ZZZip Kit lands in my shop

[Hercdrvr]

Looks good from here, nice work.
Matt B

[Sam's ZIP]

Only lacking the starboard side planking having the hull planked, it is time to fill screw holes. Which color of Famowood have y'all found that works well with a natural, clear epoxy finish? I have a scrap piece of ply in front of me that has epoxy on it---kinda looks like walnut? Or is there a better option than Famowood?

Thanks in advance!

On a related note, planing the port sheers to accept the side planking just about did in this old man. There is a LOT of wood to remove on the forward half of the hull and the sheers being near the floor really makes it tough to operate the plane.

On the starboard side I used a belt sander and was able to fair the sheer in about an hour with a lot less grunting. I first tried a 120 grit belt...hardly fazed the sapele. I ended up with a 36 grit which got the job done but coated the shop with dust. Jacking up the forward end of the building form also made it easier to work on the forward end of the hull where the bulk of the wood gets removed.

But now I have a couple bags of sapele powder that I can use for filler.

Hey...the shipment of Raka epoxy and cloth just arrived!

[Roberta]

Looking Great. They do require a lot of shaping. I bought a cheap power plane to initially shape wood.

It kinda depends on how you finish the wood. I found wood flour and epoxy got too dark. I used mahogany famowood where the wood was finished bright. If you are painting any good filler works.

Roberta

[Sam's ZIP]

Thank you for the input on the filler.

By the way, I saw your Torpedo at the Gathering in Dayton, that is a spectacular boat!

[TAB]

Looks great, I am planing on building one, just have to build the house and shop 1st.


I am glad to see how fast they go together.

[Sam's ZIP]

There are now three coats of resin on the glassed hull and it is ready for the first round of sanding to see where additional work needs to be done. The dark areas are where I used sanding powder/epoxy mud under the glass to sharpen up some edges. Those areas of the hull will be painted. I put the building frame on furniture dollies so the hull can be rolled outside the shop for sanding.

My brother and I were at the gathering for part of Friday afternoon and enjoyed seeing your beautiful boats and pumping Bill for inside info. Maybe there will be another Zip at 2022, glad to see it will return to Dayton.

[vupilot]

Nice work Sam, fairing is my least favorite too. Looking good! Looks like you'll be ready to paint before the cold weather. Did you fiberglass the bottom? I may have missed you at the Gathering or maybe just didnt make the connection.

[Roberta]

Thanks, Sam. Your Zip is coming along nicely.

Roberta

[Sam's ZIP]

Nice work Sam, fairing is my least favorite too. Looking good! Looks like you'll be ready to paint before the cold weather. Did you fiberglass the bottom? I may have missed you at the Gathering or maybe just didnt make the connection.

Thank you!

60" cloth was just right to cover half the hull and provided an overlap on the keel and stem. Paint should arrive this week so I can get this done before cool weather.

[Two8nine]

Slow down you're making the rest of us look bad.

[Sam's ZIP]

Slow down you're making the rest of us look bad.

Well, being retired and working with an outstanding kit definitely gives me an unfair advantage.

Six weeks in and we have a watertight hull that is ready to flip. The bottom has been rolled and tipped with burgandy Pettit EZ-Poxy and the sides have three coats of poly varnish. There will be additional burgundy and white trim but that has been deferred until the deck is installed and I can get a better idea of how the hull should be dressed out. The sides will be sanded again and another coat of vanish applied just prior to getting the boat wet.

Some thoughts about the hull finish---

I'm comfortable with using topcoat paint because the boat will be stored dry and I don't want to mess with the characteristics of bottom paint. The glossy paint really makes irregularities in the fiberglassed surface apparent. If I wanted a totally faired surface I would have to finish it the same way you finish a Corvette.....apply a thin skim coat of filler and block sand for a few days. But this is the bottom of my boat and life is too short to go to those lengths for a vessel that is definitely not a show boat....I'll spent more time on the upper surfaces that are more visible. I anticipate bumps and bruises on the hull and they will be quickly addressed with a foam brush instead of obsessing over how to repair a flawless surface.

I have a huge amount of respect for builders who go to the effort and have the skills to create perfect boats but that just ain't me.

[Roberta]

Beautiful!!!!

Roberta

[Sam's ZIP]

Here are a couple of shots of the cheap, quick, crude, simple, ugly cradle. The stern end can be lifted by a floor jack so small furniture dollies can be set under it when the boat needs to be moved outside for sanding (or a breath of fresh air...) but otherwise the legs will prevent the cradle from rolling on the bow castors.

[Sam's ZIP]

Beautiful!!!!

Roberta

Thank you, Roberta! We're having fun.

[vupilot]

Its a full time job to keep on top of what needs to be ordered when you are working that fast!