Lifeboat Conversion Ep15: Using a composite wet layup to make a carbon and glass fibre lid [4K]

[@godsangryhands4499]

That was a truly nice Homage to Tala. May we all be remembered by someone who cared enough to remember us in such a way. Thank you.

[@d4v3tm]

that mirror placement would def get the extra subs

[@ZananoQuinito]

He's knows what he's doing!

[@gu4xinim]

My god, that was a perfect start for a video, I've never been so thrilled before. The suspense to KNOW why are the steel pieces in water was exhilarating.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Correct.

[@barclayhamer8777]

As a man of the composite industry your level of explanation is very pleasing. A lot of people would not include the level of detail you have and clearly you have excellent understanding of it 👍🏻

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thanks

[@whisperzzar3321]

Holding my breath til the sea trials. Cant wait to see how Alan handles

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Me too..... gulp.

[@gangisspawn1]

I don't know why it's so interesting to watch other people's projects. I have many of my own unfinished 🤣 but I enjoy seeing how other people work.

[@janerikpraks]

I have never been so invested in and entertained by someone's ongoing build videos.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I'll do my best to keep it up

[@jonathan5354]

I am always astonished what kind of research and material testing you do. Also great planning ahead of what will be useful while using the boat. Considering the later use if the boat I like the uniqueness of the build and that's what makes it so interesting.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Glad you appreciate it - I think the hard work pays off in the long run.

[@joehall1114]

Oooh Carbon Fiber....aren't we fancy. On a serious note I love carbon fiber and have off cuts of it in my garage for whenever I get time to make some custom motorcycle parts. My next experiment with it will be some vacuum sealing bags to make complex shapes.

[@robertphillips6296]

I don’t know why some would bother you about using a Black & Decker, what works - Works!

[@Minecraftfreak3535]

If you try to measure the temperature of something reflective with an infrared thermometer, it will read much lower than the actual temperature due to the emissivity of the material.

[@willcowan]

I was thinking that too. I suppose at least he will get an idea of how much hotter that section is, even if he doesn't have an accurate temperature.

[@Minecraftfreak3535]

​@@willcowan Not really depending on what the surface is exactly, it may just read the temperature of something reflecting in it. You can see this if you look at it with a thermal camera.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I should have been clearer - I'd measure the temperature of the lagging in that area, not bounce the beam off the foil lining.

[@Minecraftfreak3535]

@@AlexHibbertOriginalsI almost thought so, just wanted to mention it, because I had this problem once and burned my fingers a bit.

[@htomerif]

Unless what the cowling is reflecting is something hot like, say, an exhaust manifold. Then a pyrometer will read much, much hotter than the actual surface is. You can kind of get away with putting black dry-erase marker on the area you want to measure though it will obviously cause it to absorb/radiate more heat.

[@jamesaddison81]

Given the large variation in moduli for both fibres, mixing them in a layup may result in a situation where the carbon is being loaded but the fibre glass is essentially redundant due to the stiffness of the carbon. Might be worth just using a foam core and adjust the thickness of it depending on how much strength you need in the bending mode. Oh and definitely wear a mask when sanding/cutting composites, breathing that stuff in is nasty!! And also I think the rate of corrosion is going to be slow if you immerse them underwater because the part is almost isolated from the oxygen it needs to corrode. Spraying them with salt water and leaving them in the air should do the trick. Keep up the good work, it’s great to see the progress!

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thanks Jim. Outside and a fresh breeze does the job nicely! I do avoid machine sanding inside if at all possible. There's oxygen dissolved in the water, so corrosion should be possible. With the sandwich, it does get complicated with some combos, but mixed sandwiches (as opposed to hybrid weaves) are fairly commonplace and you can get some very useful characteristics for parts. I didn't want to use a core here for stiffness as I want to limit the volume, and the c.5mm thickness of high modulus composites gives plenty of stiffness for the job of a lid.

[@chriswoolley4314]

Loving the attention you give to materials selection on this project :). I'd bet the black rust you see is exactly that, black rust. Black rust is Fe3O4, a less oxidised version of "normal" orange rust. (Interestingly this is the same stuff formed as when blacking or "blueing" steel.) You can see that the O/Fe ratio is 4/3 whereas in "normal" rust you have Fe2O3 with a ratio of 3/2. In effect the normal orange rust can't form because there's not enough available oxygen at the surface, because the water is stagnant rather than continuously aerated. You can be pretty sure the black stuff is iron based, because if it were zinc based it would form all over the part, whereas here it forms only on the exposed cut faces.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Makes sense!

