# Foam Core build in Louisiana



## BassFlats (Nov 26, 2018)

Very nice. Keep the pics coming. What power and interior layout?


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

BassFlats said:


> Very nice. Keep the pics coming. What power and interior layout?


I haven't really decided on either one. Big casting decks. Will have a trolling motor. Not sure if it will be poled at all, doesn't work well on the mud bottoms we have.


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## jglidden (Feb 13, 2014)

Very cool! I am looking forward to watching this one


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## Fritz (Jan 17, 2017)

Excellent! I’m glad you decided on a build thread.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Nice. Keep us posted on the progress.


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## Chris Morejohn (May 12, 2014)

omegadef said:


> I've finally got enough progress to post something. I had debated back and forth about whether or not to post this online, but I figure I learn a lot from seeing other builds and maybe someone will learn from mine. Also, you guys have a tendency to prod enough that progress happens.
> 
> I had originally designed the boat to be built stitch and glue, and had completed most of the jig. I was waiting for the right opportunity to go buy the marine plywood (3hr round trip), when I came across some of the conchfish builds on this site. The idea of not having any wood in the boat appealed to me greatly.
> 
> ...


Cool, I like the way you have drawn her out to fit flat panel sections, or planks. I am writing here in the San Francisco airport with a 8 hour delayed flight to my latest build job in Hawaii.
Don’t have a way to draw here so will post sketches in a few days.
I will show how you and others could plank your hull up in a couple days and have her glassed in another days time using your hull design.
You can just use my hull layups like my other skiffs. The info is on my blog or just PM me via email which is way easier for me to talk with.
She has lots of flair above your designed waterline which will add a bit of righting moment to her lever arm when a big boy walks out to the forward bows outer sheer deck edge. That’s all I see you might want to consider.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Chris Morejohn said:


> Cool, I like the way you have drawn her out to fit flat panel sections, or planks. I am writing here in the San Francisco airport with a 8 hour delayed flight to my latest build job in Hawaii.
> Don’t have a way to draw here so will post sketches in a few days.
> I will show how you and others could plank your hull up in a couple days and have her glassed in another days time using your hull design.
> You can just use my hull layups like my other skiffs. The info is on my blog or just PM me via email which is way easier for me to talk with.
> She has lots of flair above your designed waterline which will add a bit of righting moment to her lever arm when a big boy walks out to the forward bows outer sheer deck edge. That’s all I see you might want to consider.


Thanks for positive reinforcement. 
I will plan on the two layers of 10oz on each side. I bought 3/4" core for the hull and 1/2 for the deck. I was planning a full second layer on the inside of the transom, so 10oz,10oz,core,10oz,10oz,core,10oz,10oz. 

I'll try to get some close-up images of the flared area. The flare starts at the 16' station, the last station is at 17'. I want to keep as much of the flare as I can for aesthetic reasons, but at 6'2" and 250, I may qualify as a "big boy". 
Haven't seen many skiffs with a flare. I had always thought it was because of lost displacement up front. I will have a trolling motor over the bow most of the time while fishing, so that may prevent most of my walking close to the edge. 
If she floats level at 6" draft (fingers crossed), I believe the 16 station will be about 3" into the water. 
I'll do some digging. I can always modify like I outline on the left side below, maybe not as drastic.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I took some pictures. I measured from the model and came up with the tip of the 16' station being 5 3/8" above the lowest point in the boat. 

I did a bunch of useless calculations to determine I've added ~30lbs of displacement below 6" with the wing additions. This puts me at 1275lbs or so at 6". It's ~60lbs of extra displacement at 8", or 1900lbs. The boat is also going to grow 3/4" in all directions after core is applied, hard to say where it will float, but I'm not super worried about the final draft, it is what it is. I snipped some shots of the freeship model while I was in there. 

This has not helped me make a decision about the flare part though. Can people with similar length boats chime in on how much lower the bow sinks with a person on it? I know it can vary based on what else is in the boat, but its hard for me to gauge. I personally have never gotten to ride in a flats skiff, only aluminum flatboats and bigger bay boats.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Update from another day of working on the boat. Drill battery kept dying on me, which slowed progress quite a bit. I went against everything I stand for as a woodworker and purchased a kreg jig to attach the flange. I have to admit, this is an awesome tool for stuff like this that wont be seen or is just temporary.

I also got the transom angle set at 12 degrees and attached a flat panel to act as a guide for the foam. I will trace the outline of the core onto the panel and use that as a template to trim out the core for the transom.

I waxed the hell out of the flange and applied packing tape over the seams. 






I laid the first sheet of foam as the light was fading last night. Took a bit of learning to determine the best method to cut the foam and how big to make the strips. There's a reason you see everyone using 2" strips. To cut the foam I used a long razor knife with a sheet of ply wood clamped over the foam to use as a straight edge. Pulling the knife with a slight angle toward the board kept directly on the line. I may redo the first section I started near the transom, not super happy with how it turned out.
I bought 9 sheets of 3/4 and 6 sheets of 1/2, so I should have plenty of material. Below was about 45 minutes worth of work, most of that was me fumbling through figuring out how to cut the core. This stuff will fly on once you get in a groove.
I also found that one of my stations did not make a fair curve at all. I must have missed a dimension by 3/4". I put a piece of foam over the edge of the frame and it lined out perfectly.

These pictures didn't turn out very good due to lighting, but there will be plenty more.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Got most of the second sheet on today.
Someone at work asked about the deadrise so, I figured I'd post it here. 
Transom(0 foot station), 3 degrees
10 foot station, 6.5 degrees
14 foot station, 14 degrees
16 foot station, 30 degrees


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

My helper and I were able to get the rest of the second sheet on today.
[image removed]


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## GaG8tor (Jul 8, 2019)

You got some good help


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I am still slowly getting it ready to glass. I have removed all the nails on the port side and begun the pre-fiberglass fairing and hole filling. I would recommend going with screws instead of the nails. Pulling the nails without crushing the core was nerve wracking.

