Another FS17 Build Thread

[mineratt]

I set the bow deck on the cleats and glued it in with the gel magic. After waiting 5 or 6 hours I filled in the triangular gap around the edge, I used the fine point on the glue tube to get the filler all the way to the back of the gap. The will be the initial filling, once i grind the edge of the deck flush with the rub rail I can finish the filling, rounding and shaping. On the bottom side of the deck I covered it with 6oz cloth.

[mineratt]

Sanded and shaped, need to do a second round of filling.

[Dan_Smullen]

Looks good and feels good too, I bet.

Will you laminate a layer of glass over all of that?

[mineratt]

I am planning on a layer of more easily wetted out 6oz tape around all of the edges down to the bottom of the rub rail. I will then roll out a piece of cut 12oz for the surface that will form around the top edge and down as far as it can stretch to the bottom of the rub rail (I have never been able to place specifically cut pieces of cloth with any real accuracy so i am just wanting it to at least cover the top half of the rub rail, more is better, but half would be acceptable. The large cloth will drape over the bulkhead and cover the top half of the bulkhead that does not have any cloth on it yet.

I am going with the 6oz tape because i can more easily place it and get it set perfect. Then the heavier cloth can cover everything to provide the needed abrasion coating and increased deck to rail strength.

[mineratt]

I added the 6oz to all of the edges, it formed to the radius very well requiring no re-work. I sanded the entire deck down again and applied the 12oz biax to the top of the deck and extended the biaz layer around the edge to cover the rub rail in addition to the 6oz. The top of the deck turned out perfectly, but the rub rail cover piece was problematic, it just would not stay bent around the radius. It would start lifting up at the bow and then propagate down the rest of the side. I spent an hour hitting it with the roller, as soon as I finished - one side would start lifting up again. In the end it placed a piece of heavy duct tape reversed over the bow edge - weighted on one side and tapped down to the hull on the lower edge, this seemed to keep that leading edge from lifting up. Then after the epoxy set up two more applications to smooth it all out.
I will need to re-address the bow tip as there are areas the did lift off, but that should be easy enough once it has all cured out.

[mineratt]

I installed the braces for the gunnel. Glued to the hull and tabbed in place with 12oz biax, then the inside edge was wrapped with 6oz plain weave to give it a little it more wear resistance. I added a block at the bow end glued to the forward bulkhead for the inner batton to rest on and a block on top of the rear bulkhead/deck piece to terminate the batton. I added the battons on the inside and support blocks. It is slowly moving forward.

[narfi]

Looking good. How wide are you making the gunwales? My wife really likes the wide ones on our fs17

[mineratt]

I am going to make the gunnels at the same width as what was supplied in the plans. They will be pretty skinny, near 6 inches. Then a lip on the top inside edge will hopefully keep the spray off. I am thinking of only maybe two vertical rod holders. With the aluminum frame on the transom and maybe two spreader holder on the console I think that I can do away with the gunnel holders.

[mineratt]

Shaped the gunnel cleats with the belt sander and prepped everything for the gunnel deck pieces. There were two long left over pieces from which I managed to cut the necessary two gunnel deck pieces per side from. On the bottom side I put in a single layer of 12oz biax to stiffen the deck pieces. Everything is all glued down. After it all cures out I will do an initial filling of the outside gap then sand to final shape with the belt sander.

[Jeff]

Nice progress!!! Jeff