Sail Life - Structual fiberglass repair, finished dodger - DIY sailboat repair

[@kevinswanson3910]

Proud of you mads Athena looking like a brand new boat , and i think you picked a lovely lady to spend your life with.

[@br5498]

I tune in to learn something new every week... You never disappoint me...

[@johnmooney9444]

It's Jan 31, 2023. I wanted to watch this structural reinforcement series again. When it was first posted, I knew that it would be critical to Athenas sea worthiness, and that hand layup of fiberglass was a new skill to learn. Anyway, it's good to revisit this topic. Cheers

[@sailingeden9866]

You have the best boat repair channel around. I have learned a lot from your videos. Someday you should write a series of how-to boat repair books to compliment the videos. And once a month you should actually go sailing and create some how-to videos about how to sail.

[@icelandviking1961]

Adding the dodger and laser canons is going to be the best episode.

[@jimwarmington3933]

A lightsaber would have worked so much better for removing the the old cabinets than that silly old recip saw.

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

@@jimwarmington3933 Ain't lightsabers turn the lumpy core into mush before the evil glass is decollated properly ...?

[@jimwarmington3933]

@@manfredschmalbach9023 This is always a possibility...

[@mattevans-koch9353]

The fact that you are being so precise with your work indicates that you value your results. Once you are done with the structural parts, the agony will fade when you begin the install of the interior and you know that Athena is stronger than when she was launched. Think of the sleep you will get when sailing her knowing how strong you made her. Love your videos and your spiffy work.

[@markbernier8434]

Looks like a real engineering solution. brute force and determination. Good on you Mads

[@drwindsurf]

A trick I have used with U.D. glass is to use masking/painters tape. I place the tape on the line I want to cut and then cut down the middle. It holds the strands together while I am cutting and laying the glass up...and epoxy dissolves the adhesive, so you just remove the tape when it is wetted up. I hope this helps. I love watching your channel...I think you might want to call what you are doing now - a boat rescue instead of a "somewhat extensive refit" :)

[@stewartew]

No matter the adversity you always look on the brightside, you also have such a positive attitude.

[@ApexWoodworks]

Your patience and perseverance is most inspirational, Mads! Thanks for again sharing your experiences with us. Congratulations on coming up with a workeable process and slavishly putting your nose to the grindstone to get 'er done!

[@BorisFett]

You sir are a legend in patients.

[@ChristianMercadoAcevedo]

I admire your patience and commitment. Keep at it!

[@jonathanbay3461]

For cutting glass mat and roving, use pinking sheers which seamstress use. Has irregular teeth and cuts angles and reduces fraying of small and narrow fiberglass strips for detail. Can be used too for cross cut. Best of luck

[@scottstephenson119]

That was my first thought when I saw what you were working with.

[@jimbryce502]

For the fraying glass,I'd wet it out on a board,let it sit a min or 2 and lay it on wet. It's always worked for me. Realy enjoy your videos.

[@peterengel7885]

Just what I was thinking, I have seen that done many times,

[@edrussell7960]

Well that's going to take a minute to finish. Well it will be bulletproof when your done anyway. You should laminate a small time capsule in there somewhere with a photo and some sanding disks, maybe a flash drive with your vlogs on it.

[@darrylmcleman6456]

Epoxy in the paint tray gives more working time than epoxy in the stir-cup! Great stuff!

[@tf4887]

If you take a plank and put a plastic sheet on it, lay the UD glas on top and wet it out. Then cut the UD together with the plastic in form, put the strips in place (glas side down of course) and then remove the plastic sheet. This makes it much easier, but UD is still a hassel. Only downside is that you have to clean the scissers afterwards. At least we did it that way for building prototype aircraft. Cheers Tilo

[@deserttoseahomes9565]

My man, We all love your videos and your hard work. Can you please make a video on how much you have spent on your endeavor to rebuild your yacht. We all agree You do a fantastic job and we love it all. Keep up the great work and the fantastic vids. Can't wait to see you both on the open ocean...That will be REAL" spiffy".Take Care from all your friends from So Cal.

