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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