I bought slow 2:1 epoxy and the temperature outside is lower than normal, so I have long waits between being able to get much done at this point while I wait for fairing compound to cure. I used close to 5:1 microbubbles to silica. I am seriously considering switching to vinylester resin for the remainder of the build to save time on mixing.

Slowly but surely.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Making headway!


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

omegadef said:


> I am still slowly getting it ready to glass. I have removed all the nails on the port side and begun the pre-fiberglass fairing and hole filling. I would recommend going with screws instead of the nails. Pulling the nails without crushing the core was nerve wracking.
> 
> I bought slow 2:1 epoxy and the temperature outside is lower than normal, so I have long waits between being able to get much done at this point while I wait for fairing compound to cure. I used close to 5:1 microbubbles to silica. I am seriously considering switching to vinylester resin for the remainder of the build to save time on mixing.
> 
> Slowly but surely.


U gotta be from Louisiana for all d flair in d sides!


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

^


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I ordered the vinylester resin and more microbubbles. I should have the thing basically ready for glass in a few weekends. I am stuck waiting on the resin to do more fairing because mother nature decided to make it cold early. 

I still need to take the mold off the back and fit the transom core in and remove all of the nails on the other side, and then get it ready for glass.

I need to ask Mr. Morejohn what scantlings to use now that I'm using vinylester. I think I remember reading somewhere that it should be a layer 1-1/2oz mat and a layer of 10oz on each side.


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## Chris Morejohn (May 12, 2014)

omegadef said:


> I ordered the vinylester resin and more microbubbles. I should have the thing basically ready for glass in a few weekends. I am stuck waiting on the resin to do more fairing because mother nature decided to make it cold early.
> 
> I still need to take the mold off the back and fit the transom core in and remove all of the nails on the other side, and then get it ready for glass.
> 
> I need to ask Mr. Morejohn what scantlings to use now that I'm using vinylester. I think I remember reading somewhere that it should be a layer 1-1/2oz mat and a layer of 10oz on each side.





I can see lots of energy going on in your build.
Just a reminder polyester resins don’t stick to Epoxy. Vinylester resin is in polyester group.
My advice is to fair off the big white epoxy area down to shut the seams that are filled with epoxy putty.
Finish filling with polyester filler made up of glass bubbles. Then fair the hulls of bumps and hard edges.
You can then glass the hull using the resin you have ordered.
The thin seams of epoxy won’t affect the bond strength much as the cloth will be bridging the seams when it bonds to the core.
My suggestion in hull layup now that you are using a polyester type resin is to go .....
1 layer 1-1/2 oz Matt
1 layer 10 oz cloth 
Let cure
Then repeat
Same for the interior.
Or 
Go....
Matt, 1708, 1708
Both sides.
Once glassed fill and fair in your lows.
I prefer the first type of cloth sequence to using biaxel.
Looking forward to seeing her flipped.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Chris Morejohn said:


> I can see lots of energy going on in your build.
> Just a reminder polyester resins don’t stick to Epoxy. Vinylester resin is in polyester group.
> My advice is to fair off the big white epoxy area down to shut the seams that are filled with epoxy putty.
> Finish filling with polyester filler made up of glass bubbles. Then fair the hulls of bumps and hard edges.
> ...


Thanks Chris. That putty spot grew out of control when the mix was too loose. I'll grind it off. On the other side I was able to grind the core down to be flat, so I should be able to do the same over there. Hopefully I can start glassing by December. We are hosting the son's 1st birthday party at the end of the month so I have to get the boat building area(carport) cleaned up before the fiesta.

Today's Progress update coming after I upload pictures.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I got a few things accomplished this weekend, despite a bit of a lazy start on both days. 

This is how I finished yesterday. Endless sanding. Took a trip to harbor freight to get a polisher and built the CM Fairmaster 9000. It eats. I've still got a bit of the epoxy fairing to grind off. Have to be careful, as the foam grinds infinitely easier than the fairing mix. 


Today I was able to get the transom bonded in place and clean up a bunch of loose seams around the stern and port sides. 

First I traced the outline on the transom "mold". I then removed it and used a piece of core to bring in the lines to allow the piece to fit inside the strips used on the sides. I then drilled a hole at each intersection that exactly fit the sharpie I was using to mark the core. I was able to lay this on the core to mark the dots at the corners. Then it was simply connect the dots. I just used a fresh knife blade to cut the shape out. If I did the whole thing over again, I would have the strips for the sides cut on a table saw. I'm paying for the convenience of the knife now in filling the gaps from cutting not at a consistent angle. I used screws to attach the transom foam and glued it in. I should have used screws on the entire project; I definitely "screwed" up using the nails. 

Picture time!


Empty boat butt. I cut the glue tacks on the core pieces that were not fair at the transom at this point.


The traced out transom. 


The transom core in place before and after it was attached and bonded. 




I finished out the day by fixing the loose seams on the port side and bonding everything well at the transom.


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## KurtActual (Sep 25, 2017)

REALLY interested in this. Following!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

No further progress, but wanted to show what $330 looks like(shipping is a bear).


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Spend another afternoon grinding away at the epoxy mess.The spray rail is going to be tough to sand. White dust everywhere, workspace is a mess.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Life (and hunting) has slowed the progress a bit, but we are back in the saddle. 
Ended a 3 year dry spell on Saturday; not a monster, but I'm happy. I elected to get it processed so that I could have more time for the boat. Nothing makes you realize how out of shape you are quite like dragging a deer out of the woods. 
 

I spent most of the last two days working on grinding off the epoxy filler and continuing fairing the hull. I started filling with the vinylester, and its much easier to work with. I mixed a 3 qt batch of the filler with a drill and only catalyze what I scoop out. I also spent a decent amount of time cleaning up to appease the wife. 
Ground off the almost all of the epoxy.


