supplies

Forgot to mention that I also ordered more epoxy and supporting supplies today... I have a fair amount of the U.S. Composites epoxy left, but have ran out of Cabosil and also wanted to get an epoxy "roller" for smoothing in some of the fiberglass tape, a couple of pumps for measuring it, etc. A friend needed some epoxy for a boat he's repairing, so I ordered for us both and lumped it in one shipment.  read more »

We've had some good pointers in comments recently... Go2Marine is another commercial offering of various "boat stuff". They apparently sell the Kolstrand Marine Supply line of equipment.

If you have dealt in the boating world for long at all, you have probably heard of West System Epoxy. Originated and still manufactured by Gougeon Brothers, Inc., West System Epoxy is the granddaddy of marine epoxy. The Gougeon Brothers' history is an interesting read. The West System web site is a good resource of wood construction and repair information, regardless of the brand of epoxy you decide to use.

WEST SYSTEM epoxy is a high-quality, two-part epoxy formulated and manufactured by Gougeon Brothers, Inc. It bonds to fiberglass, wood, metal, fabrics, and other composite materials and is easily modified for a wide range of coating and adhesive applications. It is used for construction and repairs requiring superior moisture resistance and high-strength, and is especially suited for marine applications.

This particular design is geared around sailboats, but the entire idea of using inflatable tubes/cells in a cover bring up all sorts of interesting ideas. Its light, collapsible, self supporting (if designed right)... hmmm...

These people make/sell an interesting "low-profile" cable tie (zip tie/wire tie). The claim to fame is that it doesn't have the large (and often sharp) knot/end where the tie joins together.

A bit pricey, but if you are making a nice, fairly permanent cable bundle or something, especially if you will be reaching in next to it often, it might be well worth trying.

 

Despite living in a large metro area (Atlanta, GA, USA), finding wood, especially marine grade plywood, can be difficult.  read more »

Boating is great, but at some point you probably will be going to shore, be it pier, beach or whatever. At that point you have "stuff" to lug around.
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Lots of boatbuilding involves fitting cabinetry into odd and non-square shapes. One common way of dealing with this is mockups. Building a quick mockup out of cardboard or doorskin lets you try out different arrangements for pennies on the dollar compared to getting it wrong when building with high priced woods or other materials.  read more »