Boat Molds

[merrimange]

This may be sacrilege on this site though not intended to be, but i was curious on the possibility and difficulty of creating a fiberglass hull for the weekender. I built mine by the book, but knowing what I know now I wonder if it could have been done differently, say through female molds etc. There seems to be so many composite materials available to make it strong, smoother, and perhaps more cost effective - though I am completely blind on that statement. Thanks.

[Bill Paxton]

Over on the BYYB, Bob Butler is selling molds to make a fiberglass Weekender. Check it out at

http://tinyurl.com/8o82x

[Charlie Jones]

With the increase in petroleum prices, and since polyester resin is a petroleum based material, I don't know that building a glass weekender would be all that cost effective these days. Epoxy is a coal based product by the way.

Additionally I'd think that some other hull shape would be better suited to that type construction. Plywood is probably THE best way to make one-of hard chined boats. The keel construction of the Weekender might also be somewhat problematical in fiberglass.

Now whether it might be quicker to do the boat using tack and tape techniques is a whole nother question.

As an aside- why would that question be sacriledge? This is not supposed to be a WEEKENDER building site, but a BOAT BUILDING site, or so Frank continues to state.

[merrimange]

By sacrilege, I meant there are some great boat builders on this website who build beautiful wooden boats, grand piano types. Since I launched my boat, I can now consider myself at another level, but still humble in my new found abilities and wouldn't want to offend some of the fine folks who helped me out through difficult times by speaking of an "easy way out".

I guess you'd say I like to take shortcuts and lack patience. Maybe a function of my age (mid 30s). But, I did survive the first go round. I now am in complete love of sailing but it is enhanced by having built a boat to sail in.

The weekender is a perfect little boat to sail. If only it could be built faster and easier ( though some say it is easy ) - all relative to the experience level I presume. Thus, my question of a mold. The thought being once the hull is complete, it is somewhat downhill and not to mention it takes all of those restless apprehensions of leaks, airbubbles, etc. out of the equations (for the most part). In looking back, it seems like no big deal, but the first steps as I recall were quite difficult.

Thanks and I appreciate more feedback on this topic.

[capt jake]

( though some say it is easy ) - all relative to the experience level I presume.

Relative to the amount of sanding. ;) Your desired level of finish if definitely the deciding factor of time spent. I tend to go to the extreme, but I started with cars years ago, then progressed to furniture. It still caries over, though I am getting better and I am letting certain blemishes go, as they show it is hand made (or at least that's what I tell myself).

Good luck with your venture. :)

[Guest]

Small boat market stinks in today's world because of the competitive nature of it. You will need dealers, if it is worth your time and investments. This design has a certain appeal to it, but the market is a very narrow market. but you may want to check with the Stevensons to get an idea, also, of how many plans are sold in a year and how many are built if thats possible, if he gets any feedback. A start up business, even in the backyard, requires insurance, periotic CG inspections, and some long term liability issues. Also you will decrease the amount of room inside from the orginal plans when selling retail because of the flotation requirements. My suggestion, forgetaboutit.

Oh in the intial first year, you will need to sell approx. 10 hulls at an average, unrigged price of around ten grand to pay for the projected expenses, from my perspective.

[Barry Pyeatt]

AMEN! Built fiberglass boats for a number of years, sold a ton of them thru dealers and loved the business. But wouldn't want to even consider it in the current market. The Weekender is an easy boat to build from plywood and a quick build too if you devote some regularly scheduled time to doing it. Finishing it is of course personal choice. Been lots of discussions about that and a lot of varying opinions, most entirely valid.

Building a good glass mold is a lot more work than building and finishing an entire Weekender and if doing it by yourself will take considerably longer.