Cut the overhang at the transom. 


Filler applied in small batches. Left to cure overnight.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

@omegadef what program did you use to design this? I'm wanting to do the same thing but my local library has no books. I know I have some clips from chris morejohn designs but I dont want anyone to ever think I did something without paying for plans. I have been up in the air about building a small 14' skiff to start but have decided against that. Seams stupid to build something that ultimately in the end is not what o want. I have just decided to sell the small hp motors I have. Thanks for any help in advance. 

Michael (727)637-1241

Also I think your crazy to not embrace the Craig tool. It's awesome if your gonna build anything such as cabinets or furniture.


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## Open Fly -The Later Years (Feb 1, 2020)

Hey omegadef, great work in design and build. Impressive for your first build.
Nice little buck, will make some great sausage and burger ! Oh yea, Happy Birthday to your son ! Happy wife, happy life, brother ! keep up the great work, can't wait to see more. I am following you.
capt dave


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Mike Haydon said:


> @omegadef what program did you use to design this? I'm wanting to do the same thing but my local library has no books. I know I have some clips from chris morejohn designs but I dont want anyone to ever think I did something without paying for plans. I have been up in the air about building a small 14' skiff to start but have decided against that. Seams stupid to build something that ultimately in the end is not what o want. I have just decided to sell the small hp motors I have. Thanks for any help in advance.
> 
> Michael (727)637-1241
> 
> Also I think your crazy to not embrace the Craig tool. It's awesome if your gonna build anything such as cabinets or furniture.


I used freeship and sketchup for the frames. Its a bit of an arduous process. I've read a few boat design books in a distant past(5+years agao), but mostly based off of dimensions of other boats. 
I would recommend just building one of Chris' designs. 

I need to get back to work on the boat. Been busy as hell with work.


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## Open Fly -The Later Years (Feb 1, 2020)

I hope you will post more pics. Would love to see where you are now.
Regards
Capt Dave Jackson


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Yeah. Its started out of thin air and has went slow. Hope he has made progress and posts some pics. I know I can design something myself as well. Was hoping to see his floating like all the others have.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I haven't had much time at all to work on it. Especially not now with the virus stuff. 
I spent about an hour today filling cracks, but there's still nothing worth taking a picture of. 

I have not given up on the project, I've just been busy.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I worked on the boat again today. I took at couple of pictures, but there isn't much to look at and you can't really see the difference. The un-catalyzed putty compound seems to thicken as it sits, which made it a bit harder to work with than it had been. More punishment for not keeping up the progress. 

I ran out of MEKP, I guess it's volatile enough to escape its plastic bottle. I ordered more, as well as the mat to go along with the cloth I had ordered months ago that has been sitting in the corner of my living room, much to my wife's chagrin.

I will need to order more of the vinyl ester resin, but there is a shelf life on it, so I want to make sure I have ample time set aside before I order more. Also the shipping on it is brutal with the hazmat fees.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I did some sanding on the fore section of one side yesterday in between cutting grass.
I was left to fend for myself for lunch. CM would probably approve.

As far as progress in the pictures, I'm not sure you can tell much of a difference, but it is starting to take shape for sure. I need to increase the radius of aft end of the spray rail and the whole chine pocket. I'm having a hell of a time getting sand paper to stay stuck to the sanding apparatus. I need to try a different spray glue. This one launches the sheets once it gets hot.


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## Tautog166 (Jul 7, 2018)

Swamp Dragon? Never saw it before. What’s the heat level on that? Habanero?

Boat’s looking great!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Walter Lee said:


> Swamp Dragon? Never saw it before. What’s the heat level on that? Habanero?
> 
> Boat’s looking great!


Right above Tabasco, not too bad. 

We have the same first name, btw.


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## Chris Morejohn (May 12, 2014)

I a


omegadef said:


> I did some sanding on the fore section of one side yesterday in between cutting grass.
> I was left to fend for myself for lunch. CM would probably approve.
> 
> As far as progress in the pictures, I'm not sure you can tell much of a difference, but it is starting to take shape for sure. I need to increase the radius of aft end of the spray rail and the whole chine pocket. I'm having a hell of a time getting sand paper to stay stuck to the sanding apparatus. I need to try a different spray glue. This one launches the sheets once it gets hot.
> ...





omegadef said:


> I did some sanding on the fore section of one side yesterday in between cutting grass.
> I was left to fend for myself for lunch. CM would probably approve.
> 
> As far as progress in the pictures, I'm not sure you can tell much of a difference, but it is starting to take shape for sure. I need to increase the radius of aft end of the spray rail and the whole chine pocket. I'm having a hell of a time getting sand paper to stay stuck to the sanding apparatus. I need to try a different spray glue. This one launches the sheets once it gets hot.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I sanded a bit further on the starboard side of the boat today. I started marking the spots that will need more attention with putty. My supplies should be arriving Thursday. Progress pictures below.

I developed a couple of questions that need some advice from Mr. Morejohn (or others who have done the cored boat building).

1. I ordered enough mat to do core/mat/cloth/mat/cloth, but after looking closely through the your beryllium build it seems you're doing core/mat/cloth/cloth. Should I exclude the Mat layer? Would save a couple of gallons of resin and about 25 pounds weight, if my calcs are correct.

2. There's one spot that I did a very poor job with the core. Pictures below It was early in the process, and I should have redone it from the start, but I'm more or less stuck now. I have pictures of it here. Would it be best to just fill the crack and grind the core to allow the glass to smoothly flow over the transition and then do the major fair job afterward? The alternative is a big pool of putty to fix the low spot (18"x8"ish). 










































And for the regular progress pics:


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Maybe I am wrong but are you saying you haven't glassed anything yet?


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Mike Haydon said:


> Maybe I am wrong but are you saying you haven't glassed anything yet?


