Project tips

Russell has picked a great starter project, writes David Parker. The initial outlay is small, it’s on a manageable scale and it’s going to help him learn a variety of skills working with GRP and wood. The boat looks great – but having said that there are a few tips which might help other readers keen to tackle something similar:

Sourcing timber Russell’s local joiner friend may have offered a good deal on ‘mate’s rates’ but prices can mount up if you need to get materials machined; boat projects will invariably require pieces which are not stock sizes. However, yards can often offer deals from offcuts from their bigger projects, so work out a cutting list to save time and money. Also enquire about sheet materials and handy half- and quarter-sheets of plywood.

Buying epoxy Russell said he bought the smallest epoxy kit he could but you often need more epoxy than you think. He could have coated the softwood thwart with it, for example, to make it far more durable. Epoxy keeps a lot longer than the recommended shelf life and there may be future repairs or alterations. If buying online, get filler powders (microfibres, colloidal silica and fairing compound) at the same time to save on delivery costs.

Paint It can be tempting to use household paint – major brands have a high PVC (pigment volume concentration) so initially give good gloss and non-drip properties. However marine paints are specifically formulated for the marine environment and have higher UV inhibitors to resist fading and give a thicker coating for better abrasion resistance. If you can afford it, toughest of all are two-pack paints.

Reinforcing the hull Glassed-in plywood pads will act as stiffeners as shown here, but in some cases they can create greater stress points around the weaker laminate which surrounds them. Stringers may sometimes be a better option; these are fore-andaft thinner members running the length of the hull so loading points are equally distributed.