More Bulk - 24 oz

Installment 27 of Mako Restoration

The time is near! TJ and I are suited up for an all out blitz to whip this hull into shape. Help is packing their bags, they're touching down at TFGreen next day for our scheduled stringer installation. With hustle and some extra late nights we already completed laminating a layer of 36 oz quadraxial cloth. Tonight we're not leaving til a complete 24 oz lamination is in this hull! Stick around, it promises to be exciting...

We have a 35" wide roll of 24 oz /yd² cloth with a standard 0°-90° weave. This cloth also includes the same polyester Trevira™ backing as on the Quadraxial cloth. It will bring this boat up to and beyond it's original hull stiffness. We overlapped strips across the boat to counter the fore & aft overlap of the Quadrax layer. Same coverage area as the quadraxial layer, looking for 3-5" of overlap, and butting it right up to the chine on the sides. We again used West System 105 with 206 slow hardener.

Dry cut all cloth in advance to assure fit.

We split the foremost bow strip in two, allowing overlap each side of the keel.

One last thought before jumping in. Make sure that flimsy hull is in alignment. Any warp and twist will cure permanently to shape, making one odd boat. Everything looked plumb, it was time to roll.


Tackle the diciest section first- we began in the bow. The wider cloth made this stage messy. A bit of strategy is required, since you must lie in the steep hull you are wetting out. Sitting in the bow, I aligned the dry cloth. I folded one panel in half, wet out the back and stuck it forward then chased out the bubbles. Hinge it the other way, resin the back, and flip the aft half in place. Not too difficult. Now the same steps on the port side while I sit on cloth that is mostly dry. I returned to wet out on top last; here it gets tricky.

TJ passed in a fresh mix of epoxy. I poured the resin over-top the cloth to starboard and spread it with squeegee or chip brush, and chased out any bubbles. Switched to the port side and now there's nowhere dry left to sit. I pulled the dry cloth from the next aft section and set it underneath me. Laying on this dry "mat," I wet out the port side and chased out bubbles. Gloved hands made the best bubble chasers in tight spots. There's no helping this one, it's a messy job. Just tried to keep it off any skin. Epoxy is itchy stuff.



Funny angles and limited workspace took time to laminate. So meanwhile, TJ brought the epoxy aft and began wetting out the stern. Now we both had room to operate and planned to meet in the middle.







We opted to spread the resin in the hull as opposed to on a table. The Trevira™ backing received a thorough wet out first and then we set it in place. Mixing, pouring, spreading. Good tunes. We found our groove. A few hours flew by. TJ progressed steadily forward from the transom while I worked back from the bow. Once you start this job, gloves covered in resin, there's no stopping til it's done. Murphy's Law, itchy nose, Itchy Nose, ITCHY NOSE, someone please scratch my nose!



Down to the last and final strip. This was the biggest challenge, no where dry to hide. We strategically saved the strip just behind the foredeck step for last. That nice cross beam was support to lay and brace on. Some slipping and sliding but we made it happen. Laminating rollers on extension handles worked great for final touches from a step ladder.

Surprised by the late hour, it was time to close up shop, boost the room temp and head home. This was one of our longest nights. We headed home happy, deadline met and promises kept. Next step stringers! This boat is coming together.