Making flat panels

Flat panels are bulkheads, daggerboardcase, CMM's, bed-and sittie top and sides, cockpit-floor and bench, and a honeycomb plate I will use for various interior panels.


I start by preparing the foam. Cut it 10-20 mm to big (not accurate, but easier to glass over edge and then re-cut precise later. The marking is still there under the glass)
Then making holes. I use to do it with this fakir instrument on first picture, but pulling it out was to tiresome, so now I drill holes, but through both plates at one time ( st board and port side).

Cutting peelply


Cutting glass. Now using a proper pair of scissors (very expensive, but auto-cutting, mind controlled!!), much better than the cheap ones I used in beginning.


Wet out peel-ply with no wrinkles.

Wet out bottom glass.

Placing foam on top. The rest is the same; glass wet out, peel ply , wrinkles removed by gloved hands. Then comes release film and bleeder.
Note: I use the same vacuum bag several times, seen on the right, still attached to table at one side. It is more than 20 cm to big all around. When removing it it is like pulling off a bandage, do it quick.

Vacuum on.

Finished panel ready to cut. It can be cut with the peel ply left on.

Honey comp sheet.
It was to long for the table so I had to cut of a bit seen in front.

It is not possible to do both sides at ones, the combs would make an impression in top layer. I only make this, because this sheet was a leftover from a repair on the 18 footer cockpit.

After curing, cleaning the table with a 2 inch chisel, not to sharp and vacuum cleaner. Quite easy and no scratches.

Fairing float

Mixing the fairing compound on a laminate plywood. Easy to clean with a rag and some alcohol.




Fairing is done making thin ridges with a candybag, at 5-10 cm intervals, then sand them down to almost 0 mm ( lowspots shows easy this way). A hissing sound occur when sanding in fibers so then it is time to stop sanding and move on.




Next comes the difficult part. Filling the rest of the fiber. It is best done by first apply fairing with a smaller spartel, I prefer a 15-20 cm for this. I apply more than I need, and then fair/ scrape of the remains with a 35 cm. To fair I try to make strokes with a even pressure and I do it several times across float.
You need to fill between ridges several times as it is not possible to fill in one go.
I do it in two, but other use tree times to fill, It is very easy to use to much fairing. Of course it is easy to sand but it gets heavy too.

Here is first filling.

A few shots of different parts of the float.

Autum 2007 part 1

Back on the blog. So I been doing lots of boatstuff this autum. Installing a big table for vacuum bagging flat panel, Freddy was so nice to give me a leftover 38 mm chipboard covered with laminate.

And the SB float i faired ready for post curing, Hibuild and paint.

The bowcap is now glued in place and
shaped using powerplaner and long sanding board.

Vaccum the glass in place.

Before going any further some apples had to be picked. Our new tree from this season gave 10 apples, I was really surprised by this. The tree is just to the left of me.


And back to buisness, mixing fairing compound.


I use SP S'fair 600. Very easy to mix and spread easy.

TIP if cans are heated a little in a box or so it will get a lot softer and easier to mix