FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION AND FABRICATION

Fiberglass Construction & Fabrication: www.FiberglassMoldManual.com

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FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION

AND FABRICATION Step By Step

Simple Straight Forward Techniques Used In Fabricating Parts With Fiberglass For Full Size Marine, Automotive Or Hobby

Applications. Boat Hull Example Manual.


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Table of Contents:

LESSON 1: BEGINNING THE PROJECT: FRAME CONSTRUCTION............................................................... 4

A SIMPLE DESIGN FOR STARTERS ........................................................... 4 Figure 1: Scrol ling Saw ................................................................ 4

TRANSOM, KEEL & CHINES ................................................................... 5 Figure 3: Aligning Parts ............................................................... 5

LESSON 2: COMPLETING THE BASIC HULL STRUCTURE: FILLING WITH FOAM ....................................................... 6

FLORAL FOAM IS EASY TO SHAPE ............................................................ 6 Figure 5: Fi ll ing With Foam ........................................................... 7 Figure 6: Hull Sides Taking Shape .................................................. 7 Figure 7: Sides Of The Hull Fi lled With Foam .................................... 8

SHAPING THE HULL SIDES ................................................................... 8 Figure 8: Shaping The Hull Sides .................................................. 9 Figure 9: The Hull Takes Shape ..................................................... 9

NOW FOR THE BOTTOM OF THE BOAT ......................................................10 Figure 10: Finishing The Foam Fi l ling ............................................10

A SIMPLE PROCESS ..........................................................................10

LESSON 3: PREPARING THE HULL FOR FIBERGLASS APPLICATION................................................................ 11

Figure 11: Taping The Hull ..........................................................11 Figure 12: More Tape .................................................................12 Figure 13: Tape Detail ................................................................12 Figure 14: The Next Step – PVA Application ....................................13

LESSON 4: FIBERGLASS APPLICATION............................. 14 Figure 15: Ready to Fiberglass .....................................................14 Figure 16: Applying The First Layer Of Mat .....................................15 Figure 17: First Layer Done – Time To Cure ....................................15

ALLOW THE FIBERGLASS TO CURE BEFORE MOVING ON ..................................16 Figure 18: The Final Layers Of Mat ...............................................16

KEEPING THE HULL EDGES SQUARE ........................................................16 Figure 19: Mat Is Cut To Fit .........................................................17 Figure 20: Rol l ing On The Mat ......................................................17 Figure 21: Second Layer Done & Curing..........................................18

WORKING OUT THE HIGHS AND LOWS ......................................................18 Figure 22: Electric Sander Works Fast ............................................19

LESSON 5: BUILDING THE DECK...................................... 20

Figure 23: Trimming The Deck ......................................................20


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Figure 24: Removing The Deck And Foam .......................................21 Figure 25: Removing The Foam.....................................................21 Figure 26: Scrape It Clean..........................................................22

ANOTHER SIMPLE PLAN ......................................................................22 Figure 27: Framing In The Deck ....................................................23 Figure 28: Foam Is Adhered To The Deck ........................................24 Figure 29: Shaping With Sanding Blocks .........................................24

GLASSING THE DECK ........................................................................25 Figure 30: Glassing The Deck .......................................................25 Figure 31: Applying Microbal loons And Resin ...................................26 Figure 32: Spread The Mix With A Flat Edge Tool .............................27 Figure 33: Sanding To A Smooth Finish ..........................................27 Figure 34: Ready For Paint ..........................................................28

MATERIALS LIST ........................................................... 29

RESOURCE LINKS: ......................................................... 30


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Lesson 1: Beginning the ProFrame Construction Every project has to begin with a final product in mibuilt boats from pictures, drawings and models. Exiare nice to use since they give a 3D reference whichwhen building a scale model.

A Simple Design For Starters For this boat, I have a very simple design in mind. be a small motor boat scaled to fit 12” figures. To bproject, I have to draw out the deck outline on a piemahogany door skin. For the purpose of this build, simply a reference that I will use to guide my constr Figure 1: Scrolling Saw Figure 2: Deck

I use a scrolling jig saw to cut out the outline ofall of my hull pieces. The deck outline was first drawpiece of poster board and then cut out with a pair ofthen trace the same half of the poster board cut-outside of a center line drawn on the mahogany. This minsures symmetry.

