Rowing skiff - nearly finished

[Peter Nobes]

Good afternoon

After two years of building my SF clinker rowing skiff is nearing completion.  I have two questions you can help me with.

1. How thick should floorboards be? They aren't specified on the plans.

2. With my previous boats I've followed Chris Perkins' advice and soaked the boat in varnol before painting and varnishing. This time I'm going to coat with epoxy before painting and varnishing. I got the epoxy from Fyne Boat Kits. They recommended applying it with a squeegee instead of a paint brush. What are your thoughts on this? And do I sand to a very fine finish beforehand? Do I need to sand again afterwards?

Thanks
Peter

[Timmo]

Well done. The last stages!

No immediate thoughts on the floorboard thickness. Will partly depend on the gaps between the supports I guess.

I've built a pair of Chesapeake 17 canoes to plans supplied by Fyne Boats. 

The instructions required the hulls be sheathed and then hull and deck coating in epoxy. The squeegee approach worked really well. I made squeegees out of old perspex secondary glazing. They don't need to flex but do need smooth true edges. Fyne recommended sanding between coats, though I think I put two coats on (second before first cured to avoid amine blush) before sanding and putting the last coat on. Then sanded again before quite a few coats of varnish to protect the epoxy from UV. The sanded epoxy finish is turned to high gloss by the varnish.. We actually only did one canoe with varnish, the other was painted.

Tim.

On 2 Feb 2016, at 16:59, Peter Nobes [via UK HBBR Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

Good afternoon

After two years of building my SF clinker rowing skiff is nearing completion.  I have two questions you can help me with.

1. How thick should floorboards be? They aren't specified on the plans.

2. With my previous boats I've followed Chris Perkins' advice and soaked the boat in varnol before painting and varnishing. This time I'm going to coat with epoxy before painting and varnishing. I got the epoxy from Fyne Boat Kits. They recommended applying it with a squeegee instead of a paint brush. What are your thoughts on this? And do I sand to a very fine finish beforehand? Do I need to sand again afterwards?

Thanks
Peter

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[momist]

Congratulations on the build.  It would be wrong for anyone to suggest how thick your floorboards need to be, with knowing the spacing of the floors, the thickness of the floorboard material and what that material is.  My choice would be about 20 mm of good hardwood, spaced onto floors no more than 400mm apart, if that fits the aesthetic of the craft.
You can always use additional 'floors' attached to the removable floorboards in between the hull's own floors, if those are too widely spaced.

[Paul H (admin)]

Peter,

Well done. I hope we can see her at Barton Turf - and I hope I can make it to.

Regarding sanding, my advice is: sand, sand and more sanding.
Try to get the wood looking perfectly smooth before applying anything. Sand away light dings - they can spoil the final gloss finish Tim talked about.

Apply epoxy/varnish in many thin coats with no thickening at the edges of the squeegee. The edges will cure to lines that must be sanded - check at all angles of light until you can see them clearly.

A heavy duty 1/2 sheet sander is recommended. I've never used a Bosch but the video tells all:



Remember wood dust and epoxy dust can be carcinogenic. I like to sand outdoors; the dust blows away and never builds up a high concentration. Most heavy duty 1/2 sheet sanders have a filter bag - its amazing how they keep the workpiece clean of dust.

The cheapest source of sandpaper is a roll from Screwfix; just cut off the right length, fit it to the sander, then push down on the punch plate to make the vacuum holes. Check the width of the roll!

cheers
Paul

[Port-Na-Storm]

Hi Peter,
Well done on your build.

Floorboards: what the other's have said.
Interestingly the floor boards on the traditional clinker boats down at the club are no more than 4-5 mm thick, made of solid timber probably larch. But then the trad. bent timbers are only on 6" centres so the load is spread very evenly.  
On my Whilly Tern I used 9mm ply and that wasn't thick enough, they gave a bit if your put your weight between the floors, which is a bit disconcerting.
Do make sure they are easily removable, otherwise you'll spend half your life taking them out to clean the boat or rescue that important thing that just disappeared between the cracks and the other half putting them back.

I have come to the conclusion that varnish is a mugs game. Life is too short.
My recommendation would be to oil any wood you don't want to paint. You will never have to sand it again  unlike varnish which will insist on being rubbed down every other year or so.
They seem to have stopped making Varnol but other stuff like Deks Olje are pretty good. It is expensive but it goes a long way and I believe pays dividends over time.

Paint. I don't use two pack so can't comment on that but this is what I do for Enamel.
As Paul says sand sand and sand again. I use a small palm sized orbital sander, usually with a vacuum attached. Brilliant for removing dust.
Sanding Discs from Screwfix, P120 and P220 ish.

Apply a very thin coat of epoxy with a squeegee, as Paul says make sure you remove all the drips and runs. Press hard and keep it flowing. Make sure all the end grain in the planks is sealed with epoxy.
Once it has gone off give it a light sanding by hand just to take the shine off and allow the paint to key.
Paint does not cover up bumps and blemishes, it just changes their colour.