Have not glassed anything yet.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I pulled up all the blue tape. I could net get it to stick to the plywood at the flange worth a damn. I have dallied too long and the grain had raised on the plywood to the point that there was poor contact area. I had to lightly sand the flange and went back with frog tape. Its much better.

I have continued the filler work. I concentrated on getting the filler up under the sheer. I had to let this cure to allow me to put a good radius on the transition to the flange, the core was flexing too much as I applied pressure otherwise, it has stiffened up tremendously.

If the weather doesn't completely suck this week, I may be in a position to lay some glass over next weekend. Fairing the port side core is going to be a bit more arduous than the starboard side was.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I did something different today and took a short video of a walk around.
I have done a decent amount of work on the port side. You can see the markup's where more attention is needed. one or two more passes with the magical correction putty and we will in a place to start glassing. 

This whole phase of the project would have been completed much more quickly had I taken a different approach to getting the core on the frames. I would also have increased the number of frames between the middle and the bow. When I get closer to the end, I'll try to make a summary of all the places I made mistakes so hopefully some of you wont.

Let me know if you like the video. I can do this without too much effort and it lets you see the curves and the flare much better.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Well, today was a roller coaster of emotion.
Last night I finished fairing the core and round overs. I got the resin coat on the hull early this morning. Took another progress video. Next time I may turn the phone sideways for this, but I will likely forget. Lovebugs cannot handle the smell I guess. They pass out and immediately divebomb onto the wet resin. I will have fun removing them later. 






































I cut out the mat for the first layer, images to show how I cut it below. I used the edge of the box to keep a straight edge on the cut. My wife is going to be cursing me about the strands of fiberglass in the house for a long time coming. 

























This is where the day took a bad turn. I started applying the first layer of mat at the transom, only to have a rainstorm come out of nowhere in the middle of the lamination process. I cut off the fiberglass as soon as it started, but the resin got extremely cloudy just from the moisture in the air. I panicked and PM'd Chris asking if I needed to take it off, but before i gave him a chance to respond, I decided I would rather not have that constantly in the back of my mind. I pulled the glass off before it hardened and will grind whatever is left off before I start again. I am out about 20oz of resin and a yard of cloth, but I feel much better about the whole ordeal this way. The weather ruined the rest of the day for progress though. Hopefully the week coming up is dry.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Got about 8ft of one side glassed yesterday before the gnats ran me inside. A couple of lovebugs have incorporated themselves into the hull. I have a couple of bubbles to grind out, but overall it went pretty good. I think the main thing is to work in small sections with the mat.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Quick update from the phone. 40% of the way done with the first layer. I’m basically out of resin, but more is on the way.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Kind of a big update, though I'm moving slower than most on here with builds do. If there is any threat of rain, I don't glass. First, another $500 in supplies showed up. I believe I will need two more buckets of resin after this one to finish.

The resin is $180 a bucket, but shipping is $110 due to it being flammable and heavy, so its about $60 a gallon. This would be a good reason to live in Florida. I can find regular polyester resin in 5 gallon buckets in New Orleans, for $120. I will probably be switching over to this for the inside of the hull and the deck. Based on hull area alone, my calculations put the total I would need at a 60% resin to glass ratio at 14 gallons, but that does not include filler flange or extra layers at the transom. 

























I got the mat laid over the whole hull and got the edge mold for the sheer in place. I used "U' shaped lattice caps. I was able to just screw this down. It would have made the bends if I had a heat gun handy, but I didn't. I used non hardening clay to make the radius and shape the corners. Overall it wasn't bad. Its a shame this material isn't taller for use on the deck mold.


























I then laid down a layer of 6" wide 1708 tape along the sheer flange. I started wetting this out on a separate board, but it went just as easy doing it in place. I peeled it back and put resin on both sides. I could squeegee excess resin that settled into the trough over to the next piece. It took slightly over 64oz of resin to do the whole flange.

















I cut the excess cloth that was hanging over the sheer flange, then I went through and knocked off resin drips and other high spots to get me ready for the cloth layer to go over the top. I will get it measured and ready to go this week. Here's how she sits.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I got the first layer of 10oz cloth on it today.Only a few spots to work on at on the transom where the overlap was. I started at 7am and finished at noon without any breaks, completely solo. 
I don't think there is quite enough resin left to complete the next mat layer. That layer of 1708 tape around the sheer took more resin than I anticipated. I guess its time to order more. Love bugs were out in force today. I'll get to sand them away.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Outside glass is on. Just need to trim the flange and then I can flip it.
I came up with a new method to do the glass this time, completely by myself. Had the whole cloth layer down in less than 3 hours. I glassed one strip all the way to the keel. Each time I would mix a new cup of resin(16oz batches) I would go back to the wet edge and extend it a couple of inches further onto the other side. this way I was able to do the whole boat without anything hardening before I was ready. I would have cut the time in half if I had had help. I added a few strips of 1708 in some key areas as well.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Quick phone update. Flipped. went from feeling super accomplished to feeling like I barely started after seeing how much work is left.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

Congrats man, big step!


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Wow that thing is a lot wider than it looks upside down. Looks great so far. Keep at it. At this pace you will finish before you know it. It's the last 10% that kill you. You want to use it and the list just keeps growing.


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Noticeable headway if you don't see it every day. Keep plugging and you'll be fishing before you know it!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

No more physical progress, but I did take a pass at designing a poling platform and deck layout now that I have actual dimensions. Livewell will be the small hatch at the back of the boat.
The entire poling platform will be fiberglass, frame and all. I may build it after the boat is running so as to not delay it any further.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

It lives.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

This is really good DIY here.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I got the inside skin done. Transom is next.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

From the other thread i made about console dimensions and design:



omegadef said:


> Thanks everyone. That console Tigweld posted is almost perfect with excellent craftsmanship. I did a little design around that and came up with this one.
> View attachment 160063
> 
> View attachment 160062
> ...