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

Hey, those Black and Decker jigsaws may not be fancy, but they get the job done and don't cost an arm and a leg. Whoever was shaming you needs to get their priorities straight!

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

They've probably headed off to a DeWalt fan club meeting

[@k1lmo]

My previous role and background is as a composite engineer, I very much enjoyed your CFRP work, well done and great effort

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Cheers

[@africanelectron751]

Please buy 2 carbon dioxide /monoxide alarms for your boat and a fume extractor setup for that box to pump out fumes... Exhausts can start leaking easy. You can have lengths of braided flexible hose made with couplings and keep those just in case a copper pipe pops on your travels. Bless you for sharing your work it's awesome.

[@Smacdoug1]

So excited for sea trials. Thanks for another upload. You bring joy to my mundane way of life

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Mundane? Nonsense. In that video I made a lid, scrubbed paint, and made labels.

[@brandonrodgers2479]

I love these build videos so much! I hope you continue making videos when you are on your exploration.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Will do! Although unlikely as rapidly....

[@brandonrodgers2479]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Completely understandable! I plan on driving to the arctic ocean via the Dempster Highway sometime soon.

[@Diamond_Hammer]

Top notch positioning on that camera angle for the engine bay cover, got to see your builders crack in the mirror for nigh on 3 minutes, bang up job though, with the carbon that is.

[@VinceW187]

Congratulations on the 30k subscribers!

[@ArthurBarthur]

Yep congrats!! Upwards and onwards, well deserved:)

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thank you

[@Space_Reptile]

it might be a bit late to comment on it, but i noticed your table in the center of the boat to be a wood surface while this is completely normal and appropriate, i would suggest a metal surface (painted 2~5mm steel for example) as that would allow you to put magnets on things like cups and other objects that are on the table to secure them while in the water

[@cathallawlor989]

That sounds like a great idea

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Perhaps not for the entire top, but a good idea for a zone of that top at least. Cheers.

[@SOLDADITO76]

Tech ingredients has really great info on glass and resins for fiberglass.

[@scottydouglass1892]

Having been stationed in God awful cold places and being outside to work. I can not figure out why you are not trying to explore Samoa, or some other sunny warm pacific islands.

[@Xero1of1]

"In this episode's cornucopia of wonder and excellence..." I love this kind of humor... lolol.

[@constantine229]

2:22 finally, a fan service i can get behind

[@GrizzLeeTroll13]

🤣😂🤣 Well you used them, not because of my previous comment, 7 months late. I'm glad they worked for you. I really like nordlock washers. Cheers

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

They are indeed smart - but for the price, they should be!

[@RobertWiggers]

Great vid, like always. Someday, I hope I can speak like you.

[@SpicySpleen]

These are Great! Thank you for your work!

[@c.a.mcdivitt9722]

As to the galvanic reaction- I remember you saying it hasn't been that warm. Low temps might be slowing the reaction.

[@justinbenscoter2052]

The end of that square tube is turning black because the way the plating goes on. The small ends of longer pieces end up looking like a bunch of tiny plates stacked up and give much more surface area for the corrosion to grab hold. As for the stainless bolt, you have 3 different types of metal present. the zinc plating is acting as a sacrificial anode. Once that gets dissolved away and you have mild steal next to stainless and it will take off. Put that same bolt in a piece of 60 series aluminum and watch it go, lot more fun.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The ends of the hot dipped box section are actually clean cut, so that's bare steel.

[@justinbenscoter2052]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals well that makes even more sence! Lol

[@snaaail]

This has been the high point of my month of May, I can’t wait for my next high point!

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

A man living life truly on the edge. Much respect.

[@natehill8069]

Put the galvanic test buckets where the water is refreshed/exchanged, or at least a trickle passes through.

[@jacobbroe5279]

I have same lable maker. After a while the the printed pieces will begin to loosen and pop off in the corners. This can be remedied with putting a bigger clear skotchtape over them.

