JEM Watercraft

I was planning to glass it & add a couple of layers towards the front edge so I could then shape it to an air foil shape. Would this be strong enough?

I did much the same thing and ended up trying to shape the wood as much as I could before glassing. It just wasn't very durable. I used the same 4mm wood I used for my kayak; much too thin I think. It ended up snapping on it's first obstacle. I ended up using some sheet metal with some rubber coating. It stayed sunk then.

OK

I have a sheet of aluminum that is about 0.5pm thicker than my ply that I could use. How important is the airo foil shape?

I repaired a rudder on a Hobie catamaran back in '82 when living on Cocos (Keeling) Island, by inserting a 3mm x 20mm aluminium strip into the leading edge before glassing it.
This was to protect it from the next 'bommie' and probably wouldn't be heavy enough to stop yours from floating, but if you used stainless instead it should do both your needs.

Cheers Mike

Personally I couldn't tell the difference. Of course I didn't use a wind tunnel.

I might make it out of the aluminium plate then leave it as it is so the edges arnt sharp enough to cut any one.

I can then always use the ply one I have cut out as a template to make more, for the boats I will have to build when these two are finished. . . . . . .

I may have goofed.

Im am making 2 Wadefish virtually side by side. Whilst stitching up the second boat that is made from Hoop Pine marine ply I lifted it up to tune it over & found that it was already about 3Kg heavier than the one out of Gaboon marine ply.

The light coloured boat is for my daughter & the reasoning its the second boat is that hopefully I could build it lighter than the first as despite what Matt said about the Wadefish being a harder build & not recommended for beginners I did it any way.

Here is a small off cut that are the same size but vastly different weights.

Gaboon


Hoop Pine


No other pic as yet as the second boat is being stitched & glue & the first is waiting for glassing.

Im also looking at the drive well & rod holders etc in the cockpit, I am thinking of recessing a tube into the side wall of the cockpit like some of the foot rests have been done with a tube then running up into the front of the boat.

I got some more done today on my Wadefish.

Glass laid out over the hull.


1m wide glass just covers.


All finished & dried out back into the shed
Bow on


Stern on


Also started to glue up the daughters.

Some more on the Wadefish today.

Made up the Rudder pin. 8mm Stainless Steel bolt 85mm long (5.8" x 3 3/8"). I cut the sides of the head off to fit on place & scored the lower part so the epoxy had something to grip to.


Trial fit.


Made up a spacer to suit the top deck, washers & thickness of the rudder.


Stood the Wadefish I did a small end pour.


Where would a sparkie be without electrical tape

The wet out came up well on the first one - looks really good.

With the Hoop pine the extra weight is about what you would expect from published density data - it's about 20 - 25% denser than gaboon according to most references. Denser material is usually stronger - I wonder if you could get away with lighter cloth. Reducing cloth weight also reduces resin requirement so reduces weight in two ways.

BTW have you just popped up on AKFF?