VACUUM Bag Fiberglass Boat Core REPAIR - Will it HOLD?! - E013

Will I get this vacuum bag to seal and work before it’s too late?!
There is a lot of work involved to get this boat core assembled in time before the epoxy kicks off. I am just a vacuum beginner for fiberglass building and repair and this large area is anything but an easy introduction into the world of vacuum bagging. But it’s a fun new thing to try.
Let’s hope this works!!
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Helpful Products in this Video:
Gast Vacuum Pump: amzn.to/3EYGaiH
Offshore Pump Alternative: amzn.to/3xnoz3y
Stretchelon 200 Bagging Film: amzn.to/46w7IaF
Breather Fabric: amzn.to/46w7IaF
Walo Electric Scissors (GAME CHANGERS!) : amzn.to/46uSov5
Econo Stitch Peel Ply: amzn.to/48ExcVa
Release Film: amzn.to/3ZDefhE
Yellow Vacuum Bag Tape (STICKY!): amzn.to/3PxwfW8
Vacuum Bag Port: amzn.to/3F0q7AP
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Recommended Playlists:
Watch our journey from the very beginning!
• Restoring the Antidote.
Recommended playlist for other AWESOME boat refits:
• I QUIT! … to fix up an...
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[@robertmstarr9028]

I really appreciated the step-by-step instructions for the vacuum bagging!

[@livingforsail]

Thanks! I’m glad that you found it useful. 🙌🙌

[@VilkasDe]

Me too. Been looking for this information. Thanks!

[@mr.e7022]

I follow Duracell also but I like your explanations as you work.

[@livingforsail]

Thanks a lot! Their project is amazing to watch. I appreciate the feedback.

[@nathalieadams]

I am thoroughly enjoying your videos. I've followed Yaba, Duracell and Travels with Geordie. Peter, from Geordie takes extra time to explain everything he does just like you do. Keep up the good work you have a new fan!

[@livingforsail]

Hi. Thanks for the feedback! 🙏. I appreciate that and hope you continue to enjoy following along. Cheers! 🙌👍

[@tomm1968]

Some advice here on vacuum bagging. I was trained to add pleats along any inside corners. When the vacuum draws the bag down, the pleat will suck into the corner, preventing the bag from bridging over this area. Not much need for pleats over a flat surface. Outside corners and flat areas will always draw down and lay flat. It's those inside corners that are tricky, and making sure your bag covers the entire surface. I also made sure the ports were installed before the bag is taped down to ensure there are no wrinkles in the seal area. FYI, I worked for an aerospace composites company my first job after college, so I've done quite a bit of vacuum bagging.

[@livingforsail]

Seems logical. So you’d put a pleat close to the corner on both edges? I can definitely see this is a skill that will get easier each time. I’m getting more comfortable with it. This video was my first attempt. I’m just thrilled that it all worked!! Thanks for the tips. 👍🙏

[@tomm1968]

​@livingforsail Yes. Line up the pleat along the length of the inside corner. That gives the bag material room to move as it "stretches" into the corner. It is definitely part skill, and part art. You get better with practice. Just try to think where the bag will stretch as it pulls in, and use a pleat to allow the bag to move, rather than stretch. I know your bag film has some stretch, but this is still good practice. Stretching over an inside corner will mean no pressure is applied to the laminate, and that is a recipe for voids.

[@Luzt.]

@LFS Why would you put the port in the corner and not in the centre? If you had to choose the worst place, you would select just this corner.

[@tomm1968]

​@Luzt. Putting the port in the corner doesn't hurt anything. Once the vacuum is established and constant, there will be no more flow, unless there is a leak. Use of a breather fabric will ensure air has a path to the port, but for simple shapes is not always necessary.

[@Luzt.]

@@tomm1968 Edit - I answered the wrong person, but leave it as it is ... The fact that you left the pump running do not square with the claim of no leaks. I, being an engineer myself, automatically see the need for some presostat so that the process is always correct and pump works only if necessary. I agree that any location my be good enough but still - this is the worst location. Anyway, you are doing a great job and the only problem I see is that you may not get the boat done bfore 65 at this pace ;-)

[@Bluestatesurvival]

Like a glove!

[@livingforsail]

Yes! Exactly.

[@sodoffxx]

Fabulous editing. Great workmanship. Durocell does it - you show us the insights. Your an engineer and it shows. Kudos.

