The deck ready to glassWhy does the fabric seem to disappear when clear epoxy is applied. Well, that’s because the fabric is clear as well.
Wait, it’s white, or at least translucent. No it’s actually clear, it’s the light that is refracting through the fibers that cause it to turn white.
In the photos of the embed coat, you can still see the texture of the weave. That’s because the light is still bouncing and refracting. That too will go away once another coat is added.
Yet another strange optical event happens when I sand the layers of epoxy and the fabric starts appearing again. I haven’t sanded into the actual fabric, just real close. Those areas will go away when I start varnishing. Thrilling stuff, huh?
Almost done. Note the lighter spots near the cockpit. After I took the picture I went over those areas again to cover the fabric a little better.The cockpit glassed in also.This might take some explaining. I need to suspend the hull and deck for sanding and prep. Laying the glassed hull on the wood or foam might cause abrasion and allow the boat to move around. I saw this idea on YouTube so I stole itFor the most part the cradle works.Preparing to sand and scrape the inside of the hull. Yuk. Since the hull is mainly concave, power sanding is hard. The inside of the hull cleaned and sanded to the “good enough” level. I did focus more on the middle area. That’s where the cockpit will be and I want that area to look as finished as the outside.I added re-enforcement to the bow and stern stems. And so it starts. This is my third boat and I still dislike glassing the inside of the hull. It’s tricky and I haven’t mastered it. The fabric likes to pull away from the bottom leaving gaps and air bubbles. After redoing some of the air gaps, sanding and working the cockpit area, the inside of the hull is done with fiberglassing.
