Starting rowing boat building business

[Simonas]

After many years of dreaming and procrastinating, finally bought the moulds.
It's designed for rowing (or small outboard) boat. One measures at 9ft, another 10ft.
I was expecting to get some information about building process, but got very little from late owners wife. She told me, that her husband was using 2 layers of 600g fiberglass, some parts 3 layers.

What I would greatly appreciate, is the whole laminating schedule for that boat, and materials needed.
Anyone would be willing to give advice?

Attaching mould photo. It has boat laid in already.

 

[wet feet]

I think you have enough information to work with,when combined with a close examination of the hull in the mould.Look carefully for material overlaps to see how far the additional layer extends.I would expect it to be the bottom plus a few centimetres of the sides.For durability it may be worth double gelling the hull as it will resist knocks and scrapes a bit better.If somebody comes along and launches into a sales pitch for epoxy and exotic fabrics,you may safely ignore them as you know that examples of the boat work.If you work with an assumption of 600 grams of gel per square metre,it will be more than enough and you won't run out with a bit left to do.
It will take more work to complete that hull than to laminate the hull,what do you have in mind?

 

[Simonas]

I think you have enough information to work with,when combined with a close examination of the hull in the mould.Look carefully for material overlaps to see how far the additional layer extends.I would expect it to be the bottom plus a few centimetres of the sides.For durability it may be worth double gelling the hull as it will resist knocks and scrapes a bit better.If somebody comes along and launches into a sales pitch for epoxy and exotic fabrics,you may safely ignore them as you know that examples of the boat work.If you work with an assumption of 600 grams of gel per square metre,it will be more than enough and you won't run out with a bit left to do.
It will take more work to complete that hull than to laminate the hull,what do you have in mind?

Regarding overlaps, lady told me that it's around 10-15 cm of overlaps, but what's a bit weird to me, she told me, that fiberglass been laid from side to side. Whould You advice spraying gel coat, or painting? What do You mean regarding completing the hull?

 

[wet feet]

It is not a surprise that the glass was laid from side to side as that is the normal way to do things.the width of the typical roll of glass makes pieces of such size manageable.I would expect the overlap to be around 6-8cm but more would not be bad if the number of pieces to complete the length of the hull made it a convenient distance.For a small boat I would only recommend spraying gelcoat if you build a plastic tent around the mould and if you have the spraying equipment and some experience in using it.The reason being that the equipment is not cheap and overspray will go everywhere if there is not a tent to contain it.You also need to arrange extraction.It is much simpler to brush the gelcoat and by double gelling you will have the opportunity to re-do any thin areas while not having to invest in much more than a paintbrush for any part of the process.

I would expect the third layer of glass to be applied to the bottom and to extend a little way up the topsides and your advice that there was a 10-15 cm overlap would perhaps be related to this area.

My thought about completing the hull is that the piece we can see in the mould is not in itself a boat.It will need thwarts,gunwales and perhaps buoyancy to be considered complete and none of those things are shown.You may have moulds for these things or you may be considering using wood.You would then need to add cleats,fairleads,rowlocks and probably a keel/stem band.

 

[Simonas]

It is not a surprise that the glass was laid from side to side as that is the normal way to do things.the width of the typical roll of glass makes pieces of such size manageable.I would expect the overlap to be around 6-8cm but more would not be bad if the number of pieces to complete the length of the hull made it a convenient distance.For a small boat I would only recommend spraying gelcoat if you build a plastic tent around the mould and if you have the spraying equipment and some experience in using it.The reason being that the equipment is not cheap and overspray will go everywhere if there is not a tent to contain it.You also need to arrange extraction.It is much simpler to brush the gelcoat and by double gelling you will have the opportunity to re-do any thin areas while not having to invest in much more than a paintbrush for any part of the process.

I would expect the third layer of glass to be applied to the bottom and to extend a little way up the topsides and your advice that there was a 10-15 cm overlap would perhaps be related to this area.