[@martinsachs3837]

Hi Mads, sorry to see you in trouble with the 105 resin. unfortunately it is not a true laminating resin, more a all-purpouse-resin and quite thick for laminating. One could switch to the lamset pro system, but the downside is it tends to create runs once it kicks off in vertical areas. The R&G GL system is very thin, great for hand laminating and does not create runs as it cures much more linear than kicking off at the end of its pot life. the fast version cures from 10 degrees C, the slow from 15C - there we go again ;) They can be mixed to create an in between potlife, I dont know what that dos with the temperatures. To be frank: I personally would heat the boat anyway. No Epoxy that I know of really fully cures below 20C, most manufacturers recommend at least 40C over 12hours. That can be done after the resin has set. Please make a sample - dap of resin on some plastic foil wiil do - and check those for beeing brittle before moving the boat again. Just hit the sample with a small hammer. If it still flies apart like glass more temperature + time is nedded. Cheers + have fun!

[@daveshepherd2212]

Wow it may have taken 5 hours but it looks superb “very spiffy” Love you’re work

[@TheSalvationNavy]

Great video. Saw your troubles with the fiberglass fraying. Possible suggestion. Canvas and sunbrella sewers use special sizers to cut stuff like that to keep it from fraying. They are zigzag sizers. Check them out and maybe it will help you cut that stuff without it falling apart. Good luck! Wish I was closer to give you a hand.

[@mikemcnamara1986]

Even small progress is fun; this is a key part of your adventure. Looking forward next week's edition. Thank you for your effort.

[@portlandscott]

Mads! Once again I'm just so impressed with your work ethic and skill. Thanks again for the vids and keep up the great work! -Scott

[@michaelwallace897]

Gut jobs are so much fun. Ava will love the ocean palace you are building for her. An amazing wedding gift for her from an amazing man. Best part is we viewers have the absolute pleasure of living vicariously through your eyes.

[@gianthippo1285]

You’ve definitely inspired me to take on a project with a methodical approach even with little experience. Have a Shark 24 over here in Canada desperately needing some glorious sanding and laminating. Cheers, Mads!

[@piccman1]

Good things come to those who are patient, Mads. Keep up the good work

[@DoctorBadVibez]

Mads, I wish there was a longer video of the fibreglass work, I love your perfectionist approach. The Uni can be controlled, masking tape across the width at the ends will help.

[@mikelochner6621]

Another nice video. Your attention to detail has become a lost art these days. I ran into the same issue with surface temp here in the cool climes of Vermont, USA. I found that careful use of infrared heat lamps solved the surface temp issue. I used an inexpensive infrared thermometer to adjust the distance I placed the lamp from the work in order to maintain the desired temp. The key to accuracy with the infrared thermometer is to shoot it against a flat black surface. I use black electrical tape.

[@reb101a]

Please install your toe rail and lifeline stanchions before reconstructing your interior. You will save time with easier access. (For through bolting)

[@davidcahill3104]

I have just spent weeks making new floor beams and increasing the thickness of the hull. Laminating laminating laminating. One of the fabric specified was quadraxial and it is a nightmare to handle. Had tapes over it to hold it together and only removing the tape after it was stuck down. I feel your pain.

[@sailingluana3037]

Can't you heat the interior of the boat to speed things up? Congrats on moving forward!

[@marshallgrill5857]

Keep Chugging along Mads. You're doing great!

[@Happy030358]

I think your videos is the favorite one I follow. Thanks for being so open and informative.

[@FreedomFluffy]

That little heating mat has served you well. I remember when you where doubtful of the purchase. Getting your moneys worth using it for your resin. "I love it when a plan comes together", A-Team

[@never-2-late997]

WOW you’re awesome , taking on the cabin sole looks like a major job

[@mikehartmann5187]

The x-wing dodger looks good. The Force will be with you, always

[@dennisbinyon9023]

mads awesome project, have enjoyed the progress and once you finish and are enjoying your new shared life aboard whatever you do don’t look for a new boat say a wooden one.

