I was checking out Dan's Bear Mountain Enterprise kayak build on westcoastpaddler.com and came across a little tidbit that I thought might be of interest.
For wetting out the fiberglass on the inside stems where there the confines are tight, Dan pre-wetted the fiberglass piece while it was layed out on a piece of cardboard. Once saturated, the fiberglass piece was lifted off of the cardboard and placed on the stems.
Have a look at Dan's photo album with this tip here: http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/buildin ... 15&pos=141
It looks something I will try to remember for the next build. Thanks Dan for the tip!
Cheers,
Bryan
Fiberglass at the stems
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I can't take credit for inventing that technique -- it's used by the fellows in the Clipper Canoe shop all the time (I work at Clipper). It definitely makes it a lot easier than trying to wet out a piece of fiberglass in a tight spot.
I should note also that I cut the fiberglass for the bow and stern inside stems on the bias, making it much easier to conform to the compound shapes of the inner stem. It was amazing how well it lay in that tight spot -- without any air bubbles under the glass at all.
I should note also that I cut the fiberglass for the bow and stern inside stems on the bias, making it much easier to conform to the compound shapes of the inner stem. It was amazing how well it lay in that tight spot -- without any air bubbles under the glass at all.
Dan
My Enterprise build is documented at http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/buildin ... p?album=15
My daughter's Magic build is here: http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/buildin ... p?album=17
My Enterprise build is documented at http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/buildin ... p?album=15
My daughter's Magic build is here: http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/buildin ... p?album=17
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- Posts: 62
- Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:56 pm
- Location: Edmonton
fiberglass technique
Hello Dan,
Thanks for this advice. I am working on a Prospector with quite a narrowing of the gunwales from the half molds to the stems. While the shape is beautiful, it does limit access at the stems during sanding and glassing. The process you outlined using a bias-cut cloth sounds like it may be my best choice to complete the fiberglass work on my Prospector's bow and stern stem areas.
Thanks again.
edmontonian
John Hidber
Thanks for this advice. I am working on a Prospector with quite a narrowing of the gunwales from the half molds to the stems. While the shape is beautiful, it does limit access at the stems during sanding and glassing. The process you outlined using a bias-cut cloth sounds like it may be my best choice to complete the fiberglass work on my Prospector's bow and stern stem areas.
Thanks again.
edmontonian
John Hidber