Randy C. Posted March 24, 2009 Author Posted March 24, 2009 I got the rope epoxied onto the centerboard and the inside of the trunk fiberglassed( I will post pictures later). What kind(is there more than one kind?) and how much graphite do I add to the epoxy for coating the inside of the trunk and the centerboard ( after I fiberglass it) to make it slicker? Randy Quote
PAR Posted March 24, 2009 Posted March 24, 2009 I wouldn't bother with the graphite. A good paint job and keep it clean. Pull it out every year, have a look see, touch up dings and paint, then put it back in. You will not notice any performance gains with graphite reinforced epoxy. Quote
Randy C. Posted March 25, 2009 Author Posted March 25, 2009 I don't think it was meant for the performance as much as it was the ease of raising and lowering centerboard. Randy Quote
PAR Posted March 25, 2009 Posted March 25, 2009 You can buy Teflon in sheet form, cut to act as abrasion/lubrication disks inside the case. They can be replaced easily and will be a lot slipperier then a graphite epoxy mixture. Ditto the rudder head/rudder blade interface. Quote
Randy C. Posted March 26, 2009 Author Posted March 26, 2009 Where can I buy Teflon, how is it attached, and is it worth putting it on? Will the centerboard be that hard to lower and raise if I don't use Teflon? Quote
PeterP Posted March 26, 2009 Posted March 26, 2009 Googling teflon will pull up numerous options. I recently bought a strip from meridiantelescopes.com for my 12.5" Dob bearings. Virgin is more expensive but you don't need much. PeterP Quote
Randy C. Posted March 28, 2009 Author Posted March 28, 2009 Ray, Is the centerboard adjusted very often? Is it adjusted only for shallow water, or is it also adjusted for performance ? Peter, I'll check google out. Thanks. Should the inside of the trunk be painted, or is it OK to leave it just epoxy? Thanks, Randy C. Quote
Randy C. Posted March 29, 2009 Author Posted March 29, 2009 Ray, Thanks. In my case I probably won't be adjusting too often, since I won't know that I should be. Quote
Randy C. Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 Ray, You're right. Once I learn to sail I will probably be trying to go a little bit faster. But, I need to remember what someone told me last month, a good afternoon sailing can be ruined by trying to beat another sailboat. Quote
Tom Lathrop Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Ray, You're right. Once I learn to sail I will probably be trying to go a little bit faster. But, I need to remember what someone told me last month, a good afternoon sailing can be ruined by trying to beat another sailboat. Bite your tongue ;D Quote
Dogdad Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 "But, I need to remember what someone told me last month, a good afternoon sailing can be ruined by trying to beat another sailboat. " It all depends -- I learned to sail on a racing team in high school, and then spent a lot of happy hours chasing other boats in my Sunfish. Even now the racing mentality still lingers. I have a hard time going more than a couple of minutes without wanting to adjust something. Mixing "cruisers" and "racers" on the same boat can get ugly. The cruisers want to sit and relax, happy if the boat's moving well and there's nothing obviously wrong. The racers want the trim to be perfect and keep jumping up to make half-inch adjustments. If you're a cruiser and you get a racer on board, try to be patient. Understand that to them, seeing a badly trimmed sail is like hearing fingernails on a blackboard, and all the fussing and tweaking is their idea of fun. If we were all alike it'd be a boring old world. Quote
Randy C. Posted March 31, 2009 Author Posted March 31, 2009 Mixing "cruisers" and "racers" on the same boat can get ugly.  My wife will be the cruiser, after I learn to sail I will be the racer. This could get ugly, but it'll be fun. Quote
PAR Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 I've found it's the skipper that sets the "tone" for the boat. If they're a racer, it's likely the sail set will need frequent adjustment and if another sail appears in the distance, you can just about hear the theme song to Jaws start up and the teeth grind on the skipper. If it's a cruiser at the helm, then a racer crew member will go about tweaking and adjusting, but no body else aboard really cares, which is good medication for the racer's ego. Quote
Randy C. Posted April 4, 2009 Author Posted April 4, 2009 I finally got the centerboard trunk installed. Ready to flip boat over and get the hull ready to paint. Somewhere on this forum some filler that's easy to sand was mentioned, (I think it was Ray that uses it). It was said to be a little exspensive, but worth the time saved sanding. I'm guessing the filler is used after taping the seams, and before putting on the fiberglass cloth??? I'm planning on using Interlux paint. Any suggestions on where the best place to buy would be welcomed. Thanks, Randy PS- I will post some pictures later, (I have to use a different computer, mine won't load them). Quote
Apteryx Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 Ray, I'd like you to build a boat, but I don't have what one would consider good job security. Hang in there, as things rebound I bet boats that are simple and light will have great appeal. I hope so, anyway. Should the filler go on before the cloth, or after it? I think the fiberglass should go right on the wood, not on top of filler - but don't ask me, I'm just getting started in this stuff. Quote
Joel B Posted April 4, 2009 Posted April 4, 2009 Hang in there Ray. It looks like the economy might be bottoming out which is the good news. Problem is the job market is the last thing to rebound. The thing about faring is that with glass and epoxy voids are the enemy. It is hard to get glass into corners without voids. Also a sharp corner does not have the same structural integrity for a composite structure as a rounded corner. you are much better off with the faring first. Its easier to layup and it is structurally more sound. Joel Quote
Randy C. Posted April 5, 2009 Author Posted April 5, 2009 Thanks for the tips. I will probably buy some quik fair, (I tend to lose interest when things take too long). I thought the fairing compound was put on before the fiberglass cloth, but wasn't sure. Is Jamestown the best place to buy the paint? Does Graham sell paint? Ray, I'm new at this. What is Cabosil? Quote
Joel B Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 Ray Which is most cost effective for fillers? I use to do this kind of stuff in the aircraft industry so I never had to buy the materials myself and therefore don't know the relative costs. Also we didn't worry about looks just structure but how it looks will be important. We used cabosil, micro-ballons, and talc. I have never used the wood powder that I have read about in the forums. Cabosil and the other stuff are fine powders that you mix into the epoxy to thicken it up Quote
Hirilonde Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 Cabosil and the other stuff are fine powders that you mix into the epoxy to thicken it up Well, yeah, but an overly simplified answer. Different fillers do very different things to the epoxy. Cabosil is for use when the epoxy is a glue, or in small amounts with other fillers to make fairing material, or filet material. Cabosil makes the epoxy as hard a rock. Too much of it in fairing material and you will be sanding your life away. Quote
Apteryx Posted April 5, 2009 Posted April 5, 2009 I see the reasoning - fair first, cloth after. Makes sense, now that I see the reasons - thanks! Quote
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