[@robertp7209]

Been there done that. Wet out all of your precut glass on a big sheet of heavy plastic on a table, one at a time, then roll or fold one way, and go into the boat guick. Just pour your cup out and always over mix more than you need on the table. Mark each piece in order and stack them. Only use a 4 inch or so plastic squeegee to push around the resin on the table, no ribbed roller ever. No vacuum needed. Then get the bubbles and excess resin out once in the boat with the squeegee, you can use your gloved hands to shape the glass up and push into the corners. You can probably do a few layers at once wet out in shop, them get into boat quick. Before you go into the boat, put your next layer of glass down on the resin remainder left on the plastic, when you get back it will be all absorbed, then just repeat and keep going. If the boat is cold get electric heaters in there. You can use incandescent bulbs in cheap spun alum reflector style spring clamp on fixtures to cure the glass in the boat. Mounted a couple of feet or less away. Just close enough to get warm a bit to the touch. Make the lamps as close as needed, at times I’ve had them 5 inches away. When your plastic starts to tack up, put it to the side and use another, then use the flip side once it drys. If you use the lamps can go to a slow hardener which is going to be easier to work with - I could never do that job with fast. The heat from the incandescent lamps will cure it overnight, even a slow hardener, even if cold outside. It may serve you better to prewarm the structures first will not take long maybe an hour. Don’t need high power bulbs 75 standard watt is plenty per lamp. I’d say four lamps may cover the area, maybe six. I can email you a link to the type of corded spring clamp lamp, sold here in USA well known Home Depot stores. The next day all glass will be fully cured.

[@jimh.5286]

You could video the entirety of glassing each frame, all 11 of them. That could provide videos for the whole year, and would be almost as entertaining as sanding!

[@robertpotts7589]

Well executed and clearly communicated. (As usual). I wish more “You Tubers” could figure that out! Nice work! Best DIY on YT.

[@JoieDeVivre42]

You can mix 205 and 206 hardeners to customize the cure time/temperature.

[@martyhandley4456]

Sail Life Sunday! Sweet and the work on the stringers begins........wwwhhheeeeeee!

[@martyhandley4456]

Might I suggest trying cut the ud and pre wet so u don’t have to handle it dry, wouldn’t it stick itself together to help with the fraying....

[@lenscap8925]

Take some of your layup test and make a "washer" for the pump face and the cap top... Make a jig for the glass mat, maybe a foot wide handle between 2 dowels or yard stick length pieces of wood...

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Or just take the original black cap it came with and bore it with a hole the diameter You want. That blue one looked flimsy compared to the spiffy black one anyway.

[@jerryf609]

Lots of comments about heat. I was wondering the same thing but Mads has undoubtedly considered it. Maybe the hull and keel would suck all the applied heat out.

[@Expendible1971]

Doing something fun with Ava ...like sanding?

[@robsheridan476]

Hi Mads, Have you looked at low viscosity resins? MAS epoxy market one which has good wetting out properties and can be used below 15° with their medium speed hardener. It's quite a job you have there. Athena will be able to break ice! Best regards Rob

[@aleciacarpenter7856]

With the structural glass in place you'll need to rename Athena the Battleship Bismark! Haha, Keep up the great work Mads! Hello from the Grand Canyon State.

[@twoeagledrones]

You are a patient man!

[@carlthor91]

Total refit, no holds barred. Cheers

[@notwhatiwasraised2b]

just finished binge watching all the 'Refitting Athena' in a week or so.

[@ot0m0t0]

Congrats. I think I never wached the first ones....

[@ot0m0t0]

How to fix the resin pump: get a metal washer and put it between the pump and the cap. You need the right size, it will be big, but I think you can manage in some big hardware store.

[@gking5522]

In the US they are called "Fender Washers".

