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Hello all,
I'm new to this forum and to boat building so just checking in to say hi and to share my excitement about building a Passagemaker dinghy. I'm not a wood worker and have never worked with epoxy so I'm sure this will be a challenge. I began today with epoxying the rub rails together and already said a few choice words while trying to get the scarf joints glued, aligned and clamped. :-) We'll see how they turn out in 24 hours.
I'm sure I'll have questions along the way, so thanks in advance for your patience.
Steve, in San Antonio, TX.
10 replies:
RE: PMD Build Begun
Thanks for the reply, Mac62, and I wish you the best in your build of the Jimmy Skiff II. I seriously considered the one as well...she is a beauty!
RE: PMD Build Begun
Hey Steve,
Congrats on your PMD build! Sounds like you're in the home stretch. I finished my plans build just over a year ago. I'm happy to share any experience I gained along the way.
I went with mahogany rub rails finished bright and had to do two scarf joints on each side, so it took four days for that step. I learned the hard way to clean up as much of the epoxy as you can before it hardens...
RE: PMD Build Begun
Thanks Captain Skully, but I've just begun. In fact I think I just made my first blunder. Epoxying together the bottom did not go so well:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h94cfdv0dnrbkrs/2019-12-16%2016.17.41.jpg?dl=0
You can see that the puzzle joint was not seated well. I don't think I can recover from this without getting the plans, cutting another bottom out and trying again. Such a bummer...but I am new to all this and bound to make some mistakes.
RE: PMD Build Begun
Coldaddy,
There's at least 2 ways to recover. You can use a heat gun to soften the epoxy, peel everything apart, clean it up and try again.
Or, you can grind the high side down smooth, fill the other side with epoxy/woodflour mix and put a couple of layers of 6 ounce glass on each side extending at least 6" to either side of the joint to reinforce it. A coat of paint at the end and no one will know.
I'm sure other builders will have more suggestions. All is not lost.
Good luck,
Laszlo
RE: PMD Build Begun
Thank you Laszlo, you have encouraged me! I'll give the heat gun method a try tomorrow. Many Thanks! It's so good to have access to the helpful folks on this forum and not be completely alone in this.
Steve
RE: PMD Build Begun
Cured epoxy is amazingly sturdy and strong. But it is also (as Laszlo suggests) amazing how easily it softens in high heat. I don't even have a heat gun and could disassemble some badly aligned parts with my wife's blow dryer.
It's such fun working with wood and fiberglass. Everything can be fixed!
RE: PMD Build Begun
���Hey Steve, when I did my first pieces I concentrated on keeping the topside as close to perfect as possible, and then put plastic over it and laid a 2 by 4 over it with two 20 lb weights to keep er flush. I didn't pay much attention to the underside but the mess wasn't anything that 120 grit sandpaper couldn't cure. Sean
RE: PMD Build Begun
If I understand correctly and you don't have the plans, I highly recommend getting them.
RE: PMD Build Begun
» Submitted by Mac62 - Sun, 12/1/19 » 6:42 PM
���Hey Steve, pretty much in the same Dinghy with you. I'm doing my first, (jimmy skiff II) I have worked with wood all my life though, just never in a heated shop/garage! Carpenter/GC for 30 yrs. I'm the Building inspector now. Much easier on the back! First time is first time though and I did my share of cursing with the first few puzzle pcs. I read around this site and glean a ton of good advice and tips to make this process doable and fun