Glen-L.com

When using microlight, add just a wee bit more to the resin blend than what seems to be just right. This will dilute or remove the shine and make it much easier to sand. it has a big tendancy to sag. So on vertical surfaces add just a wee bit of cabosil to it, not much but this will also help it stay put. One thing to keep in mind, a really good primer is needed over the microlight to fill some pinholes that seems to come in it. Also in cooler weather let it sit for an additional day and it will not roll up like rubber when sanding. The lack of resin for the amount of fairing retards the drying further and the surface will be like sanding a rubber matt.

Clean any and all amine blush that seems to be a pitfall of it too. For dark color boats, its not really recommended for direct sunlight or on decks. Its plastic like materials and will move and distort under the dark colors. Microballons is more stable if you want a fairing compound. I am not a fan of glass beads at all,

Thanks and great ideas...keep that in my crainium note locker. My second batch didn't have that glossy look so you are totally on par with that suggestion! Once all sanded, I'll be covering it all with a layer of cloth and resin...so it should look all right.

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Thats not really a good idea to glass over microlight. Its soft so that compression resistance too is not too sporty. Can you discuss the context and the reason why you are using it under glasswork? The solid bond to the underlying surface is also reduced.

Wait a minute, I went back and read where you are fairing the entire surface between the tabs, which is not needed at all and really not recommended for use on bare woods. There is not enough resin to wet out the wood when using microlight if you mix it as a fairing compound.

Just fair the tab edges with a thickened layer of resin=cabosil and then glass right over and then your initial fairing goes to the small raised edge on top of the glass at the edge of the previous seam of filler on the underside. Then after sanding, you just glaze over the entire surface with either a good filler primer or another thin layer of fairing compound.

Well as far as the fairing compound most will get sanded off so as far as compression is concerened it won't be a factor. Plus this boat only does up to 5mph. The compound in not on bare wood either the plywood has been sealed with epoxy so there is a solid bond there.

Actually I bought the Glen L video on making the Lo Voltage and I am doing it exactly how they did their sample boat. Not sure what else to add. I know I put alot of filler on in the picture, because it kept running and sagging, but like I said most of that will be gone.

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

I am not sure where microlight comes into play when used under flberglass. I have been glassing for over 30 plus years using polyester and epoxy and can never think of a situation that air filled products is ideal as a layer in composite construction. I guess I need to review and see the context of the recommendation. Good luck and it does sound that with the additional resin under it the bond may be okay with the additional wetout for your glass work. I still love this project. I am a rabid fan of electric launches as I worked on the Budsin Woodcraft hulls in their early life.

I sanded my fairing compound..it was hard and sanded with a bit of effort...I ended up adding a bit of Filler Adhesive to it, which added strength. When I close my eyes and pass my hands over the joints they are not noticible, which is what I wanted...

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

I started making parts for the drive system. The plans called for a tube that the shaft goes into. I made it out of fiberglass. I used a 1 1/2" O.D. (outside diameter) copper pipe and wrapped plastic around it (to keep it from sticking to the pipe)...then using fiberglass cloth, wetted out with epoxy I wrapped it six times. The pipe acts as the mandrel and it worked like a charm! Just have to wait till tomorrow to see how it turned out.

You'll see the part I am making in the photo of the Ed propulsion system...it's the tube inserted in the plywood.

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

You would think that I would be able to pick up a lower unit here for almost nothing right??? WRONG...the Ottawa river was super low this year and lower end units were being replaced 5 X the average...can't remember how low the river actually got but it was pretty bad. So had to fork out a bit of dough.

Picked up a used (very used) motor today to start building my Electric Drive (ED) Unit. It's a 1966 Chrysler 50 HP outboard with controls. Bought it on Kijiji (kind of like craig's list). The seller said it overheated and needed a new thermostat and pump...which I don't care about because I only needed the lower unit. He was asking $100 and got it for $80.00 with a Chrysler manual on compact disk, controls and the key! Took it out to my father's place he has a hobby machine shop and started to rip it apart...we noticed that the tabs that the allen screws thread through to hold the propeller bearing cage were broken off and it was held together with silicone. Never noticed it in the dark garage. Grrrr...

Well got home and started surfing for a new/used bearing cages for my new (to me) 1966 motor and came across this website:

http://www.normsparts.com/index.htm

He's out in the middle of nowhere but has some pretty rare parts...check him out. So for $70 I got a used part which you can't get anymore. Still feel like I'm up one.

So if anyone is looking for top end parts for a 35-55 hp Chrysler outboard 1966...let me know.

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Someone on here was using a 40HP Chrysler I think on a TNT

_________________
Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream

In this diagram #14 is the part I ordered.

My father and I pulled everything apart and then we took out the shift linkages and had him weld the gear cog to the shaft so it is in constant gear ...no reverse. The electric golf cart motor's switch will be used to reverse the polarity hence reversing the motor. Then we cut the lower unit off just above the cavitation plate and he locked the unit in his vise and used his vertical milling machine to mill a nice flat surface. Just like the ED unit pictured above (Black and white picture 6 photos up) Pictures to come.

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Here are some pics of the parts we used and cut up. You'll notice the part where we cut just above the cavitation plate. Boy, looking at these pics shows how I'm going to have to clean up that dented prop too!

_________________
Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Left over pieces...for sale!

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Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

I decided to take the fiberglass tube I had made off it's mandrel and guess what it worked...very nice...but, yes there is a but....the pipe had an slight kink to it. Grrrrr...couldn't tell by look or feel but it had a slight wobble when you turned the mandrel inside it. Darn copper tube. So I bought a piece of pipe today 1/8" and will make another.

Spent around 2 hours laying down a full covering of fiberglass today on the bottom. Took 2 full length sheets and turned out really great! As I was squeegeeing the sides, my batch decided to heat up and hardened in a matter of 20 minutes. I was using the slow hardener too. Luckily there was only about 5 pumps of product that went to waste. I figured it took roughly 130 pumps of resin and hardener to do the bottom...not sure how much in volume that is as I switched cans 1/2 way through.

_________________
Patrick Morais
~ Lo Voltage ~
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Now you see what working with epoxy in the tropics is like!!!

Nice job.

_________________
Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream