Wooden Mirror dinghy

[Wanderer14]

Hi all.
I have just brought a 1968 mirror dinghy that I am going to renovate over winter, I would like to epoxy it and maybe tape if needed.
My question is, what epoxy is best and how much do I need to order, Also is it E glass tape I need?
Any links would be grateful.
Thanks Darren

 

[Bajansailor]

What sort of condition is the Mirror dinghy currently in?
Do the plywood panels have any soft areas?
Is the existing (original?) tape on the seams delaminating (or have they all essentially delaminated?)
Do you have any photos of her that you can post?

Re which epoxy is 'best' - I would say that they are all good really, and the best for you is probably the one that you can obtain most easily.
You can buy rolls of glass tape in various widths (eg 2", 3" 4" - or maybe 50 / 75 / 100 mm in Britain?) .
Mirrors were originally only taped on the seams - it would be worthwhile adding some extra reinforcement in way of the keel area that makes contact with the beach / shingle when you come ashore.

 

[VicS]

Hi all.
I have just brought a 1968 mirror dinghy that I am going to renovate over winter, I would like to epoxy it and maybe tape if needed.
My question is, what epoxy is best and how much do I need to order, Also is it E glass tape I need?
Any links would be grateful.
Thanks Darren

If the tape is beginning to lift you will probably find that the whole lot will come off easily

The original woven glass tape supplied was 60 yds of 1½" x 18 thou for all the seams and 28ft 1½" fine for sealing the decks

I'd not heard it described as E glass tape but yes that seems to be it

If you are going to use an epoxy then the ordinary epoxy resin such s as West 105 will be suitable ( note slow and fast hardeners are available according to the ambient temperature in which you will be working)
The original kits contained 8lbs ( 2/3 gallon) of polyester resin. You will not need quite so much because you will not be able to access the inside of some of the seams
Remember that the mixing proportions for epoxy resin is critical, unlike polyester resin

See East Coast Fibreglass Supplies for supplies and the West guides to using epoxy

(I bought a small amount of tape a couple of years ago which I think I may have bought from CFS Fibreglass Supplies in order to get a lighter weight tape than East Coast Fibreglass supply)

The Mirror should have a brass keel band (1/2" x 1/8") to protect it in the way Bajansailor suggests You need 1x 4'6" , 1 x 4'2" and 2 x 1'3" to fit either side of the c/b slot

 

[Gixer]

I restored my old mirror last year.
First thing I would say is make sure it is bone dry before you do anything. I left mine in a garage (my mothers, LOL) for months before starting work.

Mine is now sheathed in glass matt from below the hard chine and the whole hull outside is epoxy coated. I also epoxy painted the floor as it had some damage from what looked like a dropped anchor or something. The outside hull was then painted with international enamel paint. The rest I varnished with international yacht varnish. I'd say the boat it pretty much bullet proof now...

If you want I can go though my records and see if I can find how much epoxy/matt I used and where I got it from. I know it was an Ebay seller.

 

[Wanderer14]

Thanks for your information, The mirror as not yet arrived, coming on the 9th.
I will clean it up then leave it in the garage by the boiler and cylinder. It's looks solid, the bloke as had it 25 year and got it of his mate who had it 10 years before him. Just needed some TLC.
Will let you know more when get my hands on it. Thanks Darren.

 

[jamie N]

Congrats and welcome.
I'd be slightly wary of having the boat "by the boiler and cylinder", as that might cause the drying out to occur at different speeds across the boat, if some bits are closer to heat than others; warping perhaps.
I should say that I've NO experience of this type of drying, and have only dried stuff (lots of) in ambient dryness, away from moisture but not close to heat.
Best of luck.

 

[doug748]

Internal plies can rot leaving the outer skins looking pretty good so give the whole boat a tap with the handle of a screwdriver to find any dead spots. Be particularly brutal on the floors, for example near the transom.
I once repainted and re-varnished a hull, only to put my foot right through it on one of the first outings.

.

 

[Black Diamond]

Hi Darren, good luck with the refurb. Just passing on a bit of advice I ignored to my significant cost - keep the epoxy inside the house during the winter when you’re not using it. If it gets down to close to zero degrees C, the resin gets irreversibly lumpy.

 

[sailorman]

mine was 25068, i built it around 50 yrs ago

 

[davidej]

Interesting about leaving it to dry out.

I had a Mirror in the 1970s which I sold to a friend when my children grew up.

More recently I wanted one for my grandchildren and asked the said friend if he still had it. Yes he did and I bought it back.

On starting to restore it, I found that all the paint came off in great sheets. It had been stored in a dry barn for 40 years which presumably shrank the plywood so much that adhesion was lost.

 

[sailorman]

Interesting about leaving it to dry out.

I had a Mirror in the 1970s which I sold to a friend when my children grew up.

More recently I wanted one for my grandchildren and asked the said friend if he still had it. Yes he did and I bought it back.

On starting to restore it, I found that all the paint came off in great sheets. It had been stored in a dry barn for 40 years which presumably shrank the plywood so much that adhesion was lost.

I would suggest the primer had not adhered / soaked into the ply in the first place

 

[chriss999]

Internal plies can rot leaving the outer skins looking pretty good so give the whole boat a tap with the handle of a screwdriver to find any dead spots. Be particularly brutal on the floors, for example near the transom.
I once repainted and re-varnished a hull, only to put my foot right through it on one of the first outings.

.

My experience is similar. The problem I had with an old mirror was that water can collect in the hull if it is kept outside & then it rots the hull from the inside. Over the years I replaced all of the cockpit, by digging out the soft ply and glassing it.
Cheaper to use polyester resin than epoxy.

 

[ashtead]

Hi Darren some good if old books out there on modifications to a Mirror - one is to have a short daggerboard to use when motoring . I think it was called Mirror mania or such like . Might be worth a read during lockdown.