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## tractortitan (Oct 21, 2020)

awesome job, really cool. the computer images are bad ass too


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Did some glassing on the transom and received the fuel tank. 
I layed up a layer of mat on the inside of the transom, followed by a layer of cloth, then wet out a layer on mat on the core piece and then rigged a clamp while everything was still wet. I left a pool of resin on the top and squeezed across the width to make sure there were no bubbles.


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## Seebs (Dec 21, 2011)

Great work, seems to be coming along nicely.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Been spending vacation to get some work done when weather is cooperating. Thank god I'm using polyester resin and not epoxy, because I'd never be able to finish. This is sort of a big update so I'll just space it out with the images to follow. I have decided to go side console and floorless cockpit. If i decide I don't like floor-less, I will add a floor for next season.
I will finish out the rest of the interior and then flip to fair the outside before I build the deck.

Notable accomplishments:

Inside of transom glassed, in one layup, it got hot AF when it was curing. Had to grind out a couple of bubbles near the bottom on the last layer of cloth. so from outside to inside its 10oz/CSM/10oz/CSM/Core/csm/10oz/csm/Core/csm/10oz/csm/10oz/csm/10oz. Transom came out slightly over 2" thick.
Drain tube installed, 1" fiberglass tube, silica'd in place and glassed over.
Front and rear bulkheads installed
Built splashwell, need to fair and glass inside before I install. 
Rod tubes fit (I may dress these up more, but they are probably gonna stay like they are.
Purchased jackplate
Purchased trailer
Purchased 60hp Tohatsu, which is in sitting at the dealer waiting on me to stop being slow and lazy


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)




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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Weather is making progress slow.
I took the time to update the model with actual dimensions, spray rails, and the attempt to mimic CM's chine pockets. 
Hydrostatics are in long tons(2240lbs per), so 6" draft displacement is 1451pounds. 
Should land considerably less than that.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

I would definitely glass your rod tubes in the ends because they might make noise that bugs you down the road.


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Man she’s lookin good, how hard is it building a foam build like this? Just out of curiosity someone with general carpentry experience would they be able to build a simpler version with foam pretty easy do u think?


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Mike Haydon said:


> I would definitely glass your rod tubes in the ends because they might make noise that bugs you down the road.


I plan on it, just wanting to get gelcoat down before they get in the way.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Man she’s lookin good, how hard is it building a foam build like this? Just out of curiosity someone with general carpentry experience would they be able to build a simpler version with foam pretty easy do u think?


Honestly fine woodwork is much more difficult. 
None of this is beyond anyone's skill. If I ever build another boat after this one, everything will fly together.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Update:
Fuel tank shelf in.
2 more layers of 10oz on cockpit floor.
Motorwell fabbed and glued in. 
Getting close.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Got rigging tubes run, and gel in the hatches. Didn't fair inside the hatch areas. I will fair the cockpit though. I had to stack a bunch of small pieces of cloth to get the bow u-bolt a flat surface for the backing plate to rest on. I do not want to ever have to mess with it once its in. Locktite will happen.
I don't remember if i said it anywhere, but the whole boat will be FGCI seafoam green.









Vacuumed and ready for gel.









1st coat on(no wax)









2nd coat on(with wax)









Remaining tasks of significance in order:
Glass in rod tubes
Fair cockpit
Gel cockpit
Drag boat into yard and cover with tarp
Fabricate deck
Fabricate hatches
Glue deck to hull
Flip hull
Fair outside of hull
Add Lifting strakes
Gel outside
Make it pretty
FLIP IT ONTO TRAILER AND RIG IT


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Looking good man!


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## flightmedicjh41 (Mar 26, 2009)

What did you use to make the bulkheads?


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

flightmedicjh41 said:


> What did you use to make the bulkheads?


Its a sheet of 3/4 core laminated on each side with mat and 10oz cloth.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

The cockpit is gelcoated.


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## MudSkipper (Jan 11, 2021)

You sure have done a fine job. Keep up the good work. May want to swing by and admire it sometime. I live South of Denham Springs.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Looking good!


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## Gatorbig (Jan 15, 2021)

Looking good!


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## Open Fly -The Later Years (Feb 1, 2020)

Gatorbig said:


> Looking good!


Lookin very good, love the interior color, is the hull goin to be the same color


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Open Fly -The Later Years said:


> Lookin very good, love the interior color, is the hull goin to be the same color


Yep. Everything you can see will be that color and the inside of hatches will be white.


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

Looking good my friend!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Called in the boys and flipped her back over. 
I got the first pass of icing spread on the boat. I'm not sure how fair I will actually make the boat past removing anything that will effect performance. 
I do not want to be afraid to use it when I'm done, and I'm going to be rolling on gelcoat anyway.


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## Smudge (Feb 18, 2021)

Wow! That's a tremendous amount of work. Fantastic job! Going to feel amazing the first time you float it! Even better the first time it's taken out under power!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Got the first two coats of gelcoat on. I've been slacking on all fronts, including the posting of updates. I'm past ready to start fishing.

It's as fair as I feel like taking it, I've had enough. The pictures kind of make it look way worse than it is in some areas, and better than it is in others. For instance, the stbrd chine pocket is not curved, its as square as you can get. 
From 30 feet away it looks like a production boat, any closer and you begin to wonder if it was made in a carport over the course of two years. Pretty boats catch less fish anyway.
I went with a simple planing strake made out of half inch core. I has 1708 tape overlapping up to the corner. I used a powerplaner to shape the foam. I should have used a powerplaner to fair the core material, but I'll file that one away for my next boat. The tape looks less fair than it is in the pictures, but it will be underwater anyway.

I have a couple pictures of the first coat (rolled and tipped) and the second coat, which was applied via brush only. 
No wax yet. I will probably do one more pass without wax with a brush before I do the final coat with wax, then I'll sand the whole thing and buff it to show just how not fair it is. I also gave the whole boat a wipedown with acetone before the first coat to ensure we had a good bond.
For those not aware, gelcoat and polyester resins need something to prevent air from getting to them to cure fully. This is why fresh fiberglass gums up sandpaper so bad. Usually either wax is added to the gelcoat or on small pieces PVA is applied after the surface is no longer tacky.


