I’m working my way gradually up to the fabrication of large parts. I plan to do a fish box and live well similar to strick’s, but I want to be familiar with the materials and how to work them before I get there. It’s been 15 years since I’ve worked with polyester resin and fiberglass. I’ve worked with epoxy resin more recently, but not in any volume.
So I’ve started with small patches and worked my way up to a mold and resulting fabricated part; one of four swim platform brackets. My rule of thumb for this restoration is to use epoxy resin if it’s below the waterline, or if bond strength is critical, or if I’m using styrofoam as an insulation, and use polyester resin if it’s a new part. The fish box, for instance, will be fabricated using polyester resin, but I will use thickened epoxy to bond styrofoam insulation and then epoxy/glass to encapsulate the styrofoam.
I’m also experimenting with a patching technique that I hope will reduce the amount of time and effort required for fairing but maintaining a good bond. Instead of grinding out a patch area, I’m using a router to cut to a uniform depth, but reducing depth incrementally in concentric rings. So the inner patch may have four layers of 1808, the next will have two layers, and the outer patch will have a single layer of 1808. I pulled the through-hulls for the original head, and used this method to patch the holes. Here’s what it looks like:
Routed and ready for patch
Patch in progress
Peel Ply over patch to keep thickness uniform.
And the completed patch ready for sanding and then fairing.
Although I haven't sanded it down yet, it's very flat and it looks like the plan is coming together. More on progress as I have time to post.
Dave