Once you remove the deck from the hull, you have two steps to do on the underside of the deck. You can do both steps the same day and let it all cure.
1. Tape all the seams:
You first need to add some thickened epoxy to the reinforcement plates at the front of the cockpit. The idea is that you make a smooth transition between the plates at all three butt joints.
Then you add two layers of fiberglass tape just over the joints of the reinforcement panels and wet them out. Cute 6 pieces of tape 3.5" each, add them over the small joints, and wet them out.
Now you'll tape ALL the seams. Cut long strips of fiberglass tape to run the entire length of the deck on all three main seams. See the picture below.
Wet out the fiberglass tape and work it down into the seams so that it sits right on top with as few bubbles as you can get. It's pretty hard to use a squeegee, but you can dapple it with a disposable chip brush or disposable acid brush. Just make sure all the tape goes clear and that you work out as many bubbles as you can.
Here's how the bow looks. The stern looks similar:
2. Fiberglass underneath the recessed panel:
The next step involves the recessed deck. You need to add two layers of fiberglass cloth, not tape, to the area under the recessed deck.
First though, use some more thickened epoxy to make smooth transitions between the panel that the recessed panel sits on. Make it really thick so that it keeps its shape.
Then cut two pieces of cloth 9" x 25". Lay one layer across the recessed panel so that it also covers the three-way seam at the aft end of the recessed panel. Wet it out and work it down as best you can. A squeegee might help. The lay the second layer on top, with the back edge just slightly covering the first layer to give it a cleaner look. Wet it out and squeegee it out slightly to clean it up as best you can.
Give it several hours to set up and then come back and trim the cockpit excess cloth with a sharp utility knife.
Here's how it all looks now:
It looks like I've squeegeed on a saturation coat, but I haven't. I only spread out the excess epoxy that ran out of the tape. There are plenty of places that aren't covered. I'll sand most of it off tomorrow and then add a proper saturation coat.
Tomorrow, when cured, I'll sand the edges of the tape smooth, clean up any other bits that need to be cleaned up or sanded, sand the whole thing lightly, and then squeegee on a saturation coat of epoxy. The day after that I'll lightly sand it again and add another thin coat.
Cheers!
1. Tape all the seams:
You first need to add some thickened epoxy to the reinforcement plates at the front of the cockpit. The idea is that you make a smooth transition between the plates at all three butt joints.
Then you add two layers of fiberglass tape just over the joints of the reinforcement panels and wet them out. Cute 6 pieces of tape 3.5" each, add them over the small joints, and wet them out.
Now you'll tape ALL the seams. Cut long strips of fiberglass tape to run the entire length of the deck on all three main seams. See the picture below.
Wet out the fiberglass tape and work it down into the seams so that it sits right on top with as few bubbles as you can get. It's pretty hard to use a squeegee, but you can dapple it with a disposable chip brush or disposable acid brush. Just make sure all the tape goes clear and that you work out as many bubbles as you can.
Here's how the bow looks. The stern looks similar:
2. Fiberglass underneath the recessed panel:
The next step involves the recessed deck. You need to add two layers of fiberglass cloth, not tape, to the area under the recessed deck.
First though, use some more thickened epoxy to make smooth transitions between the panel that the recessed panel sits on. Make it really thick so that it keeps its shape.
Then cut two pieces of cloth 9" x 25". Lay one layer across the recessed panel so that it also covers the three-way seam at the aft end of the recessed panel. Wet it out and work it down as best you can. A squeegee might help. The lay the second layer on top, with the back edge just slightly covering the first layer to give it a cleaner look. Wet it out and squeegee it out slightly to clean it up as best you can.
Give it several hours to set up and then come back and trim the cockpit excess cloth with a sharp utility knife.
Here's how it all looks now:
It looks like I've squeegeed on a saturation coat, but I haven't. I only spread out the excess epoxy that ran out of the tape. There are plenty of places that aren't covered. I'll sand most of it off tomorrow and then add a proper saturation coat.
Tomorrow, when cured, I'll sand the edges of the tape smooth, clean up any other bits that need to be cleaned up or sanded, sand the whole thing lightly, and then squeegee on a saturation coat of epoxy. The day after that I'll lightly sand it again and add another thin coat.
Cheers!
Comments
Post a Comment