Brazos River Rocket: Happy Paddler!

[Pogo]

OUCH!! Oh man, I cringed when I got the fogger! Sorry to hear it, but thanks for posting.

Down here on the coast I usually have to spray on some OFF before going to work on a boat, and I always go halfway around the downwind side of the house to spray it, to make sure not a trace gets on the poxy. I'm even careful not to allow BBQ smoke to get all over a work in progress.

[Dogpaddlin]

So do I just need to smooth out the epoxy or do I need to make sure I get the entire last layer removed? Does the "fog" have some sort of chemical reaction with the epoxy that will compromise it (other than making it shrivel up)?

I am surprised my neighbors did not try to have me committed after hearing the slur of profanity that came out of my garage last night, I was a little upset to say the least.

[bowgarguide]

Man that is rough
But just a minor setback a little sand paper will cure
Ron

[Firefly49]

Geesh...........I probably can't even come close to the frustration you must have felt! I'm not one to cuss....but I sure thought of a few words while reading that.......hope it helps out

[gerald]

So do I just need to smooth out the epoxy or do I need to make sure I get the entire last layer removed? Does the "fog" have some sort of chemical reaction with the epoxy that will compromise it (other than making it shrivel up)?

I am surprised my neighbors did not try to have me committed after hearing the slur of profanity that came out of my garage last night, I was a little upset to say the least.

The fog probably has some kind of oil or similar substance in it. Just like oil and water--they don't mix. You will have to sand and clean until you have integrity between all coatings that are on there. That doesn't mean all of it will have to come off. Some parts will be adhering ok. As you sand you'll have to inspect and determine to your own satisfaction that it is back to a (any) surface that has integrity. Not having seen it I can't be sure but I doubt you'll have to sand the entire coat off--maybe not even a large part of it. You will, however, have to feather it out to make a smooth surface for the next coat. Harder to write about than it is to do--though it does take some time. Another bad thing is that you can't sand until the epoxy hardens enough. That may take several days. You can scrape though. I would just wait and sand with the ROS, finish it off by hand, then hit with the scotchbrite pads, wash, etc.

[Dogpaddlin]

So do I just need to smooth out the epoxy or do I need to make sure I get the entire last layer removed? Does the "fog" have some sort of chemical reaction with the epoxy that will compromise it (other than making it shrivel up)?

I am surprised my neighbors did not try to have me committed after hearing the slur of profanity that came out of my garage last night, I was a little upset to say the least.

The fog probably has some kind of oil or similar substance in it. Just like oil and water--they don't mix. You will have to sand and clean until you have integrity between all coatings that are on there. That doesn't mean all of it will have to come off. Some parts will be adhering ok. As you sand you'll have to inspect and determine to your own satisfaction that it is back to a (any) surface that has integrity. Not having seen it I can't be sure but I doubt you'll have to sand the entire coat off--maybe not even a large part of it. You will, however, have to feather it out to make a smooth surface for the next coat. Harder to write about than it is to do--though it does take some time. Another bad thing is that you can't sand until the epoxy hardens enough. That may take several days. You can scrape though. I would just wait and sand with the ROS, finish it off by hand, then hit with the scotchbrite pads, wash, etc.

I have been putting a coat of epoxy on, letting it dry approximately 24hrs, sanding, scrubbing, and then applying another coat. Should I have been allowing it to cure longer? Could this be why I am getting tiny air bubbles in the epoxy? Is this still considered the "green stage"? I thought it was "green" only while it was still tacky. Could I have just applied another coat without the sanding?

Sorry for the barrage of questions and thanks for all the support

[gerald]

You can sand anytime the epoxy is hard enough not to gum up. Sanding too early can cause little pits in the epoxy in thick areas (scraping too). Fisheyes may look like an air bubble but they are usually depressed, or rounded, down to the center. Air bubbles can appear at any time the epoxy is liquid or even partially liquid. As long as you can run the application brush over it you can get the bubble out. Once it starts hardening you leave it alone.
I consider epoxy green for much longer than just tacky. Almost all epoxies can be recoated the next day without sanding and washing. The USComposites slow epoxy definately can be recoated the next day without sanding or washing--sometimes 2 or 3 days depending on the temperature. If it is hot, day and night, then I sand the next day. This is with the slow epoxy. Maas, West, and others, including the faster USComposites epoxy can be sanded quicker. Just don't sand until you are making dust...

[Strider]

Boy, that design sure looks familiar

Kim

[gerald]

Boy, that design sure looks familiar

Kim

Yep...just a skinny Conquista.

