Classic wooden speedboat build , sink, search for, recovery and rebuild.

breghall

fergal.b wrote: »

so I might have to sand it back down and remove it and try a different one,

Oh lord i feel sorry for you.....I am so happy I'm not a perfectionist!! :D i'd have looked at it and said " ah it'll be fine, it looks ok"......

Hopefully it'll turn out ok once it cures overnight...it'd nearly break my heart just thinking of you sanding it all back to bare wood.:P

davlacey

where is the link? looks like a very sticky boat alright.

fergal.b

davlacey wrote: »

where is the link? looks like a very sticky boat alright.

This one My crackerbox build,
http://s753.photobucket.com/albums/x...view=slideshow

fergal.b

Fiberglassing round two lets hope this one comes out ok:) I'm using 4 oz cloth stopping just short of the deck were the rub rail is going.
The right side has it' first coat on for a few hours and this is when I trim the cloth and remove the tape before the next coat of epoxy.



Both sides done and the place is a bit of a mess, no time to stop while epoxying The next coat is to fill the weave and I'm putting this on good and thick as I will be laying peel ply over it.



I used a squeegee to put another coat over the peel ply forcing it in till it's gone clear and moving any bubbles out to the edge. I finished up at about 11 last night and it started raining this morning so I just hope it had enough time to cure before any dampness got in and the peel ply is doing it's job only time will tell. As I'm using a slow hardener the deck was still a bit soft to sand so I'll leave it a bit longer before I get to work on it.

mufflets2

Looks great , I want one , in the sitting room where I can look at it all day.

IreJohn

Following your work is an education Fergal.
I feel like a student again
If you could see me I have my hand up, please sir, whats peel ply ?

fergal.b

IreJohn wrote: »

Following your work is an education Fergal.
I feel like a student again
If you could see me I have my hand up, please sir, whats peel ply ?

Peel ply is a non stick fabric that you can put over wet epoxy to level it out it also keeps out dampness,dirt and bugs and when you peel it off it leaves the epoxy ready for another coat or with a light sanding varnish as it also removes the amine blush the wax like stuff that forms on epoxy when it sets normally you would have wash this off with soapy water before you sand or add another coat. This is my first time using it so not sure how well it works yet


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Talent

I recall once getting mahogany veneer faced marine ply - more expensive but took a far better finish than say birch finished ply. An alternative, if you've got infinite patience, is to buy sheets of veneer on its own. Alastair Duffin, a tremendous boatbuilder in Belfast (his GP14s are famous) is marvellous at veneering ply decks.

He can apply it so meticulously that it looks as if it is the original wood and, if my memory served me right, matches the figuring in the veneer on both sides of a deck.

A word of caution, however, if you are drawn to the seductive siren song of a veneer. Don't do what I once did doing up a 17 foot clinker dinghy and apply veneer using a West Epoxy mixture lathered on the base plywood of the deck. In my innocence (and I'm very innocent) I assumed that veneer impregnated with epoxy (and veneer really soaks it up) would last longer. What a fool I was! The veneer soaked it up all right but it also buckled and curled and I was left with a miserable currogated surface. I had to take a belt sander to it to get rid of it.

Moral of story: use a contact adhesive like Evo Stick when applying a veneer (apply to deck and underside of veneer, let dry, then bring two sides into contact). While it sticks instantly and needs little more than the gentle touch of a roller to ensure good adhesion, it can be tricky when lining it up with, say, a kingplank (runs down the middle of the foredeck). You can't just lift it and adjust it. When it's stuck it's really stuck! The edges are less of a problem although bear in mind that veneer splits very easily. Leave a little overlapping the edge of a deck (all trim like gunwhales, etc, need to be off) and carefully trim with the grain using the sharpest blade you can find. Read in a magazine somewhere of a guy who uses a cutthroat razor which he constantly strops. Then sand the edge gently with the grain until everything lines up. No power tools for this process.

fergal.b

As I said I'm not happy with the way the epoxy is forming on the caulking so I sanded down the deck again to see if I could find a way of solving the problem with anything I had in the shed, I started with clear nail varnish and painted it on to one line of the caulking then I did one in thinned down yacht varnish, one in PVA wood glue and one in watered down PVA. I then coated half of them in resin and half with resin and peel ply. They all came out ok with the watered down PVA giving the best finish and the nail varnish a close second so now I'm going to coat all the caulking in PVA and have another go with the resin "anyone want to buy a bag of epoxy dust it's like star dust only itchier"

This is the test piece, you can see on the bottom right caulking how the epoxy didn't sit right with nothing on it.

fergal.b

Three coats of varnish down with about another three to go, boy do I hate sanding but it's getting there I'm much happier with the finish in the epoxy and fiberglass cloth totally transparent thank God I didn't fancy stripping it down again.

airsoftone

great job fergal it,s looking the biz-niz can,t wait to see it when it is finished will be like something from a bond movie . wish i had your talent ..

mufflets2

Thats exactly what I was thinking, from one of the bond movies when Sean Connery was bond.
Looks great

davlacey

looking good what have you left to do before u let her rip.

fergal.b

Sand varnish,sand varnish, sand varnish, sand with 400 grit 600 800 1500 2000 3000 4000 and polish then fit hardware "all the shinny bit's" and seat

As for the Bond thing I get that a lot with the other boat but the only movie's I can think of that he had a wooden boat are a cabin cruiser in "from Russia with love" and a heap of junk from "Quantum of solace" and a hovering gondola from "Moonraker



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HeidiHeidi

Can I ask a stooopid question? (after congratulating you on the bloody shine on that hull!!! can't believe you're not finished sanding/varnishing!!!)

