Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Squeegee use
By:Rob Macks / Laughing Loon CC&K
Date: 7/2/2009, 11:02 am
In Response To: Re: Squeegee use (Robert N Pruden)

: Hi, Rob...I used the squeegee for both the inside and outside of the NH. Just
: yesterday I did manage to find one air bubble (less than the size of half
: a dime CAD) that I might fill in with injected epoxy...that one was on the
: outside of the hull but even if I don't fill it in, it won't be a problem
: because it's on the sheer panel and will most likely be covered with auto
: paint I want to do the kayak up with.

: Robert N Pruden

I've found mixing large batches of resin will add extra weight to your boat, especially when poured into the hull. Resin poured into the hull will float the glass and a lot of excess resin can get trapped adding a lot of weight.

Resin starts to thicken the moment you add the hardener. It's hard to perceive this until it really kicks. I've learned unless the resin is very new (small batches, I never mix more than 6 oz.) and very thin, you will never remove excess resin because it will not travel out of the glass when you try to remove it with a squeegee.

If you don't mind the extra weight, that's fine, but if you don't realize it will do this, that's another matter.

There should be no difference in application time for a squeegee or roller. If you roll back and forth until the glass looks totally wet, than it will take you longer using a roller. But that's not a good technique. If you roll over the glass and keep moving, you'll find in a minute the glass you rolled earlier, will absorb the resin and be wet-out.

Everyone's in a hurry. This idea that doing something faster is better, is wrong.
In my experience doing something fast, takes a lot more time, than doing something right. Doing things fast almost always leads to time spent correcting mistakes.

As amateur builders you shouldn't need to be worried about a deadline. Deadlines are great generators of mistakes.

As a professional builder who has to make a few bucks an hour I have to figure out how not to waste time. Not wasting time is not the same as doing things fast.

Have fun!

Rob

Messages In This Thread

Material: fiberglass roller and visqueen question *LINK*
uga_danny -- 6/26/2009, 6:56 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass roller and visqueen quest
Rob Macks / Laughing Loon CC&K -- 6/26/2009, 8:33 pm
Squeegee use
Robert N Pruden -- 6/30/2009, 3:48 pm
Re: Squeegee use
Rob Macks / Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/1/2009, 4:39 pm
Re: Squeegee use
Robert N Pruden -- 7/2/2009, 9:32 am
Re: Squeegee use
Rob Macks / Laughing Loon CC&K -- 7/2/2009, 11:02 am
Re: Squeegee use
Robert N Pruden -- 7/2/2009, 11:43 am
Re: Material: fiberglass roller and visqueen quest
uga_danny -- 6/26/2009, 8:47 pm
Re: Material: fiberglass roller and visqueen quest *LINK*
Chris Sperry -- 6/27/2009, 1:12 am
Re: Material: fiberglass roller and visqueen quest
James -- 6/27/2009, 8:46 pm