23 Project Started - Page 2

mrobertson · #11 02-09-2009, 01:09 PM

Well it's been a while since I posted last. We found out the hard way that epoxy doesn't like the cold. The workshop is great, but with no insulation it's tough to get it warm in there when it's single digits at night.

Here's a shot to let you know we are still working. Pretty much all we've been doing is cleaning things up.

This weekend gave up some great weather in the mid-atlantic. Temps were in the mid - upper 50's, clear and sunny. We used the time to do some work. We thought about many different tank slat solutions. In the end, i want to give a shout out to BILLYTHEKID. We stole his idea and layed up a solid fiberglass sheet and cut our slats from that. We ended up with 6 slats that are 8" wide.

This is about how thick they are - 3/8 - 1/2"

When we got them cut out, they still had a little flex to them. Dad is an overbuilder, so he cabosiled a strip of 3/4 marine (beveled) to the underside. He coated the wood with epoxy and then sealed it up with a layer of 1708 and epoxy resin.

Here is the finished product

We shot a quick coat of paint on the bottom of the tank coffin. Then, we mixed up a thick batch of epoxy/cabosil to peanut butter consistency and bedded the slats to the hull. When the cabosil set up, we tabbed the slats to the stringers. The 1st and last slats are also tabbed to the front/rear bulkheads.

Tank slats glassed into place

The one thing i can say about our glasswork is that it's not as clean as some of the work on this site, but it sure is strong. I weigh 250lbs and i can jump up and down on any of the slats and there is no flexing at all. They will certainly hold the weight of the tank filled with fuel.

Next up, we have to raise the stringers just tiny bit for the new deck to rest on.

More to come........

billythekid · #12 02-23-2009, 04:54 PM

Not a problem glad I could help. Looks like you have a pretty good handle on laminating and laying glass everything looks like its built for military purpose! keep up the good work and the pictures coming. Not only do the pics keep people interested and help answer any questions you might have, but it is also nice to look back at them when you are down with the project to remind you of the all the elbow grease you put into her.

DaveE · #13 02-23-2009, 07:34 PM

I can sympathize with the cold weather putting a major slowdown on progress. I've ended up transporting small projects to my Dad's shop to take advantage of the heat. I'm interested in seeing how you raise the height on those wide stringers. I'll be doing the same on a 20' once the weather cooperates.