Thanks for all the positive input!
I tacked up the last two seams today and it now looks more like a boat than ever. next step is to add some structural reinforcement, then lose the cable ties and start glass taping the seams.
Do you have an anticipated wet date?
Not yet. I reckon there’s a couple of weeks’ work left to do - so sometime in July if all goes well…
lurking about looking for Mangetout 
Will you be posting a picture of the vessel in the water? What body of water are you planning for the maiden voyage?
After work yesterday, I picked up my 13 yr old son and we took our kayaks out for a few hours. 
Man, this is absolutely fascinating! I live near a lake/river and I’d love to give this a shot. I appear to have all the necessary tools (although I’m a basement woodworker – could be a problem).
I haven’t read your whole site yet (though I will), but I’m wondering about the thickness of the ply. I think you state in your materials list that it’s 4 mm ply? That seems awfully thin to me (~3/16). I realize you’re not going to successfully bend and sew large 3/4-inch pieces of ply, but 4 mm? Did I read that right? Or is there something I’m missing?
I found it, I thought I had read this somewhere:
No, you read it right - 4mm plywood - it is quite thin, but the curvature of the hull provides a great deal of strength - it will be reinforced with solid timber ribs in at least three places, small decks (which I might add a bulkhead to the front of and turn into closed buoyancy tanks) and the gunwale, when fitted, will give further strength and rigidity - particularly to stop it twisting.
The glass tape and epoxy does a lot of work too - making it essentially into a single piece of material.
Even though it’s only tacked with spots of epoxy at the moment, I’m pretty sure I could turn it over and stand on it without it breaking (I’m not going to try that though).
Also, it’s good quality marine ply - quite considerably stronger, harder and less prone to mechanical failure/delamination, etc than ordinary construction ply.
Definitely. I plan to take a cheap disposable camera on board with me and leave the digital one with the missus to photograph me setting off (and if possible, meet me at the other end to snap me arriving). Also, si_blakely mentioned in the other thread that he might wander down and take a look.
Ah, I think this is a key piece of information. The regular 4 mm ply that I’ve seen available at the box stores – well, let’s say that it doesn’t inspire confidence. But if marine ply is stronger, and you’re essentially adding another few laminations with the glue and tape, sounds good.
Yes, the ply is definitely good stuff, but having said that, Hannu (the guy whose website got me started out on this madness) builds a lot of his from ordinary 4mm birch ply. He’s an accomplished boatbuilder though.
I knew it would happen…
Picked up two sheets of 1/4" last night and a small thing of epoxy (gotta find a better supplier or the epoxy is going to cost more than a new boat would). Youngest wants this but will probably end up with Hannu’s “Prism”. Might modify it slightly, decks or something, but not redesign on a Mangetout-scale
Mwuhahahaha, I’ve infected you!
You will need a lot of epoxy. If you’re doing stitch and tape construction, you will need ordinary epoxy, not the pre-thickened stuff you get in those double syringes. (pre-thickened is fine for general gluing and seam filling, but it won’t wet glass tape very well.
I’m going to be using this for my glassing - I paid about £20 for mine, but I’m also going to be getting through two packs of the marine epoxy adhesive on this page:
http://www.tiflex.co.uk/marine/adhesives2/adhesives2.html
Hannu’s original prism design requires less resin than mine though (fewer seams)
Ebay was a good place to get the glass tape, but the resin was cheapest at a little chandlery near my work - the guy was really friendly and gave me a discount.
Oh, and some disposable latex gloves. Never attempt anything without the gloves.
While I’m not entirely sure what a chandlery might be, I’m suspect that someone around here carries the stuff. I’ve got what I need to get started, and luckily I have a 48 hour automated script running at work so I can devote tomorrow to finding a dealer.
Made a few cuts tonight, then remembered that protective glasses are still recommended when using power tools. Perhaps I’ll take a little trip to the doctor tomorrow instead of searching for epoxy if this eye doesn’t feel better.
Perhaps I’ll take a trip to the doc if this eye doesn’t feel better instead of searching…
Perhaps, if this eye doesn’t feel better, I’ll take a trip to the doc instead of searching.
You know what I mean.
A chandlery is a boat store (actually, the word means potentially any kind of store, but it has come to be associated with marine supply). These places are often found near marinas and the coast generally (I can’t decipher your location, so I don’t know if that applies to you) - but many of them sell their wares on the web now, or a search on eBay for ‘marine epoxy’ should be quite productive.
Ah… I just worked it out… you’re about as far away from the coast as it’s possible to get.
I’ve ordered a huge tin of army surplus marine gloss paint from eBay - for the outside of the hull - it’s in a shade called ‘deep bronze green’ - I hope this is what I think it is - a sort of rich, dark forest green.
I’ve also decided on a name for my boat, but I’m not going to reveal it yet.