[@maxboonkittypoison]

For you resin pump you could dril out a big washer and you problem is solved. Great video again. Greetings,, Kitty.

[@garymyers6638]

Have you watched any of the other sail boat refits? Those other folks could have redone two boats with the amount of effort you spend on a single section. The difference between perfect and good enough to last 40 is probably accounting for half your work.

[@Garryck-1]

Some of us LIKE knowing that when a job is finished, we did the very best job on it that we could. "Do it right, do it once."

[@kenowens1688]

Hi Madds, the structural repair looks great and really strong. What do you think about attaching the heating mat the the exterior of the hull to help with the layup? Ken.

[@warrencranch2614]

howsit Mads! great vid as always, a thought, if you extended the lateral floor joists with a triangular piece of wood ....to the curve of the hull it would be a much easier profile to laminate, that "knee" seems very difficult to work with, it would also give you a wider floor space to build cabinetry over, aloha from Hawaii!

[@aserta]

If you have issues with fraying, buy wide paper tape (the white colored kind usually mean weak bonding agent, IE used for plaster work). Lay it on top of the fiber, cut it, then wet it and apply it, then, remove the tape.

[@patrickradcliffe3837]

What we did in the Navy when working with heavy UD was to leave it whole and wetting it out on plastic film then cover it with another piece of film and then cutting it to size.

[@SailLife]

That is an awesome idea! Thanks 👍

[@LucScheffers]

Here the same low temps limiting epoxy work. But if you trusted your hotvac/heating mat to dry out the hull it can also heat up the extra 5 degrees needed from the outside for epoxy work inside. A little electrical heater inside would be enough to heat up all of inside over a couple of days and you are good to go and can use 206. Which is not only giving more work time, but gives a stronger end result.

[@TheDecguy]

Glad to see the structural work underway.

[@peterkacandes5905]

Get a bunch of ceramic heaters and heat lamps and raise the interior temp and surface temp of your work area to 25 deg c in an enclosed space like that should be eminently doable, yes? Am I missing something?

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Nope, not missing anything, that would be the solution to use slow hardener only fist (no stress with hardening rollers all day) and temper it later. I would not use infrared/lamps though, because the temperature through the laminate would rise a bit slow compared to a 1.5 or 2 kw blower in a temporary styrofoam encasing..

[@mattd8668]

manfred schmalbach how about using a heating mats to heat the hull one or two ribs at a time?

[@jackdaniels8898]

Love you persistence.

[@michaels1997]

Not the most exciting task, but keep at it! And hello from another country with summers that suck - the UK!!

[@netpackrat]

The fillets were a good call and won't hurt anything, far from it. Besides reducing the odds of voids, the increased radius will spread the loads out better, instead of having all of the stresses concentrated in the very bottoms of the corners.

[@paulbennett7743]

Mate put your heat blanket on the other side of the hull. So the resin will flow/play nicely.

[@lkm5462]

I’m surprised you didn’t drill holes in the top of the stringers and heat them to drive out the moisture. Also run the mat continuous from bow to stern and the across the beam. Less cuts. What am I missing . Love the vids.

[@philrogers177]

Have you considered using Corcel - or a similar product - on the cabinet work. Advantages are it will not rot, is very light, is easier to work with and won't absorb water. Likely more expensive. My boat had interior rebuilt that way.

[@yottaforce]

The summer was awesome last year. It's just a matter of waiting

[@NortyNige]

Don't complain about the weather Danish Dude. I just came off the hard, mixing up faring compound in 25 Deg C heat with wind blowing through at 20+ knots. You try mixing faring compound in those conditions. No nice work-shop to run away too for this old fart. I had to get up at 05.30 to paint one side of the hull in the morning as it was in shade and cooler then the other side after 4pm when it was in shade while the ambient temp dropped to a level where the bottom paint would not dry before your very eyes in the roller tray.

