davebrewer

You should know that polyester resin has very ordinary bonding properties with timber,the modern system uses epoxy to ensure a permanent waterproof composite hull,you then apply a fairing coat or 2 of thickened epoxy and sand smooth.A finishing system follows this,primer,undercoats and single or 2-pack marine paint.http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/

Dat,look at the link I posted this morning-it explains this in illustrated detail.

Everything you need to know is in here Dat: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/HowTo-Publications/Fiberglass-Boat-Repair-and-Maintenance.pdf Cheers, Dave.

Talking like a book Jeff-this is not the election to be hedging your bets on,that's happened too much in the past.

Cheers guys,most appreciated.Jeez Austral,that was well spotted! Cheers, Dave.

If it's less than 3 months out of rego it should be OK unless they won't transfer an unregistered trailer-that might be a hiccup-at most you'll need an inspection slip,bill of sale and I think a weighbridge certificate.Looks like a good find,even if you need new springs and bearings. Cheers, Dave.

Thanks for the kind comments fellas,the problem now is I'm already trying to decide what to build next.My Rumrunner is going to have to go to pay for extensions now that the kids have taken over the house,so I still need something suitable for more open water.Here are a couple I like,both are local designs. Budget will be the limiting factor but I'll have to do the reno first. 4.57M Riptide M500 Cheers, Dave.

I started building this David Payne 4.2m Yellowtail skiff in 2002,and had most of the construction finished in about 18 months,but then got sidetracked onto other things,like work,and a 5.4m Coxcraft Rumrunner,so this languished under the house.Last year I put in a concerted effort in my spare time to finish her,and finally had her ready to move early this year.The work in sanding, fairing,painting and brightwork to a reasonable standard take forever on a boat of even this size,and I only go for a workboat finish.Anyway,the trailer was finally ready a couple of months ago and 6 of us spent a frazzled 10 minutes winching and dragging 250kg of boat up 6.0m of extension ladder boat ramp,over 3 retaining walls totalling 3.0m of rise,onto the trailer. Here's a few more pictures after a wash down on launch day. She's actually a gaff cutter sailing boat,but until I get around to making the rig,I'll use it as a launch with a 5 hp outboard,which will push her along at about 9 knots,and intend to get a bowmount electric also.Rows very nicely for a boat this size too.Any comments are most welcome. Cheers,Dave.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides Don't what happened there- Cheers, Dave.

Coming along nicely-here's a link to user guides for boatbuilding epoxy which should be useful.Any chandlery has carpet-Bias sell that and marine paint. Cheers, Dave.

Norglas Marinecoat or International Brightside-both are easy to use with a roller and brush and very durable-just do the prep properly,check the international website for a lot of information.Looks like that would be easy to put on a box trailer,then you could use it for both,if you don't need a box trailer just hunt up a small boat trailer on the web. Cheers, Dave.

Do a search on Wentworth and look for Troutboy's posts-he had it wired a couple of years ago,even scored a Murray cod once.Should be the right time,it's cold enough at the moment. Cheers, Dave.

Yeah,I too am a huge fan of illegal immigration,financial mismanagement,diminishing superannuation and marine parks-why would you vote for the liberals?

Would that be the new limited release 1500 Slinky? Cheers, Dave.

Then ignoring the politics,and assuming that all the funds raised will go directly to the rescue mobs(and if you believe that I've got a bridge for sale),you tell us why the thousands of fishos with no access to these services should be slugged for them.

Wake up you blokes,the issue is the unfairness of this to the majority of licence and boat rego holders throughout NSW,including inland, who are never going to need the service.And it is a naive assumption to think all the funds are going to rescue services,they are going to State revenue initially.It's another grab,like the increase in stamp duty last week,the State climate change charge on your excess water bill(bet you didn't know that was there),the huge rises in electricity charges last year and this year,etc,etc ad nauseum.The same clowns foisted Marine sanctuaries on us.Christ I can't wait for the next election.

There's also a good ramp at Pretty Beach if that's not too far.

You can wear an inflatable and not deploy it unless it becomes necessary,eg,after swimming out if it's not safe to regain the platform,while waiting for rescue.$100 odd bucks is cheap life insurance.Anyone can have a lapse in judgement,overconfidence can be as dangerous as ignorance-I know a few experienced blokes who've been for an unplanned swim during the 40 years I've been rockfishing.

Hayden,I've just checked International's manual-the system for aluminium is prep by mechanical abrasion back to bare aluminium,then 1 coat of Etch primer,3-4 coats of Yachtprimer(which seems a lot,I wouldn't be that diligent),1-2 coats of Prekote,2-3 coats of Brightside.Unless you are going to keep it on a mooring,forget about antifouling.All this stuff is stocked or available from Bias.Get the International painting and product guide ,it has a ton of information including getting a good finish without spraying.HTH, Dave.

Why would Cabbage Tree Bay be validly comparable to South Head or Barrenjoey?Never mind Billfisher,we can rest assured that the unassailable scientific integrity typical of previous marine "sanctuary" lobbying no doubt applies here.Deal with it. Cheers, Dave.

Or,instead of waiting,build your own,you spread the cost that way so it's manageable from your own money,you'll save a considerable amount over the cost of a bought one and have a lot of fun doing it.You can save for a trailer and motor while you're building.PM me if you want more information-I'm about to launch my second boat(not counting canoes) and plan to start a new one this year. Cheers, Dave.

I picked up a Lowrance X50DS there last weekend for $99-down from $289 because an older model. Cheers, Dave.

Nice rods,great value for money-you won't be disappointed. Cheers, Dave.

Terrific news Donna,hope your home and healthy in no time.Better get Stewy to stock up on Tofu! Best regards, Dave.

Sorry about the delay Stacer,I haven't used EPI myself but as it's an International product I would be confident-just,as always,be sure to follow the instructions,especially regarding mix ratios-most problems using epoxy relate to buggering these up.CD is fine for a floor,I've used it to make canoes,wouldn't use it on larger boat hulls in case an unseen flaw could lead to a failure but for internal structures,no worries,provided it's sealed thoroughly.Tan's suggestion of bracing is a good one,should help stiffen it considerably on a wide span.About thinning-I would forget that,the epoxy will penetrate a little anyway and form a chemical bond with the ply,if you add the next coat while the first is a little tacky it will bond chemically also.(Once dry you only achieve a mechanical bond,which is OK,but you'll have to sand back the gloss to remove amine blush,which is a bloody pain.) Cheers, Dave.