Finally Fiberglassing

     I have been slacking lately when it comes to the sailboat.  I have lots of excuses for this.  Fishing, boating, gardening, mowing the yard every three hours (or so it seems), trips to the vet, working OT.  All good reasons, but today I felt like I had to make some progress.

     I bought some 8 oz cloth for fiberglassing the inside of the icebox, but this just didn't seem like it was going to be as solid as I wanted for the bottom part.  I tend to be a bit clumsy, and sooner or later I know I'm going to drop something in here.  This called for a little but more thickness.  Thankfully I found a big roll of some really thick glass out in the barn left by the previous tenant.  Score!  I'm not sure what it is, other than thick, but the price is right.  It isn't like the typical glass you think of, it isn't matting, and I don't think it is roving.  Its fibers all run in one direction, on an angle, and it has what seem to be little strings running through it holding it together.  It likes to fall apart when you handle it at all, but it seems like it will be much tougher than what I have.

     The inside of the icebox was already sanded, so I just had to clean it up before attempting this.  I used a damp rag to get out the remainder of the dust, and after that dried I used a rag with some acetone to make sure it was all clean and good to go.  I cut out a piece a little bit larger than what I needed and laid it in place and then went at it.

     The picture on the left shows the view from the top out in the cockpit, and the one to its right shows a view from an angle inside the boat.  They were taken before I finished up the edges while I was mixing up some more epoxy.  In the picture on the right you can see up top where there is some overlap.  The thicker stuff is on the bottom and the 8 oz cloth is up towards the top.  I got all the edges wet down and in place as well as glassing the little cut-out on top where the cooler hatch will fit in to place.  Tomorrow I will be going back out ( I hope ) and finishing up the rest of the uncovered areas with the 8 oz cloth.  I will cut pieces to fit on the sides and wet them down.

      All in all this went smoother than I was anticipating.  The corners worked out much better than I had even hoped for.  I'm not going to say I had an easy time, but for my first attempt I am pretty pleased.  I don't think I swore even once, so that has to be a good sign.  After the side pieces are in place and semi-cured I am going to cover all of it with another layer of resin with some sort of sandable filling agent mixed in so I can fair it out nice and smooth to make cleaning easier.  Another thing to buy.  Once that is sanded out ( and I do my second coat to fix my screw ups ) I can paint it and then seal the lid in place.  I'm sure that will involve some more sanding and fitting because of changes the fiberglass is making, but I'm getting closer.