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Action Tiger builds sailboat. With epoxy!


Action Tiger

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2 hours ago, PAR said:

Most dry guide coat products are straight graphite powder. We've all likely used all sorts of things. I've used printer toner on a slightly denatured alcohol dampened rag, rattle can primer, dusted lightly or dipped and pounched.

The pouncing and rattle can are what I know. I usually use the remnants of rattle cans, and I soak the cans in warm water before I use them, or set them in the sun for a few to heat up the innards and help atomize the paint better.

 

I also use different tips to provide a "foggier" spray pattern.

 

 

Putting pigment in alcohol is new to me, though. Cool trick.

 

Another trick, one I was using last night, is very oblique light. In a dim room, a directional light (a little flashlight is good) held just off the surface and roughly parallel to it, will highlight the tiniest imperfections, even on a monchromatic surface, and especially a matte one like primer.

 

Peace,

Robert 

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Robert, you've just described a trick, that is well known in the auto body industry and by those that have done a lot of fairing. There's such a thing as too much light. More specifically, light from the wrong direction/angle, too diffused or of incorrect intensity. It the light is directly over the work, particularly if it's too bright, it'll wash out the low and high spots. You just can't see them, some so small and subtle, they're hard to see anyway. I prefer light to be very obtuse and usually over my shoulder off to one side, so I can move in and out of the light path, to change the amount of light I'm getting. Because the light is coming in at a very low angle, the highs create a shadow in the low areas, which can be seen. Moving the light can help a lot too, where you'll find spots you didn't previously see, because the shadows moved. One of these days, I intentionally paint black over white on an intentionally unfair surface and do a cross hatch pattern on it with a long board, just to take pictures for folks to see. Once you learn the techniques, fairing isn't as problemsome as it often is for the novice.

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6 hours ago, PAR said:

Robert, you've just described a trick, that is well known in the auto body industry and by those that have done a lot of fairing. There's such a thing as too much light. More specifically, light from the wrong direction/angle, too diffused or of incorrect intensity. It the light is directly over the work, particularly if it's too bright, it'll wash out the low and high spots. You just can't see them, some so small and subtle, they're hard to see anyway. I prefer light to be very obtuse and usually over my shoulder off to one side, so I can move in and out of the light path, to change the amount of light I'm getting. Because the light is coming in at a very low angle, the highs create a shadow in the low areas, which can be seen. Moving the light can help a lot too, where you'll find spots you didn't previously see, because the shadows moved. One of these days, I intentionally paint black over white on an intentionally unfair surface and do a cross hatch pattern on it with a long board, just to take pictures for folks to see. Once you learn the techniques, fairing isn't as problemsome as it often is for the novice.

Dude, that would be a KILLER addition to your tips and tricks page.

 

This is just such a tedious process. Nothing at all hard. I really, really think I'm done. :)

I mean, it ain't glass (ha), but I'm farting around with dime and quarter sized micro dimples and some little, tiny waves. 

 

The house sides I am sheathing in 4 Oz glass, and I'm going to stick down those sections with plastic over them, so there won't be any darn filling and fairing. Hehe.

Oh, yeah. I just learned that plastic sheet is like peel ply, but better, I think.

 

Live and learn...

 

Peace,

Robert 

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Hehe. I wanted yellow, but SHE picked this orange.

 

I am pretty excited to be halfway done with the outside. :)

 

I'm going to put some 4 oz glass on the cabin sides and coamings while the hull paint dries. I will stick them down with some plastic sheet cum peel ply on them so I won't have to sand and fair like mad.

The little fiddly narrow bits aft on the coaming might be a bit tricky.:)

 

I really am going to put on 4 more thin coats of paint before I flip her. The drying time is the limiting factor, now. Two weeks, maybe three until I can flip her.

 

I'll finish the spars, foils (almost ready to glass), oars, and pump while I wait for the paint.

 

Getting closer...

 

Whee!

 

Peace,

Robert 

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Thanks, Don. Gosh, this has been a project beset by "life".:)

 

For example, it's pouring rain. Again. Which is fine, really, unless,you want to paint your boat. 

I'm ready for the next few coats, but not the weather. Ah well. That's not even counting the real events that have prevented me from having as much time on the boat as I'd like.

 

I need to retire. :)

 

It is getting warm, despite the rain, so I can glass some, anyway. I'm getting close, but no way are we making the mess. Dang it! I've been working hard on my uke, too, so we could campfire. I will make a much more concerted effort next year to get over there. I'm scared I might like it so well I want to stay, though.

 

Well, I'll go out and sail my canoe that weekend, at least. Simpatico sailing.

 

Peace,

Robert 

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Robert, I couldn't wait to retire and have time to work on and use my boats. DON"T DO IT! I have less time than ever now! I don't know the physics of the matter, but somehow, the other stuff we do expands to fill the time we thought we were gonna have. To over flowing.

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2 hours ago, Chick Ludwig said:

Robert, I couldn't wait to retire and have time to work on and use my boats. DON"T DO IT! I have less time than ever now! I don't know the physics of the matter, but somehow, the other stuff we do expands to fill the time we thought we were gonna have. To over flowing.

Oh, man, Chick. You are just my type of guy. This is funny.:)

 

I just CANNOT wait to meet youse guys in person. Stupid enormously wide country. I wish we lived in a long skinny one, sometimes. Of course, my luck is I'd live South and y'all would live North.

One day, we'll get the campfire on, and let the bad jokes fly!

Me and Don will accompany on uke and banjo. :)

 

Peace,

Robert 

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Hey, Presto! This is 4oz glass. The edges will be covered by the fillets that will go around the edges.

This is for the house sides and coamings.

 

Two more coats of paint to go on the hull, then once cured, she can be flipped and finished off.

 

This is getting serious, now.

 

Oh, the white in the upper right of the glass picture is glare. I swear. 

 

Peace,

Robert 

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4 hours ago, Ken_Potts said:

:D I hear ya!  It's all looking good.  Soon you'll be on the water - Or at least working on the next boat...

Haha. Both! :)

 

I have been hit so hard by life during this build. For me, though, the whole shebang is the hobby. The building time is as therapeutic to me as the drifting, erm sailing, time. :)

 

I have missed every artificial deadline I've made already, so at this point I don't care. She looks nice, and I'll have a long while to enjoy her while I build the others.

I hope..,

 

Peace,

Robert

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  • 2 weeks later...

These sticks will pop out the holes in the coaming and make bubbles in the water when the sails get empty.

 

I am trying something here. In an effort to equalize tension and "feel" of the laminated oars, I'm using an equal number of parts cut from each of two boards.

 

This is either brilliant, or idiotic. Spar stock is being scarfed and layed out, too.

 

And the foils, Take Two. I'll get a few pics of the leeboard after I finish this business.  Think it looks pretty good. :)

 

Peace,

Robert 

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Oh, no coastal cruising out here, no. This is aimed at the Bay and Delta. Especially getting "lost" up in the Delta. And occasional forays to lakes for sailing and camping.

 

I do plan to do some coasting along the Third Coast, one day. Probably around 200 miles worth. :)

 

There have been rumblings concerning a keelboat being built, though, just for cruising our coastline. I'm thinking I might need a snug little yawl, and I recently acquired some plans for a doozy...

 

Peace,

Robert 

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