Bob from Olympia, 28 GA build

[Cannon]

Looking great! If I were to do it again, quickfair would be my go to fairing compound. It is so much easier to work with than the alternative! Not only that, but it cures fast allowing work to continue instead of waiting for epoxy to cure.

[Rbob]

I suck, I thought I would flip my boat this summer but I have not done anything since mid June. Sanding in a moon suit in 90 degree days is too much for me.  I use to be able to handle the heat but...  I have been working 60+ hours a week so not much left in the tank when I get home. 

I just cleaned it up today and plan on adding the last of the fairing compound. I have put a fill coat on the sides so after I finish the bottom fairing just need to put on sealing coats of epoxy then get add my strakes and splash rails.

 

[Brian.Dixon]

I suck, I thought I would flip my boat this summer but I have not done anything since mid June. Sanding in a moon suit in 90 degree days is too much for me.  I use to be able to handle the heat but...  I have been working 60+ hours a week so not much left in the tank when I get home. 

I just cleaned it up today and plan on adding the last of the fairing compound. I have put a fill coat on the sides so after I finish the bottom fairing just need to put on sealing coats of epoxy then get add my strakes and splash rails.

Boy, I know how you feel!  Moving to Idaho from Alaska has been killer on the heat thing ... summers at 60 F plus or minus ... changed to summers where the days hover around 100 F!  I've never had a garden that burned your hand to touch it ... mowing and easy outdoor tasks became volume-beer ordeals and worn out evenings trying to recuperate... geez!

Agree on the quickfair stuff.  A small 3-tablespoon batch goes a long way too, and it's quick to mix up another ... and you can sand on the same day!

Brian

[Todd j]

I recall Kent saying he was 29'-4".  The boat didn't look big or out of proportion anywhere after he made the changes he did.  I'm not saying it's not a big boat!   A GA is no slouch.   I was really into the " offshore bracket" look.  Nearly Everything on the water is that way out here.   It's what people think they want.  I was thinking it would help with resale too.  I hope I would never have to part with such a machine.    I really like having a clean transom  bulkhead for dead fish to ride in too.   Being a avid diver the extension behind the cockpit makes it easy to get back in.  Hope you flip soon and post more pics!

[Brian.Dixon]

Building the boat longer helps alleviate CG shift issues with offshore brackets.  Keep in mind that the GA gets good mileage because it's lighter than commercial boats ... you have to be just a tad more careful in where you put things and what you do with the boat, the trade off being your half-price cost for getting out when the fat boats have to stay home due to lack of funds.


Brian

[Rbob]

Brian,

Starting to make some progress, I finished fairing the bottom (finally) and have most of my strakes and spray rails cut.  I bought rough sawn Sapele 5/4 and planed it down to 1".  I planned on putting on the fairbody strake in 2 layers on the bow knee but I saw a video on steam bending (tips from a shipwright video). So I start thinking. Then I look into steam bending and discover that Sapele is not a good wood for steam bending....  **** 

I decide to give it a try on a scrap piece 1.5" wide x 1" thick maybe 7' long.  I converted a crab cooker pot lid, added a 1" hose barb and a vent that I can open to add water.  I screwed metal strapping to the outside of the "bend" under tension I used a continuous roll of plastic tube and just put it over the area that would be receiving the bend and maybe 1' past on each side and just wrapped tape to seal it up and fed the steam from the middle.  I cut a snip at each end of the tubing to let the steam out and steamed it for just over an hour.

I just had a makeshift bench with some blocks screwed down for a jig and I thought it would be difficult to bend but it was quite easy to do, just clamped it on and let the steam go for another 15 minutes and shut everything down.   To my surprise it only sprung back a little once removed from the form.

I am going to bend in place the fairbody strake and if all goes well I will do the splash rails in place also.

Just a note on the thickness, I was going to apply 2 layers on the splash rails 3/4 + 3/8 but if I can do this in 1 layer why not just apply the 1" spray rail and call it done?    Not much of a difference.  I am attaching a couple pics and I may post a short video in a bit for entertainment purposes only.

[Brian.Dixon]

I did an experimental steam bending of white oak once, wondering if I wanted to build a particular canoe ... never did build the canoe, but the white oak was quite floppy and bendy when it came out of the steam.  Seemed pretty easy to me.  Maybe if someone says Sapele doesn't work well, maybe they mean it won't turn into a spaghetti noodle?  I wonder how well a thicker, like an inch or more, would bend?  You'll probably need to do an experiment to find out... fun stuff though.

Brian

[Cannon]

I still never tire watching others with their ingenuity! Looking forward to many more updates!

[Brian.Dixon]

Gougen Bros I read somewhere saying to lightly disc sand at 30 deg to the flow of grain.....
Rips open those cells, it's what I do on hardwood, don't with softer wood, as you say Brian, and i experienced the same, epoxy sticks very well to planned wood.
What makes it stick great is as Brian has in the manual, give the wood soak time in epoxy, till those dull areas look glossy with wet resin, then glass, glue etc...
Love my disc grinder, 125mm - 5" x 16 grit disc's, panel beaters supplies best price here.... Chews through @ 9000 rpm

I missed that "30 deg off" in the Gougeon Brother's book.  I suppose a guy could rough sand to get something close, then make a thin final cut with a plane to open the cells back up again? 

Brian

[Rbob]

Another spray rail question,

I am confused too:

c) In your drawing of the main splash rail cross section, note that the slanted side faces downward in the picture (upward when the boat is upright) ...this helps spray and rain slide off the top of the spray rail.  The bottom face ends up perpendicular to the side of the boat and knocks down spray.

is this correct orientation:

[Brian.Dixon]

Yup ... That be the correct orientation!  The right-angle on the bottom knocks down spray, but the slanted top allows water striking the side of the boat to slide back off... Hope that's clear   

Brian

[Rbob]

Thank you,  my wife was helping me and questioned it so I revisited and had doubt.  When in doubt...

I have steam bent the fairbody strake, it went well except for the scart joint that could not take the heat so I will be joining those pieces on the boat.  I had 16' boards but cut them in half so in hindsight I should have left a piece 12' so the spray rails and the fairbody strake would not have a scarf joint to deal with.


I will be bending one of the main splash rails tonight and I will no include the scarf joint, just have to tape off the plastic tube maybe 6" from the scarf. 

I did full length strake and the boards are not that strait so I used the laser level and put saddles on with a small dab of hot glue.

couple pics:

[Brian.Dixon]

You're really doing fine job! Everything on the boat looks awesome!  This is the first steam bending that has gone onto a Great Alaskan, so it's really interesting to watch!  Thanks for sharing all the details and the pix!

Brian

[Rbob]

Well steam bending the main splash rails did not go as planned.  Since the wood had profile cut, bending left a outward twist on the skinny side of the wood.  Only one side attempted so I will just cut it off or heat the scarf and separate the front portion and remake it. 

I would not hesitate to do the keel strake again, that was easy.

So I will just put it on a few strips at a time as you suggest in the construction manual. 

Still getting closer which makes me happy so time to roll on some epoxy and glue on the strakes and spray rails.  I see primer and paint in my future...and the long awaited flip!

[Brian.Dixon]

I was wondering if the cross-sectional profile of the side strakes would influence the steam bending ... I guess so.  Well, you can put down the first layer and then top it with UHMD plastic, or go with all wood .... either works.  I like all wood myself.  No screw holes to invite water and rot, and unless you're a seine skiffer, I doubt you (or anyone) would bang the boat into anything enough to make something tougher required.

bd