Need The How 2s For Putting CF Cloth In My Boat

[crrcboatz]

Want to add CF cloth to the bottom of the 29inch rico. I assume I should do this right?? What area of the bottom,ie width and length of the area also.
Step by step instructions and a list of what is needed would be much appreciated.

Curt

[knpc]

I just added cf to my rico. If you look in the boat building section there are some pics. Lightly sand the bottom, clean with alcohol, brush on laminating epoxy, lay in cf. brush on more epoxy to make sure cloth is saturated, let it dry.
Thats how I was told to do it and it worked well for me.
Kevin

[knpc]

The cloth I used was 5.7 oz woven carbon fiber that I ordered from CST Composites.
It made the hull much stiffer.

[crrcboatz]

What is laminating epoxy. I have 15 and 30 minute epoxy but don't know much about your kind. Where can I get it??

[knpc]

Its thinner than regular epoxy usually used for laying fiberglass. I think you can thin regular epoxy but i'm not sure with what. Someone else on here will know.

[crrcboatz]

Its thinner than regular epoxy usually used for laying fiberglass. I think you can thin regular epoxy but i'm not sure with what. Someone else on here will know.

Again,, where do you buy laminating epoxy???

[knpc]

I was just trying to help YOU out. Any need for the attitude. I'll let someone else help ya
enjoy

[tylerm]

Alright heres a way to do it if you don't have things like peelply and plastic sheeting.

Lightly sand where carbon is to be layed with 220 to 400 grit wet and dry sandpaper.

Clean area with acetone, or brake/contact cleaner, or alchohol.

Make a pattern of the carbon peice your going to put in.

Lay pattern on carbon, and spray the edges to be cut with hairspary(lacquer in hairspray sticks the carbon together-not too much or it will make the carbon stiff, thanks to Gerwin Brommer for that tip).

Cut the carbon out with good sciccors(i use material sciccors).

Lay the carbon down, and tack a few spots with thin CA(to hold the carbon in place).

Mix up laminating epoxy(i use 5:1 ratio west systems).

Start putting epoxy into carbon, i either pour it straight on or put it on with paintbrush, then spread it out. I use cut up bits of ice cream containers, using the clip down edge that is rounded to spread epoxy.

Wet cloth entirely, spreading out the epoxy as much as possible. A mate who worked as a tool maker for a place here in NZ where they make the Carbon fibre masts for the Americas Cup boats said to me that the less epoxy in the carbon the stronger it is. You just want enought to wet it out and to get a good bond.

Come back an hour later and get out any more excess epoxy you can(if there is any).

Leave overnight for epoxy to dry. It sometimes takes 48 hours for epoxy to fully set.

Done!

As for getting epoxy, check stores locally or go online(google searches FTW!)

Ty.

[ozzie-crawl]

i have tried that way of tacking the edges with ca didnt work well for me but i havent had a lot of experiance with glassing
what i do is cut cloth to shape as above then use a paint brush to paint a layer of epoxy on then lay the cloth on top, use a pair of latex gloves and push the cloth into position,the cloth will now stay in place then put more epoxy over the top and spread like tylerm said

[Gerwin Brommer]

Another possibility :
After you've cut the CF, cut a piece of glasscloth that is slightly bigger then the CF.
Put epoxy on the CF, lay down the glasscloth on top of the CF, and pick up the
CF/glasscloth and put it in the hull (which already has a layer of epoxy).
The glass on top of the CF keeps the cf neat.
I always pre-heat my epoxy. That makes it thinner/more liquid.
The fibres of the glass/cf soak up the epoxy more easy.
So you need less epoxy.

[tylerm]

Thats another good tip from gerwin about heating up the epoxy.

ozzie- i never said tack the edges, tack wherever. I dont think doing the edges would be that advantageous.

Gerwin, thats similar to what ive been doing lately. I use the plastic sheeting/tube and wet out the carbon, then lay down glass, the squeeze the epoxy out. Then i lay down peeply. I cut it all oversize then cut out everything to proper shape once its wet.
I'm gonna have to use the epoxy heating trick, i like the idea.
Also i dont put epoxy in the hull first, and havent noticed any problems? Anything major?

[ozzie-crawl]

like i say i havent a lot of experiance with adding carbonfibre,
as far as i know the best way is to do pre preg but have found it very hard to do on cat hulls

[Gerwin Brommer]

Pre-preg is for bagging and autoclaves.

[ozzie-crawl]

okay must have got the wrong wording

[crrcboatz]

I was just trying to help YOU out. Any need for the attitude. I'll let someone else help ya
enjoy

U R right, my post sounded snippy. I did not intend for it to come out that way, please accept my apology. I appreciate your help in this matter.