Readers' Projects, Issue 60

Moonpie

By Robert Peterson

Over the last off-season, Robert Petersen converted the bare aluminum hull of his RIB dinghy into a hybrid plywood/aluminum hull using 1/4″ ply and WEST SYSTEM^® products. Robert looks forward to using her as a dinghy for his 1971 Jim Brown 37′ Searunner as he sails the United States Virgin Islands in St. Thomas.

Wood Dinghy

By Robert Hale

This design is Nick Schade’s “Coot” plan. It was built by Robert Hale using clear old growth red cedar 1/4″ x 3/4″.
He tried to orient as many strips fore and aft as possible, but the last eight strips went in straight, and he tapered the ends. These were edge glued and covered in 6 oz. fiberglass inside and out using WEST SYSTEM^® Epoxy. The transom is cherry.

Boat Planters

By Ed Maurer

Yard Yachts are small, boat-like planters and displays for use in homes, gardens and businesses. Working from his shop in Dunedin, FL, Ed Maurer builds these 3′-8′ yachts. He chooses to use interior grade plywood (for its flexibility and affordability) in addition to various types of lumber. To ensure the yachts can stand up to the exterior elements, he uses WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin^® and 206 Slow Hardener^® for bonding and sealing the wood. The exteriors, and sometimes the interiors, are painted with high-grade exterior household paints to the customer’s order. Any unpainted epoxy receives several coats of marine-grade spar varnish.

Condo Bench

By Paul Hayes

Reader Paul Hayes recently donated this bench to his condo association so residents would have a nice location near the mailboxes to sit and read their mail. This teak bench had spent some time outside and therefore had become discolored. He sanded the bench on his dry, enclosed porch and removed any sanding dust. Having some limited exposure to WEST SYSTEM^® Epoxy from the sailing world, he decided to use that to seal the wood. He applied four applications, being careful not to create “gas bubbles” by letting the porch get too hot or humid. He sanded between each coat. Over top he applied 4-5 coats of a marine grade varnish, wet sanding as high as 2,500-grit.

Knife

By Matthew Gregory

This neo-Japanese style fighting knife, with composite construction handle, was made by Matthew Gregory. The 6″ long blade is made of a Crucible Steel laminate of CPM-154 stainless cladding over a core of high wear resistance tool steel Crucible CPM-10v. The handle consists of a G10 and carbon fiber frame, with an aerospace foam material called Rohacell (to add dimension with almost no weight). It’s sleeved in carbon fiber, and bonded with WEST SYSTEM^® 105/207 under vacuum. The seppa and menuki are both titanium, and the guard is carbon fiber. WEST SYSTEM 105/205 was used for the final assembly. Instagram @mgregoryknives.