Correction: A skinny Challenger--not Conquista. They may look the same but there is a difference.

[To be named later]

Woah......."DISASTER" in the title makes me think that when I open the thread Ill read that you put the boat in the water, and she took on water or sunk.

This is a "SETBACK"....albeit a very time consuming, frustrating incredible pain in the ass, setback.

Good luck with it.

[Pogo]

Yep, I liked what Ron said best. But when you're in Dogpaddlin's postition, a freaking disaster is what it feels like. So we (who've been there) grant him the license, and know he'll enjoy telling the story some day.

I'm still camped on the S. Llano river, fishing's great. May come home and become a boat builder later in the week, but we'll see. Having too much fun being a homemade boat paddler at the moment.

[barditch]

I'm still camped on the S. Llano river, fishing's great. May come home and become a boat builder later in the week, but we'll see. Having too much fun being a homemade boat paddler at the moment.

tough duty, Pogo, but somebody needs to be doing it.

[Dogpaddlin]

Woah......."DISASTER" in the title makes me think that when I open the thread Ill read that you put the boat in the water, and she took on water or sunk.

This is a "SETBACK"....albeit a very time consuming, frustrating incredible pain in the ass, setback.

Good luck with it.

TBNL.
You are right, it was just a setback, but like Pogo said it felt like a disaster at the time. There is nothing worse than thinking you are done with a project only to find out you have another weekends worth of work to do, especially when you don't have another weekend to invest. That being said, I did get everything sanded and re-coated this weekend and she looks great. I did notice two little fish eyes that I will have to deal with after the party but I can live with that.

I will post pictures and a paddle report next Sunday!

[Pogo]

Young Skywalker, take a bit of advice from an old guy: The surest way to make God laugh is to tell Him your plans.....

Barditch, you better be nice to me, or I'm going to post some pics.

[Dogpaddlin]

Paddling report tomorrow evening, but I will say there were some happy faces!

[gerald]

Wow...another happy face right here!

[Light Keeper's Kid]

Great Looking Ride and Looking Forward for the Paddle Report

Mike

[Iamdamoder]

Well done Sir. I'll have a hard time catching up now.

[Pogo]

Well, ya better hop on it Moder, I just got home, finally. Bet you're still gonna beat me....

Dogpaddlin, don't be keepin' us in suspense for the report, get after it, boy!

[bowgarguide]

Toby
You out did yourself ,thats a beautiful boat.
Congratulations .
Ron

[preacher]

Very nice looking boat, Great job. can't wait to see the report.

[barditch]

How lovely! If you ain't proud of that, you need serious help! It's gorgeous!

'Course, it does need a serious coating of slime!

[TexasZeke]

Looks great. please post up opinions once you've paddled a time or two

kevin

[Dogpaddlin]

Where to start!

The bachelor party was on Lake LBJ. We arrived Friday evening, I got there a little earlier than everyone else and hid the boat in the garage. When my buddy arrived he wanted to put his motorcycle in the garage and we told him there was not enough room. He knew something was up. I waited until everyone else got there and then told him I had his wedding present, a stripper in the garage! I am sure he figured I had got the ugliest/nastiest stripper I could find, and you could tell he was a little uncomfortable. When he walked out in the garage and saw the boat he was not sure what was going on. I told him the dirty lady I had got him was the boat! He was speechless.

We had to meet some other people for dinner so he was not able to take it for a test ride until Sat. morning.

We helped him get in it:


And then he did not waste anytime finding out what she would do












This boat will really move! I kidded him about getting up on plane when he took off (notice the second picture). He was smoking! In actuality he needed to move the seat forward a couple of inches.




After he plaid with it for a while he let me take it for a spin. I have to say I was surprised how stable it was. After paddling Seashell's 24" pirogue at the Roundup I really thought this boat would be a little tippy. That was not the case. She tracked like she was on a string and did I mention it was fast! In comparison to my pirogue it was a little more difficult to turn, but was certainly manageable. The overall weight was around 35lbs, I was shocked ! I still want to weigh it using my digital fish scale to verify. When I started talking to Gerald about building a boat I really had something his marathon boat in mind, I am really glad he talked me into this one!

Here are a few more pictures of it sitting in my yard.

[gerald]

Beautiful boat. You did very well. Glad to hear it was fast and stable. That's what I was shooting for. Because Seashell's boat was slightly tippy I changed the angle of the sides in order to get more stability and a more predictable lean. Wish I could get a boat finished!