The Magic of Fiberglassing a Wooden Hull

The Wampum VM received its first coat of epoxy and fiberglass today!

Well, OK, it received its only layer of fiberglass, but the first of probably three coats of epoxy.

Pouring the epoxy over the white cloth is magical. The cloth disappears and the wood takes on a saturated look.

Here are pictures from today's adventures:

I used one piece of cloth with a slit cut in it instead of two overlapping pieces. It just makes for a nicer finish with less sanding to do. I trimmed it with about an inch or two overhang.

Here is a lesson in why you MUST examine your faired hull closely BEFORE applying the epoxy. I had inadvertantly scratched the hull with a knife at one point. I immediately sanded it off, but clearly not well enough. Take a close look after you fair your hull for any scratches. If the wood fibers are torn, then it will show up. Ugh!! At least most of this scratch will be under the bottom paint, so no worries.

This was the best part of the hull after I squeegeed off the excess epoxy. This is how it should look. The rest of the hull still has too many runs, drips, curtains, sags, etc... and will require a decent amount of sanding tomorrow. Sigh...

On this boat, I spent a lot of time and attention on selecting the planks. This looks pretty good. I like how it is dark at the sheer line and gets lighter as it moves toward the waterline.

Tomorrow will be washing, fairing out the garboard area with thickened epoxy, and the second coat of epoxy.

Aloha!

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