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I like to use mahogany door skin as building material because it is durable yet easy to shape. Once the deck outline is cut, I will attach my cut out to a piece of ridged 1” MDF board.

Transom, Keel & Chines With the deck cut out and secured to the MDF, I need to cut pieces that will guide the final shape of this hull. Important pieces are the transom, the main keel and the chines. These pieces need to be more rigid so they will be cut from ½ inch plywood. Just like the deck outline, these pieces are all cut from one pattern in order to insure symmetry of the final product. Figure 3: Aligning Parts Figure 4: Epoxy Frame

I cut and then smooth the edges of these pieces with a belt sander and then attach them to the underside of the deck with a high quality hobby epoxy. I like to begin by gluing the transom to the underside of the deck. As you can see in the picture above, I use a piece of aluminum angle as an alignment jig. This keeps everything square and tight while the epoxy is curing. Note that in addition to tacking the deck to the MDF with staples, I also use weights to hold the deck down to prevent warping or movement. Once the transom is solidly in place, the center keel and chines can be cemented into place. Since I am building this hull from scratch and this is not intended to be a high speed or high performance hull, I align these pieces using a combination of a measuring tape, the eyeball method and a 90 degree angle ruler.


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Lesson 2: Completing the Basic Hull Structure: Filling with F Once the epoxy cures and the frame pieces are secuI begin to fill the framework with foam and begin theprocess.

Floral Foam Is Easy To Shape I use dry floral foam for this step because it is cheapavailable, doesn’t react poorly to resin and it shapes The foam blocks are attached to the deck of the boaBondo is an excellent adhesive as it cures quickly aninexpensive as compared to hobby shop epoxy. When building a project out of foam, it is sometimesattach two pieces of foam to each other. If this is thto keep the bondo away from any area that I have tobondo is much harder than the foam and will not sansame rate as the foam creating irregularities while yshape the foam to the final product.

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Figure 5: Filling With Foam

Some foam is in place, it is overkill to use a hacksaw on the foam but it cuts easy and gives a straight line. Serrated steak knives are excellent for cutting foam as well.

Figure 6: Hull Sides Taking Shape

Adding more foam.


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Figure 7: Sides Of The Hull Fil led With Foam

The process continues. I rough cut some of the foam before attaching it to the deck. The perimeter of the hull was filled with green foam blocks.

Shaping The Hull Sides For this project, I elected to first fil l the sides of the hull with foam and shape them with a sanding block prior to fil l ing the bottom of the hull with foam. I like to sand this foam with 60 grit paper that I had left over from my belt sander. I support the sandpaper with a block to ensure a flat surface.


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Figure 8: Shaping The Hull Sides

The sanding begins.

Figure 9: The Hull Takes Shape

When the sides are sanded down to contact with the wooden frame pieces, this is what I am left with - smooth, well shaped nearly flawless lines of my newest boat hull.


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Now For The Bottom Of The Boat Now I turn my attention to the bottom of this boat. After examining the hull at this point of the build, I decided to use foam sheets to shape the bottom area. This way seemed more efficient since it will use less foam. The foam sheets were attached to the keel and the chines with bondo.

Figure 10: Finishing The Foam Filling

Filled With Foam and Shaped. In the photograph above, you can see that the bottom has been filled with foam and shaped with a sanding block. I made the sanding block from a piece of plywood that I attached a piece of sandpaper to with spray adhesive.

A Simple Process Just like the sides of the hull, the bottom of the hull is simply sanded down to the level of the wooden frame.

Fiberglass Construction & Fabrication: www.FiberglassMold

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Lesson 3: Preparing the Hull for Fiberglass Application Now that the hull is shaped, I can prepare it for fibeapplication. This preparation involves removing all of the foam pare left from the sanding process. This is best accoman air compressor. Once the outer surface is clean, I will cover the foammasking tape. During this process, I am careful to lwooden formers exposed because I want the fiberglathat part of the structure.

