A fillet is actually a big cove of epoxy mixed with wooden flour (think finely ground sawdust)... it makes a paste. The paste, the consistency of peanut butter, is coved in between where the bulkheads meet the hull and the sides and where the sides meet the hull... basically wherever wood meets wood, you'll need to put in a fillet. That's what holds the boat together.
Epoxy is stronger than the wood itself and at first I was skeptical. It's better than screws because it doesn't rust. Incredible stuff. See the dark coves of epoxy where wood meets wood. This stage is time consuming as layers of fiberglass tape are placed over the epoxy/wood flour mix.
Beginners like me tend to overdo it. In other words, my fillets were thick - too thick I discovered, so I spent a lot of money on epoxy and I didn't need to. Well, this boat is built strong.
Note the goofball pic... I'll never forget this day... my son asked me "Dad, wouldn't it have been easier to have just bought a boat?"... and I replied that Dad had always wanted to build a boat and that this was one of life's great adventures... on the other hand, I was consumed with getting this boat done before duck hunting season and since I am the most impatient person alive, this process didn't seam fair ; ) Guess what, building a boat is NOT for the impatient. I learned that lesson early on.
I changed my attitude at this stage and decided that I was going to take my time and do it right. After all, it truly is a once in a lifetime thing to do...
1 comment:
Kewl.
Good narrative and the boat looks good. As soon as I am able, I am going to build too but as of now, time does not allow.
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