The secret to a good even top coat is in the preparation of the primer undercoat.
I use a roller, tipping off with a dryish brush.
At least two coats then a light sanding by hand with P220.
Wipe down with white spirit to remove any dust.
Repeat until perfect.
Only then should you apply the top coat using the same method.

And finally;
I am now using Jotun Easy Gloss & Primer available from Marine & Industrial

They have an amazing variety of colours which they will mix for you.
They are very helpful on the phone.

Have Fun, see you at Barton?
Graham



 

[tonywall]

I would not go as far as saying that I recommend this, but what I did was coat/paint the bare wood with epoxy much thinned with cellulose thinners. A little of this mixture goes a long way. It can take several days to harden. I then used original-type Vim powder as an abrasive by "cleaning" the surface. A couple of coats of good quality varnish followed. I have done only touching-up in the ten years since then. Tony Waller

[Peter Nobes]

Thanks for all the advice. I asked Paul Fisher where the waterline on the boat is as I read that the convention is to put the floorboards at the waterline. He replied

"Depending on how she is loaded, the water line is approximately 100mm from the Datum Line.

This woudld be too high for floorboards - on such a craft the boards are usually made up of something like 10x90 yellow pine going fore and aft fixed to the same material going across the way underneath in 4 easily removable sections. These can almost sit directly on the bottom or rest on small athwartship pieces.

I make up a large paper template of the shape I think will fit and work to that."

So I still have some decision-making and problem-solving to do.

Paul H - this is the first boat I've built indoors. All the others were sanded in the back garden and the toxic dust blew away. I did wonder whether the death of Lata's guinea pig, out on the lawn while I was sanding, was just a coincidence. The skiff is in John's Boatworks, which is the dustiest place I have ever been. I'll sand outside if I can, but I have my overalls and respirator ready.

Graham - I'm tempted by the idea of oiling the brightwork. "Oilwork"? The thwarts are Robbins Tiger Elite, and the transom and sheer strake are Super Elite Plus, so I want to show them off at their best. I've actually still got about a litre of Varnol. I'll sand a couple of scrap pieces of ply and see how they look with Varnol.

Taking the skiff to Barton Turf won't be easy. It's too big for the roof of my tiny camper, and the coxswain's car has a soft top. At some point I'll need to get a trailer and a towbar. At the risk of annoying the Topic Police, can I get a trailer built without having to take the boat to be measured up? I can see a Catch 22 coming up - I'll need a trailer to take the boat to someone who can build me a trailer.

Best

Peter

On 4 February 2016 at 12:27, tonywall [via UK HBBR Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

I would not go as far as saying that I recommend this, but what I did was coat/paint the bare wood with epoxy much thinned with cellulose thinners. A little of this mixture goes a long way. It can take several days to harden. I then used original-type Vim powder as an abrasive by "cleaning" the surface. A couple of coats of good quality varnish followed. I have done only touching-up in the ten years since then. Tony Waller

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[inwe]

Peter
I had CLH trailers build one for Calluna. A very nice company. Alternatively look at personal watercraft trailers because they are narrow, I've got one for Inwe. Fits snuggly with wide tyres. I would offer to make you one but can't at the moment.
CLH are in South Wales and make for a lot of other so called trailer companies.

Richard

[LASER41420]

Hi,
I transport my rowing skiff on a wooden cradle that it tied on to a basic combi trailer base. A lot more versatile than a custom built trailer.
Steve

[Paul H (admin)]

Peter,

Inside or outside the dust bags built into the higher quality sanders are almost essential for our hobby, in my opinion.

I bought a heavy duty sander from Wickes many years ago, trade rated at 400 Watts, half sheet size, it can give a perfectly flat finish on the hull or a complex wood joint.

But its remarkable how much dust is in the dust bag when I empty it.

regards
Paul

[Peter Nobes]

I'm not going to Barton Turf this weekend, sadly, as I currently haven't got a vehicle. But my skiff is now completely ready for painting and oiling and/or varnishing so I'm going to use my time well and do that instead.

 I was planning on epoxy coating with a squeegee but I noticed on Fyne Boat Kits website that they suggest doing that for glass sheathing and using a roller for plain wood. Now I'm confused. Suggestions please!

On 10 February 2016 at 10:34, Paul (admin) [via UK HBBR Forum] <[hidden email]> wrote:

Peter,

Inside or outside the dust bags built into the higher quality sanders are almost essential for our hobby, in my opinion.

I bought a heavy duty sander from Wickes many years ago, trade rated at 400 Watts, half sheet size, it can give a perfectly flat finish on the hull or a complex wood joint.

But its remarkable how much dust is in the dust bag when I empty it.

regards
Paul

Sail when you can, motor when you can't http://www.millibee.co.uk

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[Port-Na-Storm]

Peter,
You will be missed at Barton, its a pity you can't make it.

Cheers
Graham