[@smokinlouie9885]

Grief on a Black and Decker jig saw. I got a Black & Decker 7504 jig saw older than you. :)

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Still going strong I bet.

[@anonamos6086]

This video series is great.

[@davidbeem184]

B & D jigsaw I burned one of those up when I made a 25ft sailboat all wood! They are tough little buggers! Lol to hell with the doubters they aren't buying the tools!

[@CraigOverend]

According to a paper I just read the abstract of after being nerd sniped, the black corrosion is likely because the Zinc plating is actually Aluminium Zinc plating and the black is likely Bayerite (Al(OH)3) or Zinc Aluminium Carbonate. The surface structure of it looks quite pyramid like, so I imagine it causes destructive interference of most wavelengths.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I'm no expert in the differences between hot dip galv and thin zinc coating (through electrolysis I think) or where Al might be involved. But sounds reasonable!

[@sabre0smile]

I know you likely know, but just because mild concern; I'd wear a mask while sanding composites like that I love your vidoes and want to see you stay healthy :P

[@townsville69]

Tef-gel works wonders to stop galvanic corrosion on nuts and bolts. I used it everywhere on my small aluminium boat and after 12 years of ocean fishing there are no signs of it.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thanks for the tip. The various anti-galvanic corrosion gels are pricey!

[@townsville69]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals I was shocked at the price too. I bought the little syringe applicator and it's done my whole boat/trailer and I doubt ill ever use the whole thing in my life time. A tiny bit goes a long way. Kind of like kindness....and vegemite.

[@nickjordan9035]

Hey, I love the series and you are doing an incredible job with fitting out this boat! I did want to let you know, if you didn't already, that you really should be wearing more ppe when handling carbon fiber and cutting it. That shit can enter your bloodstream and collect in parts of your body, I have been told that it will mostly collect in your heart. I mostly work with metal and fiberglass in my job, but on the rare occasion I do mess with carbon fiber I take a lot of care when handling it to protect my skin and lungs. Just my 2 cents, and my opinion means nothing. Keep up the great work!! I am super impressed and love the amount of effort you put into your craft!!

[@nickjordan9035]

Also, I have a "corrosion bible" in pdf if you would like it. It has some pretty good insight on corrosion and treatment methods and prevention. If you would like it, I can send it to you.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Thanks Nick. There's always a case for more PPE etc for most things, but it's important to keep in perspective. Dust of any sort isn't great to breath in large amounts of and they can be short term irritants, but carbon and poly/epoxy resin dust isn't chemically toxic. There's been a few claims it's the 'next asbestos' but the evidence doesn't seem to support it in any quality or quantity. PU resin dust and carbon nanotubes appear to be likely to be dangerous, but I'm not using either in these vids. I'll be using a mask when sanding back PU-based paint. Outside and a fresh breeze does the job nicely! I do avoid machine sanding inside if at all possible.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Sounds useful. There's a lot of conflicting wisdom online about where corrosion reality and theory collide.

[@davejones3038]

Re: "galvanic reaction" Galvanization or galvanizing is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are submerged in a bath of molten hot zinc. result: While 'L' bracket was completely dipped and protected by zinc, the square tube had been cut, exposing the ends of the raw "steel" making it turn black.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The bracket is thinly zinc plated (not hot dip) and the box section was hot dip galv, with the ends clean cut so bare steel.

[@todburner4678]

I'm pretty sure once the water is saturated with zinc enough it doesn't do any more damage to the part

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Possible - but I'm not sure if that's how it works? Does the zinc oxide stop being created, or start falling out of solution?

[@mikecarnivale7304]

Somewhat new to this channel. Has anyone ever mentioned that he looks like Robert Downey Jr when he's wearing a ball cap? Haha

[@seaduce737]

Your doing great I'd just love to see you wear a dust mask while sanding that carbon and glass😬

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Outside and a fresh breeze does the job nicely! I do avoid machine sanding inside if at all possible.

[@robinbeckford]

More importantly, a mask is essential when using polyester resin indoors. That stuff is bad for lungs.

[@richardschaefer8605]

Delightful.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Correct answer.

