fiberglass coated marine ply bow dodger & dash

[jeffstevens763@g]

having just built my third addition to the sib to carry the electronics i thought i would do a build thread to help others. i am not an expert just handy and all the info is on the internet on how to do this sort of thing.
the cost on the glass fiber stuff was £90.00 from east coast resin supplies a list below.
biaxial cloth, polyester resin inc hardener, easy sand filler, flow coat,paint brushes, wood mixing sticks & 3 mixing buckets.
1 8x4 sheet of 5mm marine ply delivered £40.00.
i had chop strand matt left from before so not needed but that would be about £5.00.
the usual tools & ppe cover up well when sanding if like me i itch like hell.
for some reason the pics have spun if you click on them there's a small explanation from step 1 - 27
1-3 i pulled the ply in by ratchet straps to form a curve but it started to crack so i steamed it with a kettle on my camping stove, also i had to build a frame to form the shape or keep the shape for it to run up to the bow so its convex with the edge following the shear of the boats bow.
4 & 5 the top is just biaxial cloth and the bottom is 300 g chop strand matt plus biaxial cloth over strengtheners to keep the shape and hold my weight when leaning for the anchor.
you must wet out the wood with resin until it stops soaking it in before you put the glass on or it delaminates by sucking the resin away from the glass. also all edges must be wetted out with resin too you wont get glaas on the edges only to finish with flow coat but thats all it needs just so its water tight make sure you have a radius too as it won't stick to the sharp edge.

[jeffstevens763@g]

steps 6-10 first three shaping the dodger around the bow this is time consuming if you want it to fit snug to the hogging strip which on my boat isn't uniform all the way so it couldn't be a mirrored for each side.
next two making the dash, i wanted to get this rounded if i could but fitting hatches made that impossible, as i didn't want to extend width wise because i need to see past the dash when sat on the floor part of why i changed it i struggled on the scottish sib outing and wasn't ideal when close to others.
i used the remainder of the ply for this with 25 mm square softwood for the frame glued and held with panel pins until dry then removed hole filled & sanded.

you will not all done in the carport my shed is a mess & had to be sorted which i have done now @rse about face i know.

[jeffstevens763@g]

11-13 next was to fit the top of the dash fill and sand up you will note i have radiused the corners with easy sand filler that makes it easier for the glass to lay around corners. when sanded coat with resin until it stops on the surface i found that was just two coats and when tacky coat again then lay the glass over. now a tip for the biaxial glass cloth is to form it all over by hand stroking it like your woman until it fits every corner i did the top in one sheet with no problem make sure it just hangs over the edges so it can be trimmed/sanded back not too much as it starts to bend down and lift off before it sets.if you catch it right a stanley knife will cut it when it's like leather. [ the reason for the cloth was it has a lot of strength with the weave in two directions at 45 degrees and it has a finish that matches my seat and wear patches on the boat]
the dash front was cast separately for obvious reasons everything sanded down when dry then cut out for the hatches 14,15.

[Northman]

Awesome thread!!

[jeffstevens763@g]

all cleaned up ready to flow coat i did a brush finish on this in the past i did it with a sponge finish to try and replicate the seat but it leaves peaks this way it worked just as i wanted it you can get a far better finish it you want by finishing the glass with a tissue cloth filling and sanding before applying the flow coat but for me this was what i was looking for.
this is best done in the shed if you can because as soon as you start painting the wind blows and all the crap gets on your work.
i left it a few days to fully harden them started the fit out,the stuff net came about just for a quick stowe for stuff like coats and the like.
i cut out the dash for each item this is slightly over size because if fitted everything onto an acrylic sheet so four screws hold in place that means i can pull the sheet and electronics off with the wires long enough to put it on the floor if i need to that saves farting about through the hatch.
the acrylic was £10 i was going to use aluminum but anodised it was £147 cut out i am not tight but but that was a pi$$ take, the acrylic has a rubber gasket all around it for a seal and to take out any stress points.
you might say why has it labels thats just because i have a bad memory for my call sign & mmsi no and for the benefit on anyone who might have to give me assistance in an emergency

[jeffstevens763@g]

22-23 next i flow coated the edges of the cut outs just to be sure, wired everything up i have a 20 amp hour gel battery fixed down with a bungee cord inside the dash & a 6 way bayonet fuse box with a -ve bus bar +ve from the battery is fused at 10 amp on the battery before it goes anywhere then to the battery isolator to the +ve busbar through the fuse to each item chartplotter combo, VHF, accessory socket. a voltmeter across the battery showing charging rate and battery condition when the engine is off.
24-26 the finished job all cables are run from the stern through sink waste works well and is cheap it's fixed down with bungee to to lashing points my floor has keeps it neat & protected.
the front hatch is for my main anchor and the square one is merely for the electronics and battery with a fire extinguisher in there.

[jeffstevens763@g]

just a view from the stern with all my kit in the pole in the middle is just to keep the boat cover up.
well it's all done just need to get another holiday booked and try her out hope this helps you if you decide to have a build project i really enjoy this part of boating as much as the water.
one thing i didn't mention is that it all comes off by undoing 4 bolts held to the hogging strip and the wiring off the radio, chartplotter & battery charging wires about 5 mins.
cheers

[eze]

wow, that looks great Jeff

[matt h]

Genius" looks really good

[Pikey Dave]

Nice bit of work that Jeff[emoji106]

[kaman]

Top job there Jeff.

Thanks for taking the time to post up as well[emoji106] [emoji106] [emoji106]

[jeffstevens763@g]

Thanks lads for your comments appreciated it's the sort of thing you can't buy but worth a go in the winter months.

Cheers

[Fenlander]

Yep as others have said Jeff... a top job... and really good to get the whole outfit gradually working towards 100% how it suits your needs.

[Yabadabadoo]

Excellent job, thank you for taking the time to write it up. Have a plan in mind for something so this is really helpful

[jeffstevens763@g]

for info a full blown video guide i thought i would put this in to keep it all in one place apart from ordering your stuff its all you need to know, if you give them a ring they will give you quantities you require for your project and advise on the correct materials for your application.
i must stress it's not beyond anyone and you get what suits you in terms of project.
for instance if you wanted to make seat bases you could make an internal mould have it sprayed and finished then you could make a full set ready to go off that one mould info for that also on their site.
IF ANYONE DOES A PROJECT SHOW US SOME PICS GREAT TO SEE OTHER IDEAS

https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co....eglassing_wood

[Fenlander]

>>> Have a plan in mind for something so this is really helpful

2 berth cabin on the Aerotec??

[Yabadabadoo]

I was inspired passing this beauty on Regents canal, some kind of double cabin could be just the ticket on the aerotec, help with twitchy nose?

[gtflash]

I Never been very successful at getting polyester to stick to wood unless it’s fully encased. Even with saturating the wood. My hat off to you sir.

[jeffstevens763@g]

491 pa resin with styrene added about 7% east coast resin supplies they recommend.
I just key it well and plenty of asetone to wash out any oils from the timber

[Biggy]

That's a cracking build Jeff... Proper Job !