Well, we're getting there! Sunday evening I got the cockpit close to all set as previously reported, and this evening (at home...finally) I taped off the seams (easy cosmetic fix more than anything else...30oz of bias seam tape and epoxy isn't going anywhere fast...) and did the stern end pour with Microspheres . I'll be doing the bow tomorrow morning before work .
Tomorrow night will be fitting the minicell walls and construction the seat, and testing skirts with the rim in case it needs a touch more sanding....then I'll most likely tape it too....
Here's a few images of the boat in our kitchen at the moment (it was the only place I could stand it up vertically so the endpour would set up evenly!)
Very good useage of maple, glass and stainless steel. I especially feel the island will be something most paddlers will appreciate and can utilize! Nothing quite states proper outfitting like appropriate height barstools in close proximity to the refrigirator. Maybe someday we can enjoy a frosty cool beverage in it... the kitchen that is.
Oh yeah!... the boat looks great too Adam! I can especially appreciate the fine lines and thoughtful volume distribution. Looks like a bonified winner. Fits your decor to boot. Will you offer an appropriate color for the paddler with 70's decor.. you know! Harvest Gold to match the stove and fridge, burnt orange to accompany the carpet, and a bit of paisley to kick off the disco shirt? I look forward to sinkin' one in the forbidden zone some day!
Thank you very much for the kind words...as you can imagine I'm excited...and a bit nervous to see if the boat performs as well (or hopefully better) than the prototype did.
All of the epoxy mixing, etc... happened in the semi-ventilated (windows are great things) basement...then I bungeed and taped the "cockpit cover" on before bringing it upstairs. I was going to put it in the stairway to the basement, but it wasn't quite verticle, and SHE (yup, she is home) suggested I use the kitchen instead (note that I'm the one who does the vast majority of cooking anyway...hence me insisting on spending a few extra $ on the kitchen when she and I were building ). Anyway, I didn' detect any fumes from the boat (until I uncovered it back downstairs this morning...whew!), so any vapor escapeage was minor!
The bow endpour is now done as well...and I've tracked down a bandsaw so I can try cutting the foam with that (for the pillars, seat, etc...) for once rather than my normal hack saw job (that can be read either way...and should ).
As Sir Adam pointed out - he does most of the cooking (I clean) and yes, I was home and yes, I suggested using the kitchen to stand the boat on end! It's looking nice, eh?
We'll see how the outfitting goes - and I promise some pictures and video if possible from the pool session on Thursday - I get to be the official Maven photographer.
-Sara
This has really been fun watching you do this boat. Thanks again for documenting and sharing!
End pours in the kitchen certainly takes the cake (and the cookies, etc., too!)
A word of warning about a quick trip to a pool session: I seem to remember taking a newly built boat to a chlorinated pool shortly after finishing the resin work and foam outfitting. I got some significant discoloration along the edges of the seam lines, and with the joints of the glued in pieces of foam. The outfitting subsequently became a bit wobbly and loose sooner than I expected, and the seams certainly looked less attractive than I had wanted when I carefully laid them up.
I suspected at the time that the chlorine residual in the pool water had had a chemical reaction with the not yet completely cured epoxy (or maybe it was vinyl ester.) I concluded (and think Walbridge or McKnight had advised in their books) that it is best to let everything set up for about week in a heated space before testing a new boat. Doing so just gives everything a chance to setup, cure, adhere, and evaporate!
After all the work you have done to produce such a nice looking boat, what's another week before the maiden voyage?
Maybe the more experienced builders, or the chemical engineers, have some thoughts about this.
I'm glad you've enjoyed the journey so far...so have I....
I'll have to do some research re: total time for epoxy to cure. Other than the end pours, the "latest" epoxy to be laid up was Saturday afternoon, so that would be 5 full days (roughly 124 hours:) ) for the epoxy to cure, 116 of it or so in a heated area of one sort or another. If it takes longer to cure, I'll defiitely wait. The container of the epoxy states 22-27 min pot time, 2 hours or so to set up, 12-18 hours to cure....but I'm not sure how much longer it takes to really cure (assuming the reaction continues, which I expect it does...).
If anyone else has experience with WEST systems with 206 and 207 (clear finish) hardener, let me know!
At some point I hope to re-write the Maven page as well with more details and images of this build....
West says it takes up to a week for a 207 batch to reach full strength at 60 degrees or greater temperatures. 206 takes up to four days.
Letting this kind of stuff sit, undistured, in a warm place for a week won't hurt and will likely make for a stronger, longer-lasting boat. The best epoxy boats were often "baked" in ovens at 100-120 degrees. A "sun-cure" was my standard method, weather permitting.
I think the deep curing takes *at least* one week. They state that when sanding epoxy it is very toxic for about two weeks (if I recall) because the dust is not fully cured. After that it's more like dust than nasty chemically epoxy. - mind you, I was using east.
You might want to post the question on www.bearmountainboats.com... There are as many fibreglass boat builders (perhaps more) in that forum as there are cboaters in this forum!!
They largely build strippers, but they do work with epoxy and may have more experience in this area....
adkSara wrote:yes, I was home and yes, I suggested using the kitchen to stand the boat on end! It's looking nice, eh?
We'll see how the outfitting goes - and I promise some pictures and video if possible from the pool session on Thursday - I get to be the official Maven photographer.
-Sara
Adam, She's a keeper
Can you find a ~190lb'er to stick in the Maven in the water for a photo to show us how low it will be on a fat boy like me
Thank you all for your kind words and guidance...I'm going to wait until next THursday to do the pool test. The boat will be fully cured, and I will have a bit more time to work on the outfitting, etc....
With luck I'll get a few images up tonight, though...last night AdkSara took an image of me in the Maven with the skirt on (Viper / Cascade / Wheelboy skirt from MountainSurf fits TIGHT). She took her time getting the images taken...which would not have been bad, except I was sitting a few random pieces of foam I had tossed in, and my legs are NOT up to a 4" seat!
The one that is built in now will be a bit over 6" .
. I'll be doing the bow tomorrow morning before work 
. 
Even though the cockpit is covered some fumes had to escape.