[@benedict_heim]

Morning

[@afromaximus]

Great video! I know this might be a controversial topic, but please wear an appropriate mask while sanding or cutting composite, the dust is pretty nasty for your lungs. Not an expert on this, but I have worked with F1 guys that always highlighted the risks to me. Surprised by the galvanic corrosion too, you might need to have stainless bracket and galv fastener to see some decent action, you need large surface area of noble metal to have a higher potential on the 'cell', which should speed the corrosion up.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Outside and a fresh breeze does the job nicely! I do avoid machine sanding inside if at all possible. On the surface area, I'm sure you're right. It appears that relatively small A2/A4 fastenings have little effect on large galv parts.

[@ivanfaye3041]

for a faster reaction try to place your metal pieces in a NaHO solution

[@reggaespiritdance]

Keep up the great work!

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Cheers

[@chriscoralAloha]

I would have made the cowling out of 3/4 plywood to reduce vibration and noise. Much more stiffness and sturdy. Cheap and easy to build.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The rest of the cowling is a mixture of glass, board, and wooden beams. I'm not sure why plywood would be stiffer than carbon fibre? Wholesale purchased resin and carbon is actually comparable price-wise to quality plywoods.

[@chriscoralAloha]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Plywood is soft and does not vibrate. It also reduces vibration. A property fitted wooden cover will be much more dense than fiberglass puzzle. Look at other solutions yaughties have come up with. Look to the sailboat world for some advice on this. Many good ideas out there.

[@md4luckycharms]

Have you seen the cost of plywood? He could commission a brand new 53' research vessel or even a custom built Alan for a single sheet

[@11bravocrunchie22]

My only concern is that the engine might not put out enough power to maintain sea-keeping in heavy seas. Do you have any volunteers or crew helping you with some of the work?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

In three weeks time I'm out in a strong tidal zone with an experienced skipper to test exactly this, and to see if a higher thrust prop is needed. That said, 48hp for a 7.5m boat is not underpowered.

[@11bravocrunchie22]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Thanks for the reply. I'm really enjoying the process.

[@scotte2815]

Peel Ply is one time use BUT as I understand it, the FULL measure of strength in a carbon fiber panel is achieved when a minimum of resin is left behind. Just as there is wisdom in not scrimping on the amount of cloth used, and not scrimping on the amount of resin used, so it is with a one time use peel-ply. Nothing else will remove excess air and resin like peel-ply And then there is the old adage "good enough is good enough" Peel-ply can optimize a panel for weight vs strength but if it isn't needed then not using peel-ply can save time and money

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Not to mention the use of perforated release film under the peel ply to give a gloss finish. The joy.

[@scotte2815]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals have you ever watched Mike Patey and his aircraft builds of Draco and Scrappy. Lots of money, lots of technique, lots of "oooo WOW!"

[@jimdavis1576]

the steel, stainless steel, and zinc are three metals. this means that two of them are more anodic than the stainless. the exposed end of the one was cut and exposed rather than being totally galvanized. the bits that are black are zinc rust. Also the lack of flow (both electrical and in the water) means that there will be far less corrosion. im no expert so i could definitely be wrong.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I didn't know corroded zinc is black - I've only seen the 'fluffy white' sort of zinc corrosion before.

[@jimdavis1576]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals it will rust black if it is an 55% aluminum-zinc mix, typically in alkaline conditions. zinc alone would just be white like you know of. edit because googling (or your choice of search engine) typically shows all kinds of products and coatings. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010938X99000438

[@rayhardy9963]

How do you get a corner in a round cup then ?😎

[@VexChoccyMilk]

Did you choose a resin that has a higher flame resistance considering it is going over an engine? I know there are normally no open flames, but there is a possibility of an engine fire.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The resin is Lloyds approved, but it's not actively flame-resistant. The cowling (as lots and lots of boat parts do) also contains wood and ply, so in the event of fire, the solution is to put the fire out! The insulating foam in the cowling is pyro foam that burns very slowly.

[@VexChoccyMilk]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Glad to hear it! Active maintenance and a fire extinguisher should get you 99.9% there.

[@GarrettDevitt]

Quick shipper, would use again *******

[@elliot999]

Why black? I believe it's because there isn't enough dissolved oxygen available in the water to produce the usual red/orange oxide you are used to. Exposure to air as well will do this. I believe you are creating FeO as opposed to Fe2O3(red oxide).

