Twetmore

I appreciate everyones input. I just finished epoxying the entire inside bottom of my boat last night so I will try washing it down first before sanding Thursday. It seems like the epoxy is sitting really flat and smooth with the foam rollers so I think I will stick with this method. John - Everything that I have glassed does feel greasy, I will try washing and drying a couple of times before the next time I epoxy. Hirilonde - I have tried to do hot coating wherever I can, unfortunetly, I don't have the large time blocks required to do the whole thing in one shot which would be nice. Peter - I appreciate any input since I have very little experience. I am working with graduated containers so I hope I am getting the mix correct, maybe off by a slim margin of the measuring lines but can't imagine it would be enough to throw off the mix. The pumps that I received hardly ever work so I have gone to pouring the epoxy and hardener which I am not happy about but still feel is accurate. I thought that curing was the issue also, however, I waited a couple of days on the centerboard and the centerboard cases at 65 degrees fehrenheit and still had the same issue. Right now it is in the 80s here which means my upstairs shop is somewhere in the 90s. I would not think that curing is an issue at that temperature. Since I started though I have not been really fond of the epoxy I've been using so I ordered some Wes Systems which should be here by the weekend. - Are you saying that spreading the epoxy with a scraper is the way to go? Do you pour it on and scrape it out flat or am I not understanding correctly? - Also, I was not planning on glassing the interior of the boat, only the exterior with 4-6 ounce fabric. Any suggestions on which weight would be the best? My plan for applying the exterior fabric was to have three guys with scrappers and I would mix and pour the epoxy on. I am trying to find fabric now so that I can use two pieces the entire lenght of the boat overlapping at the centerline. Once the fabric is saturated with the scrappers I was going to use a foam roller to try and smooth the rest of the way. Any input or suggestions would be appreciated. Do you think the two pieces longitudinal is the best method? Also, does anyone have a good supplier with a good price? I have looked at Jamestown and they only sell 50" which would be cutting it close at the widest point. John - I will have to look into this a little farther but am not sure that I want to spend the extra money, but it may be worth it to save the time. Has anyone else used "Peel Ply"? Is it useful? The bottom of the boat is pretty much all I have left for glassing which seems like a large area to use it on.

A couple more pictures for everyone. I am planning on epoxying the bottom of my boat the next couple of week nights. My plan is one thin coat each night to 3-4 coats. I am going to try to get it really thin by brushing it on and rolling it smooth with 4" foam rollers. How did anyone else keep it thin so that it didn't create runs? Also, I am having trouble with my sandpaper gumming up with what I think is wax from the epoxy. Does anyone have any tips to reduce the buildup? I think there are de-waxer products, has anyone used one? Are they helpful? Thanks!

Thanks for the advise Peter. I decided to wrap the leading edge and bottom of my centerboard with 10 ounce tape, we will see how it works. Here are a couple more pictures, nothing too exciting. The centerboard was a lot of planning, sanding, and epoxying and took up more time that I thought it would. I plan on building the centerboard case Thursday night.

Chris, I waited until prior to installing the side seat bulkhead to level. In retrospective, I wish I had done it earlier. My forward bulk head is a little out of plumb, leaning forward. I don't think this will cause any issues but it is a dumb error to have. At the time, I figured that the wires would pull all the plywood together to get the correct shape but as Peter pointed out no cut is perfect.

Does anyone have experience with Pettit Unepoxy or Unepoxy Plus? They have the green color that I want and it is designed to harden for trailer use. Also, I plan on putting additional fabric on the leading edge and bottom of my centerboard for abrasion resistence. I know that Wes did this with kevlar fabric, how does it work? I know that a lot of people to a epoxy saturated rope but is it really necessary? I will be in deep water most of the time, but I guess I will have to go shallow sometime to beach and launch. Any input would be appreciated.

A couple of updates with pictures. Nothing ground breaking but I was on vacation for a week and feel like I fell a little behind.

Thanks for the help and advise everyone. Just got back from vacation and looking forward to getting back into the grind.

