UnSkol gets a newbottom...

[JimC]

On that subject, here's a question. I have a bad feeling that when I fair the boat at the end I am going to go through the top layer of ply in a couple of places. This makes me nervous, never liked exposed end grain on plywood boats, and an exposed feather seems like trouble to me. Does the panel think that when I've done the fairing if I do end up with some patches like that I should take them down a mm or so and and put a piece of veneer in so that the end grain isn't exposed?

Any opinions on this from you folks with more experience than I?

[Andy P]

Just fair it up... It doesn't really matter about the inner layers of ply being exposed - as long as it's properly sealed / epoxied.
But I would cover the outside with fine glass - Back when I was woody moth boatbuilding, I weighed some sample panels - two coats of epoxy, or one coat with fine glass - the glassed panel was lighter!

[JimC]

Thanks Andy. Interesting about the weight.

More skin on the boat today.


https://flic.kr/p/pyQWM6

[Next day] started doing a bit of longboarding of the outer skin. Not sure whether I cold moulded the boat or used a plough judging by some of the ridges and furrows...

Jim C

[JimC]

Wood bashing complete except for (lots of) fairing... If you look you can see the places where I've got though the outer veneer already.

[JimC]

Well she's had a quick splash of eposeal and a rather less quick going over with a syringe of filler to do all the staple holes. Even then I found another just now.

Looks even patchier with the high spots now missing eposeal. I wish I had a power assisted long board if there is such a thing. How much fairing do competent pros have to do to cold moulded boats?

One thing, I've been putting of doing some deck veneer patches on my Eleven Plus. After this I shall approach them with some degree of confidence...

[JimC]

If anyone's still reading I'm getting close now. This is, of course, the daggerboard exit. The horrible black gunge is epoxy filled with microfibres, silica and graphite rather than the normal pale coloured light filler used for all the rest. Hasn't come off quite as nicely as I'd have like as my plug was a tad oversize.

Jobs to do are glass tape over the wood/glass topside join and possibly the whole skin, paint, and dagger case on the inside, where I need to trim the deck moulding to match the new case. Plus I also need to modify one of my daggerboard collection to fit since I never did get the PlusPlus original daggerboard I lent Patrick C back again...

[solentgal]

Hi Jim....I'm still reading with interest.....a mammoth job you have undertaken there..............are you tempted to convert her to foiling whilst you're about it

[roger]

Still reading Jim, keep posting. This sort of thing keeps the forum interesting.

[JimC]

are you tempted to convert her to foiling whilst you're about it

I think the boat is about 50% too heavy for that too work - and so is the owner...

[JimC]

Attacked the daggerboard with a power plane this morning to make a start on getting it to fit the new case... It appears to be Oak! Seems almost a pity to slice and glass coat it...

Felt the need for a flexible longboard to help the fairing. As far as I could see the convention is that you have a handle each end and use them two handed.
That didn't appeal so I've knocked something together using a couple of old door hinges I can use singlehanded. See the Flickr collection for photos.

[JimC]

Bit more work this week. In what I hope is the last of the gluing I've glass taped over the join between wood bottom and glass topside,slammed on some filler and sanded. The bottom has received another coat of eposeal. Lookng at things I suppose I really should paint the topsides as well as the bottom. It can all be two pot polyurethane, I sure hope this rather OTT skin is more than strong and stable enough for two pot...
No doubt the first coat of undercoat well show up a billion blemishes. I think filling and fairing is a kinda fractal exercise, in that you solve a whole lot of lumps and bumps, only for a whole lot more you hadn't previously noticed at the next size range down to become blatantly visible... At least when I'm doing it, maybe its different for those of you who are better craftsmen than me?



Here's a complete flickr set...

The other question is what colour do I paint her. With an RNLI orange deck moulding the choices are pretty limited. I suppose the sensible option would be black again and then topside scratches won't show too badly. Any other suggestions? Can't be orange all over, the poor thing will look even more like a discarded half orange...

[roger]

To go with the Orange decks I should think you need Hi viz yellow/green.

Or more sensibly a nice Navy Blue to go with the RNLI orange. You may get mistaken for a lifeboat!!

[Rupert]

Painting is a PITA, I agree - you think it is all lovely, then the white primer goes on...

As I said on Y&Y, dark blue would look great, very RNLI with the orange deck. It is also close enough to the black that scratches won't show up too badly. Black would be the obvious way to go, though.

[JimC]

I wonder about finding a teaspoon of carbon black to put in a tin of dark blue to get a really dark blue back, now you folks mention it... That could be quite interesting. I'll have to do a web search for local chemical companies who might use it. Shame International don't do little trial pots like domestic paint companies do. That would be a way of producing reasonably repeatable colour variations, with International, for example, doing many fewer colours than they used to.

[Rupert]

Try Jotun - though I don't know what they do in the way of 2 pack.