Mastering Kayak Fiberglassing: Tips and Tricks - Petrel Play SG - E14

[@AlsCanoeKalamazoo]

A lot of boat glassing videos conveniently don't show how they covered the stems and dealt with the excess glass in that area. Thanks for including that detail.

[@NickSchade]

I hope folks find it helpful

[@user-fp2nt2pf3w]

Great series❤

[@NickSchade]

Thanks

[@jimdodd3462]

Our methods differ, not everyone ties their shoe laces, the same way. That's OK ! I treat my stems differently. I trim the cloth flush, then come back with a few Bias strips to cover the stem. No problem with bubbles on the ends. After I feather the bias strips ( I place the widest bias strip first ), there is no visible seem, in the finished hull. Another great instructional video. Thanks Nick !

[@NickSchade]

We will run bias-cut fiberglass over the stems as well. They can take some hits, more glass isn't a bad thing.

[@flannelshirtdad]

Work on you punctuation.

[@douglasreeve3591]

Looks better and better in every episode. Looking forward to the next step.

[@NickSchade]

Thanks Doug, I need to start editing.

[@1a1u0g9t4s2u]

Another great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@NickSchade]

Thanks for watching!

[@markvandekamp4126]

I've enjoyed and learned a lot from your videos and from your book. I think a video about your current thoughts regarding the type/weight of cloth and number of layers you commonly use would be really useful. My perception is that your more recent boats seem to be lighter weight than some of your earlier builds, but I could be wrong about that.

[@NickSchade]

That would make a good subject for a video. I have gotten better with epoxy and glass so my boats are a bit lighter.

[@JenkinsBoatWorks]

Hi Nick, great video! I have just fiberglassed one side of my current Stand Up paddle board project. Much of my process was similar to yours. I have to say, some of this mid way was a bit painful to watch as wrinkles and dry spots showed up and your patience and steady demeanor was great. Obviously it all worked out. I haven't done the squeegee off the excess into the paper cup before for fear of starving the cloth but I like it and will try that when I flip the board over for the other side. I was wondering what kind of roller you were using? I did my fill coat with a foam roller and honestly I'm not very happy with the result as it is anything but smooth. I have a lot of sanding in my future. I'll use the brush for the fill coat like you did next time. Well anyway, thanks for the good ideas and tips. Cheers, Chuck

[@NickSchade]

I used to use a roller a lot, but got away from it. Bill seemed to find it easier. My suggestion is do what works for you. It is worth trying different ways of doing things because sometime you find they are better than you thought.

[@joseignacioalcantara]

Great video Nick. You nicely take out all of the 'mystery' out of fibreglassing by providing a methodical approach and make it seem as if it is accessible to new builders. I was wondering what your thoughts are on using kevlar in kayaks, at least on the hull. It's lighter than fibreglass but much more expensive. Some claim that it has excellent abrasion resistance but I wonder how well it really would stand up when the kayak is pulled up on the sand or hitting any underwater rocks.

[@NickSchade]

Kevlar typically comes in a weight of 6-ounces per square yard. The glass we are using is 4-ounce/sqyd. Which one weighs more? Obviously, the Kevlar weighs 2-ounces/sqyd more. This weight is not that significant, but Kevlar is less dense than fiberglass (i.e. lighter per cubic unit) which means that a square yard of Kevlar is thicker than a square yard of similar weight fiberglass. A result of this, is it takes more epoxy to wet out a square yard of Kevlar than it would for a similar piece of fiberglass. You see where I'm going here? More epoxy means more weight. If you had 6-ounce glass and 6-ounce Kevlar, after wetting it out, the Kevlar would weigh more. It is very hard to save weight in a hand layup with Kevlar. That said, the Kevlar is stronger, so you would have a heavier, but stronger boat. This math does change if you are doing an infusion or vacuum bagging the Kevlar. The vacuum de-bulks the cloth so it absorbs less resin. One final point, glass becomes clear when saturated with epoxy. Kevlar is yellow before and after epoxy. If you want to see the wood, Kevlar will not work. If you don't care about seeing the wood, there may be applications where it is worth the extra cost and potential weight, if you need the strength and abrasion resistance of Kevlar.

[@qaannat]

I can't believe I am thinking about fiberglassing again. Nick, if one has a skin boat they like, how best to derive S&G panels from that?

[@NickSchade]

You could try wrapping heavy paper between each chine to make a pattern that could then be cut out of plywood and stitched together