[@Dan_C604]

I truly commend you for your work and dedication. Some folks have been using the work “overkill” and it may be so. I wonder what made you choose epoxy resin over other alternate materials, such as polyester, which would have made an easier job. Also, I believe that keeping the moisture locked into the structure will eventually become an issue. But at any rate, you are the master of the ship, it is your baby. Cheers from Canada. Great videos!

[@kenszymkowiak3171]

Yes! What he's doing is locking the moisture into the members. He needs to find a way to let the members dump their moisture. But for some reason, even though this has been said before, he's ignoring the logical problem of allowing moisture in without giving it a way out.

[@SailLife]

@ken and for some reason even though I've explained why it doesn't matter that the moisture is in there people keep mentioning it 😉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bp7KlKZ_l5iUn9U @ 3:41

[@Dynaco77]

Sunday and Sail Life!

[@rickvangunten4800]

Seems like a bit of Overkill. But you certainly will never have to worry about the structural integrity of the hull again. Sounds like you have a solid plan for accomplishing the task at hand. I will try to send some of our warm weather here in Florida your way.

[@CheersWarren]

Looks like a crazy overkill . The original fiberglass looks like it was just a few layers of chopped strand mat. The uni in the top of the ribs will never get any stress unless you are bouncing on rocks , and then You have bigger problems. The epoxy resin, also overkill. Quality polyester would do a wonderful job and 10 time quicker and faster. All the ribs do is stiffen the hull and provide a floor. Oh well it's your boat, what ever makes you feel comfortable.. Cheers Warren

[@johnperry7534]

Amazing work mate When I work I play some Santana ups the energy You’re doing great You should be proud of yourself

[@Willco5114]

Enjoyed! Many thanks.

[@timfrench9391]

Madds, can you use your kerosine heater to warm the space? 5°C would help immensely.

[@robinbennett5994]

He said he was heating the boat, but the hull isn't insulated, so it cools the laminate, while the hot air makes the resin on the tools go off faster.

[@Fr99763]

Hey Mads, since you are forced to a very slow repair process in the structural work, why not cut these structures out completely, bring them in to your workshop and rebuild them from scratch? I understand it is not your actual plan but it would get rid of the moisture for good in the process. And it would not be slower as you could work inside.

[@NameNaameNameeNaamee]

Hi Mads, why don't you get your oven out of storage and heat the ship (and therfor the hull) like you did in the winter?

[@alanpiper9614]

Mads, just a quick question. Why didn't you remove the old fibreglass from the structural members to allow them to dry out from the water saturation? I would have thought that this would have been the preferred option, treating the dried out structural members with an epoxy to soak into them then re-glass them completely sealing them from any moisture and preventing them from rotting in future? It would have been a lot more work to do this but there would have been no chance of rot to the now dry structural members once they were sealed and re-glassed in.

[@stephenrankin2078]

I wish I had 10% of your patients

[@giso79]

im sure you will master that work like you did before with the deck. After that video I realised that i watched this video on a rented boat in middle on my vacation. totally different experience ;-) keep up

[@789train]

hi mads! great videos. i don't think you should line up your glass layers evenly, they should be 'tapered'. also it would be faster to build your layup on saran wrap, upside down ie. saran wrap, peel ply, fiberglass, then pickup the whole thing and apply it to the structure. i tape down a large piece of saran wrap,then cut it with a razor blade so you can pick up the whole works by the saran side, flip it over and apply it, all the layers at once. then peel off the saran and roll out. also i think the slow hardener will set up eventually. the epoxy company i use makes a low viscosity hardener for winter use, the low viscosity allow wet out in the cold. does west system have such a product? regards, walt

[@johnthorogood6601]

Starting this big task puts you nearer the end of it!

[@henrymorgan3982]

Big project. After Athena is "completed" you will definitely be her Master!

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

I subsume "complete" is a very relative concept in Mads's boat life ...

[@bartonrobinson4266]

When all's said and done, it's never done. Going to be a delightful finish so keep the spirit awakened and track straight onward. Look forward to the conclusion Mads, as it ends, so goes it and a new part begins. Stay safe, and sane, keep the old stiff upper lip stiff, your going to beat it !!