Figure 11: Taping The Hull

I just use regular masking tape for this step. Tmake for a clean interior of the final hull. The tape resin from adhering to the foam and allows the foameasily after the fiberglass has cured.

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Figure 12: More Tape

You can see the wooden frame has been left uncovered. This was done intentionally because I want the fiberglass to adhere to the frame.

Figure 13: Tape Detail

I also left the edge of the underside of the deck uncovered. Just like the frame, I want the fiberglass to adhere to the deck. You can see that the tape doesn’t have to lay perfect.


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Figure 14: The Next Step – PVA Application

Brushing on a coat of PVA will insure a very easy release of the foam blocks from the fiberglass later on. Just like the tape, I keep this stuff off of the frame.


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Lesson 4: Fiberglass Application With the hull now properly prepared, it is time to coglass. I use 1 ½ ounce chopped mat and I will startjust one coat of resin and one layer of mat to the suboat.

Figure 15: Ready to Fiberglass

I have some resin catalyzed with MEKP in the cup½ once mat and a brush. That is enough to get me

Laying fiberglass mat on top of the foam is just like any other fiberglass project. The longer the mat is ethe resin the easier it is to shape to your project. Pmat that don’t want to cooperate can be encouragedadditional resin. This is especially true with cornersnever likes to make 90 degree bends so you have towith it.

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Try not to allow the resin to pool. Pool ing resin adds weight and doesn’t do much for the strength of the final project.

Figure 16: Applying The First Layer Of Mat

Applying resin with a brush. This can also be done with a small roller as you will see in later pictures. Use the brush or rol ler to push the resin through the mat and onto the surface of the tape covered foam.

Figure 17: First Layer Done – Time To Cure

At this stage, the first layer of fiberglass has been applied.


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Allow The Fiberglass to Cure Before Moving On I allow this layer of glass to cure overnight. Once the hull has cured, it will be durable and able to move on to the next step in this build. With the hull in a rough state, I use a sanding block to smooth the surface. I don’t need it to be perfect at this point, just good enough to lay a fairly flat second layer of glass.

Figure 18: The Final Layers Of Mat

The hull is prepared and ready for the second layer of mat. In addition to the second layer of mat, I will also apply a final layer of veil. Veil will smooth over the fibers of the chopped mat.

Keeping The Hull Edges Square For this second layer of mat, I cut the mat to fit the height of the sides of the hull and the span of the bottom. I do it this way to keep the edges of the hull square. Applying too many layers of glass over the corners will round them out. Any extra mat will not be rol led over the edges, it will be allowed to cure as is and then sanded down.


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Figure 19: Mat Is Cut To Fit

Pieces of mat cut for the sides of the hull.

Figure 20: Rolling On The Mat

The hull is being supported on its side while I use a roller to saturate the mat with resin. It is helpful to first cover the area of the hull that you are working on with resin so that the dry mat sticks to it and holds in place when you are rol ling more resin onto the mats’ surface.


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Figure 21: Second Layer Done & Curing

This is the hull with the second layer of mat and veil applied. You can see that there is excess mat extending over the hul l sides that I did not try to rol l over the bottom edge of the hull . Once again, this helps keep the edges sharp and clean.

Working Out The Highs and Lows After the second layer of chopped mat is applied and cured, I can use my electric sander to smooth the surface of the hull to perfection.


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Figure 22: Electric Sander Works Fast

Sanding smooth. Make sure to wear a mask. Fiberglass dust does nasty things to your lungs. I use 100 grit sandpaper for this step. Any deep flaws will be filled with bondo and sanded smooth. Essentially this step involves fill ing – sanding –fill ing – sanding – until the surface is nice and smooth.


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Lesson 5: Building The Deck With the hull smoothed out, I remove it from the board and turn my attention to the deck. I begin by drawing a line around the perimeter of the deck that will be my cutting guide. Then I use my Dremel tool to cut the inside of the deck out. See pictures below.

Figure 23: Trimming The Deck

Deck is cut.


