12/21/10 Evening (After fishing)
Rudder trimmed
Worked around the nose region to smooth the Kevlar out
Foot Deck installed (Area around the Mirage Drive)
12/22/10 Had to work just 4 hours today. Oddball Holiday schedule
Got home and mixed a little epoxy
Did a little smoothing working around the nose.
Sanded the foot deck.
Filled the area around the foot deck with a mix of epoxy glass micro balloons (bright white) with a little phenolic mixed in for color. Epoxy mixed with micro balloons till the volume equals about 2 times original is still just barely pourable. Just a little more makes a paste. Less for a paintable mix. The more micro balloons in the mix the less adhesion.
Did not wait for it to cure. Immediately laid down 3 oz cloth and the epoxy over it. Next the whole SOT area gets a layer of 3 oz cloth.
12/24/10
Worked on the Mirage drive mount.
Put a little more fill around the Mirage drive mount. Let it harden some.
HYBRID looks like a patchwork. There are 3 different textures of Kevlar. The broadcloth is rather course and the 2 tapes are much finer.
Turned it over and painted the bottom with a mix of epoxy and phenolic micro balloons. The broadcloth Kevlar (FG-KEV538) is very porous. This material with only the epoxy that it was laid down with feels like very heavy sand paper. I bet it could tear skin. And painting it is like painting heavy sandpaper. Took 15 oz of epoxy mix with Phenolic micro balloons to do this first coat. This equals just a little over 1 lb added to the boat.
12/25/10
Got up this morning and checked the epoxy that I laid down on the bottom yesterday. The weather has been cool so it is not totally hard but it is beyond tacky. Mostly good coverage. Couple of spots actually approaching glassy smooth, good to go. Most of it needs a second coat with a couple of spots hardly improved at all, still has that dry look.
Got the cockpit (SOT) area covered with a second layer of 3 oz glass this afternoon.
Got the bottom coated with a layer of Epoxy and powdered graphite this evening. Took only 6 oz for this second coat on the bottom. (Can't sand the Kevlar so it all has to be smoothed with fill.)
12/27/10
Quick trip to WalMart for 2" brushes.
Coat of plain epoxy seal coat on the starboard side, with Saran warp end to end to make the bacon edge of Kevlar lay down. Took less than 5 oz epoxy.
12/28/10
Weighed HYBRID this morning @ 35.5 lbs (digital fish scale, ouch) added about 1/2 lb of epoxy after weighing. Hybrid is nearly ready to float. It will take another 1/2 pound or so of epoxy and graphite powder to finish the bottom properly. Looking like 37 lbs for a hull weight, before accoutrements. While 37 lbs is relatively light, it is a bit of a disappointment. I had really wanted a kayak hull under 30 lbs. 37 lbs blows the light weight competition as this is no doubt an easy number too beat. In consolation I did get Kevlar toughness which is what drove the weight over. Kevlar is relatively light and in a mold it makes for a light hull as several high end kayak manufacturers have attested, but hand layup requires more epoxy to fill this Kevlar fabric, as sanding Kevlar is virtually impossible. If I had it to do over again would I choose Kevlar? Maybe, but a finer weave, and I don't know if I will build another kayak, not for a while anyway. The reason I built Hybrid is to fish out of, and Hybrid will be a fishing machine. It is nearly time to take it fishing.
(Typed later. Sour grapes?) 37 lbs is not too bad for an SOT and is less than 2/3 the weight of a Hobie Revolution @ 58 lbs. It is 10 lbs less than a Cobra Navigator at 47 lbs. Much lighter than lots of other kayaks out there and tougher than kayaks anywhere near this weight and cost.
Drilled out the seat scupper hole and epoxied the edges. This hole goes into the FF transducer well and it is where the transducer cable comes up through.
Put a layer of epoxy on the Port side of the kayak, and laid it down with Saran wrap to keep the Kevlar fuzzys down.
12/29/10
Sanded some around the Mirage mount area.
Carved the seat pad I had for GAR to fit HYBRID
SOT area:
Rudder. This is where the control lines pass through to retract or engage the rudder.
Used the scraps from the seat bottom on the seat back to give it some curvature.
Used contact cement to apply a contoured seat back.
Mask the bottom and then put another coat of epoxy with graphite powder on the bottom. Got pretty good coverage with this coat.
01/01/11
I have been designing the rudder controls for weeks now with no good solution coming to mind. Think I have what I want to do now.
Put another layer of Kevlar on the front side of the Mirage side pin locks. This area has worn on GAR.
Installed seat back rod holders.
Fiberglassed most of the edge around the bait tank hole. Can't get to the back side just yet.
Filled and re-drilled holes in the rudder. Re-tapped the hi-lock holes for the rudder up/down guidance.
Drilled and installed the frog eyes for the rudder up/ down control and the stearage.
Tacked the control cable tubing in place.
Started the rudder control slider. (Goes on the port side of the cockpit in the gunnel for stearage.)
1/3/11
Strung the control cables (80# Superbraid) through the control cable tubing. 80# Superbraid can be pushed through 6 feet of 1/8 OD nylon tube. Hobie uses Superbraid for there control cables but it somewhat heavier.
Tested rudder functions. Rudder raises and lowers easily and Port/Starboard control is smooth.
Getting the rudder control slider ready for glass I broke one of the ends off. Reglued with 5 minute epoxy. Once it is glassed it should be tough. Glassed it up later.
Glassed the frog eyes.
1/4/11
Went fishing today in GAR. Caught a bunch of White Bass. Tore the bottom out of GAR, it is ruined. Time to get HYBRID in the water.
When I got home did a fit check of the bait tank. The bucket that I used for the template was slightly smaller than the one I have for actual use. Makes for a tight fit on the actual.
1/5/11
Sanded around the bait tank to make it fit a little easier.
Finished up the control slider and installed it.