Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

 I'm moving right along on my wood duck 14 project, and IMHO I don't think it's going too bad. All in all it had been fun, and my kids are enjoying helping out with different parts and pieces of the boat. All that being said I do have some questions about the epoxy and fiberglass processes. First (and I know it's probably an unspoken step) but is there a problem with going through and sanding down the interior after the fiberglass has been fully wetted out? It isn't outlined in the instructions but it seems like something I should do before continuing on. Second, is there any point in which the permanent bulkheads get a layer of glass? I've seen it done in some outside discussions and member build notes, but again I'm not seeing it in any of the instructions. Personally I would think that it would better waterproof the cockpit. Third, in the kit there is a 3" roll of fiberglass tape, all folded up, not on a cardboard roller, is this for a specific purpose or just matter of how they packaged it? I just want to know if there is a specific purpose for this section of glass that was packaged separately from the rest of the fiberglass cloth.

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RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

Hi Joe, 

everything you are suggesting, sanding the interior and glassing bulkheads,  can be done, but i would describe them as optional.

some folks like the interior smooth.  some folks like the texture of the wetted out glass with a bit of print-through.   for those who are weight conscious, they typically don't put enough fill coats on to completely fill the weave.  bulkeads don't typically get subject to abrasion where glassing provides a lot of extra value.....so while you glass bulkheads, i would not describe it as a must do activity.

on my boats, fwiw, i do glass my bulkheads but i don't fill the interior weave. 

on the 3 inch tape, you should probably confirm with CLC, but i assume that is for the interior of the hull and joining hull sections to one another.  

h

RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

   Thanks h, I appreciate the guidance. Yes, you are right, the folded tape is more for joining the deck and hull together. Since I've cut some off of it I'll have to check to make sure I've still got enough.

RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

   I often  use the 3" tape on the bulkhead joints as well as the hull/deck joints. 

RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

   Well I was trying to emulate what Laszlo had done on his WD12 but it did not turn out as I'd expected and I ended up only doing the interior sides of the bulkheads. All said and done I found I was lacking tape to do what I had wanted and still complete the rest of the boat without buying more tape.

RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

Yeah, I used some extra tape I had laying around from another boat project for that. CLC doesn't specify taping bulkheads but I found my self kicking them when I did the wet re-entry in their prototype at the demo so I felt the need to reinforce my own personal boat when I built it. Since it was not a CLC step they did not include the tape to do it.

Lasz;o

 

RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

While I'm on the topic of your WD12 build I do have a question Laszlo. I did not fiberglass the cockpit any more than the 50" and covering the seams. If I were to use the internal footbrace technique how large should I make the patches when bedding the studs?

RE: Epoxy/Fiberglass Sanding Questions

I believe the CLC stud kit comes with 3x3 inch glass patches. I can't see any reason to use a different size. They've worked well for me for 13 years.

Laszlo

 

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