Making a cockpit rim....

[Sir Adam]

Making a cockpit rim....
by Sir Adam
Greetings...

I'd decided to create the Maven correctly, and put a flat deck on it...which means I'll need to make a cockpit rim... and I'm not even sure where to start! Any ideas / help would be greatly appreciated!

C-ya!
Sir Adam of...Maven?
P.S. The one thought I've had is use the existing cockpit rim as a template (cut it out, wax-paper it, and put glass over it).
Posted on May 31, 2002, 7:09 AM

Use a piece of hosepipe!
by gwyn
Tape a length of hosepipe into a loop, of the same size as the cockpit, tape into position on the deck. Then lay pieces of prewetted fibreglass over it, and onto the inside of the deck. This is easier if the cloth is cut on the bias. Continue until you have built up the required thickness. Then allow to set. Trim while it is still green, cutting the edge of the rim through onto the hosepipe. Then cut the join in the hosepipe, and remove.

It takes a bit of practice, but produces a really strong rim.
Posted on May 31, 2002, 9:04 AM

THANK YOU!!
by Sir Adam
Greetings...

Sounds like the perfect thing to use! I'll post pictures of the "operation" once I get around to it (I need to lay up the new deck first...).

C-ya IN the Rivah!
Sir Adam
Posted on May 31, 2002, 10:37 AM

Re: THANK YOU!!
by Bob P.
John Sweet's got some foam coaming cord that makes it very easy. I usually use a little hot glue to attach it to the deck.
See http://www.johnrsweet.com/Tools.html

When you cut the material, (on a bias - definitely!) make strips varying from 2.5" wide to 3.5" so that it overlaps the inside of the hull by varying amounts. The bias cut will allow the material to be stretched and narrowed excessively, so handle with care. I use 5 or 6 layers of 5 oz. glass, starting at one point and just keep going in circles (with small overlaps) until the requisite number of layers are done.

And don't forget to mask off the deck around the coaming. Otherwise you'll end up with a mess...

Posted on Jun 1, 2002, 3:28 PM

Hose
by silent bob
When I built the "FruitBAT", I used a piece of garden hose taped into a loop and hot glued to the deck. That left me with a big gap between the hose and deck toward the inside- the deck being flat and the hose being round. I filled the gap with Plumber's putty (essentially just clay), smoothed it out to a nice shape, and laid up the rim. That turned out to be the best looking part of the boat. The hose pops right out when it's cured, the clay was a bit of a mess to clean up but didn't present any release problems.

-Good luck

Bob
Posted on Jun 2, 2002, 5:58 AM