Hokeyhydro, I just got an email back from Interlux and they sent me the product information on a solvent I should use. I also talked with the painter on my project and he says he soaks it in the solvent then runs mineral spirits through it to disipate the heat. The painter also says there is very little advantage to spraying and he recommends rolling. It looks like the Interlux VC only comes in white and they do not tint it so I will have to make some decisions or look at some other manufacturers. Wes, I have been going back and forth about finishing the interior bright and I think you may be right that to much bright work could look gaudy. It will have to be something that I will need to think about. I was worried about the glare off of a white paint from the sun. Seems like with the water and white paint there would be a lot of light reflecting back but I will have to looking into the off whites as well. Good to know about the VC not allowing things to stick to it, I will have to keep this in mind if I choose to use it. Thanks for the advice! Does anyone have any opinions on putting sand between layers of epoxy for added traction on the floor? I am still trying to decide if this is a good idea or not (leaning towards not).

Another question came up about painting the bottom. My Dad has a painter right now that does not have a whole lot of work and can do a better job then I can for cheap. I was wondering if anyone has used a commercial airless spray gun and how they have cleaned the epoxy out afterwords? The painter is really good but has never sprayed epoxy before and doesn't want to ruin his gun. I looked at the product data online for bottom epoxy from Interlux and couldn't find any information on cleaning. I am interested in using the same product that Wes used (Interlux VC Performance teflon-impregnated epoxy paint) however, I am also interested in painting the bottom a color and was kind of set on a dark green which seems to limit my options. Does any have a product that they have used and have found to be very good that has color options? Is their anyway to tint the Interlux VC? I am looking at the Pettit Hydrocoat right now which has a dark green and some good review below it but I am worried about pulling on and off trailers and beaching. Is a gel coat a good option? I need to do some more homework but would appreciate the head start. Finally, I guess I could do the math but since I have some people with experience here, how many gallons do I need for 4 coats of paint on the bottom of a CS20? Thanks,

Thanks for the help everyone. I have contacted a few local trailer sales companies and hopefully will get some quotes back soon both new and used. I will also keep my eye on Craig's List and local adds, I still have a couple of months before I really need to searching hard but thought I would try to get ahead of the curve. I have another question for everyone though. How slick is the epoxy when water gets on it? I guess I could finish a piece and try it out on my own but thought I would ask the experts first. On the science building I am working on we have a couple of epoxy floors that have sand in between the layers. I don't know how good of an idea this would be. I would worry that if the epoxy didn't really lock the sand in it could start to wear on the other surfaces. Also, I was planning on finishing the floor and seats clear so you could see the wood and am not sure how the floor would look clear with sand in it. Wes, your boat looks great. Any specific reasons that you decided to paint the interior white instead of finishing clear or was it just preference? I would appreciate any incite. Thanks, Tom

I have been making good progress lately and am hoping to make more. I know that it is probably a little early but I wanted to start thinking about getting a trailer and was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions. I have asked for a couple of quotes from EZ Trailer dealers and just found a post about a Genesis Trailer which I will inquire about. I am very interested in cheap so I was hoping to find something on Craigs List however I am not sure exactly what to look for and was hoping that someone could point me in the right direction. I think this boat is a little odd for a trailer since it is 20' long, has a 6'-3" beam, but only weighs around 600 pounds. If I purchased a trailer designed for a 20' speed boat would it tow a 600 pound boat just the same? I found a really cheap 600 pound capacity trailer in Norther Tools but it is only rated for a 12-14' long boat and I doubt I have the ability to adjust it. I would appreciate any input, Thank you, Tom

I installed the sides to the seats this weekend and glued up the center board so I can make the center board case. Here are some more photos.

I haven't posted any picture in a while so I thought that I would update everyone. I haven't been making record speed but it is progress. I plan on getting a lot done this weekend.

I built the stand for my CS20 with 2x4 sides at the bulkheads. Unintentionally, it works to lean the boat up on it's sides in order to reach the bottom. Worked out pretty well. Looking good Jim! You are catching up to me pretty quickly...

Also, what is everyone making their deck beams out of? I am taking douglas fir 2x6, ripping it to create a 3/4"x6" board and then scribing it. I wanted to use douglas fir porch flooring but they don't make it larger then 4" (including tung and grove) unless I order it specially. I would appreaciate any input.

I am installing the 4 bottom stringers aft of the forward bulkhead. The outer stringer is missing the bottom of the boat by about 1/4". However, I was able to find some good posts about this and it looks like I should scribe this stringer to the bottom. http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=4549.0 http://www.messing-about.com/forums/index.php?topic=6210.0 Thanks for the help! Next, I am planning on sanding the bottom to get all pencil lines off so I can clear finish it, epoxy the bottom, install the seats, and forward mast step. I should have some more photos to post soon for everyone to see where I am.