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## MudSkipper (Jan 11, 2021)

Looks damn good to me!


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Looks good to me to brother, I couldn’t do any better. Good work


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## MartinK (May 29, 2014)

Thanks for documenting this entire build... It's an excellent look into the process of foam core building from a perspective that's not too intimidating (small craft build)... This technique is new to me, but is of tremendous interest... Looking fwd to the next few episodes.


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Been following on IG. It's coming together !


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I've not been keeping up with this very well. I will be down a week as I am having deviated septum surgery tomorrow. Here's a long overdue dump.

Got the exterior gelcoat done, wetsanded to 400, 600, 800, and then 1000. Used totalbuff, totalshine, and podium finish. 


























Got it flipped over and put on the trailer.










































I procured 5 sheets of 3/4" melamine and laid them down on top of some 2x4 scraps to raise it off the ground a tad. I screwed some 5mm luan underlayment down across the gunnels and ran a flush trim bit on a router around the outside to get the template. Then I built the hatch gutters which was a 2x3 with a 1x4 kreg screwed to it with a 2x2 for the return. For the hatches, I should be able to use a piece of 1/2" core edge to edge with the glass skins and be pretty close to flush at 3/4" thick. I used partall mold release wax on the wooden pieces and painted the entire thing with PVA.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

For the deck lamination, I put down a layer of 1.5oz mat followed by a layer of 10oz cloth. Then another layer of 1.5oz mat and the core pieces. After feathering the edge I put down a later of 1708 over the top of the core. To feather the core, I used the 7" sander at 2000RPM and just bumped it until it looked right. The foam core dust was very hard to remove from the rest of the laminate, and I wound up having to lightly sand and then wipe down with acetone to get it ready for the next layer. I would recommend to lay the hatch channels and flanges separately from the main structure, it's just too much to have to keep up with. I had many spots that I had to grind out the problem areas. I reinforced the hardware areas and ran a layer of 1708 tape around the outer and inner flange. The hatch channels have 4+ layers of 1.5oz mat on them with 1708 on the outside verticals. I kept all of the core cuts as straight as possible to help with getting the 1708 to follow contours. All of this was completed with having to vacuum out a few inches of rain water nearly every day before work could begin. My back is stronger now, and I am woefully aware of my excess body fat.

































































With help from the wife and mother in law, we got it pulled from the mold, which was a little nerve wracking. Some of the hatch gutter molds had to come out with the deck, but everything pulled out pretty easily. The deck had a lot of flex at the point where the rod supports will be, so I'm going to heavily reinforce that a bit before we glue it down. I have to trim up the back flange and cut out the area over the splash well. I am still not sure how I will be tying the deck to the splash well. There's also an interference point where the front hatch meets the rod tube supports, but I expected that. I had excellent help pulling the clay and tape off of the pulled part. 

























All I lack is finishing up.


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Dude looking good bud! I dig it


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Looks cool. Love the area for seats!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Update time:
Did some reinforcement around the hatch channels since they will be supporting the load on top of the hatches. I also added stringers around where the seat post will sit to reinforce that area. The anchor hatch will drain into the front hatch which will drain into the cockpit. There was interference with the front hatch channel and the inside most rod tube. I had to remove that pipe, which lowers my capacity to 8 rods under the gunnels. I'm still deciding how I will plug the holes. The front drains are PVC and the rear are pultruded fiberglass. I didnt have long enough pieces for the front and I wasnt waiting for more to come in. I went back and glassed over the PVC, but forgot to take a picture.

























I got all of the wiring done. I decided to go with fuses instead of breakers due to easy and universal availability. I have two bilge pumps, one automatic Attwood Sahara 750 and a manual 1100 gpm rule pump. Currently only the nav lights and the manual bilge pump are on switches. I plan to add under gunnel lighting at some point. I forgot about power for the outboard, but I'll figure it out. The non switched accessories will run to the fuse block located on the right side. There is a negative buss on the left as well as another on the fuse block. Each switch has an inline fuse holder and goes to a terminal strip for ease of wiring. I also installed the trim tabs, Bennet bolt 9x12 edge mount. I wish the wires were shorter but I'll survive. I took a gamble on the nav lights based on amazon reviews, if they fail it will be a bitch to replace them.

























This morning, with the help of the wife, I got the lid glued down using half a gallon of US composites epoxy mixed with 1/4" chopped glass and silica. 









I took Friday off work to drive to New Orleans to my resin supplier (Westwego really, Alario Bros). I highly suggest anyone in the area to check out that store for boat supplies. The last time I bought resin 2 months ago, I believe I paid $110 a bucket. The price has gone up to $160. 
I'm seeing posts about all of the major builders having problems with resin shortages. The theory is that styrene monomer shortage from the freeze is the culprit. It may be worth looking into epoxy for anyone now considering building a boat. 

Anyway, just the short strokes left. 
fair deck, glass transition to motor well, fair motor well, gelcoat, build hatches, build side console, install jackplate, install TM, general rigging.
Just time and money really.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Wow you've been busy! Looks great. Do you think you have a lot of fairing to do by building the cap upside down? I only ask because myself and a couple others are thinking of building it strait on the boat like Harry Spear does. Thanks, Michael


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Mike Haydon said:


> Wow you've been busy! Looks great. Do you think you have a lot of fairing to do by building the cap upside down? I only ask because myself and a couple others are thinking of building it strait on the boat like Harry Spear does. Thanks, Michael


Most of the fairing will be for inside the hatch channels. everything else is so smooth I'm going to hit it with 80 grit to let the gelcoat adhere properly. 
I've actually spent a lot of time thinking about this recently with regards to if I built another boat, and I would just break it into smaller sections if I had to do it again, the biggest hassle to this method is needing help to move the deck around, as it's quite flimsy on its own in the middle of the cockpit area. The time saved from the surface being smooth from the melamine is worth it to me. You also can easily remove/leave out the core from sections that will receive a fitting or bolts. You can leave a flange at transitions to allow for the next section to be attached, then you just have a straight line to fair at the end. The chopped strand and silica mixture is quite strong, and with a small amount of fiddling you can come up with the perfect dimensions. 









