By Captain James R. Watson
I thought Jan Gougeon’s idea of an air-cushioned boat launcher was crazy at first. Then I thought if I could build a platform narrow enough to fit between the hulls of my catamaran, low enough to fit under the beams and powerful enough to lift the entire catamaran, it would be feasible to levitate the boat over yard, beach, sand bars, virtually anywhere. Continue reading
Staying within a set budget of time and money can be the toughest of all goals for a boat builder. The beach cat I wrote about in this issue is the 19th boat I’ve built from scratch. From these projects, and from talking to many folks building similar projects, I’ve learned some elements of maintaining a budget of time and money. Continue reading
When using WEST SYSTEM® 300 Mini Pumps, the most important things to remember are:
If you’re ever concerned that your pumps aren’t metering properly, simply mix a test batch of 3 pump strokes each of resin and hardener. Stir thoroughly and make sure it’s fully cured before continuing with your project. Continue reading
By Allan Eugene Mechen
The 200-year-old wooden figurehead from the ship H.M.S. UNITE’ was in a serious state of rot in March of 1994 when restoration experts began work to save her. They completed the painstaking process in October, 1994.
Examining the figurehead on site, we saw that it had been previously sheathed in fiberglass. This was probably done because the 200 year old timber could no longer be maintained using conventional methods and materials. Continue reading
The title signed on the figurehead repaired with WEST SYSTEM® products and featured in Restoration of a Figurehead in Epoxyworks #6, gives the following history of her host ship:
H.M.S. UNITE’
Fifth rate frigate ~ 38 guns
Captured from the French in 1794
Previously named Imperieuse. Renamed Unite’ in 1803
Was in three Successful Actions against the
French, on 1st May, 4th July and 29th Nov 1811
Converted for use as a Convict Hospital Ship in 1836
Broken up at Chatham in 1858.
Courtesy of Peter Townrow
Melanie was built in 1919 by the German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen, and previously bore the names WOLF and SANPAN. The 42’ sailboat was purchased in 1956 by Sir Eric Seal, Winston Churchill’s former secretary. After Seal and a group of civil servants restored her, MELANIE became the first yacht of the Civil Service Sailing Association. Continue reading
by Ginny Kienast
Cover Photo: With her blistered bottom fully repaired, DOVE takes to the seas in fine form.
After completing the tedious reconstruction of DOVE’s decks, we felt exhilarated and pleased. We had spent a year removing DOVE’s teak decks, drying out the foam sandwich core, reinforcing it with WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy and laying a new epoxy/fiberglass deck. It was a job we never wanted to undertake again. It was February 1991, and we were making a list of things to do so we could be cruising aboard DOVE within a few months. I could toss out my epoxy saturated clothes and finally think of basking on DOVE’s foredeck in some tropical cove. Continue reading
Our Technical Advisor Jim Derck (now retired), noticed that some fabrics seemed to have a remarkable thirst for epoxy. To determine exactly how much epoxy it takes to wet out and bond different kinds of fabric, Jim conducted a carefully controlled experiment. Continue reading
Epoxyworks #5, Winter 1995
These two classic-styled runabouts were designed and built by Gary Brookins of Brookins Classic Runabouts in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Continue reading
Editor’s Note:
This article about epoxy and oak was originally published in early 1995, and is shared at Epoxyworks.com for historical purposes. A dozen years after this article was written, we developed G/flex epoxies, which are rubber toughened to withstand shock, vibration, expansion and contraction. G/flex epoxies adhere tenaciously to many difficult to bond substrates, including dense and oily wood species like oak. Continue reading