Future floor rebuilders, lessons learned..

[gman 82 aquasport]

This is for anyone planning or thinking of doing their own floor rebuild, I am in the last stages of my rebuild and would like to pass this info along.
#1. You can definiatly do this for yourself, take your time and check out all the rebuild post for info..Follow their advise..
#2. Do not get in a hurry..
#3. When it comes time to glass the top side of your floor as one piece, do yourself a favor and follow the advise given on here, to lay up your glass wet on wet for the best adhesion and finish, you will need at least 1 to 2 sets of extra hands...

This lesson was learned the hard way this weekend, I had my plan all figured out to do it by myself , but murphy's law took over. I had cut my first layer of glass (17 oz) and my top layer (6oz) and had them nicely rolled up to be put down. The 17 oz went down as planned, ran a single piece end to end of the floor, the added a cut piece to the side to cover the entire floor( with cutout for wiring tubes).
Then the trouble began, I laid plastic down on the wet 17 oz so I could get on it to lay the next layer(6oz), I got the first piece in place at the bow area and started wetting it out, then Murphy showed up, I could not get the glass to lay in place, it would slide under my feet under the plastic and leave rolls and air pockets..
After 1 hr I finally had the first piece down and started on the second, I was mixing my epoxy as needed as I went along..The next piece would not stay in place  and kept wrinkling up and sliding, so after a hour of sliding around and getting epoxy all over evrything around including me, I just tore off the 6 oz layer and called it quits. :evil:
On Sunday after it had dried I sanded the floor some for adhesion and sanded any airpockets out and wrinkles out, and filled them, then layed the rest of the top layer with no more problems
Don't do what I did, have extra hands there to help, I wasted 6 sq yards of cloth plus at least 1/2 gallon of epoxy, not cheap!!
Hope this helps someone in the future!
I will post pics of the floor tonight, at least I got it done..

[dirtwheelsfl]

Wish you woulda told us the plan first! You just about have to do one side at a time by yourself. One saturday one sunday ya know. But then your cloth layer would be going fore and aft. If you do your layers going across the deck You can work your way back. Fore and aft is stronger though. Getting it done is all that counts.

[gman 82 aquasport]

Yeah, I wished I would have posted my plan first to (hindsight) The first layer wasn't bad, laid the 50 in piece all the way front to back, then added the small piece down the side from the side, reaching over the gunnel off a small ladder, wasn't to difficult..should of stopped there for the day, but noooo I thought that I could be hero and get both layers down. At least now the first layer runs fore and aft and the second layer runs port to starboard, so they do sort of lock it together...But like dirtwheelsfl said getting it done is the big part..
Just posted this so hopefully no one else tries to do it the way I tried...extra hands would've been very helpfull....Like I said....Lesson learned, people on here will steer you the right way if you listen
 :)

[seabob4]

At least now the first layer runs fore and aft and the second layer runs port to starboard, so they do sort of lock it together...But like dirtwheelsfl said getting it done is the big part..
Just posted this so hopefully no one else tries to do it the way I tried...extra hands would've been very helpfull....Like I said....Lesson learned, people on here will steer you the right way if you listen
 :)

Kinda like a "poor man's" bi-axial?  

[gman 82 aquasport]

Sad part is the 17 oz is bi-axial, the 6 oz was reg cloth, but it is solid now

[wingtime]

Did you use epoxy or polyester resin?  If you used epoxy the secondary bond is so high you would not need to scuff it before laying down the second layer.  Also depending on the type and quality of the polyester resin (boat yard etc) you have different time windows  between laminations giving you more or less time to still get a primary bond on your next layer.

[gman 82 aquasport]

I used epoxy on everything in this rebuild,bond between layers when dry is good, didn't know you didn't have to scuff it if it was epoxy...but I had to sand some wrinkles and airpockets out anyway..,. refilled the airpockets with cloth and epoxy then layed 2nd layer.....everythings good now, just took longer and I made it a lot harder than I had to by trying to do to much at once :pirat:

[dirtwheelsfl]

google "amine blush" too. as long as youre sanding between layers its not an issue, but some dawn in a bucket and a brush is what i use to clean the surface. what kind of epoxy you using?

[gman 82 aquasport]

Epoxy is from US Composites, mixed 2 to 1, using fast hardner while temp is below 70, med hardner if above,mixing as directed and not adding any extra hardner...Parts that I have already done are tough as nails, no give or flex 8) Always sanded between layers that have dried and used acetone to wipe off before epoxy applied.

[wingtime]

Dirt is right about the amine blush.

[dburr]

In a previous life I did a two layer lay up in one shot by putting the glass layers down dry, then starting in one corner with resin and a squeegee I worked my way across and down the deck.  (boat was outside in a carport and the wind was dead still) All went well until I started to press to hard to get the air out of the cloth and started pulling up the cloth.. Once that problem was recognized and solved it went ok till I got way up into the stern and realized that I had to work from the outside leaning over the rail.. About that time a bubby showed up which was good because he found me semi conscious with my head over the gunnel down inside the boat oblivious to the slight issue that my feet were no longer on the ladder.     That is when I learned that viynlester vapor is heavier then oxygen and my respirator had a leak. My sense of smell has never been the same and I still feel the effects of the drain brammage that I sufferd that day....

Gman, you got off easy   and I really feel your pain, I'll raise a glass to you at the next opportunity... But the goop is down and you can move on, one step closer to going overboard

[gman 82 aquasport]

Yeah those vapors kind of sneak up on you... and trust me there was a stout drink had Saturday night, thank you tequila
As far as blushing , I didn't see anything that resembles blushing on the lay up, but I always sand between layers if they dry...wipe down with lint free rag with acetone...the dried epoxy doesn't feel greasy or anything, just nice and hard...So I assume that I'm not having that problem :)

[dirtwheelsfl]

You can usually see it. Its kind of a rainbow looking film. Look at the pot when youre mixing next time youll see it at the right angle. Some epoxies dont have much if any. Sanding between layers makes for a cleaner layup anyway.

Floor looks great

[gran398]

Wow dburr, that is a helluva story. Glad you're all right.

[gman 82 aquasport]

Thanks dirtwheelsfl.

Dburr, I agree with gran, goood that you're OK..
Best money I spent on doing this was a real good respirator and filters, changed then every 3 hrs, overkill, but only one set of lungs :)