Glass ons

I have not done a lot of glass ons, most of my boards have had fcs on 'em. I am glassing a set of fins on a board and was wondering how much fin rope to use. I am using 18oz. boat coat that I have pulled the weave apart instead of traditional fin rope. The strands are grouped together in nice compacted linear sections. I obviously want a strong foundation but I don’t want to over do it (which I have a tendency to do). I know I should extend the fin rope about a 1/2" past the front and back of the fin, but how thick should the fin rope be at the base? Can anyone give me an estimate to how much to use? Thanks for any info.

mike, i did this just ONE time, so i’m no expert, but this how i did it: i collected enough strands to make a bundle that looked like maybe 3/8" or 1/2" in diameter when just resting together loosely. i calculated the length i needed and made the rope about 2" longer than that because i gathered both ends together with 3/4" masking tape (when bunched together tightly, the diameter was like 1/4"). when i was ready to go with it, i dunked the rope(s) in the bucket of resin, and the absorption caused it to expand in diameter to a nice size. then i just laid them down, formed the contour with a finger and trimmed off the excess length during gel stage, with a sharp blade, at a downward angle. p.s. this was to glass on a rather large single, so you may want to go with less diameter. i had posted for suggestions at the time, but no one bit, so i just improvised. good luck with your project!>>> I have not done a lot of glass ons, most of my boards have had fcs on 'em. > I am glassing a set of fins on a board and was wondering how much fin rope > to use. I am using 18oz. boat coat that I have pulled the weave apart > instead of traditional fin rope. The strands are grouped together in nice > compacted linear sections. I obviously want a strong foundation but I > don’t want to over do it (which I have a tendency to do). I know I should > extend the fin rope about a 1/2" past the front and back of the fin, > but how thick should the fin rope be at the base? Can anyone give me an > estimate to how much to use? Thanks for any info.

Mike: Ramon is right on. I’ve done some thrusters, and like you I used mat cloth strands. About the diameter of a pencil or more when dry. The masking tape is a good tip. It helps to dip the rope, squeeze it between your fingers to saturate and squeeze out the air and rewet if needed. Get as much air/bubbles out as you can, it’s hard to do once its laid down. Once you get it in place, feather it up and down the fin base line to make a nice curve, then add your pre-cut cloth patches. I like to use one partial and one full on each side over the rope with plenty of overlap around the base of the fin. TS>>> mike, i did this just ONE time, so i’m no expert, but this how i did it: i > collected enough strands to make a bundle that looked like maybe 3/8" > or 1/2" in diameter when just resting together loosely. i calculated > the length i needed and made the rope about 2" longer than that > because i gathered both ends together with 3/4" masking tape (when > bunched together tightly, the diameter was like 1/4"). when i was > ready to go with it, i dunked the rope(s) in the bucket of resin, and the > absorption caused it to expand in diameter to a nice size. then i just > laid them down, formed the contour with a finger and trimmed off the > excess length during gel stage, with a sharp blade, at a downward angle. > p.s. this was to glass on a rather large single, so you may want to go > with less diameter.>>> i had posted for suggestions at the time, but no one bit, so i just > improvised. good luck with your project!

I buy all my board supplies at Basham’s. and Brad, the owner and glasser told me to get a bundle of fin rope (about 3/8 - 1/2 inch when fluffed up). and he said that was the key: get it fluffed up before you soak it. that way all of the strands soak up the resin quicker and easier. then work out the air bubbles, re-wet the rope if needed and work out more bubbles and so on and so on. anyway, the one time i glassed on a fin i did it this way and it went smoothly and looks great.

Can you elaborate on this a little? Thanks to all for the info. Oh yeah very nice board Tom! When are you gonna make one of those out of eps?

Mike: I was just agreeing with Ramon that when you pull and bunch your strands into the bundle you decide to use, wrap a piece of masking tape at the midpoint of the bundle. I cut the bundle in half at the midline of the tape wrap. This way you end up with 2 equal length pieces of rope neatly bound and easier to dunk in the resin, fewer loose strands sliding out in your hands when you wring out the resin and ready to slap on the fin. The tape gets cut off when you trim the excess anyway. 'das it. **PS- I’m ording my first epoxy kit today. The S2000 kit from SurfSource, this brand works OK? says 30 min. gel time, ultra clear,etc. $44.00 for 1.5 gal kit. Tom>>> Can you elaborate on this a little? Thanks to all for the info.>>> Oh yeah very nice board Tom! When are you gonna make one of those out of > eps?

Yes that epoxy resin works really well. It might seem a bit funky at first because it will be thicker (higher viscosity) than what you are use to. Once you mix in the hardner really well, it thins it out and it saturates the cloth with no problems. It might take you a little longer to work in the resin, but the resin takes longer to kick. It will take longer than 30 mins for it to really gel, unless it is hot out (80 up). I think you will like it, way stronger than poly. Just make sure it is at 2:1 and you mix it up really well. It is better to go overboard mixing, than not, and have your resin harden to the consistency of rubber cement. You should have plenty of time. If you are worried about it kicking too soon, try using a bigger pot, so the mix is shallower in the container, and your mix won’t hold so much heat. Good luck.