Side Panel Foam and Exterior Skin
The lower side panels are filled with 1/2” Divinycell foam, which I get from Fiberglass Supply in Bingen, Washington. They are a great mail order resource that caters to surfboard and boat builders. They are just an hour away from Portland, so I zoomed up there one morning and picked up enough foam for the whole boat including the pilot house roof. Divinycell is made for this application with great shear strength and a surface that bonds well to epoxy. It is spendy stuff . . . but considering the hours I am putting into this boat, it is worth it for me.
The photos below show my clamping system of plywood clothespins and drywall shims. After the epoxy is set, I back trimmed the 3mm ply with sharp hand planes, being sure to follow the angle defined by the nailer strip. Note that the leading edge of the outer skin is anchored with bronze boat nails into a nailer strip.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
