Re: Build your own boat weekend

wow thanks for the info,sige po papa reg ako don now.tal!

Re: Build your own boat weekend

@balarila,
here is a nice boat hull

perhaps all brass metal furnishings?

Re: Build your own boat weekend

Very nice. My boat will actually have all bronze fittings. I have all the fittings in a box impatiently awaiting installation.

Re: Build your own boat weekend

What is the black material in between the wooden planks?

Re: Build your own boat weekend

What is the black material in between the wooden planks?

That's caulking. In the old days before epoxy, that would be some fiber, maybe abaca and cotton mixed with tar then forced into the gaps. Nowadays, there are various synthetic kinds, including epoxy.

Re: Build your own boat weekend

thanks for the info!

Re: Build your own boat weekend

Ding, if you may, can you share the info regarding the epoxy we discussed during the eb... does it dry hard? hope it does... 😀
thanks

Re: Build your own boat weekend

He-he...not sure if there was some innuendo in your question.

It dries hard and and strong. In fact, if you glue wood with it and try to break the bond apart, it is the wood and not the hardened epoxy that snaps. It is also abrasion resistant.

I am not sure if the hardness is good for all applications, though. When I have to chisel off some hardened epoxy putty that has previously squeezed off a joint, the hardened epoxy is like very hard ceramic. it appears that epoxy is not flexible. So if you are gluing or laminating material that requires some flex, epoxy may not be it.

But for some really bombproof gluing, epoxy can't be beat.

I am, of course, talking about epoxy resin here, used for lamination, which is liquid and has the consistency of hotcake syrup. The regular hardware epoxy you see in hardware stores is mostly the same except that it has been converted into putty by adding a lot of solids. I used to make epoxy putty by adding wood flour to it. Nowadays, I add wood flour for color, then add Polymer Product's Stop Sag which is a very light powder that would prevent the putty from trickling down and making a mess.

Epoxy resin is a favorite for boatbuilders because it is structural and waterproof. The idea is to saturate wood (or whatever core material you use, e.g. Foam) with it so that epoxy effectively seals the material with a translucent waterproof coating.

Strength of the laminated material is further fortified by sheathing: embedding a layer (or more) of fiberglass cloth in the epoxy resin. Light fiberglass cloth sheathed in epoxy is still translucent (transparent, actually, but with a warm tone) so one can sheath wood and still enjoy the woodgrain. In my strip-planked boathull, I'll be doing just that.

Working with epoxy requires accuracy in mixing. Epoxy is composed of two parts which should be mixed in the correct proportion. I use kitchen plastic measuring cups. I know of a boatbuilder who uses a weighing scale. For small quantities, I use those lotion/shampoo dispensers you get from those Japan Home stores and simply count the number of presses to arrive at the correct proportion.

One also has to be careful with skin contact. A lot of people develop severe skin allergy from it. It is also flammable so I keep my stash in a cool cabinet. When stored properly, they last forever.

Re: Build your own boat weekend

@balarila,
can i just say simply hull instead of boat hull?
:confused:

Re: Build your own boat weekend

@balarila,
can i just say simply hull instead of boat hull?
:confused:

Sure you can. In this context, we're talking about boats so the qualifier is not necessary.

In a general sense, though, the "shell" of any water vessel is a hull. So hull applies to submarines, jetskis, etc.

Re: Build your own boat weekend

@Balarila,

Do you get your epoxy resin from Polymer? What is the smallest size container that they sell?

Re: Build your own boat weekend

@Balarila,

Do you get your epoxy resin from Polymer? What is the smallest size container that they sell?

No. I buy mine from a professional boat builder in Cainta: Melvest Marine. The proprietor, Andrew, imports epoxy by the drum and he sells by the gallon to backyard boatbuilders, sort of like his way of trying to cultivate the local boatbuilding industry.

Melvest Marine's epoxy is a little cheaper than Polymer's, at P1,500 per gallon, but you have to bring your own container. I believe Polymer sells them by the gallon, too, container included. But ratio is 1:2 so you will probably spend approx P4.5 for one batch.

If you're near his place, I can give you directions and a number to call.

I should have learned about epoxy before I built my trellis!

Re: Build your own boat weekend

Thanks but im quite far from Cainta..I will probably get from Polymer as its nearer.

Re: Build your own boat weekend

In (the unlikely) case you didn't know, PP has a number of branches. Check out their website for the one nearest you.

http://www.polymerprod.com/store.html