Newbie Okwata Questions

[_AL_]

G'Day mate,
The responses already given are pretty spot on the money.
I've put some responses in below but keep in mind that I'm only 2/3 through the worlds slowest build so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Good luck & enjoy your build.

Al

G'day fellows,
Time to update from my plastic kayak and I've got the building bug. I haven't built a boat before but I do enjoy working with wood. Not too sure about the fibreglassing, but, faint heart never won fair lady.
I've searched the web and decided that the Okwata appears to suit my needs perfectly and placed my order for plans today. Naturally, being a kayak building virgin, I am full of questions and these forums have answered many, but there a still a number of things I need to get my head around and I was hoping you guys might help.
1. Can I build it without a front hatch, or do I need the hole to allow access during construction. No need for a hatch
2. To save weight. Can I just glass the outside of the boat and tape the inside of the joins. Personally, I would glass inside & out. If you need lighter use lighter cloth rather than none at all.
3. Can anyone recommend a supplier of fibreglass and epoxy in Australia and what exactly should I be looking for in the way of cloth. Is 4 ounce cloth that much more difficult to use than 6 ounce.I'm using the standard epoxy from FGI in Brookvale Sydney. It is the cheapest I have found at around $86 for 5 KG + 1 KG hardner. I have heard mixed reports but so far I can't fault it. No idea in the diffference between 4 & 6 ounch cloth use sorry.
4. Where can I source the copper wire in Oz. Don't bother. $5 of gal wire from Bunnings will be fine.
5. Would I be able to get away with 3 panels of good quality marine ply and perhaps a cheaper ply for the formwork and bulkheads.Matt or Hairy Mick would be able to answer this but I would think the Okwata would be a stretch with 3 sheets

Being a pensioner I am trying to keep costs to a minimum , but I realise the negatives of false economies. I hope I wont have to pester you guys too much during the construction of this boat but I really would appreciate any help I can get.
There are many beautiful waterways here on the far south coast of New South Wales and I just cant wait to get out there in a new yak.

Thanks in anticipation
Roger.

[hairymick]

Mate, I don't have the drawings with me just now but from memory you MIGHT be able to get away with it. I used cheap rubbish mdf for the temp frames on my build. Seemed to work ok for me.

The extra sheet of ply will come in handy anyway. i would recommend the extra expense - get the 4th sheet and build as per the intructions. They are spot on the mark

Re fibreglassing inside and out -it is better to do it now than wish that you had at a later date. (just my opinion)

[rodot]

Hi Guys,
The way I see this build at the moment is 4 sheets of 4mm. pink (pacific maple) marine ply at about $32 each doesnt seem too bad. Will sheet inside and out. I reckon if I sheet inside first, it will be practice for the outside. Probably 4 ounce cloth. Gal tie wire (allready got a heap leftover from a fencing job). Will wait untill I get the plans before I make any purchases.
Thanks again
Roger.

[Ossie Bruce]

G'day Rodger,
I used copper wire that I scrounged from a sparky, and boatcraft pacific tropical with 6oz cloth over cheap ply and found both easy to use, keep an eye on the $ and get your parts from duckworks at the best time.

[Oldsparkey]

My choice is the 18 gauge copper wire for doing the stitches , it works like a charm and is easy to work with. For the holes a 1/16th inch drill bit is just right and the epoxy fills the holes when the wire is pulled.

Chuck.

[OnkaBob]

I reckon if I sheet inside first, it will be practice for the outside.

I'm not sure if you can get away with doing it that way. Personally I think that even after filling the seams it would be better to keep the boat upside down on a level surface while glassing the outside so as to maintain the shape. If the plans say to do it that way then go ahead but otherwise I would check with Matt (and others) first.

[rodot]

Thanks Again
Being a beginner at this and wanting to achieve a good result, I will stick very closely to Matts instructions and the tried and true methods. I wont be trying to reinvent the wheel. I can see a few challenges, but I feel quite confident in going ahead. The support that you guys have given in these forums is terrific.

I can see that my greatest challenge will be with my Financial Adviser, AKA, "She Who Must Be Obeyed". The last time I bought a new power boat it cost me over $2000 for a flaming sewing machine. Wouldn't be too bad if she knew how to sew.

Cheers
Roger

[john the pom]

I reckon if I sheet inside first, it will be practice for the outside.

By "Sheet" I take it you mean fibreglass... If so WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Believe me when I tell ya, do at least a bit on the outside first. Unless, you have experience in fibreglassing. Getting the glass to conform to the inside of the hull is by far the hardest part of the whole build. You just think you've got a bit right, so you touch it somewhere else and it will pull up a bubble or crease on you two feet away from where you're touching it. Do the outside first and you will get to figure out a system that suits you. A lot easier to sand and clean up a mistake on the outside as well.
If you really wanna do the inside first then at least do it in sections, in fact do it in sections anyway. Overlapped 4oz glass shouldn't leave too big an edge to disguise, and you will lose bugger all in strength.
Something for you to think about before touching any resin or glass.
Best to do four thin coats than two thick ones. Thick means sags and runs and sanding. The pretty finishes some of these guys achieve (Not necessarily me ) are arrived at by coating,scraping, sanding, recoating resanding ad nauseum. But if you are careful and take your time, you can get a reasonable finish with about three fill coats, a bit of scraping and a bit of sanding. (I figured that if I didn't aim for perfection I was far less likely to disappoint myself )
Sometime or other you will be applying resin and as it just starts to go off on you, you will think, Can I get it on and not waste it. The answer is simply NO. Use small quantities of resin, more fiddle and more mixing but, less waste and less mistakes= less sanding. Once the hull is stitched up you can use areas like the ends and pour excess resin into them. Do that carefully and waste even less.
One thing I learned from this boatbuilding thing is "less haste, less resin, less sanding".
Take your time and enjoy. Once you finish your build you will most likely find that you miss those visits to the shed.
Regards John.
P.s If the wife is in the kitchen or laundry where she should be she probly won't even realise you are building a boat

[hairymick]

John, maaaaaaaate,

you are a man afgter my own heart. I couldn't have said it beter myself.


Roger, do your self a favour mate. Do the outside FIRST. Do the inside in sections.

[rodot]

Many thanks to Bob, John and Mick. I certainly will lay the cloth on the outside first when I get to that stage. I know thats a way off yet, but I am just trying to get my head around the whole building process.
By the way, does anyone use sprayon contact adhesive when laying tape or small sections of cloth in awkward areas. I have built and flown many r/c model aircraft and we often used fibreglass tape to join the wings. The G forces in aerabatics and pilon racing puts a lot of force on this location. We would lay the tape on some newspaper, then spray it with some aerosol contact adhesive. When it becomes tacky, lift it, turn it upside down then lay it where it had to go. This would hold it in place while you spread epoxy over it. I dont know whether this would have an application here but I just thought I'ld seek your opinion.
Cheers
Roger