That boat, to my uneducated eyes (I'll identify a sailboat at a million paces!) looks very similar to the one you already have and use... is it the same? Or is it a new improved version? What do you intend to do with the new one or the existing one once this one is finished?

I'm in complete awe of your project btw - what a fantastic achievement!

fergal.b

The build up of coats is to give deep mirror finish with no light distortion in a reflection, a bit OTT but it should look good till I put the first scratch in it :eek:
The first boat has an outboard and is all plywood made to look like mahogany and was a bit of a test run, this one is an inboard and mahogany planked so a lot more to loose if I mess it up :eek: The plan was/is to sell them to fund my next project converting a cruiser to take wheelchairs and get the family out on the water but as the market is so dead for boy's/girl's toys at the moment I might just play with them for the moment



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airsoftone

you seem to know your stuff .. what do you use on the water mainly . and tell me what do i use to get a shetland 570 hull looking brand new

fergal.b

airsoftone wrote: »

you seem to know your stuff .. what do you use on the water mainly . and tell me what do i use to get a shetland 570 hull looking brand new

I use the first one I built it's a Glen-l Malahini. To bring up a shine I just use car polish but if the gelcoat is dull I use G3 rubbing compound first "wax on wax off"



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HeidiHeidi

fergal.b wrote: »

The build up of coats is to give deep mirror finish with no light distortion in a reflection, a bit OTT but it should look good till I put the first scratch in it :eek:
The first boat has an outboard and is all plywood made to look like mahogany and was a bit of a test run, this one is an inboard and mahogany planked so a lot more to loose if I mess it up :eek: The plan was/is to sell them to fund my next project converting a cruiser to take wheelchairs and get the family out on the water but as the market is so dead for boy's/girl's toys at the moment I might just play with them for the moment



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Oh God... the memories..... when we first got our boat it was in an awful state, so sent it off to a guy in Malahide for a professional paint job..... me and BIL went to collect it, got dropped in off the slings, reversed out into a mad cross-wind, did an about-1000 degree turn, finally got going and decided to pull into the marina to catch our breaths. Forgot, or didn't know, that the tide runs through that marina... picked a berth nice and wide, and away from anything else, but with the tide running into it.... you can guess the rest... SLAMMED into the pontoon, leaving a nice dent and a large dab of our brand new, hardly dry, red paint....... for all I know it's still there!

The market isn't completely dead, I know of quite a few boats that have sold recently, don't despair! Although admittedly I don't know the prices they went for.....

Anyway, congrats again on your project so far, it's looking just beauuuuutiful!

airsoftone

good man fergal cheers will do compound it is so .

fergal.b

airsoftone wrote: »

good man fergal cheers will do compound it is so .

If you are using an angle grinder type polisher keep the rpm down enough so that it wont burn the fiberglass I also use a spray bottle to keep it wet.




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airsoftone

no it,s good old elbow grease . wax on wax off ..

Hifive

fergal.b wrote: »

The plan was/is to sell them to fund my next project converting a cruiser to take wheelchairs and get the family out on the water



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A Nobel plan and indicative of your brilliant "can do" attitude.
Some folk in your situation would complain to all and sundry while keeping the hand out, you on the other hand see a problem and then find a solution to benefit your family.
Hats off to you.
The Crackerbox Is looking great.

Mark.

vicwatson

Any updated pics for us Fergal?

fergal.b

Not a lot I have two more coats on it now and was just about to go out and do some sanding when the sky opened up :eek: so now I'm sorting out the bling, I had a bit of change of mind on the engine cover as I won the two chrome vent covers on ebay for $10 so I might work them into the sides of the engine hatch or make a new one to match them. The other few bits are a pop up fuel cap,pop up cleat, bow handle, windshield brackets and some V8 logos that I might put on the sides.



I also have this bow light that I might use as it will save me from putting a cleat on the bow but I'm not sure if it look right, I bought it for the other boat and decided it was too much bling in the one place :cool:



Where I have the lady on the bow of the other boat I was thinking of carrying on the V8 theme with an old 50's ford truck emblem I have it needs to be rechromed and the ford emblem replaced with a bit of mahogany but it might work.



You can also get repo ones on ebay that at the moment are working out cheeper than rechroming

vicwatson

She's starting to look A MAZING !

airsoftone

that looks f***ing great . can,t wait to see her finished . you are a very talented man indeed .

fergal.b

That's the other boat it the photo when I was just seeing what the bow light would look like she is all packed up now and I'm heading for Lakeside marina to take her for a spin while the varnish hardens on the other other boat




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vicwatson

fergal.b wrote: »

That's the other boat it the photo when I was just seeing what the bow light would look like she is all packed up now and I'm heading for Lakeside marina to take her for a spin while the varnish hardens on the other other boat




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Well while the other boat varnish hardens, I'll leave you this track to listen to for the Bank Holiday Weekend - Enjoy !!

fergal.b

vicwatson wrote: »

Well while the other boat varnish hardens, I'll leave you this track to listen to for the Bank Holiday Weekend - Enjoy !!

That is a bit like watching varnish dry

I'm a bit more :cool: :pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfn9JfxBNPw