interior glassing
interior glassing
I hope to have a time window to do the interior glass on my Prospector this weekend. There is one detail that I am not clear on. When I cut the glass "4 inches short of the stems", does this mean that the cedar at the ends of the canoe will not be covered with glass on the inside? Do I trim the the glass over the stem at the bottom of the boat before I start with the epoxy or do I anchor the center of the sheet of glass with epoxy before I trim?
My son and I just glassed the interior of our Prospector last weekend. We laid the glass over the hull of the canoe and used a scissor to cut it about 2 inches below the shear. At the ends we cut it to roughly end at the inside stem. We continued this cut down the centre until the end of the stem.
We then rolled up the glass and rolled the canoe right side up. After the inside was vacuumed and wiped clean, we placed the glass cloth into the canoe. The edge of the cloth was held on with clothes pins. We straightened and flattened the cloth as best we could. There is some puckering, and we had to work at this as we applied the epoxy. We started to apply MAS epoxy at one end. We found that paint brushes worked best to wet out the cloth. It's a bit messy pushing the epoxy into the end. There is not a lot of room. Also, the cloth does fray some. But this is sanded later to fair into the cedar, so don't worry too much about it. After it cured for about 3 hours, we added a second coat. This time we used both the brush and the squeegee.
It turned out very well.
Now, to answer your questions. The cloth does not quite reach to the end of the stems on the inside of the canoe. There is a about an inch of cedar that does not have cloth on it. On the bottom, the glass tucks into the crevice and then covers the side of the stem. As you apply epoxy, the cedar is covered and protected. And yes, cut the cloth to approximate size on the outside of the canoe.
I hope this helps.
We then rolled up the glass and rolled the canoe right side up. After the inside was vacuumed and wiped clean, we placed the glass cloth into the canoe. The edge of the cloth was held on with clothes pins. We straightened and flattened the cloth as best we could. There is some puckering, and we had to work at this as we applied the epoxy. We started to apply MAS epoxy at one end. We found that paint brushes worked best to wet out the cloth. It's a bit messy pushing the epoxy into the end. There is not a lot of room. Also, the cloth does fray some. But this is sanded later to fair into the cedar, so don't worry too much about it. After it cured for about 3 hours, we added a second coat. This time we used both the brush and the squeegee.
It turned out very well.
Now, to answer your questions. The cloth does not quite reach to the end of the stems on the inside of the canoe. There is a about an inch of cedar that does not have cloth on it. On the bottom, the glass tucks into the crevice and then covers the side of the stem. As you apply epoxy, the cedar is covered and protected. And yes, cut the cloth to approximate size on the outside of the canoe.
I hope this helps.
Last edited by Friesen 5 on Thu Jul 15, 2010 8:04 am, edited 2 times in total.
Mervin Friesen
Prospector 16'
Prospector 16'
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vann evans
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 8:52 pm
- Location: Chapel Hill, NC
I would suggest that you cut the glass first as you lay it in the boat. Just make vertical cuts straight down (or angled depending on the shape of the ends) from gunwale to keel on both sides and both ends of the boat. The reason for cutting it short lengthwise is that the glass will actually stretch towards the bow and stern as you start glassing from the center. Anchor the glass in the center and work the epoxy towards each end. If the glass doesn't meet at the interior stems, you can always come back later and add a small strip(bias cut is preferable) at the interior stems. It will not show after everything dries.
Good luck
Vann Evans
Good luck
Vann Evans