YPC

Hot / filler coat continued............. the deck !

I choose to sand the bottom hot coat layer once it has cured 'before' I hot coat the deck - just because it is conveniently fixed to the stand. It can be sanded once both surfacves are coated and cured.

Using a small orbital sander / 100 grit - I carefully sand the entire cured hot coat surface down to a smooth finish - leveling out all the small glassing bumps from the rail wrap. Don't remove more than what is necessary. If their are one or two small hollows or pin holes, they will be filled with the final Gloss coat.

More is 'stronger'....AND....'safer' you want to avoid sanding through the cloth at all costs.....!!!

The deck:

The hot/filler coat is a coating of resin that is to flow over the laminating cloth surface - filling in the texture of the cloth as well as any un even surfaces......


Give the deck a light sand all over , removing any sharp glass points and rough protrusions / bumps....'no heavy sanding' ( You do not want to break through the cloth)

Tape up around the rail creating a drip skirt, just below the previous tape line.

Remove all dust (vacuum) from the surface - then - using a white paper towel - lightly saturated with ACETONE - wipe down the entire surface to remove any contamination whilst making the surface ever so slightly tacky for the hot coat to better bond.

Ensure that the surface is set level in length and width - ( I use old ice-cream containers as stands - cut out the base for the POD to drop in)

Apply a liberal amount of Sanding Resin ( wax content) working it around the entire area with a fine brush, in various uniform directions - ensuring a level application, whilst working out most all of the air bubbles.

Once the resin is 'tacky' - remove the Taped drip skirt and allow to thoroughly cure before sanding.

YPC

Busy molding Hatch Covers ( with recess's) - Bro's Head - and - Bro' body ......

I have found that manufacturing in two's is very 'efficient' and will continue to do so. Its the 'curing time that takes most of the time - having two items curing is way better than waiting for just one.

The blue part on the hatch cover mold is an added component to create the recess to accommodate the thicker 4s battery. I chose to rather modify the hatch depth in the specific battery area, than making the board housing deeper, as a deeper housing would make the board more buoyant, which would require more weight for self righting.

I have mastered molding Bro's head now - its been a learning curve. Only his face is of Gel coat - the entire head is molded of close cell polyurethane foam - weighing no more than 10 grams - to heavy a head can cause the surfer to fall over to the outside rail in the turns.

Bro's body core is a 3D laminated silhouette - made up of two layers of heavy woven cloth with unidirectional carbon fiber layers in between in a 3 -2 1 layers lay up - strengthening down to the ankle area. Whetted out with EPOXY. Since using this 'system' I have not had a Bro break.....and I have tried......LOL

Just loving this !

bearcave

Nice info bro... was wondering how you made the deck hump

Should have checked in here earlier regarding the wax hot coat stuff but...  just more sanding to get it right but hey... lol not lol

Just sayin but i had heaps of issues brushing on a hot coat with UV resin.... kept fisheyeing before i got it into the sun... anyway thats another story... 30g of resin sanded down to 5g got me back to shape but .... working on them issues now.

Anyway i was using cling wrap sandwich wrap to glass over making a deck on a glass plate.... the plastic wrap kinda crinkled but.... i hear you use a release type agent... would you care to share the process of how it works

Also... i have heard epoxy resin (in regards to fitting studs and drive tubes) will stick to a roughed up polyester resin hull but end of day just sticks but doesn't molecularly bond to the hull.

Any thoughts on how your epoxy fittings are holding up and wether its worth going maybe a polyester type bonding agent to glue in these important bits?

All good whatever Bro... bc

YPC

Howzit BC.....

Cant help with the UV resin as I have not used the product.....I find the catalyzed system simple enough - I am able to work not relying on the Sun- I can manipulate it for slower or faster curing -which works for me. I also like to work with the resin 'as it cures' being thicker in viscosity, to fill in laps and corners.....

As for securing the studs with EPOXY.....?....so far I have not had a failure and I reckon it would be fare to say that I have put the studs to 'good test'........

