Epoxy:
Fiberglassing the hull was a job I wasn't looking forward to. The resin seemed
to harden fast and the glass cloth should be tight around the canoe underneath
the epoxy resin. I was also hoping that I had enough helping hands.
First of all I had to find the right fiberglass. I needed 11 yard 6-oz
60" fiberglass cloth. Most companies don't have the cloth wider than
about 50". I found the right size at the same company where I bought the
plans for the canoe. After contacting Bert Reyntjes of the Bootbouwer he was
willing to bring me the right size and he also had the epoxy resin plus
hardener. He drove about 150 miles to bring it! How about that for service!
After I rolled out the cloth over the canoe it was easy to get
out the wrinkles. Stroking it gently with my hands did the trick. At the stern I
clamped the cloth. I would cut it after the epoxy was a bit dryer.
When I put the epoxy on the cloth you could see a dramatic
change. For the first time you could see the wood as it would look after the
canoe was finished. We did the job at a temperature of about 15 C. The resin
cured slow so we could work on the squeegeeing for about 2 hrs. After the first layer
cured a bit I took a sharp knife and trimmed of the edges. Within three hours I
rolled on layer two and after another three hours I did layer three.
 
The next day a gave it a quick sand and I put on the last layer
of epoxy. The first layer I put the resin on with a brush, all the other layers I
rolled the resin on the hull. I learned that you don't have to squeegee layer 2,
3 and 4 when you roll the resin on to the hull.
Now I could take the canoe off the molds and turn it
around. Because I hadn't filled the staple holes the holes where filled
with resin. You could see the resin on the inside of the hull as small drips
hanging from the hull. There was also some glue and some resin on the molds. So
remove the screws, hit the mold with a hammer and there she was.
Yes......looks really like a canoe!
I noticed that the canoe was very light and not quite stable
yet. But that was going to change over the next couple of weeks.
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