Some more... I also am farther then this shows but have not uploaded the pictures to my computer yet...Sorry these photos are not in chronological order.

Jeff, Here are some pictures. Just FYI, the one that you see with the stringer and foam on the sides is because I used Gorilla glue to attach it. At the time I had total confidence in it because of its strength properties and it is waterproof but I decided to epoxy fillet the underside of the stringers just in case.

Otto, I ended up going through Chesapeake Light Craft. I can't remember the exact pricing information but I priced out several options with shipping and taxes and found that they were the best price for the best wood, they sell Lloyd's Certified. It was also really easy to use them and they delivered it to my house. I could have done the commercial shipping to a warehouse but it would have saved me $20 and would have cost me about an hour of time. Just to clarify I went with Okoume.

Paul, Thanks for the help, those posts were very helpful. I am thinking I will build the masts a little taller then called for in the plans, somewhere between 21-22'. I am going to do some more research before I start but I bought some really amazing 2x10x32' and 2x8x26' douglas fir from a local lumber yard and need to cut it to the correct length so I can get it in the shop and dry it out. I just don't want to cut it too short and waste more wood then I have too. I will let everyone know what I finally decide on. Thanks again, Tom

Norm, Thanks for the input. I must have gone through the drawings to quickly. "Cat Ketch Spar Plan" shows the layout for the sail track masts for the CS20. Mizzen - 20'-4" Main - 20'-7" Thanks, Tom

Thanks for the help! The wires pulled out really easy with a soldering iron the next day. I now have all of the interior filleted and am going to finish glassing it all tonight. I am trying to think ahead and want to make the mast tubes so that I am ready for the next step. I have decided to make wooden masts and have found some really nice douglas fir at the local lumber yard. I have read through several posts and have found a lot of different information about birdsmouth construction. I do have a couple of questions though. 1. What has everyone found to be the optimal length for the main and mizzen masts on their CS20's? I am planning on using the sail track method. I feel that I might want it a little longer so that the spirits clear people who will be sitting on the boat but don't want to put too much pressure on the masts. 2. Do I need to put blocking in the mast to attach hardware or the track? I see in the post "Making Sawdust" that Charlie and Norman used "doublers" but I am not really sure what these were for. 3. Finally, I wanted to clarify what I understood from the plans and previous posts. The taper should start from 6' up from the bottom of the mast and continue to the top. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks for your help. I have another quick question that I could not find an answer for looking in previous posts. I got a little too far ahead of myself tonight in apply my fillets. If this epoxy sets will I be able to get the wires out later with a soldering iron? Considering that I turned the heater off in the garage and it is 6 degrees here in Chicago I am certain that the curing process will almost stop in about 20 minutes. I hope I can get them out tomorrow after work but please let me know.

Hello everyone! My name is Tom and I started the construction of my CS20 #130 at the beginning of October this year (2009). I have never really been into sailing but I just graduated from college last December and started my new job and thought that it would be a cool project. I also didn't think that I would ever be able to find the time to do it again or the resources. My Dad is a carpenter so I have all the tools and he also has a two story garage with plenty of room upstairs to work. I am from the Chicagoland area so if anyone in the area has a boat that I could look at to reference and maybe take some pictures I would really appreciate it. I have been looking at everyone's posts since July and they have all been very helpful. I have a bunch of pictures that I would like to post but cannot figure out how to attach them and want to get back out there building. I will have to work on this. I do have one question though. I have the forward and center bulkheads installed and have tightened the wires and everything seems to be fitting very well, everything except the bottom of the forward bulkhead. I think I may have jumped the gun a little bit when I started to tighten wires instead of installing the forward bulkhead first. The bottom of the forward bulkhead is about 3/4" off of the bottom of the boat. I have measured it several times trying to figure out what my mistake may have been but cannot figure it out. It seems to be correct per the drawings. Has anyone run into this problem before? I think if I pull too hard on the wires they will just pull through the plywood because the centerline is binding. I was thinking about removing some wires at the centerline and trying to shave down where the two bottom sheets touch so that it has more ability to come up. The problem is that I layed out all of my sheets and then corrected them from the mylar full size prints that I ordered, so I think they should be correct. I am worried taking more wood out of the bottom could put a weird curve in my hull. I would appreciate any input anyone has. Thank you, Tom