TMS-20 Update Closing the access port. When I was in the earlier stages prior to joining the hull halves I wanted to glass in the first bulkhead from both sides on each hull half. The reason was because this bulkhead although small carries load from the bow sprit and forestay and once the hulls are joined it is not accessible. The bottom half of the hull was easy it was open before the hulls were joined. So I planned out an access port once they were joined to get the rest of the bulkhead glassed.
I made two backing plates. One patch panel was 90 degrees to go against the bulkhead and hull to give a bite for the flat patch panel it was glued in place before the hulls were joined. The second flat patch panel overlapped the cutout. The flat patch panel was left loose inside the hull when it was glassed together and I tied a string to it so I could pull it in place when it was time. I also built a ridge in the bow area so when the hulls were joined I glassed them together by the ridge.
The first two pics show the access port and making the patch panels. The third pic is the carbon bonding the bulkhead to the hull working though the access port. Also when I joined the hulls I edge glued the bulkhead to the hull side with a bead of thickened epoxy.
Last edited by TheManShed; 06/17/1101:14 PM.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
Just for fun let's pretend this is a repair job on a carbon / foam boat. You would cut away the bad. Form some type of flange, and then create a backing skin. This is the point that I'm at now.
The flange could be strips glued that overlapped the cutout and the inner part of the hull. The flange would build a lip that a formed piece of pre-made skin could be fastened.
Last edited by TheManShed; 06/17/1102:08 PM.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
Happy Father’s day to all of you dad’s out there. The boys are home this week-end but the family let me work on the boat some. Here are a few pics of what I got done before the rain started. We really need the rain so……
I finished the frames to hold the boat upside down so I’m working on the keel to fare it out to get ready to tape the seam. Then some more faring and get ready for the bottom outside skin. I’m also working on closing the access hole on the port side around the chine. I scuffed up the area, fitted a piece of carbon, wetted it out with a bog of west systems epoxy with 404 thickener, lay-up up the carbon, then put the cut-out back in and clamped in place.
If this was a repair job there would be more of lay-up but in this case the cut-out had a lay-up on the back of the foam already. Then you would place the foam over the inside skin.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
Not pretty yet but I want good saturation and make sure it filled all the cracks and voids.
The next step would be the outside skin after the repair is fared out. In my case that will be a week or two as I go back to working on faring the keel and taping out the seam where hulls join. I will tape it out with one 4" strip of 200 gram carbon and then a layer of the lightest Kevlar cloth I can find locally to cover the keel area that will be exposed directly to the beach. Next a layer of E-glass (white) fiber glass cloth so I can sand and fare as Kevlar does not sand well it balls up and frays. The Kevlar is for preventing punctures from any sharp objects or rocks when beaching. Once that is completed I will do the normal lay-up of two layer of carbon and one layer of E-glass for the outer skin.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
Fared out as far as I'm going to take it at this time until I make the final faing for the chine and top lay-up. Working on the keel at this time, pics later in a week or so for next update.
Also working on getting a new job more travel in the US but more time off to work on the boat.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
MN3-Funny my son and I talked about that it would make a great potato cannon. Pete yes I've used acetone. Enough to get 10 drops from the mixing stick. Not too scientific. If the gel coat is really old and thick buy new it is fairly cheap. I'd say about the same thinning I've done with Lacquer paint if that helps. Once thinned you may have to do multiple coats with a little flash time in between.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
This is a little off subject for you, but have you ever thinned gelcoat? If so, with what and how much?
Thanks.
MEK, Styrene, or Acetone. I prefer MEK as it flashes off a little more slowly than Acetone. Styrene is the best to use but it's nasty nasty stuff. Duratec makes a good product that you mix 50/50 with gelcoat to act as a thinning agent and to allow it to air cure. It works well, although, I've found that it makes white gelcoat too opaque for my liking.
DO NOT THIN TOO MUCH with the solvents. If you do, the gelcoat will not cure properly. I would thin just enough to spray...make sure your spray gun has at least a 2.3mm tip if using a spray gun. Quality of the gun is not very important...you're going to have to finish it later anyway.
Jake Kohl
Re: TMS-20 update 6/17
[Re: Jake]
#234017 06/24/1109:13 AM06/24/1109:13 AM
Never thought of MEK that works also. I always seem to have Acetone around the shop and it works. I agree Styrene is pretty nasty so I’ve been staying away from it. Actually I've stayed away from all Styrene, polly, and ester based products the last few years I started to have reactions to it. I guess I played with it enough over the years that my system was getting pissed at me. I’ve been happy working with Epoxy and it does not stink! The only complaint I have about epoxy is that it takes at least overnight to cure up enough to work on it. With all the work I’m doing my neighbors do not have to put up with a styrene smell coming from my shop. I walked into a large fiberglass supply house in Ft Lauderdale a few days ago and the Styrene smell was getting me high.
Mike Shappell www.themanshed.com TMS-20 Builder G-Cat 5.7 - Current Boat NACRA 5.2 - early 70's
Thanks again. Typically I roll two coats, wet sand roll two more coats, wet sand and buff. It doesn't take quite as long as it sounds but it is time consuming.
It is summer time so I may roll only 1 coat before sanding.
Pete Pollard Blade 702
'When you have a lot of things to do, it's best to get your nap out of the way first.
Re: TMS-20 update 6/17
[Re: pgp]
#234022 06/24/1110:33 AM06/24/1110:33 AM