the jelly belly build

[del]

Worked on fiberglass today, I hope this heat breaks soon, so the fiberglass it not going off as I put the last of it on.

del

[Melvin]

A U-bolt would work well around the centre/main tongue, but I can't see it working well on the angle section of the side braces.

A J bolt would work well.

[doug hodder]

Del, I don't know if you have considered this, but it might be an idea to "epoxy encapsulate" the interior of the structure. That is just going to amount to mopping, brushing, rolling, whatever, a coat of resin on the sheeting on the interior of the skin. That is a technique that is typically used on boats. While you aren't going to have standing water on the interior like a boat, my experience at Minden indicates that it might be a good idea. However, we had some extreme circumstances. While the exterior is sealed, sealing the interior will only help with any future water issues that you may encounter, including high humidity. It'd be easy to do now as it's just framing and a skin. It's cheap insurance. Just an idea...Doug

[del]

To start I have an engineering question, the spars that give the skin shape. What forces are being applied to these. Is the skin trying to push them in, and/or out. Are there side to side forces being applied to them. All this to ask how securely do I need to tie them to the skin. With the current heat (40c or 100f) fiberglass is a challenge. So if I am to work on this over the summer I need a alternative.
Doug would primer and paint seal the wood. Living in the middle of a desert humidity is not a huge concern.

del

[doug hodder]

Del...you need to think about where you might camp...I'm in a really dry climate also...but if you go out of your normal range, you might just encounter conditions that you didn't count on...A quick coat of epoxy isn't a big deal...and it's easy to do right now. Since it appears to be built somewhat like a boat hull, some extra resin on the panels might just be a + down the road...I sort of see it like this. You have so much work in getting it this far. For a few bucks more, why not? Lots easier to do it now, but like I say, that is just my opinion. I'm sure that others might not see eye to eye with me on this, and like I said it is strictly my opinion. Doug

[madjack]

I'm with Doug on this...we seal EVERYTHING...just in case!!!!!!....................

[del]

Doug when you say cover the inside with resin, is cloth involved? This heat is setting off the resin very quickly, without cloth I think I can work fast enough. Now is there a hot weather alternative to fiberglass to reinforce the spars?

del

[doug hodder]

Del...I didn't use cloth on the inside panels on my boats, but did cloth the entire hull on the outside...I did however use tape on the corners where the frame met the outer skin on the interior. It is different on a boat however as the sides are under different pressures, mostly from impact and scraping issues rather than water pressures. My boats only draw a couple of inches of water. They are planing, not displacement hulls.

I would just seal with the resin. The only thing that glass cloth would do for you is give you more impact resistance from something puncturing the skin, and that might not be a bad thing to do on the front of the tear. However, I'd just do the resin....mix up a batch and roll it on, use a brush to get it into the corners. Like I say...just my thoughts on it...maybe ask Andrew as he has more experience with it than me.

What kind of working times do you have with your epoxy? Even in 90+ temps I get 30 min or better out of the West Systems, just don't mix up a ton at a time...small batches as the clock starts when it is catalyzed. It doesn't have to be pretty, just roll it on... Doug

[tonyj]

Doug when you say cover the inside with resin, is cloth involved? This heat is setting off the resin very quickly, without cloth I think I can work fast enough. Now is there a hot weather alternative to fiberglass to reinforce the spars?

del

You can use cloth tape with epoxy to reinforce the spars. What Doug is suggesting is "painting" the inside with epoxy to seal it. So, you could kill two birds at one time, seal the interior and reinforce the spars by laying in tape. Epoxy has a longer working time, especially with a slow hardener. Like Doug said, mix in small batches. I would add to mix in wide, shallow containers. I almost always mix mine on paper plates and get good working time even with fast hardeners. If you can't apply all that you mix in 15 minutes, you're mixing up too large a batch.

[del]

Doug I never actually timed the resin, but it is around a 100f here. I am using rakia(sp) slow resin, and mixing the smallest amount the pumps will allow. The nearest west dealer is in spokane (3+hrs) according to their web cite.

[doug hodder]

I mix mine in a roller pan with a plastic liner...like 5 pumps of resin and 5 of catalyst...mix it up, and then roll it on. I use a shorty roller, cut a regular roller in half and use it on a trim roller handle. When it is all cured, you can strip the leftovers from the liner and reuse it. Sorry, I don't know what the differences are in the different brands of epoxy and their cure times with temps...only what I'm used to. I have applied resin in those temps here on boats and still had working time with them. The cured rollers make a great fire starter in the wood stove for the winter!!! Doug

[del]

I mix mine in a roller pan with a plastic liner...like 5 pumps of resin and 5 of catalyst...mix it up, and then roll it on. I use a shorty roller, cut a regular roller in half and use it on a trim roller handle. When it is all cured, you can strip the leftovers from the liner and reuse it. Sorry, I don't know what the differences are in the different brands of epoxy and their cure times with temps...only what I'm used to. I have applied resin in those temps here on boats and still had working time with them. The cured rollers make a great fire starter in the wood stove for the winter!!! Doug

Thanks for the ideas. Tomorrow a run to the hardware store is in order. By spreading out the resin in the roller I will increase the working time, right.

del

[doug hodder]

Yup...a pan will allow the material to spread out and not let the heat build up, which will shorten pan life, Mixing it up like that, I can get a lot of time out of the pan liner and the roller, you just need to play with it. I find that the roller might be getting stiff, and when I mix up a new batch and start rolling it on, it's still good. Again, I can only speak for my experience with the West System epoxies. On the interior of the skin...don't worry about "tipping" off the epoxy...just roll it on, use the brush that you have for the corners to wipe down the resin to tip it off (final smooth out and knocks down outgassing bubbles). When applying epoxy on the exterior, you do need to tip it off, as it will save you time on the sanding for the final finish. Doug

[del]

Yesterday I did as Doug suggested and rolled resin on the inside of the galley. Looks the same as before only with a glossy finish, but will be more difficult for water to soak into.
Today I drilled a hole for one of my tail lights, and started to install the pipe that will make it frenched in. After the resin dries I will trim it off flush with the body, and finish glassing it in.

Then put an end on it that allows me to mount the tail lights, complete with blue dots of course.

del

ps mike do I get a tee shirt now, over 10,000 views.

[bledsoe3]

ps mike do I get a tee shirt now, over 10,000 views.

You should get a shirt just for trying this build.