just how "round" is your hull?
just how "round" is your hull?
I'm wondering... after shaping/sanding your hull, how round is it when you run your hand from the keel to the sheer? Is it one continuous nice curve? Or is there the odd place where it is smooth but not quite tangential? I have a couple of spots like that, where maybe my strip was too wide at the bilge and didn't quite make the right radius. You can't really see it, but you can easily feel it with your hand. The picture below shows what I mean, but i've exaggerated what it looks like.
Hi Sluggo...
I'm just in the process of epoxying the hull of my first build - a Freedom 17.
When I sight along the length - along the sheer, bilge and keel - the curve appears to be even and smooth. Again, sighting around the curves(cross section view), it appears to be one smooth evenly faired curve.
But when I run my hand over it, it seems I can feel the odd flat spot, or small bump. But, taking a step back, and looking specifically at a spot I thought I felt - well - it looks to be faired evenly and smoothly.
So I decided I was going to trust my eye - considering most people are going to look at it as opposed to feeling it. And if someone does run a hand over the finished product, I'm hoping they comment on the smoothness of the varnish, rather than a small random flat spot.
Bill.
I'm just in the process of epoxying the hull of my first build - a Freedom 17.
When I sight along the length - along the sheer, bilge and keel - the curve appears to be even and smooth. Again, sighting around the curves(cross section view), it appears to be one smooth evenly faired curve.
But when I run my hand over it, it seems I can feel the odd flat spot, or small bump. But, taking a step back, and looking specifically at a spot I thought I felt - well - it looks to be faired evenly and smoothly.
So I decided I was going to trust my eye - considering most people are going to look at it as opposed to feeling it. And if someone does run a hand over the finished product, I'm hoping they comment on the smoothness of the varnish, rather than a small random flat spot.
Bill.
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Glen Smith
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
- Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada
Ideally, you should never feel any flat spots anywhere on the hull but that often requires using some narrower strips to get around the bilge, using a hot-air gun to pre-shape the strip ends so the strips lay flat against all forms without requiring excessive pressure, using hot glue to hold rogue strips against the forms and even over-sanding some areas to eliminate flat spots.
The important thing is to build, paddle and enjoy. A small flat section at the turn of the bilge won't really affect performance to a noticeable degree.
The important thing is to build, paddle and enjoy. A small flat section at the turn of the bilge won't really affect performance to a noticeable degree.
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Bryan Hansel
- Posts: 678
- Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 6:36 pm
- Location: Grand Marais, MN
- Contact:
Hi Sluggo,
I wouldn't worry about it on the outside, as long as you can live with it. But just make sure that the curve between the strips is very smooth on the inside of the hull, or else, when you epoxy, the cloth will want to 'bridge' the gap between the two strips instead of laying flat against the strips through the curve (especially at the bilge). If this happens, you will get air pockets under the cloth where it has bridged the angle between the strips, which is bad.
Adam[/img]
I wouldn't worry about it on the outside, as long as you can live with it. But just make sure that the curve between the strips is very smooth on the inside of the hull, or else, when you epoxy, the cloth will want to 'bridge' the gap between the two strips instead of laying flat against the strips through the curve (especially at the bilge). If this happens, you will get air pockets under the cloth where it has bridged the angle between the strips, which is bad.
Adam[/img]
Who travels not by water knows not the fear of God --- 17th Century Sailor