{"id":361,"date":"2018-12-27T11:32:20","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T16:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teamloewen.com\/CocktailClass\/?p=361"},"modified":"2021-02-02T21:09:41","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T02:09:41","slug":"applying-the-epoxy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teamloewen.com\/CocktailClass\/2018\/12\/27\/applying-the-epoxy\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying the Epoxy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Preparing the Fiberglass<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The plans provide templates for cutting the fiberglass to the correct size. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The edge is trued by flattening the cloth on the table and pulling out strands one at a time to even the edge. The circular cutter is used to trim it true.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The patterns are used to cut the cloth panels to size.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The First Coat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The first coat of epoxy is applied with a disposable chip brush and a 4″ foam roller. It is important that every piece of wood is well coated to protect the wood.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The bottom of the boat will be reinforced with 6 ounce fiberglass cloth. The fiberglass is best applied before the first coat is cured for best chemical adhesion.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In order to achieve both a chemical and mechanical bond, the subsequent application should be done over the first while it has just barely hardened. If the brands are not from the same manufacturer there is a possibility of curing issues.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I began making the fillets from Magic Gel, an epoxy product that comes with a thickener ready to apply. I am using MarinEpoxy here to lay the fiberglass, so I had to let the fillets harden and sand them before the next layer. I quickly switched over to the wood flour and epoxy mix to avoid a lot of nasty sanding. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Now the entire bottom has at least one coat and the fiberglass is being applied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When laying epoxy over fiberglass, it is critical to “fill the weave”, or bring the level of epoxy high enough with additional layers of epoxy to achieve a smooth surface without the dimples in the weave showing. This is done by adding layers within 24 hours of each other so there is a chemical bond between each layer. Otherwise the sanding process will cut into the fiberglass before a flat surface is achieved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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After the floor was laid in and fillets completed, it was coated with 3 coats of epoxy.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Toe Rails<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The transom knee was added and the fillets are being sanded down before the final coat.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This a major milestone. All of the necessary work is done on the interior under the deck and the boat is ready to flip over for the bottom work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bottoms Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On the bottom side now. The frame tabs needed to be trimmed, there were seams and stitch holes that needed to be faired. Some trimming, and there always needs to be a little bit of sawdust made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n