Many talk about 'extra layers of cloth where the studs are located, but I don't believe that that will add any strength. The bond has to come from the relation connecting the stud to the foam in which it is bedded. If the foam is well saturated and the stud is c;lean and well whetted out....all should be good. I would have to add that it could be due to the 'high density' foam I use, although I have used this method when using surfboard foam and that boards studs are still holding...... first Shred'A'

If you are using studs just make sure that the stud is 'fully threaded'.......if part of it is a clean shank it may not bond all that well......

Consider this....when a plug for a leash or skeg system is fitted into a board....they don't add extra cloth to the area...they just ensure a good bond between the foam and the plug.

I also 'strongly feel' that many studs are dislodged by 'over tightening' when Wing Nuts are used.....folk don't realize the amount of 'PULL' that is been applied when over tightening.....simply like stripping a nut...

When I secure my plastic knurled nuts - I depress the hatch around the nut area with one hand and turn the nut down, giving it a slight nip....its more than sufficient...

Epoxy/Polyester Resin:

When I secure Bro to the hatch cover - The hatch been Polyester resin and Bro being Epoxy resin - bonded with a very slow curing Epoxy ........It has worked 100% thus far and I really try to break it.......smash it into any close out face ........ramp it over any peaking wave for the biggest air.....whether its just sticking or molecularly bonded.....I don give a $%^&........LOL .....all I know is....from experience..........'it works !'

Real ****ty weather for the weekend..........doubt I'll squeeze a session in......

Bro'

YPC

Housing and Pod.....

When I create the housing/pod I first remove the foam from the hosing area and laminate the the interior 'before' removing the foam from the Pod...makes for an easier...cleaner working process.

Its important to ensure that the housing walls are smooth and precise before laminating, so as to avoid air pockets and to ensure a good lamination bond. Use a wide cylindrical dowel to sand around the inside of the housing walls.....using its base as guide for the sand paper to be perpendicular.

The importance of laminating the housing wall is partly to seal the foam - BUT MORE SO- to create an 'important joint' in the corner where the housing wall and floor meet, to prevent the housing floor from pulling away from the surrounding foam - the housing floor carries the weight of most all the running gear, battery and any added righting weight- this creates plenty of downward force being placed on the housing floor, so much needs to be done to make it as rigid as possible.....(the pod also plays a part in this)

When I lay the glass laminate into the housing I set the weave at a 45 degree angle, so that when it folds up the wall, both the warp and weft strands are being placed in a angled vertical direction up the wall, doubling up on the strength.

Slits are cut into the folds within the two radius's for the laminate to neatly fit into the radius. The folds are used to double up the strength in the 4 corners of the housing.

Once the laminate is laid in and neatly fitted into the housing- wet it out thoroughly ensuring good saturation into the foam walls....."you do not want the laminate to bubble of the wall.

Allow the laminate to well extend beyond the rim of the housing. This will ensure that the rim is well whetted out creating a good join to the deck. It will also help when coating the laminate with a flow coat...keeping it from spilling onto the deck.

YPC

Housing/Pod....cont.

Once the lamination of the housing has cured (do not trim) - cut away the glass layer that covers the pod and start removing the foam within the pod.

I use a sharpened tea spoon...with some duct tape wrapped around the stem.

I purposely leave at least a 20 mm rim of laminate at the front end and 50 mm rim at the rear end of the pod area. This accommodates the laminated joint between the wall and floor as well as presents a surface area for the receiver(up front) and battery (aft) to rest on.

I leave the foam in the very front of the pods nose, which aids in its overall impact strength. The nose takes the most impact and is so much stronger with the foam left within it.

When all the foam is removed and all the edges are sanded smoothly....the next step will be coating the interior with a white flow coat ( gel coat with wax) to neaten the housing up and to prevent seeing into the housing.

By design the Pod extends beyond the length of the housing at either end...this also aids in the overall strength of the housing floor....maintaining a rigid structure.


to be cont /.........

YPC

Our Puppy 'Prince'.....is growing up to be a 'Big Boy !'

YPC

Housing/pod..cont.

