Roger,

Vacuum bagging is not a good technique to use when the goal is maximum clarity of the glass/epoxy layer. That is best done by careful hand work. Neither is it well suited to compaction of one or two layers of glass cloth commonly used on strip boats.

Regarding the shiplap surface, there are very stretchy bagging films that will follow those types of contours. However, I think the limiting issue would be the ability of the reinforcement to follow the shape. Once again, careful hand work can acheive the result.

Sam

: Hi everybody,

: A while ago I posted a message asking if you-all routinely do vacuum bagging.
: I received gracious responses asking what I meant and what was my project.
: I want to build a super foxy cedar or redwood strip kayak using very thin
: strips. When the project is sanded to perfection, and prior to installing
: the skirt rim, I could install the glass fabric on the top half using
: vacuum bagging to compress the layup, then bag the lower half, overlapping
: three inches at the sides. Does that make sense to you guys?

: In general, have home builders generally moved to vacuum bagging shapes that
: bagging will work on? Or is it still a bit complicated for most hobby
: builders? What it means to me is that if the answer is yes, or at least
: some, then there might be a much better retail supply chain of glassing
: supplies than when I used to work fiberglass back in the stone age.

: IMO one shape that I think won't take bagging is a shiplap rowing skiff. The
: bag material could not be able to smoothly cover the longitudinal shiplap
: indents. Is there a new sheet material that 'will' work in this situation,
: by stretching and following the contours of all those laps? I'm thinking
: of assembling the skiff, then disassembling it and glassing each piece,
: then reassembling it.

: Roger