: Hi all, love the forum. I've been searching through the archives trying to
: gleam as much info as possible. I have a friend who says he access to the
: mold for a kayak polo boat and we want to try and build some type of
: composite boat (most likely start with just fiberglass) from the mold.
: After doing some research it looks like building the mold is a large
: portion of the work. Can anyone point me to a good resource for
: deterimining what type/amount of fiberglass, resin, etc. we might need to
: get started?

: Don't be afraid to tell me I'm crazy. My wife does all the time.
: Rob
: Nebraska Kayak Polo.

Hi Rob,

Molds are about 4-5 times the weight of the kayak which translates into additional time and material costs that can only be recovered by making about a dozen kayaks to recoup the costs.

I would follow up with your friend to see if the mold he has access to is acceptable. If so clean it up, put on a minimum of 5 coats of mold release wax, and if it still looks questionable then coat the mold with a PVA parting agent.
You can get two kayaks (four halves) in a weekend. The rest of the week you seam it inside and out, make and install the coaming, do the end pours, and grab loops, install the seat and footbraces.

Without gel coat the pinholes are inevitable and you won't have UV protection. Look for local fiberglass shops or body shops to gel coat the molds. Chopper gun shops that make shower stalls etc. may not appreciate the lightweight concept. Hi tech shops are often doing gov. contracts or proprietary projects and you won't get past the front door.

Vinyl ester resin would be a good choice. Buy a bolt of 8,9, or 10 ounce cloth. You will want the equivalent of 30 to 40 ounces per square yard of material, as in 4 layers of 9-10 ounce or 8 layers of 4-5 ounce. If you want cheap at the expense of weight then try a cloth-mat-cloth layup.

There are a folks on this board with a lot more fiberglass knowledge than myself so I say go for it ask when you get stuck. Actually ask before the part gets stuck.

There is still a lot of gratification in doing these projects even though you can never justify the time and money costs.

I have just gone through the process for a personal helmet. The process went from idea, to patterns, to plug, to mold, to helmet shell. I wasn't satisfied with the first so I went through the process a second time and now have two molds. The newest one was gel coated this morning and I will have a helmet shell before the end of the day. Did I save anything? NO. Did I learn a lot and enjoy the process? YES.

I say go for it.

Best,

Reg