Transom skirt, upper breasthook, and footwell fiberglassing?

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Transom skirt, upper breasthook, and footwell fiberglassing?

Postby mark48 on Sat Jun 03, 2017 7:46 am

Greetings fellow builders,

1. Does the transom skirt and its trim get fiberglassed? I know the transom itself does; I seem to recall the manual stating that every exterior PS wood surface gets fiberglassed, and the transom skirt and trim will take some beating, especially if an outboard is used - so it makes sense. It's just another tricky small surface on which to get the FG right....

2. Likewise, does the upper breasthook receive fiberglass? Photos on PS manual pages 196 and 203 seem to suggest that fiberglass does not come over the top of the sheerclamp forward of the Dorade boxes, but these surfaces and edges would also seem primed to take a beating in PS sailing.

3. I assume the deck-to-footwell-sides edges need a generous round-over in order to receive their subsequent fiberglass application. I don't see that round-over step specifically in the manual (but may have overlooked it). Before I take router to wood, I want to be sure I'm not about to make a mistake.

I'd appreciate suggestions as to how other builders approached these issues.

Thanks,
Mark
mark48
 
Posts: 156
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:55 pm

Re: Transom skirt, upper breasthook, and footwell fiberglassing?

Postby Wayne G on Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:18 am

Mark,

I fiberglassed both the transom skirt & trim and the upper breasthook. From memory it was not too difficult to get the fiberglass to lay flat around the transom trim but the underside did require some cleanup with a detail sander. The underside can also be accessed from above when the boat is flipped over.

I used a 1/4" round-over for the deck to footwell joint and it gave sufficient radius for the fiberglass to lay smooth and flat. You probably could go with a 3/8" round-over but I opted not to as I was concerned about taking out excessive plywood at the joint.
Wayne Gray
Orlando Florida
Wayne G
 
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 11:19 am

Re: Transom skirt, upper breasthook, and footwell fiberglassing?

Postby mark48 on Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:35 pm

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for your answers (on both posts). I've just glued my cabin roof on - definitely a step where a helper is key (at least for me). Luckily our daughter is here and is an enthusiastic assistant.

Following up on the fiberglassing advice you gave above, does one round over edges of the plywood piece which joins the topside surface of port and starboard halves of the cabin roof so that fiberglass can wrap smoothly over the roof? Also, the manual advises to fiberglass the companionway slides and pieces. So one could fiberglass the cabin roof, then glue on companionway guide piece and FG over these wooden pieces - or glue on companionway pieces per the manual and then FG the entire structure. Photos in the manual suggest that the pieces were glued on prior to fiberglassing the cabin roof - but I have to think that getting FG to lay flat and bond correctly with all the angles would be a bear....

Thanks for your thoughts; advice from builders with experience is so helpful. (And thanks to all the other forum users who post, those who write blogs and especially the CLC crew who collectively is so good with telephone advice.)

All the best,
Mark
mark48
 
Posts: 156
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:55 pm

Re: Transom skirt, upper breasthook, and footwell fiberglassing?

Postby Wayne G on Sun Jun 04, 2017 5:17 pm

Mark,
Not sure how you would round over the thin plywood joiner piece once attached to the roof (definitely beyond my woodworking skills).

I did have some voids under the fiberglass along the edges of this strip and used a syringe with a large bore needle (sourced from pet supply store) to inject resin into the air pockets to fill these voids. If I was to start over I would bevel the edges of the plywood strip before attaching or add a thickened epoxy fillet all round.

The companionway hood cannot be attached to the roof until after the boat has been flipped over and back to upright and the fiberglass needs to be applied to the roof and sides to below the rub rail location before the boat is flipped.

For fiberglassing this area I followed the manual:
Fiberglassed the cabin roof down the sides well below the rub rail attachment location.
Separately (and later) fiberglassed the fully constructed companway hood and sliding hatch.
After the boat was flipped over, the underside completed and the boat flipped back to upright, permanently attached the hood using thickened epoxy.
Wayne Gray
Orlando Florida
Wayne G
 
Posts: 88
Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2016 11:19 am

Re: Transom skirt, upper breasthook, and footwell fiberglassing?

Postby mark48 on Sun Jun 04, 2017 8:22 pm

Thanks Wayne.

The fillet seems a great idea for that top piece, assuming it won't get in the way of sliding hood function. I'll study the manual again.

All the best,
Mark
mark48
 
Posts: 156
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:55 pm


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