Step 7: Fiberglassing the Deck
Lay glass on the deck and trim it a few inches over size. Smooth out the cloth to eliminate any wrinkles.
Mix up epoxy and pour a small puddle onto the back deck. In case you need to be told, don’t pour it where the cockpit hole is, it will run through.
Spread the epoxy around with your squeegee. Again, don’t trap large islands of dry cloth in oceans of wetted out cloth, move in an even tsunami from here to the other end of the boat, working up both sides of the cockpit at the once.
Double check your work, looking for grey or poorly saturated glass. Dab on a little resin where needed and squeegee around.
When you are done doing the wet-out coats of the fiberglass you should end up with a matte finish with the texture of the fabric readily evident. There should not be shiny spots. If you need to remove any excess use your squeegee to scrape off the excess.
Use a grunge cup to remove excess resin from your squeegee after scraping the glass. Do not use too much pressure while scraping excess. If you are uncertain, just leave it be.
If you can get to it the same day, wait a couple hours after applying the resin. At this point the epoxy should be partially cured, but still soft. Now is the best time to give the cloth an extra coat of resin to seal any pin holes. Use a foam roller to apply a thin coat of mixed epoxy over the whole interior surface of the both the deck and the hull.
If you can’t do this coat right away, let the resin set up hard, then scuff of the surface with a green Scotch-Brite kitchen scrubber to help the epoxy adhere better. Then apply the thin coat.
After the second coat has cure, clip the copper wires holding the forms. If you leave the wires a little long you may be able to use pliers to pull the wires out. Don’t try too hard, if they don’t come easily, just leave clip them close and we’ll deal with them shortly.
Trim off the excess fiberglass with a utility knife. Hold the edge of the blade tight against the wood and hold the fiberglass. Slice the glass off in smooth even strokes. You should not need to saw at the glass, just hold the knife tight against the wood and slide it down the length of the boat.
You should be ready to flip the hull over on to the saw horses. Put the deck to one side for now.
Mix up epoxy and pour a small puddle onto the back deck. In case you need to be told, don’t pour it where the cockpit hole is, it will run through.
Spread the epoxy around with your squeegee. Again, don’t trap large islands of dry cloth in oceans of wetted out cloth, move in an even tsunami from here to the other end of the boat, working up both sides of the cockpit at the once.
Double check your work, looking for grey or poorly saturated glass. Dab on a little resin where needed and squeegee around.
When you are done doing the wet-out coats of the fiberglass you should end up with a matte finish with the texture of the fabric readily evident. There should not be shiny spots. If you need to remove any excess use your squeegee to scrape off the excess.
Use a grunge cup to remove excess resin from your squeegee after scraping the glass. Do not use too much pressure while scraping excess. If you are uncertain, just leave it be.
If you can get to it the same day, wait a couple hours after applying the resin. At this point the epoxy should be partially cured, but still soft. Now is the best time to give the cloth an extra coat of resin to seal any pin holes. Use a foam roller to apply a thin coat of mixed epoxy over the whole interior surface of the both the deck and the hull.
If you can’t do this coat right away, let the resin set up hard, then scuff of the surface with a green Scotch-Brite kitchen scrubber to help the epoxy adhere better. Then apply the thin coat.
After the second coat has cure, clip the copper wires holding the forms. If you leave the wires a little long you may be able to use pliers to pull the wires out. Don’t try too hard, if they don’t come easily, just leave clip them close and we’ll deal with them shortly.
Trim off the excess fiberglass with a utility knife. Hold the edge of the blade tight against the wood and hold the fiberglass. Slice the glass off in smooth even strokes. You should not need to saw at the glass, just hold the knife tight against the wood and slide it down the length of the boat.
You should be ready to flip the hull over on to the saw horses. Put the deck to one side for now.
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