Conference vicki::boats

    i would follow their instructions on closing the seams, plywood
    has a nasty way of deteriorating if the water gets at the ends.
    as for paint, Interlux makes a complete line of paints that
    will serve your needs. Go with the best they make, for what
    you have to paint, it won't cost that much. Obviously you'll
    also paint the inside. As for the saltwater effects, i'm sure
    your aware that saltwater will act as a preservative for your 
    wood dinghy, its the freshwater that will cause the dry rought.
    On occasion, while the dinghy is in the water, thro some salt water
    in the bottom and let it stand, it will only help it.
    
    Happy painting,
    
    JIM.

    I've had a similar "homemade" dinghy for 6 yrs now, and I agee with
    the suggestions already made.  Tape the seams--I had to re-tape
    mine after 5 seasons, an easy job after sanding each seam to bare
    wood.  I've used an inexpensive paint (Ship 'n Deck, Petit, I think),
    white outside, grey inside, repainting every year.  Unless you want
    to spend an inordinate amount of time on your dinghy, it's going
    to look like a beater at the end of each season anyway.  If it does
    not already have it, install some sort of canvass, rope or rubber
    rubrail so that you don't ding the sides of your fiberglass boat
    when boarding.
    
    Travis Belton

re:297.2

   > Tape the seams
    
   > If it does not already have it, install some sort of canvass, rope or rubber
    rubrail so that you don't ding the sides of your fiberglass boat
    when boarding.
    
Please clarify...do you mean fiberglass taping?

The boat is wood.  Would you still suggest some type of rubrail?

Anyone have suggestions for a primer/sealer undercoat?  And should the 
paint be epoxy or the cheap stuff.  Someone had suggested using Cuprinol 
Green as a preservative under the paint...anyone ever use the stuff?

By the way I need to put some oar locks in.  Where should they go?  Any 
dimension guidelines, or should I just sit in it and then install.  I also 
intend on getting a small outboard (2HP)...any thoughts on this aspect.

Carl

How much time do you want to spend finishing your dinghy? This is not 
the silly question it might seem.

Non-marine plywood -- hmmmm, I assume the plywood is exterior grade 
Douglas fir. It is very difficult to get a smooth finish on fir plywood 
due to the varying hardness of the wood (it tends to develop hollows 
when sanded). If you're willing to accept a less than beautiful dinghy,
just paint it as has been previously suggested. 

If you want a long lasting, good looking dinghy, then it will be more 
expensive -- time and money.

Taping the seams: Sand or file the outside of joints between the plywood 
panels to as large a radius as possible. Use epoxy resin (polyester 
doesn't adhere well to wood) and fiberglass tape to cover the joint. Use 
at least one layer on the outside. On the inside build a wide fillet 
over the joint using epoxy and a filler (microballons, etc). Next cover 
the joint with at least three layers of fiberglass tape, each wider than 
the last. Sand everything smooth. 

For a really long lasting dinghy, cover the entire outside of the dinghy 
with polypropylene (Vecta or some such) cloth and epoxy. Use one layer 
of cloth and at least three coats of epoxy. Coat the inside of the 
dinghy with at least three coats of epoxy. Sand smooth. You now have a 
waterproof, abrasion-resistant dinghy. 

The February and March 1989 issues of New England Offshore have a two 
part article on building a plywood dinghy that covers all this in 
detail. See you local library or newstand (the March issue should still 
be available and is the one with the details).

Now prime and paint the color of your choice. Finally, add a soft 
rubrail. 

For epoxy, use either Gougeon (West) or System 3. Defender Industries 
has good prices on cloth. Rough guess: Epoxy, cloth, fillers, and other 
materials will be around $100. Another rough guess: finishing the dinghy 
will take you longer that it took the builder to build it. 

    Here is a rub rail that worked well for me.
    
    I took 1/2" nylon three strand, and every foot attached one strand
    with a 1/4" nylon cable clamp and a screw. With the cable clamps
    standing upward (screw at the bottom), they are almost completely
    covered by the rope, unless you look from below rub rail level.
    Where the two ends meet, the two ends can be spliced, giving a rather
    neat appearance.
    
    Bill
    

    Can anyone tell me where to get the materials for the job discussed in
    this note in [Boston] Metro West? Are some things generic, available at
    a place like Somerville Lumber? Is the fiberglass tape specific to
    boats, or is it something that an autoshop would have?
    
    I don't have time to order from a catalog, and I can't get to Marine
    suply places during the week while I'm working.
    
    john 

The advice in the earlier notes is quite good.  To help me decide on the 
best course of action I contacted two major paint manufacturers directly 
(they all have 800 numbers).  Both had similar advice.

I chose to go with Interlux (availability of product was the key) vs Petite.
To do a new dinghy, 2 coats each of a sealing varnish, a sanding surfacer, 
and a finish coat was required.  Sanding was a must prior to each coat 
to provide better adhesion.  24 hour waits between each applications was also 
recommended.

Final result was beautiful.  I would never do it again.  Too labor 
intensive as well as requiring too long a time between applications.   
Turned into a major winter project for me that took four weekends.
I don't even get a lot of use out of the dinghy (in fact I'd probably get 
rid of it if someone wanted to buy it!)

None of the applications are non-marine products. I think it would be smart
to stick with marine grade varnishes/paints in that the labor investment
far outweighs the material cost premium.  Everything should be obtainable 
by catalog or from Boat US in Waltham.  Catalog companies ship quickly for 
a FedEx premium.