canvas deck

[ossygobbin]

hi
can anyone in the uk help me out, i am looking for canvas to recover the deck of my yacht, and would appreciate any help in finding a supplier. thanks again. ian

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[Mirelle]

I'm pretty sure that Traditional Wooden Boat Supplies, in Beccles, carry deck canvas in wide widths. http://www.tradboats.com/

For myself, I've canvassed my last deck; plywood, glass cloth and epoxy are better, I find.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[ossygobbin]

hi mirelle,
thanks for the info and advice r/e the subject of replacing decks and the covering. i am undecided r/e which way to go, as i am not very experienced with the use of glass fibre, do you have any tips or hints about how to go about using glass fibre cloth and resin? i am ok with laying the new plywood deck, it is the covering that is worrying me at this point. by the way this is the second time you have replied to my posts, thanks for all your help and advice. cheers ian

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[rjp]

Hi,

I've recently glassed/epoxied a new deck and cabin top on a 32ft boat. Reasonably straightforward but you have to work reasonably (though not super-)fast, dependant on ambient temperature. WEST do an excellent leaflet on the subject. I did mine in sections over a period, partly due to unsettled weather.

I found it easiest to lay out the cloth on the plywood and work the resin through from the top using a plastic squeegee (from WEST). I did try a section where I coated the deck first, but found it difficult to get the cloth to lie flat without wrinkles. I did find I got the odd bubble here and there especially on hot days. If quick enough spotting them I found I could work them out using a plastic squeegee before the resin set. Preparation is the key as you don't have much time to mess around. I applied another 2/3 coats of epoxy over the initial glass/epoxy layer using a roller (using the WEST roller cover). Then painted with Blakes deck paint after sanding down the shiney surface) Overall I'm pretty pleased with the result.

John

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[ossygobbin]

hi,
please forgive my ignorance, and thanks for your post, but who, and where are west who you refer to. cheers ian

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[LittleShip]

Try this site and if you need any further assistance on the use of epoxy resin contact Rob Hewitt and he will talk you through it
http://www.epoxy-resins.co.uk/
I used these products and listened to what Rob told me and I am very pleased with the results
All the best


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[Mirelle]

I was going to say "There's nothing I can add to these two posts!" but I find I can, after all!

There are two big suppliers of epoxy resins and the stuff that goes with them. One is the Gougeon Brothers whose products are called Wood Epoxy Saturation Technique, or WEST, for short, and the other is Structural Polymer Systems or SP for short. Both do good stuff, but I believe you should not mix the two firms products up together! Both produce very good, clear, manuals.

Because the Gougeon Brothers were first in the field, or at any rate seemed to be, a bit of boatbuilding shorthand has grown up whereby coating anything with epoxy resin is called "westing" it.

The only other helpful hint I can offer is that glass cloth does not like sharp angles, so so far as you possibly can radius the edges to make smooth gentle curves, not hard corners.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[rjp]

Sorry for any confusion but others have already answered this question. One other point I omitted to mention is that the glass cloth is the woven variety, not the CSM (chopped strand mat) sometimes used by the 'plastic bathtub brigade'. I used 200g/m2 'plain weave', again the WEST product.

John

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[tritonofnor]

For gentle radiused edges most glass fibre/ epoxy suppliers will sell you wax/paper fillets in various profiles which can be used to avoid sharp edges and provide a gentle profile. They do need to be well encapsulated obviously!

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