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Figure 24: Removing The Deck And Foam

Lifting the cut piece off the deck. Now that the inside of the deck has been removed, I can begin removing the foam. The foam comes out easy by hand and putty knife. Basically I just chip it out, pry it out and li ft it out. It all works.

Figure 25: Removing The Foam

Removing the foam from the hull.


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Figure 26: Scrape It Clean

This hull is clean of foam.

Another Simple Plan I have a simple plan for the deck that will make a nice clean finish. The process for bui lding the deck is the same as the process that I outlined for the hull. I begin by building a frame out of scrap wood. I epoxy the wood into place maintaining the same distance between the frame pieces as the width of the foam. This just makes the build go faster.


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Figure 27: Framing In The Deck

Frame pieces in place and ready for the addition of foam.

With the frame pieces securely in place, I can begin to attach the foam. In order to save time during sanding the foam to shape, I cut the foam to size before attaching it to the frame with bondo.


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Figure 28: Foam Is Adhered To The Deck

Foam is in place and ready for shaping.

Once the bondo has cured and the foam is secure, I can begin shaping it with sandpaper and a block. Be careful with this step, foam cuts quickly with 60 grit paper.

Figure 29: Shaping With Sanding Blocks

Shaped and ready for fiberglass.


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Glassing The Deck With the deck shaped the way I want it, I can cover it with two layers of 1 ½ ounce mat. For this step, simply follow the procedures as described earl ier in this manual.

Figure 30: Glassing The Deck

I used brushes and a small roller to smooth the mat onto the deck’s surface. Once this cures, I will clean up the excess mat with my electric sander and begin the final steps of this project.


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Figure 31: Applying Microballoons And Resin

With the deck trimmed, I do a quick once over the hull and deck with a sanding block. Then I mix a pasty mixture of micro-balloons and resin, catalyze it with MEKP and proceed to use this mixture to smooth out the imperfections in the surface of my new boat.


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Figure 32: Spread The Mix With A Flat Edge Tool

I use a plastic spreader to fill the shallows of the hull.

Once the mixture of microballoons and resin has cured, I use my palm sander to smooth it out. As with most projects, I need to fill / sand – fill / sand several times to get the smooth surface that I desire.

Figure 33: Sanding To A Smooth Finish

Sanding the deck and hull is nearly complete.


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When I think that I am done sanding, I take some time to inspect all the surfaces for defects. I want this boat to be perfect! After all , when some guy at the boat pond asks me where I got this boat, I want to be able to hold my head high and say “I made it!” and actually be proud and confident of my work.

Figure 34: Ready For Paint

Here is the final product, I wi ll paint it and call it done

Figure 35: Painted and Polished – Ready For Drive & Radio


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Well, that’s it. There is my finished boat hull, not including the interior of course. That is another project entirely. Check the following 2 pages for a materials list and resources where you can find sites I use to purchase materials and tools.

Materials List THIS IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE A FIBERGLASS HULL OR JUST ABOUT ANY OTHER PROJECT WITH SIMILAR SURFACES.

1) Laminating Resin: This is the basis of any fiberglass project. You will use this for both your mold and the pieces that you make with your mold. Resin is usually bought by the gallon but can be purchased in smaller quantities.

2) MEKP: This is what catalyzes or hardens the laminating resin. 3) Fiberglass Mat: This adds strength and form to the resin. Mat is

bought by the yard and comes in many different weights. 4) PVA: This is sprayed or wiped onto the plug or mold cavity to prevent

the resin and gelcoat from sticking. PVA goes on after the mold release wax.

5) Rollers & Brushes: Used for applying and spreading resin and gelcoat. These should be disposable as they are very difficult to clean.

6) Fume Mask: Keeps you from becoming horribly ill and full of cancer

from your materials. A fume mask is a must.

7) Latex Gloves: These keep your hands clean. I use a lot of these.

8) Acetone: Used to clean up your tools after you are finished. This stuff cuts right through both the resin and the gelcoat.

9) Bondo: This is regular old body repair filler.

10) Microballoons: These are mixed with resin into a paste like

consistency and used to smooth over the surface of your project. Materials and Tools Resource links on the next page . . . .


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FIBERGLASS CONSTRUCTION AND FABRICATION

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