The last post left off with my having cut out a piece of Meranti for the rear seat. This weekend, I laminated that onto the A/C exterior plywood... and did a little more epoxy work along the way.
Just as Id done with the front thwart, I coated both mating sides with epoxy (not thickened), and held them together with concrete blocks and weights while the epoxy cured. I had just enough epoxy left over to also add a 2nd layer to the Zip transom knee.
All this didnt go perfectly according to plan. After the epoxy had cured, I found a gap between the two layers that would need to be filled. Also, some dust had gotten stuck in the epoxy on the Zip transom knee. I am trying for substantially better fit and finish on the Zip, so I sanded off the dust bunny & planned to encapsulate with a third layer.
Logistically, I thought it best to encapsulate the undersides of both seats next. This would be the 2nd coat for the forward thwart. I planned to tilt the rear thwart just a little so that epoxy would run into the gap and fill it. Since I havent trimmed the Meranti top yet, this should help the epoxy flow down into the gap. With the extraneous epoxy, I planned to encapsulate the underside of the sheers on the aft third of the boat, as well as the Zip part.
I ended up having more left over epoxy than expected. So after quickly cleaning them off, I also encapsulated part of the Zip stem and the forward face of frame 5-1/2.
Read More..
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| 1/4" Meranti top for the rear seat |
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| Laminating the Meranti onto the rear thwart. I used the extraneous epoxy to encapsulate the underside of the front thwart, as well as the transom knee for the Zip. |
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| Regrettably, however... after the epoxy cured, there remained a small gap. |
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| And a dust bunny got stuck in the epoxy on the Zip part. |
Logistically, I thought it best to encapsulate the undersides of both seats next. This would be the 2nd coat for the forward thwart. I planned to tilt the rear thwart just a little so that epoxy would run into the gap and fill it. Since I havent trimmed the Meranti top yet, this should help the epoxy flow down into the gap. With the extraneous epoxy, I planned to encapsulate the underside of the sheers on the aft third of the boat, as well as the Zip part.
I ended up having more left over epoxy than expected. So after quickly cleaning them off, I also encapsulated part of the Zip stem and the forward face of frame 5-1/2.
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| More encapsulation; trying to fill the gap on the aft thwart. Here it is propped up slightly with a scrap of mahogany left over from the quarter knees. |
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| Epoxy drying on the Zip stem & frame 5-1/2. |
Current Status of Zip Parts | |
| Part | Status |
| Stem & Breasthook Assembly | Most surfaces have 1 coat of epoxy |
| Frame 5-1/2 | Forward face has 2 layers of epoxy. Other surfaces have 1 layer. |
| Frame 4 | Side members cut, but have not been planed or notched for sheer. |
| Transom Knee | Coated with 3 layers of epoxy |
| Transom | Side frame members cut 1/4" oversized on outer side. Have not been planed. |
