Epoxy and ... Fleece?

[Darren Nemeth]

I am going to start to repair and rebuild the Batboat soon and an interesting thing was on TV today. Guys in a custom auto shop were making car trunk subwoofer boxes out of a plywood frame, fleece was stretched and stapled around then set with fiberglass epoxy!

This was an epiphany! I need to make two new fins and add a nuclear turbine exhaust port. Those and some of the other features in the Midget Man O' War will also have a rounded, molded Atomic Age look.

Has anyone tried this method? Would this be suitable for marine uses?.

I am thinking this could save me $$$$$ because I wouldn't have to make fiberglass molds to create two new fins.

What are your thoughts?

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Epoxy and ... Fleece?

There is a thread in iboats of a guy in Asia that used this method for a new console.

That being said, the stress factors involved in boats, compared to that in a daily driver are night and day.

I won't say it won't hold up, but ...

... I have some experience (been many years ago), in subwoffers built this way and on occasion they will suffer from stress cracks if pushed hard and over a long time period. They are more for the eye than for real cabinet strength.

These are for the most part, built for show, not for strength or durability. The professional music crowd doesn't use this method.

I would be real reluctant to rely only on fleece, epoxy, bondo, & plywood as the main structural components in the construction.

If the pressure from the drivers when pushed hard can crack it, then the repeated impact and flexing of the hull against the water and waves can also.

The walls of my homemade subwoofer in my living room are over 4in thick, with internal bracing that is close to that. I would never use this method because I know what stress the construction is under when running at full tilt, and that is sitting in the living room and not in a boat. It also weighs in at well over 200lbs, so it does not move an inch from where it sits.

You might be able to use this method as a thin base or guide for the traditional glass & epoxy to be laid over this base, thus avoiding the use of molds, but it will still be much heavier than traditional methods in the end.

Sometimes, saving time and money in the beginning, cost time and money in the end.

Traditional fiberglass boats are built the way they are today because it the best method found (for fiberglass) to date for something that is used in what is a very harsh environment.

The new fins and the nuclear turbine exhaust port will just be performing cosmetic duties, but they too will be exposed to some of the same stress as the hull.

You are talking about a lot of work, and I would hate for you to invest the time and money only to find out that after several trips to the water you are already developing structural and stress cracks.

I mean think about it, BANG! KAPOW! CRASH! WHAMM! LOK! SWOOSCH!, will be part of the Batboats daily life, and it needs to built to take this punishment.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Epoxy and ... Fleece?

Okay. Thanks!

 

[i386]

Re: Epoxy and ... Fleece?

I would think once your fleece hardened you could then laminate layers of CSM to build up strength. I would use polyester resin for this as it will dissolve the binder in the mat which will help it conform to shapes. Finish with a fairing resin followed by lots of sanding. I would expect this method to be very labor intensive.

Search youtube. There's some good videos of stuff like this.

 

[Coors]

Re: Epoxy and ... Fleece?

What the hel was that conversation? Goat hair? And only a female goat?

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Epoxy and ... Fleece?

Check this link and look at the guys new console.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=252667

A real nice rebuild job, and the console was built from scratch using the method you mentioned.

 

[Guest]

Re: Epoxy and ... Fleece?

I know this is an old thread but if anyone reads this, I do know you can use fleece for small hull patch jobs, large patch jobs that are not in the water, and fabricating consoles, seat stands, boxes, and live wells. But using I think it is baking soda, not baking powder, to mix with even auto epoxy and the soda will make it rock hard. I need to repair a patch job someone did on the boat I recently obtained, it was involved in a road wreck a while back and a fella patched the bow end keel chine with what looks like bondo and biaxial glass patch. Needless to say it needs to be redone, because there are pin holes water could be forced into. I will sand it flush and fill it in with epoxy and baking soda alone. That will harden almost harder than the boat hull itself.