First you build a plug. That is a completely finished hull. totally faired and filled and finished. You think you got sanding blues, wait until you tackle that. Once that is complete to your satisfaction you begin the process of laying up the female mold on an inverted hull. Building the reinforcing into the mold so that all the hullforms are locked into it. Then adding additional stock to the form to make it solid enough to withstand handling and abuse. Once that is solid enough and completely reinforced, you pull the plug and hope that the female mold remains intact when you do. Then you fill and polish the female mold until every square inch of it is perfect with no defects. Any defects in the female mold will show in the end product and be more than difficult to repair. Once that is perfect and I do mean perfect, you wax it and polish it and wax it again and polish it again until there are no spots anywhere that a nylon stocking will get hung up ( even a little) when run over it by hand. Now you have a mold to lay up a hull. It can be a one part or a two part half hull. If a one part I would recommend that the keel be added after pulling the hull from the mold. If two part then you begin the process by applying mold release first, then the gel coat and any detail striping, etc. That is the finished paint job on the outside of the hull, then you begin to lay up the glass within the mold. That gets laid inplace and you begin to apply layer after layer of glass, laying it up in different directions so that it overlaps and is stronger. Or maybe you blow in chopped fiberglass strand with resin, it is faster and cheaper for mass production, but much lower quality generally speaking. You lay in your bulkhead locations and any blocking that has to be set into the glass. And then you smooth it all out and let it cure. Now you can use vacuum forming an peel ply to help smooth things out in the interior or rollers and handwork.

Then let it cure.

Time to pull the hull from the mold. Hope it releases cleanly without cracking or chipping or even releases at all. (And that does happen, where it won't release). Then if in halves you now have to clean up the edges and join the halves. More hand work laying up layers of glass and sanding and filling and sanding and then gel coating to match the outer surface.

Once all of that is done, trim the edges on the topside and now frame in for a deck, add bulkheads, glass all of them inplace and finish that work, add the deck, finish work and cockpit, trim all the flash, fill, sand and finish the joints. Add the steering and all the trim work and I would bet that for about $10 to $12,000 you could build your very own one off from a female mold.

And any ballast could be added inside the keel when in the mold.

Next one will be a little cheaper.

Nice finish on the hull though. :wink:

[merrimange]

Thanks for the feedback. I was between honey dos and trying to think outside the wooden box so to speak. No real end goal in mind just curious.

[merrimange]

Me trying to make a buck at boatbuilding ranks up there with getting paid to play golf and drink beer in probability. Nice dream though.

Can you buy just hulls anywhere?

[Barry Pyeatt]

Maybe Bob Butler would make up one for you for the right price.

[Charlie Jones]

You can have somebody BUILD a hull for you. Oyster does that, so do I. In fact, I have a Core Sound 17 underway in my shop now. But I can tell you now it isn't gonna be cheap. You can sure do it yourself for less money. Boat builders have to pay the same bills every one else pays and that money comes from the boats they build l What you would get is a well built hull, in a decent period of time, depending on boat size.

I've built 7 boats, a rudder and several masts during the last five years. Plus restoring my own 25 footer.

I've also refinished a lot of furniture in between the boats in order to pay bills in a timely manner.

But boatbuilding is much more fun.

[tdrown]

I guess you'd say I like to take shortcuts and lack patience. Maybe a function of my age (mid 30s).

Don't let that be an excuse, I was 17 when I started my weekender. If you keep on it (which is key, I have a small and simple stitch-and-glue dory that I started well maybe two years ago and isn't finished), the Weekender can be built in a matter of a few months. The Weekender is a simple boat with fairly easy to follow plans, it doesn't require too too much patience, there will always be plenty of small jobs that you can get finished in a few hours or less. Just make lists and make it a habit to work on it.

Can you buy just hulls anywhere?

You'll probably find building the hull the quickest, easiest, and most rewarding part of building the weekender. Depending on your materials, it's normally a few hundred dollars to get there.

[merrimange]

my weekender, but thinking about the next project. I had the patience made the lists, but hated it and wanted to get done more quickly and efficienty - thus the hull/mold concept.

It is amazing how "bored" you feel after building that thing. I like being bored for now though.

[tdrown]

Finishing the darn thing, glassing, fairinjgf and sanding and painting....

That is where the fiberg;ass mold becomes attractive.

Agreed

sorry merrimange, I forgot you already built one, I posted that thinkning you hadn't.