Skinning the Vaka and Glue Boom

This entry was posted on 3/20/2007 9:58 AM and is filed under Building Components,Build the Vaka Hull.

Skinning the vaka is one of the most time consuming tasks of the whole project and I feel pretty good about getting close to being done.  Here's the progress so far.


Dry fitting the carbon to the vaka.


Looks pretty good after the epoxy is applied.


Here she is from the stern.


Next step is to dry fit the Kevlar.


Both carbon and Kevlar are hard to work with.  This picture shows the bubbles you get when applying epoxy to Kevlar.  The worst thing you can do is keep putting on more epoxy because then the Kevlar will float.


This is the same section after rolling out the bubbles with a special ribbed roller designed specifically for this purpose.  All the bubbles are gone and the Kevlar is tight to the carbon.


This shows the Kevlar layer finished.


Dry fitting the s-glass.  This stuff is also not easy to work with.  It is much stiffer than normal glass and harder to wet out properly. 


But after it is applied it all disappears!

I still have more work to do.  Next I need to apply a filler coat of epoxy, fair the hull, prime, and paint.  Uff da!


And I glued up the T shaped boom.

        

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Comments

• 3/20/2007 1:06 PM greg knipe wrote:
  chief, this is the best entry yet, comments like the ribbed roller explain problems i have has to deal withy in the past and solved in more time consuming ways. if i lived in florida, i'd be by every day to see if i could help. as it is, you have put together a text for building here. many thanks. redeyepaddler
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  1. 3/20/2007 1:15 PM Chief wrote:
     Thanks and glad it helped you.  It still adds a bit of time to the process because each section has to be rolled out before moving on to the next section, but it is worth the effort.
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• 3/20/2007 6:37 PM Sailboy wrote:
  Chief: Could you explain the reasons for this lay-up: the thin ply, Carbon cloth, kevlar, S glass? I'm wondering why you didn't just glass and epoxy inside and out and be done with it? Thanks.
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  1. 3/21/2007 6:43 AM Chief wrote:
     A very good question.
     
     There are two basic approaches to building the Tridarka Raider.  The easiest, simplest, fastest, and lowest cost method is to use 1/4" (6 mm) marine plywood and standard e-glass for the vaka.  The second method is harder, more complicated, slower, and higher cost using the thinner plywood (4mm) and more exotic fabrics.  Naturally I chose the later method.
     
     I was going for a light weight but tough boat.  This hull may be subjected to serious abuse in the Everglades Challenge, the Ultimate Florida Challenge, and general adventuring.  I used 4mm ply to reduce weight which allowed a couple of extra layers of fabric.
     
     
     • Carbon - light weight, strength, and stiffness
     • Kevlar - light weight, strength, impact and cutting resistance
     • S-glass - stronger and stiffer than e-glass and provides a workable surface over the Kevlar
     I haven't run the numbers or built a second boat using a more standard layup yet, but my guess is that the overall weight will be roughly the same using either approach.  My boat might be a bit tougher but the standard layup is probably tough enough.
     
     Is the second approach worth the extra effort and money?  I doubt it.  I recommend that all home builders use the easier and less costly layup.
     
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• 3/22/2007 9:09 AM Sailboy wrote:
  Hey, thanks for that clarification. It appears that you could cut much weight and maybe gain some strength and quicker build with drawn aluminum alloy tube akas (and the ability to do easy repairs)...Just a casual observation - this is seriously nice boat taking shape. I'm especially pleased by the generous freeboard, high volume bow, self-bailing design...and all that wonderful space! Very seaworthy elements. I look forward to seeing her sail.
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