[@livingforsail]

I appreciate your appreciation! Cheers!! 🙏👍

[@jvodan]

I love removing peel ply it;s so satisfying

[@livingforsail]

Right?! Haha. I love it! 👍

[@denislamadeleine1181]

Jon, I'll let you guess how I came across your channel. I have a funny feeling you will be picking up several new subscribers this weekend. New subscriber here and I just love a good refit series and I think this is gonna be a great one. I'm not a sailor yet but I have my dreams and one day I will likely be doing something similar to your project. I appreciate the way you put an engineering perspective to every step you make. I will be looking forward to upcoming videos but so far, excellent!. Thank you for sharing.

[@livingforsail]

Well, if it wasn’t that you saw one of my stickers on the back of my sister’s minivan somewhere in Moncton New Brunswick (it could happen). Then I’ll guess that Maya and Aladino sent you? Great folks! I’m happy to hear that you enjoy my perspective on the refit journey. So far I have yet to bore anyone to death. Some have complained about getting close 🤷‍♂️😳😂. Hope to see you back in another one. Cheers! 👍

[@gmoose777]

great video the vacuum bag process takes a little pracftice but you have the idea it will get easier. i have one sugestion for your setup, use some 6 or 10 inch plastic pipe with a sealable screw lid on one end to build a resin trap in line with the vacuum pump it will prevent excess resin that isn't trapped in the bleeder cloth from making it to the pump. cheers and keep up the great work

[@livingforsail]

Thank you! 🙏. I’ve though about adding a trap. So far the epoxy has been pretty thick and hasn’t traveled too far. It’s a great idea. Getting resin to the pump would really ruin my day… I appreciate the feedback. 👍

[@jackdbur]

You can also buy small oxygen humidifiers with a flow meter that can be used as a resin trap.

[@TheCorsair]

Nice as always!

[@livingforsail]

Thank you! 🙏👍 (as always)

[@aaronpercy650]

if you haven't already you should have a talk with Matt from the Duracell project he would be a goldmine of glassing tips and a really nice guy to boot

[@livingforsail]

We’ve connected on email a bit and he gave me a few vacuum bag tips, which I thought was pretty nice of him. I’d be happy to throw a day or two of my time towards that project just to learn from him! If you know him, put in the good word please 🙏 🤣

[@andrewmoylan6295]

Nice work with the cherry picker. John looked a bit sketchy, mate 😮 Bloody mongrel crows. Maybe put Waldo up there, spook em away. Bow looking great

[@livingforsail]

I thought about that too! Haha. He might actually get some proper work done up there!

[@williamholden4034]

Great job getting organized and learning your equipment before trying it on the real deal. I could not tell if you buttered the butt joints on the panels with epoxy. Also, I couldn’t tell if you did it on the G10 block. I was taught that you never put a piece in dry. What I mean is the part you’re piecing in should also have epoxy on all the edges and surfaces it will join to. It helps prevent voids. Please excuse me if you know this and my eyes need to be checked. Again, great job!

[@livingforsail]

Hey. Thanks for the feedback. Yep, I troweled all glued surfaces edges and faces before putting anything in. It’s part of the reason it took so long to get it all together! It probably got lost in the Timelapse or hit the cutting room floor. It’s a good point and really important! Cheers. 👍🙏

[@russellmurphy8111]

Nice work and excellent job

[@livingforsail]

Thank you. 🙏👍👍

[@peterfrebold]

.... looking forward to see how this whole process works ...... thx for the share Jon .. as always ... never stop dreaming, just dream bigger .. have fun be safe, save our oceans ......

[@livingforsail]

Thank you sir!

[@DuriasFamily]

Love it, Jon!

[@livingforsail]

Thanks Josh! 🙏🙏

[@paulohlstein2236]

You can bend a batten to make a curve. If you attach legs to the batten to form a C, then when you force the legs together, the bending moment in the batten is approximately constant and the batten forms a circular arc.

[@livingforsail]

Thanks for the tip! 🙏👍🙌

[@edwardlong189]

Great workmanship. I am enjoying your work .

[@livingforsail]

Thank you! 🙏🙏

[@robertscholz4486]

Your killing me with the cliff-hanger ... Oh well ... I guess I've got to wait another week. I can't believe that the crows caused that much damage just by landing ... who would have thought? Keep up the good work!

[@livingforsail]

Haha. Sorry to keep you in suspense! Yeah, it could be a larger bird but I’ve only ever caught crows up there with my own eyes. Anyway, it’s all good now (a few hundred dollars later 🤷‍♂️)

[@user-bn2hf3on2b]

It is always wonderful seeing the progress. Keep it more coming.

[@livingforsail]

Thanks for letting me know. Cheers! More on the way! 🙏👍🙌

[@charlesmcdonald5465]

Like a pro!

