Saturday, October 22, 2016

Not looking forward to Fiberglassing Bow Section!

I was not looking forward to fiberglassing the bow section, but it has not been that bad. It is a little difficult to get to the sections between bulkhead 1 and 2, but I have managed. I first did the starboard side and used the access by sitting in the boat. For the port side, I reached down into the section while standing on a portable work bench. Out of the two methods, I found reaching down and applying the epoxy easier than sitting in the boat and reaching through the holes in bulkhead 2.

Starboard side between bulkhead 1&2. 

Starboard Side Bulkhead 1&2 epoxy applied. 

Starboard side between Bulkhead 1&2 epoxy applied. 
Bulkhead 1&2 first coat of epoxy applied. 



I did the above earlier in the week. Today I spent time working on the lower breasthook. I had to use a block plane to trim the edges to have it fit correctly.  I should have placed the lower breasthook into the boat prior to applying the epoxy fillets. I used some big fillets in the bow and it is nearly impossible to move them now that they have cured. The piece of wood for the lower breast was deforming the shape when being pressed forward, so I removed enough wood to not effect the shape. I am talking about 1/8 to 1/4th inch on both sides toward the bow. No one will notice except me!
I applied the epoxy to the fiberglass and then inserted the breasthook and pulled it towards the bow.
I took a 2X4 and made a little jig so the clamp had some flat to pull against. I cut a V in the piece and used 1 screw to hold it in place.





After I did the lower breasthook, I applied the fiberglass and epoxy on the starboard side as well as another piece in the very front of the bow. The manual states multiple layers of fiberglass and fiberglass tape, so this is the first of more to come.

Starboard side fiberglass and epoxy in very front of bow.



The above work was completed over about 3-4 sessions. I usually try to work on it in the evenings for  a couple hours.  I should finish up the fiberglassing in the interior and complete the multiple coats of epoxy in the coming sessions.  I will be glad to move on to another task. Oh boy I think sanding is next! :-)  But I also get to start on the floor boards and stringers. Everything is coming along good!




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