fiberglass help

[jacko1]

hi all just finnished building new wheelhouse on my 22ft colvic sea worker all done with marine ply i was going to glass all the joints but i was wondering how many layers i should use or should i just glass it all and as before how many layers should i use? cheers for any advice

[jacko1]

this is my first time using resin in big amounts so all advice is greatly apreciated cheers

[fishfeatures]

personally Jacko if I was going that far I'd cover it all to make it fully waterproof. I'd go with at least 1 layer of CSM (chopped strand mat) and then one of roven woven. If the finances won't stretch then do at least 2 of the CSM. When using the resin (polyester is what i'd use as it's cheaper and will do a good job for what you're at) just remember once the catalyst is mixed it'll start to go off fairly quickly prob in about 5-10 mins. So mix small enough amounts that you can use quickly rather than large ones which may be forcing you to rush the job. Get a fibreglass roller too which will help to get the trapped air bubbles out. You can lightly sand it afterwards to smooth it off and apply a coat or two of paint. Do this in a well ventilated area , prepare to destroy the floor and don't use sundays best...
also get a good scissors and acetone will remove resin from hands, hair, eyebrows etc......

[fergalb]

I would go with fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin as you will get a much smoother finish and it's easier to work with it will need about 3 coats one every 3 hours to fill the weave, for the first coat I spread it with a plastic squeegee and then use a roller for the other two tipping any lines or bubbles with a dry brush. I use west system epoxy and as it's your first time you should get the pumps that go on the tin it makes mixing very easy as it's one for one They also have a great website with lots of info http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

There are more photos of the build in the link below if you want to see how it turned out.

[jacko1]

cheers for the info guys and great build fergalb. do i need to use a special primer on the ply or is there cheeper allternitaves ? again cheers lads

[fergalb]

The epoxy will stick to the ply no problem but you will need a primer on the epoxy before you paint it I find Pre-Kote by international works well and it's a one part primer.

[jacko1]

cheers fergal i have allready got that and paint last summer just need the weather to cooperate with me now as doing the work outside under a open shed with very little wind or rain cover cheers again