Scott Dufour Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 I glassed the outside of the hull with 6 oz. cloth, (taped chines per plans). I am a really bad sailor, and I'm very grateful for the abrasion resistance on New England's unforgiving "beaches". To Dale's point, it probably could get away without the cloth if I was a bit fastidious about jumping on scratches before water got between the layers. But I ain't because the hull's way down there and I'm way up here, y'know? The interior and deck I just coated with epoxy and then painted. It's held up far better than I expected, and since I can see any damage when it happens, I patch and fill any gouges or stuff pretty quickly. 'Cause it's up here and so am I, y'know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted May 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2014 That is the direction I am going Scott, no glass on the inside. I will put down a layer of thinned epoxy to seal the plywood and then use primer, and two coats of top coat. the only boat I glassed the interior of is the fishing skiff pictured on my avatar. It has held up miraculously well for five years painted with primer over epoxy and two layers of Kirby's semi gloss oil paint. Kirby's always looks great, but has also gotten very expensive. I may try the System three waterbase paints. I did skip the tape on the chines on the fishing skiff, and had to redo after it banged around against docks, the trailer, beaches, etc. Will tape the chines with the 45 degree 6 oz as described by Phil G. I now understand the purpose of the plastic after trying a few strips without the plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted May 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2014 Flip day. this was not too bad a project for a nice Spring day in Massachusetts. I did 90 %, and my son supplied the other 10%. took longer to figure out how to add the attachments to the post, than to flip it and convert the cradle for upside down boats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted June 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2014 The boat has faired seams, and I plan to glass them with 6 oz glass laid on the bias next weekend. However, the last 3 feet of hull are showing a 1/2 dip after getting a real good look at this area and checking with a straight batten. Question for the group should I: ignore it and just live with it. Nothing a little filler under the keel won't hide. A little compound to blend it in and no one will know. apply 10 oz glass in successive layers each smaller than the previous. Then fair with compound. get some foam, shape it and glass it to fill the void. tempting. As this really is the aft planing surface, it bothers me knowing that this is here. Wish I had caught it previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted September 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Progress is slow, but picking up. I had help today from my daughter and we put the keel on. photos attached. centerboard slot gasket and exterior hull paint is next. Then on to the interior and deck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennieG Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 CB slot gasket? Your scaring me...what's that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennieG Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Your boat looks good David! I wish I had taken the step you did of fairing those outside seams..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Some install a gasket to help with water boiling up, into the slot and to keep out rocks and debris. This can be as simple as some sail cloth material stapled to the bottom of the boat, in two strips, slightly overlapping so they close when the board is fully retracted. The offset board location mitigates these issues to a great degree, so I think it's unnecessary, but . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Vacanti Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 I thought the main reason for installing a centerboard gasket is to reduce drag which increases speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted September 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 The gasket is not on the plans, but it is easy to put it on at this stage of the game. The gasket helps minimize turbulence around the centerboard slot, which can shoot up into the case and rob a little speed. I have always had one on my cb boats, so am used to the idea. When and if it wears out, I may or may not replace it. I am using 2" mylar set on a dacron fabric which is then glued to the hull with polyurethane sealant (Sikaflex in this case). The strips will overlap each other by about 3mm (in theory, we will see how good my building skills are here). If it is a pain, then will forget it. Prior to shaping the keel, I had considered leaving the 2" stern end full size and using the gasket material to close the space between the rudder and the keel. Then put the OCD side of me to bed for the day. This is a daysailer not an Olympic class. That .0001 knot increase in speed will need to be found elsewhere. Skipper diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LennieG Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Thanks! Now that you guys mention it I do remember reading about it somewhere on these pages. I guess it will be something for me to add as I re-do the hull paint with proper LPU at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 You can gain some speed advantage Mike, but the differences are measured in small fractions of a knot, so unless you're racing identical boats, all similarly equipped, the difference is negligible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Garland Posted September 5, 2014 Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 We added the slot strip material for three reasons; speed, quiet and dryness. The difference in speed is small but the other two effects are a huge improvement. The speed difference is real though, the faster you go the more it helps. Took about 3 hr total to glue on then fiberglass over the front edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted September 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Here is a photo of the gasket in place. Bedded in the Sikaflex. I hate using this stuff as it gets all over everything and needs solvent to clean. But, it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Niemann Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I agree with PAR. I believe the slot does not need to be covered. I did not on 'Lively' and have not had any problems with rocks or sand making it stick. On the CS series with the offset slot and the one inch keel rocks and sand do not seem to be a problem. I speak from having an O'Day Daysailor with a centerboard slot in the center of the boat with no keel. It had a sort of slotted plastic cover. The primary reason I sold it was because of all the times I had problems with the board getting stuck in the up position whenever I beached it. Many times I had to go underwater with a special tool I made to stick up in the board slot in order to pull it down. In my mind the slot cover helped capture sand which made it more likely to stick. I guess if you want to go really really fast and you sail in deep water and do not beach the boat, you might want a slot cover. My 2 cents worth. dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted September 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 Dale - I spent too many years sailing dinghies. I have to have one regardless of whether or not it makes the boat faster. If it sucks, I can cut it off with a razor blade. not a big deal. Habits are hard to break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted October 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2014 Finally got to the painting stage. Due to the close quarters and lack of spray equipment I have gone with the System 3 Waterbased LPU. The primer went on great, and sands readily to make an excellent base for the top coat. The first layer of top coat not so well. It was a very dry day and the paint sets up incredibly fast. Will sand smooth tomorrow and then thin the next two coats to roll and tip. Might invest in a spray paint system as it is kind of a shame to not get a better paint job at the final stage. Looks great from 5' feet away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAR Posted October 6, 2014 Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 I gave up on the System Three WR-LPU as being imposable to spray. One thing I did note is, unlike other paints, this stuff needs and likes high humidity. I ran a humidifier when using this stuff, which helped tremendously. Yeah, I can see your "lap marks" because the stuff was drying too quick. Humidity will help a lot. This is the only product I know, where painting in the rain with the garage door wide open, is actually a good idea. It'll maintain a "wet edge" longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted October 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2014 It is supposed to rain tomorrow! Will sand a ton today and hope for the best. The advantage of building myself is that if I screwed it up, I can fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnjost Posted October 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2014 Update. today, I applied the second and third coats with the garage door open, in the rain. I also thinned the paint 10% with water (small instructions on the side of the can suggest this for roller/brush), resulting in much better results. A foam brush rather than the polyester one helped lay down a flatter coat. It took 1.5 hours per coat. The water cleanup for this is remarkably good. Later on a buddy of mine promised to send me his professional auto polisher along with the grit(s) for a wet sand/buffed finish. Pretty sure this is going to work, but need to apply at least one more coat of paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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