Rocky's "cheap" sheet

[slowpoke]

OK guys, I just got done spraying the last (hopefully) coat of primer, and before the fog clears I'm going to confess to all my sins that went into my build.
I deliberately started out with the goal of building a boat as inexpensively as possible, primarily because I just don't have a whole lot of cash falling out of my pockets right now, although I know I will win the lottery next week. So wherever possible I used the most inexpensive materials. Here is a list of what worked and what didn't:

1) Plywood. This was easily the biggest mistake I made. I found some 1/4(nominal) inch luan plywood at home depot that was about $20 less than the high quality ply Tim and Susan recommend, for a savings of about $250. The problem was that the cheaper ply turned out to be unstable over time, something that others have also found to be true. A high quality ply would have saved me a lot of time and effort during the fairing process, not to mention the cost of the epoxy and fairing compound.
2) Zip ties. Harbor freight sells these little things in packages of 100, your choice of colors, catch them on sale for $1 a pack.
3) Bondo. In some of the older books I read that they used bondo on their seams for fillet material. I always have some of this wonderful stuff on hand for work, so I thought I'd give it a try. I love the way bondo works, it smoothes out great, and cures quickly. The problem is it is no excuse for an adhesive, and if your seams are under tension, they might seperate before you can get them taped. I ended up grinding it out and using epoxy and microballoons.
4) Glass cloth. Thanks to the generosity of another builder and a local surfboard shop, I was given enough cloth to glass almost the whole boat. But I also found a cheap source for a thin fiberglass mat, that is used for sealing upstairs decks. A 100 foot roll 52" wide goes for less than $50. That's a LOT cheaper than the $7 a yard that e-cloth goes for. How well it would work for our purpose I'm not sure.
5) Fairing material. There's just no substitute for microballoons, and no, it doesn't work to mix them back into the epoxy after you sand them off the first time. Believe me, I tried. But I did find a place where I could get them for $17 a pound, plus shipping. The shipping was kind of high, though, so large orders were the way to go.
6) Primer. I'm using Proline epoxy primer and paint, at less than half the cost of anything out of the west marine catalog. The primer sprays on well, but be sure to get the higher quality primer, as the one I bought loads up the sandpaper quickly, and might be a softer paint. It' a 2 part epoxy paint, and I found it easy to mix and use.
7) Hardware. For the chainplates and bowplate I found a place that sells stainless in different thicknesses, lengths, and widths, by the pound. A local welding shop near work did the welding on the bowplate, and I cut the chainplates with a grinder and cutting wheel.
For the other hardware on my boat, I've been hitting the boating flea markets, looking for deals.
8) Mast. My mast came off an 18 foot catamaran, it was originally 30ft, so I cut it down to the length I need. Bought it off craigslist for $60. My boom also came off a cat, I got it and some other hardware for $20, also off craigslist.

I hope this helps you in your build, when you need to save a little money. If you have any questions, let me know.

[slowpoke]

Just a word to let you know, make sure your primer is of the best quality. The paint salesman told me that the primer I chose was not easily sanded, and he was right. I wish now I had paid for the better quality primer, as I cheated on the sanding, something I'm paying for now.

[micah202]

Just a word to let you know, make sure your primer is of the best quality. The paint salesman told me that the primer I chose was not easily sanded, and he was right. I wish now I had paid for the better quality primer, as I cheated on the sanding, something I'm paying for now.

...'tough sanding doesn't necessarily indicate poor quality,,perhaps not the right use of it.
There's a certain window in the curetime for epoxy primers and paints where they're sandable but not fully cured within the first day....a lot of time saved to catch it

[slowpoke]

You got that right. In my case I waited till the next weekend to sand.