My fiberglass cloth should come in tomorrow so I plan to glass the hull this weekend. I've been fairing the hull for a couple weeks and just thought about the side to deck joint. Do I need to round it off like I did the bottom to side joint? I was gonna glass the deck also so I thought it would be good to wrap it around if I could. What do you think?
I did that on mine and then added a toe rail. That gives a stronger, more waterproof joint and yet another place for my wife to complain that I didn't follow the plans.
Two quick questions: The Stevenson's pland for the weekender call for 6 oz. glass cloth. Is that sufficient, or would 9 oz. (or more) be better. Second: Andrew, when you added the toe rail did you skip the top rub rail? It looks so from the photo.
Dave
The cloth is only there for protection and doesn't add any real strength to the boat. Adding heavier cloth will just soak up more epoxy and make her a bit heavier without doing anything. Just my opinion.
Thanks Ryerson...I'll use 6 oz! I plan to glass the hull outside and the top deck surface. Anyone recommend glassing any other parts? The boat as a whole will be epoxy encapsulated but no fiberglass cloth except hull and deck surface.
Dave
(06-18-2009, 10:00 AM)Dave Blake link Wrote: [ -> ]Two quick questions: The Stevenson's pland for the weekender call for 6 oz. glass cloth. Is that sufficient, or would 9 oz. (or more) be better. Second: Andrew, when you added the toe rail did you skip the top rub rail? It looks so from the photo.
Dave
A warning about really light cloth - I was talked into 3oz cloth for the deck. It had such a tight weave that I couldn't wet it out and ended up with a lot of bubbles. I also glassed pretty much everything, pre-doing as many parts as I could while they laid flat. I'm suspecting that the glassing of the cockpit floor is something that I will NOT regret.
Yes - I skipped the top rub rail. I might regret that since the toe-rail doesn't stick out far enough to act as a rub rail. Time will tell.
I did the hull, sides and bottom, the deck including the cabin top, and the cockpit floor and seats, bottom and sides. All you really want to do is protect the plywood. If it is fir as I used then you need the cloth to stop checking, which is unsightly though not a problem otherwise. If you have top mahogany plywood, I don't think it needs cloth at all unless you want it there. Other will have their own experiences and opinions that have worked. I have a camp cruiser 20 years old that has been sailed year after year, fir ply, no cloth, just painted still going strong. The checking is ugly, but no rot.
I'm using Okume plywood throughout, so while It may not need it, Iwill probably glass anything that sees water or wear (except the keel!). I've come this far...might as well go all the way!
Dave
I would. Just the plywood though.
Cockpit seat tops, soles, decks, side decks, hull, and cabin roof would be typical places for me to apply fabrics. These as has been mentioned are the wear and/or wet areas.
6 ounce cloth wets out well, just don't flood the surface with goo. Use a squeegee or plastic applicator to spread it around, which helps prevent bubbles.
Most people use the dry method, which I find novices have trouble with. Coat the hull with two coats of goo, then wait until the second coat has pretty much lost all of it tackiness. This very low tack state permits you to position fabric and it stays put, without moving around much as you wet it out. You still can reposition the cloth. This technique is wet on green, rather then wet on wet. It's especially handy in vertical or overhead work, where the tackiness is the only thing keeping you from using your bald spot as an applicator.