The Gleda Project » Materials

Epoxy Supplies

Neil — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:16:43 +0000

Just a quick update today. I’ve been mega-busy at my desk today and also had a lunchtime Networking Meeting that took a chunk out of the day so I haven’t been up to the barn. I did spend half an hour this evening making up a list of epoxy supplies that I need to order. Timing is never good for this because it’s yet another chunk of money to outlay but my epoxy keg is getting very light and if I run out nothing gets done. I also need more Silica, Glass Bubbles and Cotton Fibre, oh and some Acetone and Peel Ply Tape. I’ve asked for a quotation and I think I’ll have to be sitting down when I get it! As I said though there’s no avoiding it although those of you who follow the conversations on the Wharram Builders and Friends site might have seen a lengthy thread going on about using baking flour as a thickener for epoxy and cotton sheets as a replacement for glassfibre sheathing! Now whilst it’s nice to know that there are alternatives if a repair is needed in some remote location I don’t think they’re sensible options for a new build!

Landy, Scotland & Paint

Neil — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:05:09 +0000

A day of running around today so no time spent at the barn. I’m pleased to say that I have my Landrover back and although I could really have done without the not inconsiderable unplanned cost I now have a much improved vehicle. It seems that that the transfer gearbox had destroyed itself and as a new one was needed it was a good opportunity to upgrade to a Discovery one as it has higher ratios. This means higher cruising speed and better fuel consumption, all comparative of course because it’s still a Landrover but every little helps! I now have a Landy with a TDI 200 Discovery engine and half a Discovery gearbox so I’ll have to be careful I don’t end up with a different model of Landrover. I’m also considering the money an investment as I need the Landy to be reliable because I am planning a couple of ‘reccy’ trips this year to try and find a suitable place on the coast where I can transport ‘Gleda’ for the final stretch before launch. Until recently I felt almost certain that the likely place would be Cornwall however I have now added the opposite end of the country to the list, namely the West coast of Scotland. Why? Well apparent from being a beautiful part of the country the many sea lochs mean that there are bound to be a greater number of possible places suitable for my purposes and costs are likely to be lower, as I say it’s just something to consider at the moment but I can see a week being spent living in the Landy and exploring later in the year.

Part of my running around today was related to ‘Gleda’ as I was trying to source some Acrylic paint to use inside the hulls. I recently read an article in Practical Boat Owner extolling the virtues of this paint as an excellent solution to painting the interior surfaces of a boat whether they be GRP, timber, epoxy or even Perspex. The paint is water-based and self priming and has some ‘high-build’ qualities which make it similar to ‘flow coat’. Its also very tolerant to less than idea application conditions so all in all I figured it was worth trying particularly as the paint I previously used was a two-part epoxy that was frankly a pain in the arse. The two paints specifically refered to were Sadolin Supadec and Dulux Aquatech, I managed to find the latter and I’ll be giving it a go tomorrow, I’ll let you know how it goes.

1587.5Hrs- Starboard Deck Now

Neil — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:47:18 +0000

As with so many stages of building a catamaran I’m yet again repeating myself because usually, when you’ve done one thing you then have to do it again! This time its the starboard deck section that will fit over the heads/shower compartment. I’ve got the polystyrene well glued and weighted as before and hopefully tomorrow I’ll get the final layer of ply stuck as well. The only other point worth noting is that today I finished off my third 33kg (73lb) keg of epoxy. If I average out that it’s all been mixed in 200g (7 ounce) pots, that means I’ve mixed up 495 of them so far! I’ve probably got the same amount to go yet!

Cabin Top Materials Sorted

Neil — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:26:21 +0000

After a bit more research and a review of the information I already had I decided to go with the easy option of using 25mm construction polystyrene as the sandwich material for the cabin tops. The decision was made easier by Jacques comment a while back

‘If I had known before, I would have gone for regular white insulation polystyrene foam (just put a lot of glue). It worked well for Ann and Neville for 5 years and I also have seen it at a shipyard in Brittany. I would have saved a 1000$ (I used balsa) and surely some weight.’

So today I’ve been and fetched 8 sheets of polystyrene and a couple more sheets of ply for the mould and I’ve ordered up the copper nails I need for delivery this week. Tomorrow I’ll make a start finishing the mould and then the fun will start!

My Landy came into it’s own transporting my purchases back to the barn with no effort!

Boat Jumble

Landy Roof Loaded

We had a great trip to the Boat Jumble at the weekend and I landed a few bargains.

Best buy was 6 brand new fixed port lights that will fit beautifully in the hullsides, two for each sleeping cabin and two for the heads/shower compartment. I consider £10 each a good deal! (I’ll post some photos tomorrow)

Next year I will be on the lookout for deck fittings!