it off the truck and push it into the garage. I thanked the guys a lot, since I think they were only responsible for just getting it off the truck. Something to be aware of if you do have one shipped. I had a backup plan of renting a hand pallet- jack from Home Depot if needed.  Very reasonable rates, but you would still need a means to get the jack home. I also have a blacktop driveway to use it on to move it into the garage if needed.

Storing the Parts!
With ordering both the kit and timber package, you do need a means to store things. This is something I have not thought through completely. I made some shelves in my garage a while back to help with space and was able to put all the timber on it. It needs to be out of the way, so it it can't be damaged. I also plan on making another loft type shelf to hold some of the CNC parts. Presently I screwed a couple furniture dolly's to the bottom of the pallets, so I can move them around the garage.

The timber is nicely stacked and out of the way until I need it. 

Handling the CNC parts
I also went through the parts and started to cut some out. I am using the kit and everything is already cut with the CNC machine. I will say that you need to handle the sheets with kid gloves. With parts cut except for the tabs, the sheets can start to break if you handle too much.  I took my time and used a hand saw to cut the tabs on I would say half the pieces. Mainly the pieces for the keel and the cradle  or others that looked/felt like they could break.

Take your time and be careful!! 
When taking the plywood shipping 4x8 sheet off the top, it slid across the transom a little. It was a lite scratch and I was able to sand it out.  After that close call, I took the transom piece and wrapped it in cardboard until I am ready for it. I don't want any scratches, especially on the transom.

I am still waiting on the epoxy shipment, so hopefully that arrives this week so I an begin.