Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Tomorrow, it begins. I have spent the last couple of weekends cleaning out the garage, poring over plans, making decisions, sourcing materials, etc. As it turns out, San Diego is a great place to be in the boat-building profession, pastime, hobby, what-have-you. At 8AM tomorrow I pick up my plywood, purchased locally from a lumber supplier around Miramar. I'm getting 6 sheets of 6mm, as specified in the plans, and 8 sheets of 9mm (the extra two being devoted to the console). Speaking of which.....

One of the hardest parts of getting this whole thing off the ground (besides picking the FS17 as the most capable hull that my miniature SUV can tow) was deciding on the layout. I have chosen a combination of the open workboat layout with a console and a narrower gunwale. I'm going to go with the low front deck of the open layout, a console with seat, and the narrowest gunwale I can get away with. I'm sure my decisions will be modified as I go, but that's the plan for now.



-Matt

Welcome Matt glad to have you aboard. Did you compare your epoxy costs plus fiberglass to purchasing the kit price for the FS here. It is seldom that the total cost can be beat. But if you can get West or MAS epoxy there for less so be it.

Will enjoy your pics of your boat coming together.

Tom

Welcome Matt,
Last time I called Frost all they had was Okume. I guess they carry Meranti now. Where did you find your epoxy if you dont mind me asking. If ya ever need any help let me know. I havent got to start my build yet but would like to see one in person.

Matt

Bowmovement wrote:Welcome Matt,
Last time I called Frost all they had was Okume. I guess they carry Meranti now. Where did you find your epoxy if you dont mind me asking. If ya ever need any help let me know. I havent got to start my build yet but would like to see one in person.

Matt

I haven't bought epoxy yet -- just got back with the plywood. I'm planning to get the epoxy from AeroMarine Products in San Diego. Frost did have Joubert Okume, but I went with the Hydrotek. It is listed on the invoice as "mahogany." The wood itself is stamped "Hydrotek BS 1088." I will definitely let you know if I need a hand. The next thing I have to do is get some tools --- my last project left me with a good DeWalt angle grinder (the cheapo I bought first ground to a halt --no pun intended-- halfway through the project) but I have only a cheapo jigsaw and no circular saw. I'm curious as to how much I will actually use a circular saw during this project... I'm thinking of getting the 6.5" Rigid framing saw but may go cheaper as I suspect I'll use it during the initial cutting of the plywood but very little if at all after that. But who knows, this project may ignite a passion for building. The one thing I'm planning to buy for posterity is the 6" right-angle porter-cable sander, as I feel that will get used and used some more during this build.

-M

While I had the uhaul trailer, I went ahead and made a trip to home depot for a couple of 16' 2x6s and a couple of sheets of chipboard for my jig. I thought long and hard about how to start my photographic documentation.... so, without further ado, I give you:

my sweet (but dumb) dog trying to eat one of the 2x6s. hopefully this isn't a frequent occurrence.

-M

If you could teach him to only take off one ply he could be helpful for preparing panels for splicing.

whosmatt wrote: I haven't bought epoxy yet -- just got back with the plywood. I'm planning to get the epoxy from AeroMarine Products in San Diego. Frost did have Joubert Okume, but I went with the Hydrotek.
-M

Matt,

I called Frost last week and they had Joubert and Hydrotek as well. Even before shipping the costs were like $3-$4 dollars cheaper than this site lists here.

I stopped by AeroMarine and picked up their epoxy last week. I've never used any type of epoxy before but according to the specs it's as strong or stronger than anything out today. Their office is really small off the Morena exit on the 8 or the Clairemont Mesa exit off the 5.

Good luck on your project!

CM

PS The first pieces of my project I used a circular saw and they came out not so fair (and these pieces had a nice little curve to them). The last couple pieces I used a jigsaw and was right on the money.

Great to see another build started, you will have lots of fun. The folks on this board are top notch providing help, you will have no problems that can't be fixed with their help.

You're right about using the circular saw in the beginning and not so much after. I used a circular saw for my od18 panels and was surprised at how easy it is to cut curves, especially after all those many years of trying to cut straight! There are a couple of things that I found helpful when cuttinmg curves with the circular saw, maybe they will help you. I cut my panels on the garage floor with some sacrificial chip board underneath which kept everything flat. Setting the blade just deep enough to cut througth the panels helped when cutting the curves, less blade engaged equals less "straight" blade section in the panels as you cut. Take your time and follow the line with the blade on the more tightly radiused sections instead of the notch on the saw frame. I think the most helpful thing for me was the blade. I used a Freud Diablo carbide tipped blade. They are cheap, it's been a while, but it cost less than $20.00. Great blade, it is still on the saw today cutting whatever is needed. I don't know if your plans have tighter radii than mine, so it may be different, but I am glad I used the circular saw as I wouldn't have been able to lay the panels flat on the floor if using a jigsaw.

Don't worry about the dog eating the boards, he probably won't eat too much anyway and it's good fiber. Many others on this board have dogs for helpers. They eventually get epoxied to parts of the boat, topcoats on their coats, etc. They and the boat survive it.

Hagar

hagar wrote: Don't worry about the dog eating the boards, he probably won't eat too much anyway and it's good fiber. Many others on this board have dogs for helpers. They eventually get epoxied to parts of the boat, topcoats on their coats, etc. They and the boat survive it.
Hagar

Don't count on it. Keep the dog away from sanding dust and any other toxic crud. You can wear a respirator, he can't. A little epoxy in his fur is humerous, toxic crap in his lungs isn't. We already lost one dog on this forum.
Daddy

hagar wrote: Many others on this board have dogs for helpers. They eventually get epoxied to parts of the boat, topcoats on their coats, etc. They and the boat survive it.

Hagar

Be careful sanding around pets and small ones.....at least one boatbuilder lost a dog to the evils of epoxy/fiberglass dust.

Welcome to the site and look forward to you progress pic's. We like our boat porn around here!!!

Will