New build 28

[David_Old_Jersey]

After that, another couple of weekends should see her out on the water  :P

[Sunset]

Tomorrow morning we will start filling the gaps. I tried a small area tonight with good results, the thickened epoxy went between the planks fairly easily. Some of the gaps are as small as 1/16" and those take a little more effort to get it through completely. The 1/8 to 3/16 gaps it filled with one swipe of the squeegee. Only trouble I had was I mixed to much and it started to kick off before I could use it all. So we are going to make smaller batchs and spread them out so it doesnt kick to quick.
Should have it completed by Sunday evening.

David she should float by Monday :)

[Sunset]

Here's a few pictures of the epoxy gap filling. One shows the gaps filled between the frames and the fairing strips. Also after all the screws were removed and the whole hull filled. One picture shows the goal of having the epoxy squeezing through.
She sure is ugly now before sanding. The mixture is about half microballoons and silica by volume. So I am hoping it doesn't sand to hard.

[Sunset]

Few more

[ntica]

fantastic work. keep it up, and more photos as the progress continiue

[Sunset]

A few pictures after the first sanding.

[David_Old_Jersey]

You missed a bit  ;D

I bet you can almost "taste" that first coat of hull paint! Slowly, slowly - catchee monkey  8)

[Sunset]

You know David I can ;D
I hope to keep thinking of that high gloss paint through the sanding, fairing, sanding, fairing, sanding, fairing and through the sanding and fairing process. Even with her covered in heavy fiberglass those planks will show through the gloss, without lots of fairing. When I think I cant stand doing anymore, I'll take a week off, then do the whole hull again. Below the water line I'll try to get it good, the fish don't care with the anti foul rolled on, but above the water line she has to be right on.
The gloss paint forgives nothing and loves to show ether how lazy the builder is, or how much he cares.

[Sunset]

I have been looking at this hull so long not upside down she is looking looks shes only 20 foot long, until I start sanding again. ;D
The inside looks like a foot ball field but the outside sure doesn't.
Should have my plans for the keel and skeg shortly, that give me something else to think about besides fairing.

[Sunset]

Haven't got much done lately, been to busy making a living :(. We did get the deck shelves glassed in and some more fairing done. I hope to get 4 or 5 days next week to get some major fairing done. Need to order another 15 gallon kit of epoxy to get the outside glassed. The designer told me it would take a pound of epoxy for every pound of glass cloth, just to wet it out. There's about 90 lbs of cloth on the outside not counting the keel and skeg rudder assembly. I had hoped to get the hull turned in July, but some miracles are going to have to come together for that to happen.
Anyway just an update of the lack of progress.

[ntica]

Keep it up, its a hard work building a boat!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Haven't got much done lately, been to busy making a living :(.

Yeah, I hate it when that happens  ???

Keep plugging away  :)

[Sunset]

Graham, as incredibly busy as he is, sent me the keel prints last week. Graham I thank you for your time and patience with me and this project.
I have finally got some free time to get on the boat again. I know that the gloss paint is going to forgive NOTHING so I must fair till I cant stand it any more, then do it again.
So in between fairing the hull for the glassing I'll be laying up the keel in the shop so it will be ready to be glassed in after the hull glass gets laded. I will be laminating the keel from 1.5 inch yellow pine. The lead shoe wont be mounted and glassed in till the hull is turned of course. So some of the keel will be cut away for the lead and used to shape the mold for the lead pour.
I got a serious amount of work to do to get this hull glassed, keel mounted, skeg build and installed along with the shaft tube and cutlass bearing in, build a new cradle to set her in that will allow us to pull her from the barn when the time comes. Then I need to get the inside glassed and I want to mount the diesel before I start laying out the interior. Hope to have it to this point before the snow starts to fly.

Its so dog gone aggravating to watch that hull just set there waiting on me and my slim pocket book. If stupid money was no issue, I believe I could have this boat done in 12 to 14 more months.

[Sunset]

Haven't got to work on the boat for a month now. To hot and life keeps getting in the way. But have started fairing and sanding again this week. Going to hit it pretty hard all week and try to be ready to glass next week.
Have a good friend that donated 10 gallons of fresh Raka epoxy to the project. Very generous to say the least, and very much appreciated.
My goal was to have her glassed, the keel on and turned over by the end of July. That's not going to happen but is very possible for August. I feel that I must have her turned, glassed inside and out and a few bulkheads in before winter gets here.
Anyway that's an update of where I'm at on this project.
So when she is glassed and the keel is going on I'll post some more pictures.

Scott

[CharlieJ]

TEN GALLONS!!!! WOW- quite a friend, indeed.

Keep on trucking - you'll get there

[Tim]

Good to hear, keep plugging away, it'll get done!

[Sunset]

I did a test on how much floatation the hull material was going to add to the overall floatation picture.
The hull material has one and a half pound of buoyancy per square foot. So that adds up to about 800 pounds of flotation for the hull not counting bulkheads, decks and cabin wood. I was hoping the hull would come in at more than 1200 pounds of floatation. I am going to try to insulate most of that hull with 1/2 inch foam which has the potential of raising the hull floatation by another 1200 pounds. All this along with foam cored decks, cabin and poured foam in wasted spaces may be enough to keep her off the bottom of sea. But so much of the floatation will be high in the boat I'm sure she will be a swamped rat. But what floatation there is my help slow the in pour of water to the point that pumps may be able to keep up, depending on the size of the hole of course. It should also give a slow thinking captain more time to execute a plan of salvation.

[Sunset]

Tomorrow is glassing day ;D The sanding is coming to a temporary stop while glassing. I have sanded till I can't stand it anymore. She appears to be real close. I will have more fairing to do after glassing but it should be a walk in the park compared to whats been done so far.
I'll post some new pictures after glassing. Then the keel layup starts. :)

[Sunset]

She is glassed!! Im just filling the weave now. I'll post some pictures in a few days. It took 8 gallons of goo to wet out that berber carpet we put on her. ( 17 oz biaxle )
The gloss of the epoxy in the lights gives me hope that she's fair. I still have to fair in the the overlaps of of the cloth.
Now it's keel Time.
Thanks for the help today Charlie.

[Sunset]

Heres some glassed pictures. There is a glob of junk on the bottom of the bow, the boats fair I just need to grind that piece of glass out. It wouldnt make the corner smoothly, so I just left it untill every thing cures.