Project Gilligan's New Addition

 We did it. PEOPLE. WE DID IT!

The new piece of the glued laminations has been attached to Project Gilligan! Words can only go so far to describe what has happened, so I will begin by showing you the following images of the process; we will then meet below to engage in a little discussion of the ups, the downs, and the chemical reactions (you heard me right).

There was also a lot of frustration during this process! It began going well, the piece looked like it matched up perfectly, the scarf joint was deliciously angled exactly how I wanted it, and fastening the piece was initially an enjoyable process... until the screws started stripping and the new laminated piece of wood wanted to do its own thing and change its angle! I was determined though! I would not say I rushed through this process, but these small setbacks made me realize how difficult some of these processes are (and why professional restorers can charge so much! This is not easy!). So below I present to you a series of images showcasing some of the setbacks; my hat goes off to the professionals!

In addition, one thing that I was not aware of (despite the hours of footage I have watched from all of my favourite boat building channels on Youtube), was the fact that when you mix the resin and hardener to form the epoxy adhesive, it causes a chemical reaction that also generates a signifficant amount of heat! So, me being the novice that I am, I did not anticipate that combining too much resin and hardener at once would end up generating enough heat to speed up the curing time of the epoxy! I managed to get what I needed onto the boat and the new piece of laminated wood, however, all of the excess epoxy turned rock solid in a matter of minutes! So I was out some epoxy, and a paint brush, but I walk away learning more than I did so I cannot complain! Below are some shots of what the epoxy turned into lol. Below we see the type of epoxy I am using (strong enough to be trusted by people who make airplanes), the stripped screw that kept me up all night, and the last picture shows you what happens when you mix too much resin and hardener together; it cures before you can use it!

Until next time,

Cpt. John signing off! (not a real captain)