I tried to draw it above. The white is glass and the yellow is core, the pieces are oriented like they are in the mold, so the part you walk on is pointed down.
You need to know what the thickness of your core and lamination will be. I'd leave a small allowance for the "glue". This way you could break it down to manageable sections. For this boat I would have had 4, the bow, the two gunnels, and the stern. If I build another boat, it will be 26ft+ to compensate for my small manhood complement this one in capability. This would be the only way to manage the pieces without building them on the boat, and I don't want to have to climb in and out 100x a day.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Cool. thanks for the reply. I'm still debating. I see the benefit of doing it your way but my boat is much smaller so I dont think it will be to bad to fair the flat parts and it will save me a good bit from not buying the melamine and stuff.


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## Elusive Porpi (Jan 24, 2018)

sweet build!!! Keep the pics coming. Hope you weathered the storm ok.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Ok, big update time. I apologize for limited pictures. Some was due to no help and having to work fast, but mostly at this point I'm just ready to be done.
Also, you guys are doing a poor job of making me feel bad about not posting updates. I did not bother fairing much on the deck to be honest. Just didnt see the point, the areas that needed fairing were under the rubrail anyway or inside the hatch channels. I figure ugly boats catch fish too. I should have most of the rigging shored up by next weekend, this weekend my son turns 3!

Fire away with any questions.

Hatches:
Built molds from left over melamine from deck mold. I used a fondant tool and plastalina clay for the radius with bigger pieces where the hinges would land. I should have made the hatches smaller, some were a very tight fit. 
I brushed PVA into the molds, but this was probably unnecessary, cheap insurance though. I put a coat of gelcoat into the molds fully expecting to have areas that would need touchups. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't have tried to do the three small hatches at one time. Once outer skin was laid up with the last layer being mat I laid in a piece of core that had holes drilled in it and weighed it down. I had cutout areas where the hinges would mount, so once the resin had hardened, I filled these spots with a mixture of glass fibers and silica. I then used the oscillating tool to cut any resin that had pooled on the top off or grind it smooth. I went around the edge of the core and filled with silica/qcell mixture and filleted the edge, then laid the inner glass. Hatches took like 4 hours of work with some cure time between. I had designed my gutters for 3/4" thick hatches, which was perfect for 1/2" core and 1/8" of glass skins on each side.

















Those hatches came out so easy, I was on autopilot for the big hatch. So much so that I cut the core piece out of 3/4 instead of 1/2 and only realized after the hatch was completed, but it turned out perfect.

































I then had the option of making a new hatch, which is what I should have done. Instead I decided to build up the deck around the edge of the hatch to get the transition closer. This works out, as the hatch is very large and the extra stiffness from the core makes it rock solid, but 1/2 would have been fine. I took zero pictures of this part, because it was embarrassing and made me angry.

















Side console:
I didnt take any pictures.... I just cut core to match what I had designed and glassed it up. It is fully fiberglassed to the deck. The picture is from before it was fiberglassed, just clamped in place for mockup. You can see it better in later pictures. I didnt even draw it in sketchup, back of the napkin. 









Nonskid:
I used FGCI fine pumice. For the lions share of the deck I rolled some gelcoat on and just made sure to completely cover the wet area with the pumice. After curing, I vacuumed up the remaining grit and top coated with gelcoat. *Worked awesome. I would recommend to anyone*. For the cockpit floor and hatches, I mixed the pumice into the gelcoat and then rolled. This was less aggressive, but might be easier to clean and was faster to apply. I also topcoated these areas. For either method, the masking tape has to be pulled as soon as the grit layer is applied. You dont want it to cure to the tape. I went over the broadcast method areas with a very light hand sanding just to knock any loose particles off. 





5 QT. Fine Ground volcanic rock used for making non slip surfaces. - 123802


5 QT. Fine Ground volcanic rock used for making non slip surfaces.




www.fgci.com






































Rigging:
Ongoing. Didn't take many pictures yet, more shortly. Gemlux hardware. Flush mount hidden cleat in the front (not sure it was worth the pain in the ass to mount). Battery tender trolling motor plug. Quick release bracket. Amarine cleats in the back. Mate black plastic flush cupholder rodholder combos in the back. Tessilmare radial rubrail (homerun!). Vance jackplate. 3x group 31AGM batteries.


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## Outearly (Oct 20, 2015)

Wow! Looks great!


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Very nice update! She looks great.


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

👍🏻👍🏻 She is looking great!🇺🇸👊🏻


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## Tripletail (Apr 8, 2021)

Awesome 👌 wish I had the skills like yall


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

Super nice!


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Man she came out sweet! Nice work bud


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Got to be proud of this thing!!! I really liked the two toned white and seafoam. I'm still debating colors on my build. What steering system did you go with and what kind of hp are you planning? Thanks ,Michael. Looks great sir!!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks for the compliments everyone!



Mike Haydon said:


> Got to be proud of this thing!!! I really liked the two toned white and seafoam. I'm still debating colors on my build. What steering system did you go with and what kind of hp are you planning? Thanks ,Michael. Looks great sir!!











Amazon.com : Dometic SeaStar NFB (No Feedback) Safe-T II Rotary Steering Kit, SS13211, 11ft. : Boating Control Cables : Sports & Outdoors


Amazon.com : Dometic SeaStar NFB (No Feedback) Safe-T II Rotary Steering Kit, SS13211, 11ft. : Boating Control Cables : Sports & Outdoors



www.amazon.com





Its getting a Tohatsu MFS60, I purchased back in February the day it arrived at the dealer.