[@livingforsail]

Thanks!! 🙏 haha. It doesn’t feel that way yet but I’m getting better at it and am in love with the results!

[@jackdbur]

A 6ft by 4ft cnc router would be a great idea for you project or the hand held cnc router that a couple of other sailing channels have.

[@torstenhansen4308]

For boat work, the handheld Shaper Origin is a wonderful tool. It is amazingly precise and I really like that it is portable and lets you tackle any size workpiece as Johan showed us when he made the frames for Ran III.

[@livingforsail]

I’ve seen a demo of those shapers. They look amazing! All of our jobs are done better by robots! If they could edit these videos for me I’d be in the clear! 😂

[@livingforsail]

They are still a bit pricey… amazing tech though!

[@torstenhansen4308]

@@livingforsail We were watching Johan cut frames with his Origin when something amazing happened. My wife asked, “Would one of those save you time on our refit? If so, we should get one”. We did and it has. The tool is easy to operate and wickedly precise; their entry level two dimensional design program works well for someone like me who never took the time to learn proper CAD.

[@livingforsail]

@@torstenhansen4308 Can we please get the wives together for a chat?!

[@waynem604]

Nice work Jon! Your boat is better than new!

[@livingforsail]

Hey, thanks Wayne. It’s getting there 👍🙏

[@ianmyhill5156]

Hey really enjoying these videos and watching the progress on the project, also i really appreciate your clean work space and common sense approach to even the new aspects of the project (vacuum bagging) Thanks

[@livingforsail]

Hey, thank a lot for the feedback. Im glad that you’re enjoying the videos. 🙏👍🙌

[@badcat4707]

Matt is doing some amazing things with the Duracell Boat 👍/ Now , when are you getting your Inspector Cat to Over lord your project 😸😺

[@livingforsail]

I have a 6 pound chihuahua that we adopted at 10 years old. He can barely see and I’m pretty sure he can’t hear me either. He can tell me if the boat smells ok but he’ll probably just make a puddle up there so I’ll keep self inspecting for now… 😳😂

[@badcat4707]

@@livingforsail 😸

[@martyb3783]

Great job for your first time! I hope it turns out well. Great video as always!

[@livingforsail]

Thank you! 🙏👍

[@bendaves77]

Great way of keeping the birds from landing on the peak of your roof.. you can also get a pellet air rifle.

[@livingforsail]

Haha. I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of this comment… 👍🙌

[@bendaves77]

@@livingforsail hahahaha

[@chrislee7817]

Just watched to the end. I make a lot of composites, ususlly vacuum infusion. Do you have an in line catch pot to protect your pump? Also over large areas its wise to have a better vacuum path, use some spiral wrap or somesuch. Less of an issue when there isnt much resin about. However you might find it useful if you infuse the deck layer. Check out easy composites videos.

[@livingforsail]

I haven’t considered any infusion for this project yet. My understanding is that I would need a better pump and a near perfect seal for that. This was all wet layup and I just used the vacuum to clamp.

[@viktorbrattsti9397]

Another great video, thanks Jon! I'm still working on my shed, but I have received a shipment of divinycell for the core replacement. Watching this is very helpful and I am also considering using vacuum. My only concern is that I'll be doing it overhead.. Keep up the great work!

[@livingforsail]

Hi Viktor, I’ve been watching your shed build on IG. It’s looking good. Vacuum might be the best way to get a good bond from below. If you work in manageable sized sections it will probably work really well and the top skin should be stiffer than what I’m gluing to and probably smoother also. Good luck and keep in touch about your project. 👍🙌

[@HELLRAZZOR]

I think you should design your own boat from scratch (once you've finished this project) while under sail. it may take a few year's but a nice challenge nevertheless.

[@markbuskens6070]

Really 😵‍💫

[@HELLRAZZOR]

@@markbuskens6070 I mean he is a qualified engineer right how hard will it be for him. it would take a few year's but I don't see why not.

[@livingforsail]

It would be an interesting project. I’d love to work with Bob on a design but we will see. I’ll focus on the rebuild for now 🤔

[@HELLRAZZOR]

​@@livingforsail definitely focus on this build. But I'm a weirdo so I'll watch you design an entire sailboat.

[@livingforsail]

@@HELLRAZZOR I think it sounds like a fun project. It's good to have goals :)

[@jeffskingley6042]

Just discovered you channel and I’m really enjoying it. Quick question though. Why vacuum bag this? Couldn’t you just put weight on it and call it done or is it because of the camber or curve of the deck?

