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The one thread I have not seen is one about mistakes first time builders make. I guess the experienced don't discuss it because to them it seems obvious, and the other novices (like me) are too ashamed to admit their mistakes. Well, I'm not too ashamed - I'm not proud of it either. But if it helps one other person avoid one of these errors, then it will have been worth the humiliation. And it will give comic relief to the experienced builders.
Obviously, I'm in the process of building my first boat, a CLC Patuxent 17.5. Building from a kit, and been stuck at that "Glassing the Hull" step for a while. Some of these errors I blame on the materials. Some of these may apply to other kit manufacturers.
1. Taping and glassing the inside of the hull: What a mess! I did a good fillet on the joints, and applied one layer of tape as directed. Rather than applying a second layer of tape, I decided to go with a layer of cloth over the whole interior. 2 problems: I had great difficulty smoothing out the tape and cloth at the ends, of the boat, where it is too narrow to reach my hands in. Don't know how to remedy this problem. The other problem was I applied the cloth over the tape while the epoxy was still wet. The tape supplied in the kit has a high edge. (Judging from the thread below on RAKA, Pygmy kit builders will also have this tape problem). So, I ended up with air bubbles under the cloth right along that tape ridge. My advice would be to scrap the tape that comes with the kit, and get a good qualtiy tape without the high edges. A lot of sanding smoothed things out and elminated the air bubbles, but it looks terrible. The good thing is the deck will cover this mistake.
2. Although not required by the instructions, I decided to tape the seams on the outside of the hull for added rock resistance. I used the tape left over from the inside seams. Yes, the high edge on the tape was a nuisance again. This time, I did not apply the cloth until after the epoxy dried, and I feathered in the edges of the tape. The other problem was applying the fill coats to the tape, when I learned just how much epoxy likes to run out of the weave, and down the side of the boat. Don't apply the fill coat and walk away. There will be runs when you return. You need to babysit it, checking for runs every 15 minutes or so until it is cured. I stayed with mine for about three hours, until the epoxy was pretty stiff. I had removed MANY runs, and thought it was safe. The next morning, the runs were back. It's like a child - you can't turn your back to it. My sander saved me again - and it actually looked pretty good.
3. Time to glass the hull. Got out the 4 oz cloth that came with the kit. It's nicely folded in a bag. Laid it out on the boat, and see all these nice creases in the cloth from the folds. I let the cloth lay flat overnight with weights on it, hoping the creases would smooth out. It looked better in the morning, so I applied the epoxy. I stretched it smooth and it looked good. But, thanks to the slipperiness of the epoxy, the creases reappeared. Fortunately, I did not have any air bubbles, but the creases did create a slight ripple effect. Yet another problem for my sander to fix. My advice: Do whatever is necessary to have them ship you the cloth on a roll, not folded. Or, given the problem with the tape, see if you can get a discount buying the kit without the cloth and tape, and get them elsewhere. See the thread on RAKA or check out Composite Structures Technology at http://www.cst-sales.com. They have a lot of good info on their web site, and respond within 24 hours to e-mail inquiries.
Fortunately, it appears these problems only cost me time and sandpaper. A lot of sandpaper. Well, I tackled this project as a learning experience, and I am learning quite a bit.
Hope this helps someone.
Ken
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Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