Once all is sanded smooth....I apply a good coat of 'flow coat' ( wax impregnated gel) to finish of the housing neatly.

Notice the glass extending beyond the rim.....to be trimmed only once the flow coat has cured.

YPC

Whilst the 'flow coat' is curing............

Motor/Drive shaft coupling.......

I decided to make my own couplings as well from now on ......as..... I have found a number of 'production' couplings are either 'NOT TRUE' ( hole misalignment) or have 'TO MUCH TOLERANCE' within the ID's......sometimes BOTH ! = Vibration !!!

I use an 11 mm aluminium round bar- machined to =10 mm diameter X 28 mm long .....3.175 mm / 4 mm (14 mm reach either side - grub set in 7 mm)

I also make up a solid 4 mm stainless steel drive shaft with a 3.15 mm stepped down end shaft...3 M threaded end.

YPC

Housing/Pod......cont.

Flow Coat cured......sand down the extended glass , flush with the deck surface and give it a light hand sand to form a small radius. (left with a very neat and clean 'housing wall/deck' joint.)

Ready for the 'hatch deflection rim' to be formed and fitted.......

YPC

Surf Report for Sunday !

3-4 ft swell - Off Shore - High Tide 3:30 pm........Looks like it's going to be a Great afternoon Session !

YPC

Had a great ! surf session yesterday afternoon........the camera we borrowed filmed in the MOV format ...........we need AV! format to edit..........busy 'converting the footage' plus minus 8 hour process............hopefully its worth it !

Will post video 'much later'.....LOL

YPC

Back to the workshop in the meantime .....

Adding the deflection rim.....as I have shared before....this helps tremendously with deflecting the water pressure from penetration underneath the seal between the deck and housing hatch cover. It also locates the hatch cover and prevents it from moving around - not placing any side force on the securing studs.

I set the housing flange width at around 18 mm ensuring adequate surface area for the neoprene seal to press onto as well as adequate width for the threaded stud to be bonded into the center of the flange width.

I use a high density foam to form the deflection rim.........most any workable material will be suitable to achieve the rim.....what ever works and looks best for you.

Once I have formed/bonded and sanded the rim......I give it a liberal coat of sanding resin to seal it before the entire deck receives its final 'gloss coat' when it will receive another coat of sanding resin to smooth it off.

YPC

Bonding the Rudder Tube in-place............

The rudder tube is constantly under stress so needs to be 'well bonded'...into the board.

For a complete bond throughout the rudder tubes length a hole 'bigger than' the rudder tubes OD needs to be drilled into the board.

Once you have marked out the points at which the hole is to be drilled on both sides of the board - drill through the glass layer with a sharp drill bit from both sides so as to achieve a very neat hole in the glass - without ripping any glass away from the surrounding foam'

I use a small piece of wood with a pre- drilled hole the same diameter as the Rudder tubes OD as a jig to hold the Tube perpendicular to the hull surface whilst the epoxy is curing.

Ensure that the surface of the tube is roughed up and cleaned of all oil.

Once positioned 'perfectly' in place with the aid of the wooden Jig - pour the epoxy into the surrounding gap within the hole and leave to cure.

I leave the tube extended on both sides of the board until I have applied the final Gloss Coat of resin - to prevent any resin running down the tube and to create a small resin rim around the tube for added strength.

YPC

Sundays Surf Session......Part one !...3-5 ft face......strong Off-Shore conditions.....some great waves !......

We are still 'borrowing' camera's as ours is still being repaired ......hats off to Lisa-Marie for adapting so well to each camera...this one had a very good Zoom strength - But - very slow in adjusting.....The video format filmed in MVO - we had to convert it to AVI to edit - takes 'hours'...... & .......'hours'......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L8IARFSRGI

YPC

Off - Shore - Part Two......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNhMhzNBsYU

YPC

Word from Bro in the UK !.........

Geoff got to take Bro ( Shred'A' - Nimh set up) for a run at his local boating pond....I was really impressed with the Nimh run times...


Hi Dominic.

Here are some shots of Bro, as i used it for the first time on Sunday late evening.hence lake was very quiet!!!!!

