Fiberglassing Wooden Boats
If you are fiberglassing or applying epoxy resin to a taped seam when you are building a wooden boat at home, make sure that you sand the fillets smooth and flush. Make sure also that any glue that you have applied is fully cured before you sand it. Use a good quality sand paper and change it often when you are using the sanding machine. Wear a good face mask so you do not breathe in any dust from the sanding and ensure that you have good ventilation and air flow in your work space.
Apply the fiberglass matting strips to the joins after applying some resin to the underside. Apply resin to the top side first and then chase the bottom half with a brush or toothbrush. Make sure that any bubbles or kinks are smoothed out as you go along. When you get to the bow or the aft, it will take some more work to fair the fiberglass or epoxy tape to the hull. Just work gradually to the end, chasing as you go. The middle part of the hull will be a lot easier than the bow and aft ends.
Lay another length of epoxy or fiberglass matting tape while the layer is still a bit wet so that a strong bond develops between the two layers, making it stronger. You can lay a three inch tape on top of a two inch layer of tape glass. Use an old roller to smooth it all out when the glass tape is fixed down so that you have less sanding to do later on.
After the seams have been done, and everything is good and dry, give it a good sanding to smooth it all out ready for a coat of expoxy resin. This will seal the wood, making the boat stronger and water-tight. When the expoxy is all finished, give your boat a couple of coats of paint to make it look neat and tidy.
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