Transom Project 2
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Transom Project 2 |
Page 17
Today I made some fiberglass plates in order to support the floor during installation and to give a little more strength to the junction between new and old floor sections. I used some old scraps of 1.5oz mat and 18 oz roven to make these plates. They are a bit over 1/8" thick. The plates are 6" wide. You may notice that some of the plates are green and some are red. They are both West System epoxy, but I used a different hardener that has been sitting in the garage for a while.
Apparently the hardeners have a tendency to turn red over time when stored in their metal containers. According to West System the red hardener is still okay to use and has no loss of properties. I figured this was a good place to use the stuff and get rid of it.
With the junction plates bonded in place, I taped everything off in preparation for the big foam pour!
This is 4 lb density pourable foam. I ordered a 10 gallon kit (5 gal. part A + 5 gal. part B) from FGCI. This kit is supposed to make 20 cu.ft. of foam when cured. My crude math estimated about 20 cu.ft. to fill and I was right on!
I started off making very small batches (24 oz. combined) so I could get used to the properties of the stuff. As I got more familiar with the stuff, I made bigger pours. After a few successful pours, I was making 1/2 gallon batches. Always have an area for the stuff to over flow. Otherwise it will do some serious damage.
The stuff is pretty easy to use. You mix equal parts of A & B and stir for 40 seconds or so. While stirring the stuff will get a very thick consistency and be tan colored. After stirring for about 35 seconds, you'll notice that is suddenly becomes easier to stir and the color will change to a brown. When you notice these two things, you better have a place to pour it. Once poured, it is a good idea to wait 15-20 minutes until the next pour. I was able to pour 3 batches at a time to different areas of the hull.
Next I got after the overflow with a hand saw. For the most part its pretty level. There area few low spots, no big deal. I slapped a coat of epoxy resin on the exposed surface of the foam.