Weather has not been good even though it's British summer time!!!!

Really pleased with Bro and great speed using 8.4v Nimh 5000mah battery, Run time was about 30mins and battery still had life in it.

Like your latest Youtube video part 1 as sure looks fun, I am aiming to go to the coast later this year to try Bro out in the real stuff,
......... SEA!!!! and ride some waves!!!!!

Thanks

Geoff.

YPC

We are having our fair share of Cold and Rain......lots of it !!! - this is a picture of the water level at the water side of our home.....our jetty is at least a foot under water......

Kids will needs to sleep with their 'life-jackets' on........LOL

Kids off to a Mad Scientist 'Holiday Club' morning....LOL.....lots of fun

YPC

Gloss Coat......

Final 'sanding resin' layer applied (Gloss Coat)......this final layer fills in any small imperfections and once sanded and polished leaves a - smooth - glossy - finish !

Same application procedure as the Filler Coat.....be sure to have sanded thoroughly and have wiped the filler coat surface down lightly with a white paper towel dabbed with Acetone.

YPC

Profiling Bro'....giving him legs to stand firm.........

Once Bro's core has cured on the 3D mold and removed....it is trimmed to the profile - then positioned onto the housing hatch cover for the Carbon fiber feet bases to be formed over the hatch cover profile. Usually this is done on a flat surface - BUT - with the 4s recessed hatch cover profile - the back foot base needs to take the form of the protruding recess.

The masking tape and PVA release is so that Bro's figure can be removed from the hatch cover, once the foot base molds are formed and cured. They are then profiled to a neat shape ready for Bro to be laminated with neoprene both sides of the core.....have his head fitted ....finally ! bonded 'permanently' onto the hatch cover....Quite a process !

Once this process is complete - Bro's lower legs are made up of a total of: 2 layers of heavy woven cloth as well as 6 layers of uni - directional Carbon Fiber....cured in epoxy !!! Very strong on his feet....whilst being flexible in his body and arms......hence !.......I don't hesitate in the surf to 'Go Big'

YPC

Surfing Evolution !.....

An interesting read ... http://mauinow.com/2012/10/18/power-...odern-surfing/

YPC

Installing the hatch cover securing studs........

I've covered this is some detail a few pages back. The pictures will tell most of the story. I am re -documenting all this for the 'clients' of these boards to enjoy the build process.

To reiterate a few 'important' notes:

Work accurately and clean - this part needs 'integrity'
Use a 'slow cure epoxy' for maximum saturation into the foam.
Clean the threaded studs of all oil with a de-greaser.

Try ! if using 'wing nuts'.....NOT TO 'over tighten' and strip the stud lose from the foam it is bonded into....

YPC

Ended the day with another late afternoon awesome 3-5 ft face Winter Off-Shore session at Muizenberg Beach..........the beach folk just love this little Guy doing his thing !....very social !

Will be working on this maneuver ...Carving 360 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=...0&feature=fvwp - looks very doable

YPC

SA Surf Magazine Web Page.........mention

Received a cool mention in our national Zig Zag Surf magazine ............Big Thanks Guys !

Clarified in the comments that Chris Barella and Jason Hall pioneered the concept back 'then'.

http://www.zigzag.co.za/features/exc...s-for-a-robot/

bearcave

hey bro

best of luck with the 360... imo carving is the go and momentum is everything in everything...

Anyway....

After much reading n thinkin i am still going your way with the studs, have a few more layers of glass on the deck area than is prob needed but hopefully will counteract the low density std board foam i'm using as my grip area.....

My dumbo question if you're keen to answer is regarding the epoxy input via syringe.

Q... If i inject the epoxy into the hole the air already there has to escape to allow the epoxy in... Do you push the nozzle in deep (yep sounds sexual but just talkin epoxy injection.. lol) and let the air out before fully filling or does the injection process eliminate the air gap thing i'm thinkin about....

Then again maybe i'm just askin if you have any injection tips?

all good bro great work with this page.... 4s in the floater is rippin btw.... bc