Skip to main content

Various miscellaneous steps on the Pygmy Borealis

This morning was spent doing several required jobs as part of continuing several steps. It was one of those days where you just need to do a bunch of little things here and there that slowly add up to things getting done.

For example I removed the clamps from the hatch lips and sanded them smooth. Then I saturated the inside edges and the lips with epoxy. Finally added some fiberglass tape under the seams where the two hatch lips meet.


Later I will trim the fiberglass flush to the edge. When it's fully cured I will sand it smooth. I'll also need to sand just the tops of the hatch lips a bit so that the contact cement for the foam gaskets will stick well.

I think added a layer of fiberglass tape to the front and back seams of the cockpit. When that cures I'll sand the coaming again and then start in on the filler steps.


Next I added some thickened epoxy to the upper, hull-side of the hip braces and then wetted out some fiberglass tape to both the top and bottom. I think I still need to reinforce the hip braces more so later I'll prop the boat onto its side and add more thickened epoxy and tape. It takes a lot of stress and I want to make sure it's solidly epoxied in.


Finally I started to mark out where I'll drill the shock cording holes and the hatch webbing holes. They will be drilled later though.


So as you can see, lots was done, but nothing was 'completed'. Oh well... all things that must be done. It's slowly getting there and I actually don't have many steps left!


Peace!


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Rogue Manual

I've posted about this earlier, but thought it might be good to post it again for anyone who may be interested. I've started to write a manual of tips and tricks for Pygmy solo kayak builders. It covers the taping method, so that your boat doesn't have hundreds of holes all over it. I'm on version 2 now. Version 2 covers several other tips and tricks from myself and from others as collected over time. ATTENTION : Use the manual at your own risk! The only person responsible for any mistakes or problems with the building of your boat is you. Always use the official Pygmy manual that came with your kit. Only do those tips and tricks that make sense to you. If something in the manual doesn't sound right to you, then don't do it! Neither I, nor Pygmy Boats, nor anyone else except YOU is responsible for the safety of your boat and the quality of your build. It's in very rough draft form right now, but if you'd like to read it, please send a $10 donat...

Annapolis Wherry Hull Painted

If you haven't yet, please read my previous post regarding amine blush and primers.  After thoroughly washing the hull with water, and then priming, I was now ready for top coating.  I used Interlux Toplac Plus in Matterhorn White. What a great paint! OMG... this stuff seems to have magical properties! I've never used a paint that does not sag or run, even on vertical hull sides.  Of course, you have to roll on a light coat with a foam roller, but even with a thin coat like that, most paints would still have runs. This one doesn't! And you don't need to tip it either! Just roll it on and walk away.  It gets better too... you don't have to sand after each coat! As long as you roll on a second coat after 16 hours but before 3 days, you don't have to sand. Nice! I did three coats in three days with no sanding between coats. There's a slight bit of orange peel, but most of the surface issues are due to my poor surface prep instead of orange peel. To be honest, ...

Waterlog Surfboard Build, Part 2

 Since my last post I've made a lot of progress.   I've completed the rails and the landing strips.  Here is the chine log being epoxied in. By the way, I'm using epoxy for much of this. I ended up using Titebond III for most of the rails because they didn't have a lot of force on them and I could get them clamped down quickly (Titebond III sets quickly). But for anything that has any stress on it, I'm using WEST System epoxy that I have left over.   The nose strips had to be steamed. Read the manual for how to do this. It works well enough.  For the landing strips (the 'lands'), I'm doing the "alternative" method that is shown in one of Grain's tutorial videos . I'm running the outside one out the ends. It worked out well and I'd definitely recommend you do it instead of the convoluted approach they say in their manual.  I would expect that at some point in the future that they make this the primary way to do it and change their m...