Fibreglassing the deck

 

 

quick one. I see 50 % of people when fibreglassing and they put cloth down then add resin. The other 50% insist I put resin down first (on a strip plank) and then introduce the cloth. 

 

I have done done the hull and under deck in the former method( as per the  manual). 

 

 


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RE: Fibreglassing the deck

Sorry, did not quite finish. 

 

Key eye question, base on the remaining fibreglassing of the deck which is lift

RE: Fibreglassing the deck

Which method should I use for the deck?

 

struggler

RE: Fibreglassing the deck

This maybe more a funciton of the skill of the builder and how well the builder can layout the cloth. It is a lot easier to layout the cloth, smoth out the cloth and rough cut the cloth on a dry deck. Working from the center out to the edges, the epoxy on the top will hold the glass to the deck while spreading the expoxy over the  deck. The builder might also have more working time to even out the cloth.

A more experience builder may hae better luck with a tacky deck but might have to work fster to layout the cloth.

RE: Fibreglassing the deck

In most cases, I like putting on the cloth first. Take your time smoothing out the cloth. Use a brush to smooth it out, not your hands. Then brush on the resin, working out bubbles and loose cloth as you go. I foundit useful to use some small clamps to get the cloth tight around the bow and stern, but that ruined the clamps. They cost $2.00, so I sacrificed them. I also used clothespins a few times, but mostly I used the clamps as weights to pull the cloth gently into place.

The thing is, you can take all the time in the world to get that cloth in place, but once you mix the resin, the clock is ticking. Ninety percent of the trick is getting the cloth hanging right before you mix the resin.

However, I have found it very useful to use the tacky resin method when trying to get a small amount of fiberglass into tight spaces, like into the recesses around the combing, and then over the combing and around under the deck. Cut bias cut cloth to shape first and have it nearby. Lay some resin on and wait until it starts to get sticky. Then you can use your gloved fingers to work the cloth around the combing, over the top and back under the deck.

RE: Fibreglassing the deck

I'm interpreting this as:

should the resin be applied, allowed to cure and then the glass applied,

or

should the glass be applied and then the resin introduced?

Putting the glass onto tacky resin is a great way to waste glass, except for some very special cases, such as careybob describes. (Though personally I'd glass the coaming while it's off the deck and then attach it, but that's another story).

Anyway, there's advantages to both ways. The main ones that I'm aware of are that resining the wood first will seal it and keep it from outgassing while the glass is being applied. On the other hand, it has the potential to use more resin and to introduce a layer of glassless resin into the layup (which results in a weaker heavier layup. If you're the kind of person who's worried about the relative strengths of "chemical" vs. "mechanical" bonds, there's that issue, too.

I'd say do whatever works for you. Try it one way on your first boat, the other way on your 2nd and whichever worked best on the 3rd.

Merry Christmas,

Laszlo

 

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