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> I've been busying myself this weekend glassing the hull of my Outer
> Island. I decided to do the extra football-shaped piece on the outside of
> the full layer, epoxying through both layers, and everything seemed to be
> going well. I rolled on the epoxy, used a bubble roller, and did what I
> thought was a meticulous squeegee-ing. But as I laid 2 fill coats, I
> started noticing tiny bubbles in rows in the football area -- tiny bubbles
> in the open squares between glass fibers. They were impossible to see
> while the top of the weave was still exposed, and it wasn't until the fill
> coats smoothed the surface that they became noticeable.
> I think I'll start buying my kayaks...
> Dean
If you don't like that boat you can always mail it to me. I'd be happy to give it a nice home.
Otherwise, consider painting the bottom of the hull with a really tough polyurethane. Either do just the football area, or come up to the water line. Do a clear finish above the waterline. If you do just the football, use a black or a white paint. If you come up to the waterline, use white paint, and top it with a colorful pinstripe. (I like red, by the way)
The paint is going to be a harder and more durable finish than varnish on this area, and of course it is opaque so it provides 100% protection from UV light. Scratches that mar the finish can be easily touched up.
While we are discussing this, though, what brand of epoxy are you using, and can you provide any information on application conditions. What was the temperature, did you use a sealing coat of epoxy before appying the glass, did the bubbles show up in the first layer of resin, or are they sitting above that layer? Is is possible they are air trapped in the wells formed by the weave of the fabric as the fill coat was applied?
Paul G. Jacobson
This is an archived message from The Kayak Building Bulletin Board.
Guillemot Kayak - High
Performance Wooden Sea Kayak Designs
