Epoxy Question

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rmoffat
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:11 am

Epoxy Question

Post by rmoffat »

I just finished fibreglassing the hull, on my True North Kayak yesterday, and very pleased with result this morning, other than a couple small runs that I will scrape then sand out and very slight weave showing on sides. I think I'll apply a light 4th coat of epoxy, and will be good go. I'm now on bit of a time crunch as, we just sold our home, so I need to get kayak top stripped and fibreglassed, then glass the inside before I fasten it together, until I can resume finishing it after we move in November. My questions are: how long should I wait before I flip hull over to strip top (don't want to damage hull epoxy finish), and should I sand hull first or can I leave epoxy as is until I'm ready to finish the kayak.

Thanks for any input.
JesseP
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:13 am
Location: East Central, AB

Re: Epoxy Question

Post by JesseP »

:thinking
Last edited by JesseP on Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm up to my torch.
rmoffat
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Epoxy Question

Post by rmoffat »

Hi Jesse, thanks for your reply. My concern is, if I wait 2 weeks to sand the hull before I flip kayak over and start stripping & glassing the top, I may run out of time to glass the inside of the hull & top. I'll have to get at packing up our house in preparation for moving and won't have much help from my wife who is working on her PhD. I do have to end of November, but time will fly by between now and then. If I wait 2 weeks, sand the hull, flip it over, strip & glass the top and seal the kayak up…will leaving the inside not fibreglassed cause problems with humidity and temperature change with the unprotected cedar strips?

Thanks Again,

Rob
JesseP
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2015 11:13 am
Location: East Central, AB

Re: Epoxy Question

Post by JesseP »

:thinking
Last edited by JesseP on Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'm up to my torch.
BellGuy5
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:13 pm

Re: Epoxy Question

Post by BellGuy5 »

I just finished a 17' Endeavour this summer...here is my opinion, or 2 cents, if you will.

I agree with JesseP...don't rush the project if you don't have to.

I put 3 coats of epoxy on my hull, waited about a week then turned it over on the strongback. I didn't notice any problems with marks on the epoxy. This allowed me to continue with stripping the deck. My epoxy didn't get sanded on the outside until it was completely finished and permanently glued together.

After you are finished glassing both inside and out, screw the halves together (no glue) this will allow you to move the kayak to your new place without adding the weight of the mold/strongback.

I found that even though I was finished glassing, the rest of the build was painfully slow. The cockpit and hatches seem to take forever due to the steaming, bending, laminating, and trimming.

Good luck!
rmoffat
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2014 9:11 am

Re: Epoxy Question

Post by rmoffat »

Thanks BellGuy5,

What you just mentioned, is what I had in mind. I knew that when it came time to sanding that the hull, it would have some flex or give, if the forms were no longer in place. I thought that having the bulkheads in place would stiffen things up enough, that I could wait until the end to sand. I wasn't planning on doing the hatches etc, until I was settled in new home, so I would have time to get kayak to this point, as long as I don't have to wait 2-3 weeks before sanding hull. If a week is long enough for the epoxy to cure, I could rough sand the hull this weekend and then flip it over and start on the top.

Thanks Again for your input.

Rob
BellGuy5
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2013 12:13 pm

Re: Epoxy Question

Post by BellGuy5 »

Rob,

Just to be clear...I was confident about flipping the hull over after a week so I could then work on the deck. Sanding after a week is probably not enough time. I didn't sand my kayaks epoxy coats until it was finished which was about a month later. In my humble opinion, sanding the epoxy should be done last. I don't see any reason to rough sand the hull before flipping. Better to get a start on planking the deck then to spend time sanding. Also, in the KayakCraft book on pages 122,123, the pictures show the hull flipped over and not sanded.

Frazer
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