Above: The Maxi-Mac is a 14′ river dory designed and built by Paul Butler.
This new river dory, the Maxi-Mac, is an enlarged version of the 90 lb Mini-Mac. It’s double the volume of the smaller boat but lightweight versions of the Maxi-Mac still weigh as little as 125 pounds. LIghter weigh provides capacity for additional payload and easy of handling for getting the boat on and off the water.
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Lake Erie Lady is the title of this public art installation sculpture by Erie, Pennsylvania artist Mary Pat Lynch. Lynch used WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy to apply layers of designer fabrics to the fiberglass fish. The project was sealed with epoxy and then coated with an anti-graffiti lacquer. Continue reading
This Contender class single-handed racing dinghy was built in Italy by Bonezzi in 1994. Joachim Rosler of New Canaan, Connecticut owns and races the dinghy. He finished the boat with WEST SYSTEM Epoxy and has built his own carbon fiber foils.
Cover Photo: After four years of construction, TENACIOUS began sea trials in June of 2000.
Tenacious, the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s (JST) new wood/WEST SYSTEM Epoxy, 3-masted barque, underwent sea trials that began in June 2000. It offered a full schedule of tall ship voyages to Spain and the Canary Islands over the winter, with spring and summer trips to Brittany, Ireland, and Scotland. JST is a British charitable organization formed in 1978 with the aim of promoting the integration of able-bodied and physically disabled people through tall ship sailing. Tenacious now joins their other tall ship, Lord Nelson, which was built in 1986 and has carried over 6,500 disabled sailors, including 2,687 wheelchair users. Continue reading
Above: Surface prep testing using ASTM D3359. This calls for a single-edged razor blade to score a pattern through the coating. Applying a strip of masking tape diagonally across the pattern, then pulling it slowly back over itself will reveal the relative degree of adhesion to the substrate or primer.
Before you begin a project, it is a good idea to consider all of your options. Information about products or methods you may want to use is often available on product labels, from manufacturers, or your own experience. However, many times the information you need to make good choices is just not available. Then your best option is to test. In our most recent sailboat renovation, we had to figure out what to test for and how to do it. Continue reading
Above: The sister beams reinforce the failing ceiling beam to easily carry the load, with capacity to scare. Rebar is embedded into the bottom surface of the sister beams where the tensile load is at its maximum. (Figure 6)
While working in my shop/converted (never to be seen by a car) garage, I noticed that the double 2×8 beam supporting my ceiling joists was sagging about 2 to 3 inches in the middle. The builder of this forty-year-old garage didn’t use full-length 2×8’s to span the 19′ width, but four 2 x 8’s nailed together with staggered butt joints. Over the years, gravity took its toll. The nail holes elongated, the butt joints opened up, and the beam sagged ominously. Continue reading
Gelcoat blisters can be a serious problem if left unattended. At some point, your hull may need extensive repair, including gelcoat removal and epoxy barrier coats as described in Gelcoat Blisters: Diagnosis, Repair & Prevention. However, if you have isolated blisters and a manageable number to repair individually, we often recommend that you patch individual blisters and continue to use the boat until you determine the cause and extent of the problem. Continue reading
Above: For wet sanding epoxy, a typical grit sequence for smoothing an already flat surface would be 80 or 100 grit, then 150 or 180 grit, and finally 220 grit.
Wet sanding with waterproof sandpaper is often the best approach to sanding cured epoxy. Wet sanding epoxy emoves any amine blush while you sand, reduces clogging of the sandpaper, and reduces dust and exposure to partially cured epoxy. It lets your sandpaper go farther and provides a visual clue that everything is properly sanded. However, when working with bare wood or wood that cannot get wet, you will need to dry sand. Continue reading
On a break from the Maine Boatbuilders Show in March, we visited Hodgdon Yachts, Inc. and found significant progress on their latest build, a 155′ Bruce King designed wood/epoxy ketch, named Scheherazade. This is Hodgdon Yachts’ largest wood/epoxy vessel to date. The project is roughly 60% larger than Antonisa, the 124′ sailing yacht they launched last year. Continue reading
We recently did adhesion testing to Corian and Wilsonart surfaces with WEST SYSTEM 105 Resin and 206 Hardener at the request of a composite panel manufacturer. Corian and Wilsonart are mineral filled acrylic panels that look like granite and are often used as countertop material in kitchens and offices. Cabinetmakers and contractors typically use the panels in ½” thickness for residential applications. They are quite heavy, though not nearly as heavy as actual granite. Continue reading