[@livingforsail]

Hi. Thanks for the input! 🙏 You could certainly weight it down. The trick would be to get a good even contact without deforming the deck shape so you’d want a lot of braces. You could maybe screw it down and then come back and fill the holes ? 🤔 I like a challenge and wanted to try something new. This is the best way to get good even clamping force without changing the shape of the deck. But yes, many ways to approach the problem. Cheers. 🙌👍

[@svlamancha9877]

Fore deck is looking good. Very precise work. I was wanting to ask about the temperature in the boat shed I presume it’s warmer than the outside temp but have you noticed by how much? I am wondering how much solar gain you can expect, I am in Scotland and planning a similar boat shed but thinking that it will probably be too cool much of the year for fiberglass work. 👍

[@livingforsail]

Thank you 🙏. The shed is single wall plastic and experiences a lot of greenhouse effect. It can be around 20-30 degrees warmer in there in the summer. Cloud cover or shade if you have some trees around will keep it more stable. I was having the problem of too hot for this work for several weeks because it takes so long to get everything assembled working solo and I needed more open time.

[@svlamancha9877]

Thanks. That’s a big increase in temp. I’ll maybe ask again once we get into winter. 👍

[@petejury2228]

be sure to coat both surfaces with resin first

[@livingforsail]

Yep. All glued surfaces (faces and edges) were coated with a thin layer of unthickened epoxy followed by a troweled layer of thick stuff.

[@DanielPatchingSDMB]

Is it weird that I was so nervous when you were up working on the roof.

[@livingforsail]

Haha. Yeah it took a minute to get comfy up there. 👍

[@geraldtribbe6363]

Why kerf joints down and not up to fill with epoxy?

[@livingforsail]

They are full of thick epoxy.

[@bumpkin52]

Talking about making it harder. Why not just measure up from a baseline drive a nail then use a batten against the nails to draw your curve?

[@livingforsail]

There has to be a harder way! If you have a long batten suitable for that, go for it 👍

[@TheMikesylv]

It was definitely sagging, a lift ? Why do you have lift ? Don’t get me wrong it would be pretty convenient did you get it to build the shed?

[@livingforsail]

It was a rental. I built the shed without it but couldn’t think of a way to repair the peak without it.

[@gregjohnson9051]

I’m surprised that you got a good vacuum with the perfs in the core.

[@livingforsail]

I had a solid surface for adhering the bag so the perfs were not a factor 👍

[@alansomerville4806]

Old Farmer's trick, they are bothered by birds doing the same to their bagged silage, hay, straw etc. if left outside a barn and built into a large structure. The birds spoil the top row. Was at my Father's (an old farmer) and noticed that he left one bale, the same bale as he used the stuff up, higher than the others. The birds would only roost on the top one, think dominance and a better lookout. He sacrificed one bale for all the rest. Just ion-case you have further damage. A raised roosting pole or whatever would work with their nature. Won't stop them evacuating their bowels, see how nicely I said that, every time they take off, but that is relatively irrelevant and nothing else will stop that anyway.

[@livingforsail]

Thanks. I think that sounds like a good idea if I have persistent visitors. Thanks for keeping the comments PG 🤣. Thankfully it rains a lot here so the shed gets a good wash periodically. 🙏👍

[@SouthFloridaFishingClub]

What pump are you using

[@livingforsail]

There’s a link in the description. It’s a Gast diagram unit. DOA-P704-AA. It’s a good little unit. 👍 Good luck.

[@hellapellanyc6465]

So you vacuum bagged that area just to be able to get that contour correct?

[@livingforsail]

That’s one reason. Easier to keep the correct shape and just WAY more even clamping pressure than I could otherwise get (and it was fun)

[@hellapellanyc6465]

@@livingforsail You're the man, this channel is truly awesome.

[@hellapellanyc6465]

@@livingforsail Was there any way to do the vacuum bagging with just a shop vac and tape?

[@livingforsail]

@@hellapellanyc6465 I've heard of people getting away with it. I'm not sure what kind of vacuum pressure you can get with that. Diab recommended 20" HG for gluing the foam.

[@livingforsail]

@@hellapellanyc6465 Thank you! I appreciate the positivity! Cheers.

[@chrislee7817]

You sure make life difficult for yourself! Why not just put a flexible beam under the deck and clamp up at the centre. It would conform to the shape with ease.

[@livingforsail]

Because “there has to be a harder way?!” The bottom skin here was pretty wobbly and uneven so I wanted something to make sure the shape was close to fair. I’m sure your suggestion could also work.

[@russellesimonetta9071]

Better term for rocket science and brain surgery is "rocket surgery"!

[@livingforsail]

😂. That’s the “two birds, one stone” way…