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Tohatsu 60 hp will make her scoot


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

omegadef said:


> Thanks for the compliments everyone!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That should really push her along great! I'm thinking of going with an off brand hydraulic steering for ease of running the lines. Several people have recommended one or the other. I like how you ran your cable though and gave me something to think about.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

She floats, stopped off at Butte La Rose. Tach wasn't hooked up so couldn't tell top rpm. Stock 13 pitch aluminum prop got it to 30mph, but the motor was trimmed a little too far down. Couldn't tell until we got it back on the trailer and I could see the tabs were all the way down. Once I get the tach operational I'll see what she can do. I'm guessing I'll need about a 16 pitch prop.


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## Copahee Hound (Dec 21, 2017)

No smiles?! That's a happy maiden voyage with decent performance, fish, and y'all made it back to the landing! The tach and trim will tell you a lot the next trial run, but you have to proud of "almost" completion!


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## Elusive Porpi (Jan 24, 2018)

Pretty awesome to see it all come together. Congrats!!!


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Congrats. I drove through there yesterday on the way to see my twins.


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Duuudddeee that thing looks so good in the water. Great work


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## Chris Beutel (May 2, 2018)

Turned out great!


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

I just took the time to add up all of the costs. 
Landed at $8532 for all materials and consumables. This doesn't include the plotter, trolling motor, batteries or outboard. 
The trailer was $2600 iirc.
Motor was 7500 iirc. 
Trolling motor is $2k for ipilot (I should have bought it to start).
Plotter was on sale for around $500.
I spent $800 on batteries. 
Just over $20k total invested. 
I've been quoted $1200 for a poling platform, but I'm still on the fence if I want one. I feel like I will be able to sell the boat much quicker if I ever decide to by having the platform, I'm not sure I would use it much.

I did very well on shopping for my cloth (thayercraft). I did very poor ordering resin in the beginning from USComposites due to freight. There is close to $1000 worth of freight in the material price, Florida folks can completely avoid that, most of the rest of us are boned. $2800 was spent via amazon for numerous things related to consumables and rigging. I did well buying the remainder of the resin from Alario brothers in Weswego, though it slowed me down by having to make time to drive the 2.5 hours each way. Gel coat was cheapest through bottom paint store.


Anyway, quit wasting time and build a boat, but don't do it if you dont have a boat to use in the meantime.


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## Copahee Hound (Dec 21, 2017)

omegadef said:


> Anyway, quit wasting time and build a boat, but don't do it if you dont have a boat to use in the meantime.


Having one already will only slow you down and give you excuses not to build


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Copahee Hound said:


> Having one already will only slow you down and give you excuses not to build


IDK man, I'm already looking for a house with a workshop that could facilitate my 26ft catamaran build 🙃


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

I think I’ll have around $24ik in mine. My trailer was more and I’m doing paint which is more. I feel you on the freight from US Composites. I have nothing but good things to say about their epoxy, but if I did it all over again I’d do poly and source it locally.


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Sublime said:


> I think I’ll have around $24ik in mine. My trailer was more and I’m doing paint which is more. I feel you on the freight from US Composites. I have nothing but good things to say about their epoxy, but if I did it all over again I’d do poly and source it locally.


Honestly the guy who had the 55 gal drum was the smartest of us yet.


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## lsunoe (Dec 5, 2016)

Man that looks great. You should be proud


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

What did she end up running omegadaf?


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> What did she end up running omegadaf?


I just got charged for the new propeller from powertech, so hoping it will be here before this weekend. 

So far I top out at 30-32 MPH depending on load which was the same performance I got with the stock aluminum, but with less holeshot now. I have a 14 pitch on the way to try. 
I'm hoping to pickup 300-500 rpm.


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## GoGataGo52__20 (Jun 26, 2016)

Nice, yeah with the right prop I would think mid 30’s is very doable


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Floor and stringer grid is 70% done. Grinding the volcanic rock nonskid was a bitch. I will definitely be going back with a much lighter mix, mixed into the gelcoat before rolling, as that makes it infinitely easier to clean.
Tack another grand onto the total spend once its all said and done. I didn't take many pictures, but will get more as I get close to finishing.

Old stepdown was around 20". Now less than a foot. Ran out of supplies and need to wait on shipment.

Everything costs significantly more than it did when I started the boat. Would probably cost at least 50% more to build now.

My taping of the stringers went as diagrammed below. Stringers are two layers of 1708 over the top of the core, 1" thick for longitudinals, and 1.5" thick for laterals. Fillet was chopped strands, cab-o-sil, and q cells. The fillet was applied under and in the corner of the stringer, then the first layer of mat tape was put on top of the wet fillet and the rest of the glass was laid over the top of the initial tape. 1708 is hard to work with due to the struggles to get it wet out. Really have to have resin on the surface before you lay it down. 

Putting the tape directly on the wet fillet cuts down on a ton of sanding and makes for really nice tight radii in the corners, as you set it with the roller.

Floor was attached to stringers and foam with epoxy, silica, and chop strands. 

Floor will be 1708, 1708, 1/2" core, 1.5oz matt,1708, 1708, 18oz roving. Edges will be taped with mat and 1708 with the same filet mix as described above. The core has had neat resin applied already to avoid starving the first layer.

I am on the fence about keeping this boat long term. I will need more space within 3 years or so, as I have another kid on the way. If I do keep it, we may see a horsepower upgrade to 115-140hp, hopefully with a portabracket($$$$).


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

omegadef said:


> Honestly the guy who had the 55 gal drum was the smartest of us yet.


I think that guy had it from work or something.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Looks great boss! Congrats on the little one


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## omegadef (Jul 10, 2011)

Floor is in. Not sure what happened to the other pictures...


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## Sublime (Oct 9, 2015)

Looking good.


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