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Three layers of 1x3 make a very stout shear clamp. Helps greatly in making the shear conform to a fair curve.

Sure are a lot of expendables when using epoxy...

I built two supports, fore and aft, for when the hull is inverted. Each will have two casters mounted on top, and are made so that the hull will be level with the waterline.

After much thought, I came up with this solution to enable me to turn the hull all by my onesies. There are two cargo straps, each running over a 2x8 up in the roof trusses. Since the nylon strapping is rather slick, sliding the hull around is not too difficult, though I may need a block and tackle to assist.

A flying boat! J

Well, the garage didn't collapse, and I was able to get it turned over without too much trouble. Turning it back upright after the addition of the 1/4" hull panels, keel, sheathing and paint will be more of a challenge.

I goofed up and used four swivel casters, which makes pushing it where I want it to go, um, interesting. I should have used two non-swiveling casters. If it gets too annoying, I'll jack it up and switch them out.

Here's the bit where the additional layer of ply is cold-molded to the bottom of the hull. I first tried using staples driven through thin plywood buttons as hold-downs, which were very fast to apply, but *&^%#! tedious to remove. I then switched to short drywall screws, which I found to work better. The air holes drilled in the panels every 6-8 inches or so really did their job allowing air and excess epoxy out, and the added ply really firms up the somewhat flexible 3/8" hull panels.

Since the cold-molded bottom panels stand proud of the topsides near the bow, they have to be planed and sanded down to fair into the hull properly.

"Sticky-Stuff Dispenser" from Michael Engineering. Why the hell didn't I get one of these a long time ago? It's accurate, adjustable, well made and works great. Worth every penny.

After some delay, I finally got back to work and put the keel on. It's Honduran Mahogany, built in three pieces with overlap joints (as per the plans). A lot more work than I though it'd be. I deviated a bit from the plans in that the keel has a round-edged profile, rather than the traditional tapered/scalloped shape on the stem. Mainly due to my intent to tie the keel into the hull with multiple layers of cloth. Another image.

After even more delays, I'm back at it. Filling in all the various holes and divots, filleting the keel, etc. Found that the scarf joints, even though carefully aligned, left an irregularity in the surface. With a flexible metal straightedge and some fairing blend, they were easily smoothed out.

Buying in quantity, by the way, can save some significant $$$. This 10 lb. bag of colloidal silica cost about $90, a big savings over an equivalent number of 5 qt. tubs at $18.50 each. (From Advantage Epoxy Composites)

Update, 9/13/04: Advantage Epoxy has apparenty gone out of business.

I suspended the roll of Xynole Polyester (to cover the hull) from the rafters. Makes putting the sections of cloth on the hull a breeze.

Here's the first section. I chose Xynole Polyester because: a) I've worked with it before, b) it doesn't itch like fiberglass, c) it's more abrasion-resistant and has higher peel strength than fiberglass, d) it conforms to compound curves well, and e) it doesn't itch like fiberglass. J

(Xynole is available from Defender Industries.)

Sheathing the hull is slow going… Here's the last large cloth panel taped on prior to being gooped.

Closeup of the Xynole-Polyester with one coat of epoxy. I've read that leaving it in this state can make a good canvas-like non-skid surface for decks and coach-roofs, but when I get to that part of the boat, I think I'll stick with adding two-three coats of epoxy, and then use sand with the paint to create non-skid areas.

Once I add the transom and motor-well cloth, and a small piece at the stem, I'll do some sanding/fairing, apply the second and third coats of epoxy, do more sanding and fairing, and then I can put on the copper-epoxy bottom coating.

After two more coats of epoxy, plus fairing with microballoons, I rolled on some home-brew copper-epoxy bottom paint. I used System 3 epoxy with the slow hardener, both for the longer work time and the reduced viscosity. (Takes a looong time to cure completely, however.)

Copper powder (from EpoxyProducts.com) was added at the rate of 4 lbs. per gallon. A bit of Cabosil was tossed in to smooth the mix and reduce runs and sags. Two coats total, with each coat using a bit less than 3/8 gallon. Mix was thick, but not too thick to roll well. Worked great!

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