Using a Molding Table

[FELLOW-SHIP]

For those of you that live in Florida there is a place called L.A. Marine Inc. in Fort Lauderdale 954-791-2552 that make and sell 4’x 8’ fiberglass panels in 4 different
thick nesses from 1/16 to ¼” the cost goes from $108.00 to $259.00 per panel. They are white gel coated on one side and glass and resin on the other. When I re did my boat I considered making some panels as well but ended up using some of the old decking and the old live well to fabricate any needed sheets of glass. Some times you can salvage some really good material from marine boat builders and repair guys that are just going to throw scrap stuff away.
Fellow-ship [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[LITTLEBISHOP]

Trayder, I hope you will continue to post pics of your project. They are very helpful! Keep up the good work

[Trayder]

Some more pictures:

http://www.classicseacraft.com/Seacraftpage9.htm

[Briguy]

Truely awesome craftsmanship. You really take your time and do things right. The entire project is so professional. One comment though. I saw your livewell is not exactly oval in one corner. Was that the expanding foam that pushed it in? If so, you may consider removing that foam in the one corner, filling the livewell with water for support and then refoaming. What type of foam did you use? Did you consider sealing the foam completely with a polyester mixture?

[Trayder]

Capt. Brian-

Tx. for the words. Great Idea with the water, I never thought of that. Probably should have. Yes, the expanding foam is some strong stuff. It did push the livewell in roughly 1/2 an inch in the forward section of the forward livewell. What happened was, I put too much foam in at one time. I learned my lesson and slowly filled the remaining voids with no issues.

Because the front of the livewell will not be visable when the deck is on I have chosen to leave it be. It looks much worse in the picture than in real.

The foam will be covered with Epoxy before the deck goes on to assure water retardation. Side note: if water ever got the foam I will have bigger problems then soggy foam. For water to reach the foam water would have to travel through the fiberglass that will be holding the bottom of the deck to the inside of the livewell. I am planing on making both livewells entities to their own sorounding them with fiberglass and fillers. I can not have water escaping the well and going into the areas to the sides of the well, which include the fuel tank cavity.

As for the type of foam? Hmmm. Good question, it is a two part expandable closed cell foam, I purchased it from my fiberglass supplier. It is said to be impenatrable by water. It is very hard stuff, hence my desire to leave the pushed in section alone.

[PipeDreamsMarine]

Trayder,

Just a thought.... the whole job looks great, but have you tried to pull one of your shift cables though your rigging tubes yet? [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I know some Morse cables have long fixed leads and they don't bend well. I've seen this happen too many times.. Just a thought..

Don Battin
Pipe Dreams Marine

[Trayder]

Tx for the heads up Pipedreams, all is well. Same set up works on my other boat so I am assuming it will work here.