2025 Devlin Snow Goose Thread

Back to the boat and my epoxy/glass "practice"... I know I'll enjoy the woodworking part of the build, but the resin and glass part may have to grow on me. Rather than tape, I bought a roll of fiberglass cloth to both cut strips and to sheath the hull. I practiced with a few strips yesterday - messy! I need to do a better job of cutting neatly to reduce fraying - but the entire job is rather messy. My test piece isn't going to end up pretty, but I'm learning a good bit about how I'll need to set up and about workflow.

Anyway, wood gets delivered this morning so scarfing for the hull/side panels and bulkead layout/cutting can start soon.
 
HenryHawthorne said:
Back to the boat and my epoxy/glass "practice"... I know I'll enjoy the woodworking part of the build, but the resin and glass part may have to grow on me. Rather than tape, I bought a roll of fiberglass cloth to both cut strips and to sheath the hull. I practiced with a few strips yesterday - messy! I need to do a better job of cutting neatly to reduce fraying - but the entire job is rather messy. My test piece isn't going to end up pretty, but I'm learning a good bit about how I'll need to set up and about workflow.

Anyway, wood gets delivered this morning so scarfing for the hull/side panels and bulkead layout/cutting can start soon.
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I'm a little confused here, for your fillets does be not spec biax anymore? I reread and maybe you are talking about just for your model.

The glassing fillets and the boat overall is easy if you are smart about it. Easiest part of the job, really. Slow, but easy.
 
tod osier said:
I'm a little confused here, for your fillets does be not spec biax anymore? I reread and maybe you are talking about just for your model.

The glassing fillets and the boat overall is easy if you are smart about it. Easiest part of the job, really. Slow, but easy.
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For the inside of the hull and side joints, he calls for either biax or cloth cut on the bias. I have a local source for biax, so wanted to experiment with cutting the cloth as it is so much less expensive. I need to experiment some more on my scrap/practice joint, but suspect I'll end up buying some biax tape.
 
HenryHawthorne said:
For the inside of the hull and side joints, he calls for either biax or cloth cut on the bias. I have a local source for biax, so wanted to experiment with cutting the cloth as it is so much less expensive. I need to experiment some more on my scrap/practice joint, but suspect I'll end up buying some biax tape.
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Yeah, no way I'd cut it and I like to be frugal when I can. Biax has its downsides as well (thick with the stitching that holds it together, but at least it doesn't have a selvage edge). If you could find tape precut from cloth on the bias that doesn't have a selvage edge, that would be sweet. Having something that isn't falling apart as you are working on it would be a benefit, tho (that would be my worry with a raw edge product like a self cut or non-selvage edge tape).
 
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tod osier said:
Yeah, no way I'd cut it and I like to be frugal when I can. Biax has its downsides as well (thick with the stitching that holds it together, but at least it doesn't have a selvage edge). If you could find tape precut from cloth on the bias that doesn't have a selvage edge, that would be sweet. Having something that isn't falling apart as you are working on it would be a benefit, tho (that would be my worry with a raw edge product like a self cut or non-selvage edge tape).
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He had suggested in his book a 10-20% angle... my first test was closer to 10°, and I wasn't being extremely careful. The combination resulted in a good bit of fraying, particularly while wetting (and I used too much epoxy and worked it too hard). I tested cut some scraps closer to 45° and it did much better (though I haven't wet any, yet). Some sharper scissors or a roll-cutter and a bit less heavy-handedness and I may be ok. Will mess with it and little more. The penalty of being a cheap b@st@rd.
 
HenryHawthorne said:
He had suggested in his book a 10-20% angle... my first test was closer to 10°, and I wasn't being extremely careful. The combination resulted in a good bit of fraying, particularly while wetting (and I used too much epoxy and worked it too hard). I tested cut some scraps closer to 45° and it did much better (though I haven't wet any, yet). Some sharper scissors or a roll-cutter and a bit less heavy-handedness and I may be ok. Will mess with it and little more. The penalty of being a cheap b@st@rd.
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When something starts fraying or starts to come apart on you and you are fussing with those strands on the edges as your epoxy is kicking off at the end of the day and you are still working when you were ready for a cocktail, you might wish to have chosen the easiest route.

I rather liked working with the biax along with the peel ply. I like it better than conventional tape with a selvage edge for sure.

Take anything he says with a grain of salt. Doing things as he suggests often requires a deft touch that one needs to develop over years.
 
The edges of 10 oz bias weave tape was not too pronounced when peel ply is used. Side benefit is no blush to wash off. You don't want to introduce moisture to unsealed wood. Bias weave strips are awfully nice to work with. I cut mine into manageable strips and wet them out in a shallow rectangular box, then lay them in place. No fuss, no mess and the cost is negligible. Richard
 
Henry,
A handy tool to have is a fiberglass roller to work out bubbles in fiberglass tape and cloth. Additionally, if selvage edges really bother you they can be feathered out with an orbital sander. Richard
 
tod osier said:
When something starts fraying or starts to come apart on you and you are fussing with those strands on the edges as your epoxy is kicking off at the end of the day and you are still working when you were ready for a cocktail, you might wish to have chosen the easiest route.

I rather liked working with the biax along with the peel ply. I like it better than conventional tape with a selvage edge for sure.

Take anything he says with a grain of salt. Doing things as he suggests often requires a deft touch that one needs to develop over years.
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Wait, I can't have cocktails WHILE I'm working?
 
RM Anderson said:
Henry,
A handy tool to have is a fiberglass roller to work out bubbles in fiberglass tape and cloth. Additionally, if selvage edges really bother you they can be feathered out with an orbital sander. Richard
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@HenryHawthorne send me an address, I have 2 rollers and an edger I bought for 1 fiberglass project, ill never use them again, they give me PTSD when I see them in the shop still. Ill send the horror things your way. They're like little chuckies in the shop right now.

Theyre just cheapos off amazon but seem alright.
 
Well, I did do something productive today other than accepting delivery of wood and kabitzing on the forum... made some fileting sticks.

20250222_161253.jpg

I'll try to remember at the end of the project to tally the $s as I've seen periodic posts with questions about costs and budgets - but in case I forget will at least try to comment on major expenses as I go along

Wood totalled a hair over $2k. The SG calls for a mix of 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 inch plywood. I bought 11 sheets in total - all Okoume. I also bought 30 board feet of mahogany. That should pretty well cover sheer clamps/gunwales, coamings, keels, strakes, grass rails and any bits for shelf edges, etc. Will see if I calculated (and estimated waste) correctly. I have roughly $1200 in epoxy and fiberglass supplies. So, current running total (excluding tools, most of which I thankfully have), $3,200.
 
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