My thought about completing the hull is that the piece we can see in the mould is not in itself a boat.It will need thwarts,gunwales and perhaps buoyancy to be considered complete and none of those things are shown.You may have moulds for these things or you may be considering using wood.You would then need to add cleats,fairleads,rowlocks and probably a keel/stem band.

It might be "normal way" to do it, but so far I've only managed to find only one video on YT, where they laid one million small pieces of fiberglass. That's why I'm here. I'd like to pull out existing boats from the mould, and start making more, but can't find clear information on how to do it.
I know once I pull the boat from the mould, I have to:
1 clean, and wax the mould. (what type of wax, how much wax I have to apply?)
2 spray, or paint brush gelcoat (also, which one to choose, and how much do I need, how to check thickness, and decide if it's enough?)
3 fiberglass (which type of fiberglass to use? How many layers, which way to lay it, how much resin do I need, how much time between layers, and do I have to sand in between?)

 

[wet feet]

I think you should postpone your boatbuilding plans until you have some experience of working with the materials.You have been given the allowance for gelcoat and the amount of glass to apply,together with the sensible size of overlaps.Don't remove the boat that is in the mould until you have done some laminating with glass mat and resin on a project that won't have any effect on another person's survival prospects.

Find a wax that does not contain silicone,gelcoat application system of your choice and no need to sand unless you have projecting strands or other bumps on the surface of the glass.The entire laminate is just within the amount you could apply in 24 hours.Chopped strand mat will be adequate.

 

[Simonas]

I think you should postpone your boatbuilding plans until you have some experience of working with the materials.You have been given the allowance for gelcoat and the amount of glass to apply,together with the sensible size of overlaps.Don't remove the boat that is in the mould until you have done some laminating with glass mat and resin on a project that won't have any effect on another person's survival prospects.

Find a wax that does not contain silicone,gelcoat application system of your choice and no need to sand unless you have projecting strands or other bumps on the surface of the glass.The entire laminate is just within the amount you could apply in 24 hours.Chopped strand mat will be adequate.

Can I leave mould without a product inside? I'd like to pull existing boats and finish them first, and sell. (need cash)

 

[wet feet]

You have a major problem if you try to sell any boat in the EU without it conforming to the requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive.Did the former owner pass on any relevant documentation?It is a time consuming and expensive process to employ a professional service to do this part of the process.

There is a thread here,which may be helpful. RCD RecreationalCraft ISO Harmonised Standard Revision https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/rcd-recreationalcraft-iso-harmonised-standard-revision.68952/ .The purpose of the regulation was to act as a barrier to people who don't know the factors that make a good boat and who might sell something dangerous.It needs to be respected.

 

[Simonas]

You have a major problem if you try to sell any boat in the EU without it conforming to the requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive.Did the former owner pass on any relevant documentation?It is a time consuming and expensive process to employ a professional service to do this part of the process.

There is a thread here,which may be helpful. RCD RecreationalCraft ISO Harmonised Standard Revision https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/rcd-recreationalcraft-iso-harmonised-standard-revision.68952/ .The purpose of the regulation was to act as a barrier to people who don't know the factors that make a good boat and who might sell something dangerous.It needs to be respected.

It's not my concern at the moment. I'm not going to sell it in the shop. I can sell on ad sites, as used, or whatever. IF I decide to proceed with it as a business, then I will dig deeper. Now the question is- can I leave the moulds empty?

 

[C. Dog]

You do not have acceptable ethics to be engaged in this industry. People die when corners are cut and industry standards ignored.

 

[wet feet]

Actually,it is your concern as boats either have to be built in accordance with the directive,or if amateur built and not compliant they cannot be sold for five years from the time of building.It seems that you will be on the wrong side of both requirements.The penalty may exceed the value of the boat.

 

[gonzo]

Posting on a forum that you are planning to do something illegal is possibly the worst business mode.

 

[wet feet]

Posting on a forum that you are planning to do something illegal is possibly the worst business mode.

It also annoys the guys that have to stick to the rules and swallow the associated costs.

 

[Blueknarr]

Do you have a relative in China named Space?

 

[Simonas]

Very sorry for disturbing You all. I've burned my moulds today to not offend anyone else. Cheers.