EPOXYWORKS Number 33, Fall 2011 Cover story: On July 9, 2011, Jan Gougeon launched the 40' catamaran Strings at the Gougeon Brothers boat shop on the Saginaw River in Bay City, Michigan. Jan’s goals for this “folding cat with a fuselage” were that it be easy to sail solo or double-handed, self-righting, trailerable, with a shallow draft, and have a big enough footprint to be a serious offshore contender. The most important criteria? “You don’t have to be a spring chicken to sail it.” Also:In the second of a series of articles on wood/epoxy boat construction, Ted Moores delivers a critical lesson on applying fiberglass fabric to your stripped hull. These articles incorporate what Ted calls “Cheap Tricks” like working clean to get the best results with the fewest number of steps. Well known boat builder Damian McLaughlin provides another little trick that make the job of fairing go faster and easier. Contributors have been busy using West System Epoxy to soundproof a generator, replace a missing transom on a Flying Dutchman sailboat and filling in the grooves on a damaged table saw rip fence. Tech advisor Bruce Niederer and his brother work on two different bar tops using 207 Special Clear Hardener. Jeff Wright shows how you can test your fiberglass laminates in your own shop. Meet Don and Mike, our two new Technical Advisors. And, retired tech advisor J.R. Watson talks about his 34’ retirement catamaran.

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Jan Gougeon Launches Strings
Jan incorporates a lifetime of experience into his new 40' catamaran.

Sanding Tricks of the Trade
A great trick from Damian McLaughlin that makes the job of fairing go faster and better.

Soundproofing a Generator
Building an enclosure that makes Ted Wasserman’s generator much easier to live with.

Fiberglassing a Strip-planked Boat
Ted Moores delivers a very important Lesson 2—fiberglassing a strip-planked boat.

ION
James R. Watson adjusts to retirement aboard a custom appointed 34' power cat.

Flying Dutchman Repair
Local sailor Bill Bauer replaced his sailboat’s transom, rudder and tiller that were literally ripped off.

My Biggest Project Ever
With an award winning boat under his belt, Nelson Niederer tackles a 30' bar.

Pouring 105/207 on a Bar Top
Getting a smooth clear finish on a bar top using 207 Special Clear Hardener.

Shop Floor Testing
Jeff Wright, GBI Technical Director, takes science out of the lab and into the shop where it does the most good.

Quick Fix for a Damaged Table Saw Ripping Fence
An easy step-by-step method to smooth out a groovy old aluminum rip fence.

New Tech Advisor, Mike Barnard
Mike is an alumnus of Winona State University’s Composite Materials Engineering program.

New Tech Advisor, Don Gutzmer
Don brings a lot of hands-on experience, gained while working for one of the country’s premier builders.

The Michigan School
The new school located in northern Michigan will teach boat building and marine industry skills.

Therapy in Detail
Bill Curtis’ award winning baidarka-style kayak demonstrates that the devil is in the details.

Published twice a year by Gougeon Brothers, Inc., Epoxyworks (Product number 000-605) is a magazine about building, restoring and repairing with epoxy. It offers helpful tips, the latest techniques, projects you can build, readers' projects, and news from the Gougeon research and test labs. A free subscription to our printed version is available for residents of the U.S. and Canada.

Editor/Designer: Michael Barker
Managing Editor: Grace Ombry
Subscriptions/Contact: Kristen Lore
Contributors to this issue: Bill Bauer, Bill Curtis, Dave Lesh, Damian McLaughlin, Ted Moores, Bruce Niederer, Nelson Niederer, Grace Ombry, Tom Pawlak, Ted Wasserman, J. R. Watson and Jeff Wright.
©2011, Gougeon Brothers, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form, for commercial purposes, is expressly forbidden without the consent of the publisher. EPOXYWORKS is a registered trademark of Gougeon Brothers, Inc., Bay City, Michigan, USA. WEST SYSTEM, 105 Epoxy Resin, 205 Fast Hardener, 206 Slow Hardener, G/flex, G/5, and Microlight are registered trademarks of West System Inc., Bay City, Michigan, USA. This page is maintained by Gougeon Brothers, Inc. Last modified October 2011.