Next Fat Cat Project

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flobbergob said:
I would caution against Cedar Strip construction. I owned a Roberts 395 built using Cedar Strip and epoxy and despite the boat being well constructed and only 10 years old when I bought it, it suffered from rot,
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I have wondered about WEST (Wood Epoxy Saturation Technique). I can't believe the epoxy actually manages to penetrate much beyond the surface of the wood. Cedar is a fairly light wood so there must be a strong probability of moisture wicking along the grain once the epoxy skin is punctured.
 
snowleopard said:
I have wondered about WEST (Wood Epoxy Saturation Technique). I can't believe the epoxy actually manages to penetrate much beyond the surface of the wood. Cedar is a fairly light wood so there must be a strong probability of moisture wicking along the grain once the epoxy skin is punctured.
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I've built two boats using WEST now with no problems - oldest one is in it's third year of use (granted, trailer boat) with no problems or maintenance so far. A friend has built several 30+ foot yachts using Stingo's proposed technique - however, the wood is not only coated with epoxy - on all the hull surfaces there is at least one layer of biaxial fibreglass, inside and out.

I wouldn't use epoxy alone - it, imo, must be sheathed in glass (as would a foam core build).
 
Boreades said:
Stingo - where are you planning to build this?
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Not sure yet. I am in the middle of doing the costings for supply of labour and raw materials from South Africa, China and Malaysia. It's taking much longer than I thought to get numbers.

There is a plan brewing where I form a boat building company. Very simplisticly, I will rent a shed that is big enough to build two boats. Once my boat comes off the jig, I sell 50% of the company to the person that builds boat no 2. Once my boat is complete, I sell my remaining 50% to the person that builds boat no 3. When no 2 is complete, they sell their 50% to the next in line and so on. This way, we will be able to source everything at trade prices which will bring the cost of building down substantially. Because the company is owned by the owner/builder, there will be no profit or need for warranties, which also brings down the build cost. A co-operative in a fashion.
 
flobbergob said:
A rampant socialist
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err, no. Quite the opposite, in fact. Eliminating the profits and warranties from the initial cost makes the boat affordable for me. Compared to similar 2nd hand boats on the market, when I do eventually sell, I will make a substantial profit. Nothing socialist about that.
 
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