Odds and Ends

Up to now I haven't discussed my use of Core Cell.  An admitted strange choice, since I'm a woodworker and didn't relish the idea of spending lots of time glassing. But others have had good success with various foam or Plascore options.

Eventually, I was swayed by the likelihood of a lighter boat.  And more importantly, possible increased durability and less urgent need for repair of minor leaks than with wood.  These latter points are important since I've been known to hit rocks and was interested in any option to limit the amount of short term repair necessary to get on down the river, and not hold up the rest of my group too much.  The rest of our crew doesn't run dories and might not be too understanding of this.

Plascore seemed like a non-starter to me.  I was concerned about delamination of the glass and how to treat the edges.  Plus the various choices of Plascore were confusing, even after discussion with the folks who distribute it.  And good luck trying to find it anywhere near Colorado or finding someone who will bulk order and ship.

I've used Divinycell in windsurfer epoxy builds, sandwiched on both sides of a Styrofoam core,  in the past with very good success.  Light and strong. These foams are easy to use, cut like a dream with a utility knife, and absorb little extra resin but still laminate strongly to glass.

Turns out I had no more luck finding Core Cell or Divinycell anywhere near me too. In the end, I found a good deal with Noah's Marine.  Nice guys.  I was able to work out a fair shipping price.  Just wish I had anticipated screwing up one panel on the transom, plus it's looking like I might need more for the bulkheads.

Tyvek suits - after ruining one of my favorite t shirts with epoxy and consigning yet another pair of old, but perfectly good, jeans to the shop-only pile I decided to try a couple of the Tyvek suits.  Pretty hot but otherwise effective.  But I think their "XL" sizing is closer to the same used by the European bicycle clothing manufacturers.

Cuts and scrapes - as a woodworker I'm used to these, but nothing like what I've been getting from the sharp pieces of resin and glass which seem to show up everywhere.  Painful and they all turn a nice inflamed red after a few days.

Surfoam - see above item.  Whoever invented this is a genius.  Great way to knock down those sharp edges.  And fair the overlapping Core Cell edges of where the side panels meet the stem.

More on "new" shop location - maybe if I cut a bunch of hardwood, after turning the dust collector off, and the furnace blower on high and then spend about 3 days with a nitrocellulose lacquer finish project in the basement Cheryl might be a little more interested in moving the shop out of the house?  Food for thought. Just saying.  Of course, I would never do this.