fiberglassing the hull

[pablobesser]

hello.

i am almost ready to finish the hull. befour turn over i want to aply  epoxy and fiberglass

so i plan to aply bare epoxy to the hull, just to fill any minor details in the wood and to seal it, so will be sanded ligthly after that and cover with some fiberglass. i had the option of bidirectional 200 or 300 gm/m2 or twill 110, 160 or 200 grm/mt2. i want to strong surface wich one thinsk is ok?. i radiused all the main edges so the lapstrake edges are very soft to adapt to the glass. laterl will be a epoxy primer and epoxy or poliuretane paint but this will be much later after turn over the hull and done the interior too.

so about the fiberglass with one is the best?

thanks.

[Ron Jesche CH21' Sealion']

Hello Pablo,

I used 160gram double bias to glass my hull.This was the lightest I could get and it went around the plank edges nicely using peel ply. The lightweight twill would also be suitable and will go over the plank edges easily.You really do not want to add too much weight to the boat so I would use a lighter cloth rather than a heavier one .

 You don't need the fibreglass for structural purposes,what you are looking to do is to stabilize  the surface of the plywood which will give a better surface for painting, and it will also give some abrasion resistance. 

Your hull is looking very nice so far, and I am enjoying watching your progress.

Ron

[Daniel]

I used 200 twill and used peel ply. I put two layers on the garboard planks.
Daniel

[Cyrus Jordan]

Pablo - I’m nearly finished sheathing the hull I’m renovating. I used 6 ounce/square yard cloth (203 grms/square meter) on the planks and 339 grms/square meter (10 ounce/square yard) on the garboards. I’m just finishing by laying a strip of 12 ounce/407 grms biaxial tape along the keel. I used 9 ounce/395 grm cloth tape to cover the plywood edges along the chines and transom. I’m probably not going to win any races with all the weight...

I used the heavier fabrics because I have had to remove some if the surface ply during the renovation process and to ensure sufficient abrasion resistance along the keel.

My learning has been that it is significantly easier to achieve good results with the lighter fabrics, and much less resin is required with the lighter material. Using multiple layers of lighter fabric to achieve more thickness can give a better result than a single layer of heavier material depending on one’s familiarity with the application process.

I found the instructional video on sheathing a hull from David Johnson of West System International very useful. I also found that the added working time provided by using a « slow » activator was a better fit for my skill level.

Cy

[Cyrus Jordan]

This build began in 2006 by Ed Day in Vermont. Ed had to stop the build due to illness after several years. We began to refurbish and sheath the hull two summers ago. The hull sat on a cradle in an unheated damp shed for several years before we began work. Work is done outside, limited to good days in the warm months in northern New England. The hull was turned last weekend with the help of neighbors including the grandson of someone who helped turn it over the first time. Initial work had been done on the decks and cockpit.  We're assessing how much of the original kit remains. It won't be the lightest build, but we're pretty proud of how fair the sheathed hull came out.

Cy Jordan

[Ron Jesche CH21' Sealion']

Very nice Cy, you must be happy.

I have always wanted to paint a boat black, but it is just not practical here in Australia.

Looking at your fibreglassing schedule I don't think weight should be too much of an issue at all, and as long as you are aware of it during the rest of the build you will have a nice durable boat.

I have built a boat outside so I know how difficult it can be.