The Yellowstone Solo was due for skid plates, with narrow areas worn through the vinyl skin, but still smooth, not run ragged rough into the foam core.
PB010009 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Narrow enough that Dynel sleeve would work, providing two layers of Dynel with perfect unraggedy-cut edges. Snip, snip, the fabric pieces, wider and longer than the visible wear areas, were ready to install.
To help smooth out the cloth and better impregnate the sleeve layers with epoxy I want release treated peel ply. In rolls, so also snip, snip. Four snips, cloth and peel ply both cut and ready to install, with tape and paper mask on the stems.
PB140002 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Everything else prepped and laid out on the bench. Go dog go!
PB140003 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Stop dog stop! Almost forgot to set out the G/flex. 50/50 bottom coat mix of West 105/206 and G/flex 650 with black pigment, lay the Dynel sleeve, top coat using the remainder of the epoxy mix, with a thimble’s worth of graphite powder stirred in.
PB140005 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Maybe 5 minutes to paint the two epoxy-mix coats. And then lots of wait around time and babysitting. As the epoxy begins to set it the cut ends of the two-ply Dynel sleeve need to be pushed down with a popsicle stick until they lay flat and flush. I should have put more beer in the frig.
Wait for the epoxy to seep in/soak through/drips to stop, pull the tape & paper mask.
PB140009 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The epoxy has barely begun to firm up and already the Dynel is standing tall edged and rough surfaced. If allowed to fully cure without peel ply the Dynel surface harden rasp-like rough. Application of release treated peel ply will knock down those abrupt edges and smooth out the surface of the Dynel.
More wait time after laying the peel ply to hard roller compress the surface every hour or so.
PB140011 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Plenty of wait time for a beer.
The epoxy and graphite powder outer coat is slippery. I rolled a canoe back upright with graphite powdered skid plates, not thinking the snot slippery skids were directly over the sawhorse bars. It shot off onto the shop floor like a watermelon seed. Tougher, more UV resistant and slipperier; graphite powder every time. A little dab will do ya (same for black pigment)
Peel ply pulled the next morning. Much smoother and nearly flush, a single layer of 5oz Dynel would be unnoticeably flush, but in this case a narrow strip of Dynel sleeve was easier to install, and provided a double layer, which increases impact resistance.
PB140013 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
I’ll let that cure for a week, then re-tape it and paint it black to neaten the edges.
The laminated seat and other brightwork arrived and I can flip the canoe back upright, cut everything to length, drill the holes and install with machine screws. And then take everything back out and varnish, including the cut butt ends and inside the drilled holes.