Freedom 17 Strip build

[wysedav]

Ouch that hurts!! In the example I showed I didn't really have any epoxy in direct contact with the glass, the poly sheet covered the mold and the nearby glass. On a subsequent setup I used plexiglass as the backer in (direct contact with the soaked breather). I didn't put any release agent on the plexiglass and the epoxy pretty much just popped off (with a little work). Maybe I just got lucky!!

Thanks for posting, hopefully I can avoid the issue you ran into now.


Don't give up, it's worth figuring it out.

 

[Guest]

No mold release whatsoever. [/QUOTE]

We are boatworker fortunate in some ways to live in an age where mold release, peel ply, specialty fabrics and the like are available. And unfortunate that the technology to use them to best advantage has become increasingly complex.

Sweet Composites has been a good source of technical/material information and ordering.

[URL]http://www.sweetcomposites.com/[/URL]

As has Express Composites:

[URL]http://www.expresscomposites.com/[/URL]

Both have knowledgeable and helpful folks answering the phone, and although some of the stuff I try is oddball kludgy they have helped walk me though some moments of being lost in the forest of unfamiliar technology.

 

[wysedav]

No Title

A little update. I installed the buoyancy tanks for the bow and stern. Next I'll do the outer gunwales.

 

[Alan Gage]

Wow. Impressive work. Looks great.

Alan

 

[wysedav]

i added the gunwales in and out. I thought it would be cool to leave the gap caused by the hull. My plan was to fill it with epoxy after the gunales were installed that way I'd get a nice pinstripe. It was a pain in the neck. Although epoxy is thick it just continues to ooze forever!!! When I filled the groove with epoxy over the course of an hour it oozed from the higher ends towards the center of the boat. This made a huge mess and I had to babysit for several hours until the oozing stopped. Not only that I had to refill the glove at least four times to make up for the epoxy that slumped.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Looks COOL !

Gravity sucks sometimes !

Jim

 

[latremorej]

If you would have taped over the epoxy the length of the gunnels, would that have helped? Maybe saran wrap stretched over ? Just trying to think of a way to create a barrier to hold the epoxy in place.

Jason

 

[wysedav]

Yeah a barrier would have helped. I tried to use tape but the glue surfaces were all wet with epoxy.

I wet out a small section to see what it will look like, i like it.

 

[Alan Gage]

It was a pain in the neck. Although epoxy is thick it just continues to ooze forever!!!

I know your frustration! When I was filling the gaps between the decks/hull the same thing happened. It would ooze so I'd add more thickener and refill and it just kept oozing. Very frustrating.

Looks like it came out nice in the end though.

Alan

 

[latremorej]

That does look nice, great work!

 

[wysedav]

Thanks everyone, I'm starting to feel like I'm close now!! I had all sorts of big plans for the seats but now I think I'm going to mount them in cleats and use webbing for the seat material. I've never made a yoke before does anyone have a outline pattern I can use? btw the boat is right at 30# now. Still need seats, yoke and a few other odds and ends.

 

[wysedav]

I just put a coat of epoxy on the gunnels/gunwales nice and shiny (other than the dust in the epoxy).

 

[wysedav]

Just finished sanding the outside of the hull. I sprayed on some EMTEC 9300 with a HVLP spray gun on the outside of the hull instead of using varnish. It's way easier and faster than varnish I just hope it works OK. The inside work is pretty much done I just need to do a quick sanding and then spray it. Maybe Thursday or Friday.

The grass is toast but the canoe looks nice!!

 

[memaquay]

It is a thing of beauty!

 

[sailsman63]

Wow! That is one gorgeous boat. I'm liking the flatsawn/tigerstripe look more than I would have guessed. Probably not for every canoe, but certainly has its niche, I'll have to keep it in mind as an option.

 

[wysedav]

Thanks. It definitely looks best from about 10ft away!! The flatsawn was an accident. I though I was getting it resawn flat so when I cut the strips it would be quarter sawn but i guess I didn't figure so good. Oh well it all works out, it must be hard to make a stripper look ugly. The spray finish left a little texture so it's not really glossy, I think I like it and am going to leave it as is. Spraying waterbased finish is the way to go, so fast....I put on about six coats in 3hrs (5 minutes per coat and 1/2hr drying) and easy cleanup!.

Also, as a FYI, I got my webbing from Shippers Supplies.com, 100yds for $25 couldn't find a better price on the web.

 

[Jim Dodd]

Looks great Dave ! When they look that good you don't have to paddle them. HA !

Finishing has always been a struggle for me. Could you give more details on your system with the water based finish ?

Jim

 

[wysedav]

I wish I could say I had a spraying system... I bought a five gallon pail of this stuff for a different project...

It held up well in the application I had so I thought I'd give it a try. It cures pretty hard so you can buff it out/wet sand if you want. The actually application couldn't be easier, I just strained it into my cheap Wagner HVLP sprayer, the 9300 seemed a little thick for my wimpy sprayer so I added a little water and sprayed away. I had bought the Wagner to spray some latex which it sucked at but it worked really well with the 9300.


I put on six coats on the outside of the hull with one quart of 9300, it dries almost immediately so I had a hard time waiting to do the recoats. I left the gun full between coats, no cleaning necessary. At the end of the job I just rinsed the cup, and filled with water which I sprayed through the gun to clean it. Super happy with the results, generally a job I dread was actually almost enjoyable. Hopefully it lasts OK.

 

[Jim Dodd]

I think even I could do that !
Thanks for the info !
Keep use posted how it holds up in the water. I wish I had a new hull that needed finish !

Jim

 

[Alan Gage]

Very interested to hear how the Emtech 9300 works out. I was thinking of going with that too. Been happy with my other Target products but was unsure how it would do in this application.

Looks fantastic.

Alan