Plastic Classic Forum

Greetings all and salute to all veterns. Us old vets need to keep supporting the newbies. OoooRaa, Semper Fi. Thanks to everybody who gave their opinion here. I have laid up 17 oz biax, no mat, and accomplished this with one helper. My boat is a 32ft sailboat and turning turtle was not an option. I ...

Thanks for the thoughts. Your right. I just need to keep the trailer out of the water. I'm pretty sure there isn't a sistership for over 1000 miles. If I were trying to level or find the water line on my daysailer it would be easy to splash her and make some marks. My boat is not able to launch with...

Greetings, My boat is on a trailer and the hull is down to bare fiberglass below what looks like a waterline (the bootstripe is gone). I would like to find the real waterline so as I build up fresh fiberglass and eventually paint it, I'll have something like a bootstripe where it is supposed to be. ...

The weather and other distractions are letting me work on my boat again. The hull has had the gelcoat and a layer of fiberglass removed. Now I have 1708 ready to cover everything below the waterline. The epoxy is ready to mix. The hull will take 3 rows of the biaxial cloth. Is it best to go from the...

Homework is done. I'm placing my order for biaxial cloth and epoxy resin. The way it has been explained to me by a chemist is that in the way of bonds, Epoxy has a much more complex system of crosslinks and bonds that attach with more strength than vinyl ester resin that bonds in a way similar to wr...

That is interesting. Saving money is not the reason for using vinylester. I was attracted to a resin that I thought had good bonding and flexability. Thanks for clearing that up. Now for another boatyard idea that I was given by an "Expert" plastic man. Is it true that adding a cap of acet...

I was under the impression that vinylester had superior bonding characteristics attaching to polyester material which is what I'm sure the original job is and that epoxy would be more less flexable. I haven't worked with vinylester before but I have seen epoxy that became brittle. I am hoping to get...

After careful consideration and email contact with owners of sisterships, I am laying up biaxial cloth/mat below the waterline with vinylester resin. My thoughts on vinylester resin is that is provides good bonding, flexability and blister barrier characteristics. I have epoxy paint to use over the ...

The hull was either peeled or ground down with some kind of flat blade device. There are tool marks on the water line that still need to be faired. The original owner was a master shipbuilder who died about 5 years ago. He was planning to lay on one layer of biaxial cloth/mat with vinylester resin. ...

Thanks for the welcome to the forum. This obcession is my favorite passtime these days. It is great to be able to work on a project that has a potential to give so much back. For those not familliar with Nantucket Clippers it is an English boat designed by Allan Buchanon and several hundred were bui...

I have just moved a Nantucket Clipper infront of my house so I can make her new again. Her hull was peeled, engine, head and galley removed, all bilges exposed and she has sat in the dry for 10 years. Her exterior teak and hatches are off and needing replacement. It does need some rigging and sails ...