[@skeetersaurus6249]

A galvanic corrosion chart already exists...used in industry frequently. Just google 'Galvanic Chart', and print it out...no more testing required.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

This is a real world test to see whether, and how fast, the zinc plated steel corrodes and thins when fastened with a relatively small SS nut and bolt. You won't find this on a chart.

[@erikb8877]

It looked like you were trying to strip zinc plating in a vinegar/water solution.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I certainly lack the spare time for such flagrant forms of entertainment.

[@erikb8877]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals 😉

[@ursanbear]

Nordlock FTW.

[@vitonamous]

How light is alan?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Probably not much over 2000kg at the moment. This will change soon...

[@rickkephartactual7706]

Did you consider Kevlar fiber or too expensive? or too heavy?

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Kevlar or other more stretchy composites wouldn't have added a lot here. I needed stiffness and had no real need for impact or extreme bending resistance.

[@rickkephartactual7706]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals Thank you for taking the time to respond. I do appreciate it.

[@pontuswendt2486]

AMAZINGNES!!!

[@friedtomatoes4946]

Use rockwhool it's non flammable high temperature and Incredibly sound and thermally sealing. I've used it in my car and my house and you can hear a fly fart even if somebody's jamming music not ten feet from you

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

A lot of rockwool employees appear in my comments feed ;)

[@friedtomatoes4946]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals hey! Here some advice, rock whool tends to rip into layers. Put something on the face, then on large sections use something to hold the center

[@bikergirl2000]

Just bought a cap so I cann annoy my boatbuilder colleagues who insist boats should have girls names!!

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It'll be en route soon! I must get around to female fit shirts too. Quite a few people awaiting those....

[@georgecrothall9411]

I am making up stories in my head about the conversation that must have taken place in a pub. It goes something like this....Alex ‘I have all these daydreaming blokes that watch my channel, but how will I pull in some of the women that might buy them merch from my online store’ Lady friend ‘ Well Alex if you film in front of a mirror and thus include a gratuitous booty shot for the Ladies, maybe word will get out and you will have an entirely new following.’ Alex ‘ Hmm, well so long as I can find a suitable control for the experiment so I can measure its effectiveness.....’

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

I won't lie, the gender stats on here are very dramatically different to my accounts on Instagram and Twitter!

[@ercas87]

Not to be that guy but silicosis is no joke, wear a respirator when sanding that epoxy bog

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

It's fumed silica, not crystallised silica, so different to what causes silicosis.

[@ercas87]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals ahh, Roger that

[@kirkvandesteene9051]

i do likeit

[@timmymartin317]

I noticed you apologized for the noisy crane but not exposing us to you backside via the aptly positioned mirror. I’m watching the next video for an apology. Otherwise great video.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

The microphone recorder in my back pocket sure is getting plenty of attention! More lower back - so not time for full-on public shaming and cancellation from public life just yet.

[@jakefromstatefarm9721]

Carbon fiber with polyester and a wet layup? Ok.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Not all carbon is $100 per square metre at 1mm thickness..... This was only around 2x the price of good glass fibre, but with the stiffness and low density benefits of carbon.

[@jakefromstatefarm9721]

@@AlexHibbertOriginals right! But you’re losing some of those benefits by using polyester, aren’t you? Higher weight, less bonding strength, rigidity and shrinkage are all disadvantages of polyester. Depending on the resin, the polyester could be up to 50% weaker than epoxy. So you probably could’ve saved cash and had better strength by using epoxy and fiberglass. I would think.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

Yes, there's a compromise using polyester, but it's a third of the price. I didn't need bonding strength, and shrinkage is not a problem for a basic plank. The rigidity of the plank is chiefly down to the thickness across the core. As far as I know, both resins have similar density, so if you saturate the fabric similarly, the weight of resin won't be higher. Strength - the plank doesn't need to take impacts, or withstand repeated extreme attempts at bending. So, what you have here is a plank that'll cost a little more than a fibre glass / polyester one, but be notably lighter, as the fabric is fundamentally much less dense. It'll also be, on balance, slightly stiffer too even if you could prove the polyester is more flexible compared to epoxy with the fabric as a fixed control variable.

[@ptonpc]

Absolutely no shame in using tools that are not 'sexy' or 'cool'. Does it do what you need it to within your budget? If yes, then use that.

[@AlexHibbertOriginals]

And it cut like a champion.