After getting the cabin top glued down I went to work rounding everything off. I did most of this work with a sanding block and 60 grit sandpaper. It was pretty easy work. I also did some filling of cracks, divots and holes that I incurred during the process of building.
I rolled out the last of the fiberglass that came in the kit. I knew I was going to run out of this because I chose to fiberglass a lot of areas that aren't called for in the manual. These included the bottoms of the seats and the bottoms of the foredeck and cabin top. I ordered more from CLC.
I laid out the glass and cut darts to fit the corners. Using a large "wallpaper brush" I brushed and stretched the fabric. Instead of using my normal roller and squeegee method I saturated the cloth using a cut-down chip brush to keep the fabric stretched out as much as possible while I was wetting it out.
For this round of fiberglassing I chose to use a technique that was outlined in a video I found at
OffcenterHarbor. This is a for-pay web site that has a lot of information about small wooden boats. The video was one that shows how to fiberglass a stitch and glue kayak. But the techniques that were demonstrated seemed like a method would also work for me.
In the end the technique worked nicely and I felt very much more in control of the wet-out process. As I got better with it the technique the results improved the starboard side was done first. The port side used noticeably less resin and I had less pooling as I learned the technique. The final results on both sides were very good. I actually look forward to do the cabin top and the bottom of the boat with the same technique.
The footwell and set centers will be done next. I'm waiting for more fiberglass to arrive so that I can continue.
Hours this session: 10
Hours total: 439
Hi William,
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to FG my own PocketShip cockpit, and I too fiberglassed areas of the build which were not specified in the manual (e.g., the underside of the deck). I expect I'll run out of FG as you did, and I'm emailing to ask how much FG you had left over (after ordering the additional 25 yds and completing your build). I'm trying to judge how much I should order without having to unroll my remaining supply and draping it over the hull.
I also have built a removable tabernacle, and have used a length of biaxial tape at the roof-bulkhead junction as you did and as John Harris suggested in the PS forum. Did you then apply FG to the cabin roof over the tape, or did you lay on another layer of FG over that junction before applying the final sheet of FG to the cabin roof?
Thanks for your advice, and for your blog. Very helpful!!
All the best,
Mark