[@lyfandeth]

Yes, I was just thinking that what you are doing is way beyond a refit, it is what we would call gutting and rebuilding.

[@stanthology]

@@thearchibaldtuttle Too big of a mountain to climb to start with. Might have caused a suicide. Now the whole outside is faired and has more glass and epoxy on it. It will hold its shape so the hull won't bend while he's fixing the soggy stringers and transverse structure. Mads will also have his true love to advise him on how to build the galley and he already had practice doing it the first time. Anyway he is a good role model for anyone who aspires to the sailor life. Good to know the order one fixes one's boat in is not written in stone and can be flexible. For me anyway. He does so much it's amazing. Kind of finishes each step in an exemplary manner. Take a gander at Roger Ball's blog. He's been fixing his boat for like ten years.

[@jassr57]

looks like a good challenge, always enjoy watching your glass work.

[@benjaminwheeler1998]

Hi Mads. Love your channel. Have you thought of using a space heater inside your boat to help with warming the epoxy?

[@manfredschmalbach9023]

Did You think about a heater-blower to warm it over the curing temperature one spot/rib at a time? A little bit of styro as a thermal case and a modified heatblower (no security stop, MUST work supervised only though ...) to temper-cure locally would make it possible to use the slow hardener, Your hull is cored and thus insulated, so You won't stay with uncured parts deep in Your laminate even with outside temperatures well below 10°C. You can reach tempering temperatures over 40° or 50° Celsius with a 1500 W blower inside a thermal styro case in short time after You layed up everything in no hurry with slow hardener. For the curing process of epoxy, usually the absolute top temperature You reach is defining (thus tempering even "cured" = "dried" epoxy later in the process can improve the absolute cure interlinking a lot), no matter when this temperature is reached in the run of the curing process.

[@floydgraves3997]

Well done

[@MrLorgen]

Sure you have considered it, but a space heater at 16-18 degrees + slow hardener to reduce the aggrevations? :) Thanks for another great vid, enjoy it & cheers from Nor(same temps btw..) :/

[@TXCowboy35]

I thought the same thing if you can close off the cabin of the boat and leave the heater overnight it should help warm things up at least I think it might.

[@svbarryduckworth628]

In a week or two the joker is dead. Long live the new stronger Athena hull reinforced structural members. All hail the joker is dead. I can't wait to watch the new interior get built. Goodbye half port holes, hello new layout.

[@skookumjack]

Mads, you never cease to impress me with your biblical patience of Job! I think come the apocalypse I'll want a cabin in your vessel..... the smite of satan will not destroy! 😁

[@mozismobile]

I keep wondering whether it would be easier to tent the boat and run a big gas heater underneath to heat the whole job site. Even a couple of degrees would make a big difference. Thinking specifically of the tents I've seen over Canadian boats who spend the winter in the marina, they do two layters of plastic file with bits of bubblewrap in strategic locations to keep the layers separate. It's a PITA to set up... but less of a PITA thaan your current situation?

[@mozismobile]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maLEgGqVptl9b5o is the simple single layer version. I searched for "winter boat covers canada live-aboard"

[@almath9987]

Thanks a couple of weeks work and you will say that wasn't that bad 😁 all the best from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⛵

[@BaronWeber1]

Great job, thank you for the video.

[@dancartier561]

For the west system pump hole issue I made metal washer to fit the pump and prevent the push thru problem. The metal washer are reusable. Dan

[@timlong8987]

Hey Mads how about using the slow hardener and put the heater on overnight.

[@quabin5]

Thank you for doing this...I feel like I have permission to stop putting off doing some of these structural reinforcements on my vessel

[@danieloliver20]

Not that they are experts but the "Sailing Uma" couple layed up glass on their hull structural stringers in one to two days. They've been sailing for three years in moderate to rough seas with this fix. Get a heater inside the boat to help with the epoxy kick off time!!!

[@benjaminchong82]

u r amazing and thanks for your info