Well it has been a very busy week constructing a 'stitch and glue' pram dinghy. Most people will be familiar with the original Mirror Dinghy, which was a stitch and glue kit built in the pre-epoxy days, but still an enormous success.
So these days we use epoxy resin and a variety of fillers, epoxy has a number of endearing features; firstly, it is prone, if left to its own devices, to burst into flames, so the secret is to mix it and apply it as fast as possible; secondly, it will stick most things with the exception of polyurethane based plastics, principle among the things it will stick are clothing to skin, and you to just about anything; and, thirdly, it sets rock hard, is impossible to sand unless you employ some heavy duty sanding equipment, it also blunts chisels and planes for a past time.
Apart from that it has revolutionised boat building...
This weeks challenge has been to master the concept of the rolling bevel, more particularly successfully creating a rolling bevel; I have not, I have however added yet another technique for making good foul-ups. I am truly becoming the local expert on putting things right... it might be argued that they shouldn't of gone wrong to start with but where would the fun be in that.
So next week is GRP, stem assignments, and working with composites.
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| Flat pack boat |
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| Several yards of garden wire and a bike spoke later |
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| Stitched up - adding the chine |
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| Something like a boat... at least in shape |
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| Cramping your style |
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| Adding various bits |
