Making of the SNX Hull

Thanks! Question for you guys... I'm almost done with the hood liner plug and thinking ahead to the part. Which visual fabric would look better for the hood liner: honeycomb or 4x4 twill?

Honeycomb
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4x4 twill
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Personally I like the honeycomb as an accent used tastefully, not as the main surface for large parts. I think its because when I see it I know its there for visual effect only as opposed to 4x4 which could be structural.

but I'm an engineer and we tend to buy tan station wagons for pretty much the same reason.
 
Looks like it's going to be honeycomb.

Started this plug by taping off the hood and waxing the inside. I then sprayed PVA on the inside and outside.

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Once the PVA set I glued on some foam.

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Cut more foam to make the rough shape of the liner. Added some two part foam to seal the XPS and fill in the gaps.

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Lots of sanding and body filler later I had my shape. Metallic tape went over the plug and then wax.

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4 layers of 8oz twill

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Cut a hole in a piece of 3/4" plywood. Taped the glass plug down and the layered body filled on the back to seal the edges and hold the glass to the plywood.

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Some more body filler and sanding later.

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Hit it with a poly high build primer.

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Was really disappointed with the PPG poly high build. Lots of undissolved solids even after shaking and mixing with a drill. It laid down OK, but for $40 a quart and that quart only lasted this one plug, I don't think I would use it again. We will see once I get to sanding tomorrow if it actually saved me any time vs just using glazing putty and going straight to Duratec.

Also started on the pole today.

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It will be shorter than that. Probably 32-36"


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Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
You wont see the hoodliner on the ski, only when it is off. I would suspect when ylj take the hood off you will lay it across the tray lkke most of us do. I would pick the weave the compliments your turf and tray.

I think it would be really cool if you did it like the hull. Tape it off so you can paint the seems black, then do a black twill down the middle, 2 stripes of blue down the sides, and all the boaders in black. Get 2 negatives of the snx logo and put them on the blue area when you paint it black so in the middle of the blue strips it says snx. Then, lay the hood in the tray so the blue goes the same direction as the blue on the hull.

Yeah, i just made a poopload of work and cost for you.
 
I could do that. I don't have anymore of the vinyl SNX decals though. I actually want to get some sort of graphics designed and then vinyl cut to use in the center of the hood liner plug, but I don't have the time or know anyone that could design a cool graphic logo. It will probably end up just a plain honeycomb weave due to the time constraints I am putting myself under. I can always go back later and add the logo to the plug and remold it.

I am kicking around the idea of making the pole in one piece with prepreg and inflated bladder closed clamshell molding. Based on my experience with the braided sleeve I plan on using, there is going to be a lot of print through with the post cure bonding technique. I would rather cure the entire pole in one piece and with a perfect finish out of the mold. I would have to find new suppliers for prepreg, learn an entirely new molding process, learn how to create inflatable bladders, and create a makeshift oven. I've reached out to a few different companies and people in the industry to get some more insight into the process. More than likely I will still be molding two halves and bonding for this first pole though.


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Nice work on the hood liner mold.

Quick question, what kind of glue do you use for the pink foam? A few things I tried reacted with it.

Looking forward to seeing your plan for the handpole. The inflated bladder sounds interesting.
 
I use gorilla glue. Super glue, contact cement, and most spray adhesives will dissolve it. So will anything that is catalyzed with MEKP. Polyurethanes work to adhere large panels where you need the extra filler as well. Epoxy will also work, but watch the temperature that it is curing at. Usually not an issue though.


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simofx-1

freeride
Location
new zealand
how do you let your wet epoxy dry(harden) naturally or do you apply a heat source ?? I'm doing a hull at the moment and the delay between drying is unbearable
 
how do you let your wet epoxy dry(harden) naturally or do you apply a heat source ?? I'm doing a hull at the moment and the delay between drying is unbearable

Depends on what I am curing. General wet layup stuff I usually just let it cure at room temp. I schedule out my days and weeks so that I have something else to work on while resins, gelcoats, and primers cure. All of my carbon parts are cured at 135 degrees + or - 10. I have used my IR cure lamp to speed up general glass work before though.


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Vumad

Super Hero, with a cape!
Location
St. Pete, FL
Nice work on the hood liner mold.

Quick question, what kind of glue do you use for the pink foam? A few things I tried reacted with it.

Looking forward to seeing your plan for the handpole. The inflated bladder sounds interesting.

I used gripper, which is in the caulk isle and is made for use with it. It works very well, but can take a week to fully cure. I glued the pknk foam to my plug and it stayed in place riht away and didnt sag. I could work it after many hours and it was fully cured in a week.
 
After sanding the poly high build, I have to say I am very pleased. It sanded out easy and smooth like butter with 150 grit. Not as easy a 2k high build, but easier than glazing putty. The auto body shop stressed to me how difficult this stuff was to sand. I guess my definition of difficult to sand and theirs must be pretty far off. They probably don't work with a lot of gelcoats... What they should have told me is that the can they are selling me has loads of undissolved solids and it is going to sh*t all over your work piece. At least it was easy to sand out. Definitely saved time vs glazing putty and I ended up with a much more even surface for far less blocking.


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Well this was a near mirror finish earlier... Frekote does not like high humidity. Normally when you run a shop towel across a surface prepped with frekote it's silky smooth, this time it was sticking and dragging, leaving smear marks everywhere. I don't trust it to release the gelcoat. Pretty sure I would end up with a stuck mold. Going to strip it with acetone, wet sand back to 3000 and re-compound/polish when the weather gets better. Going to cost me another day, but better safe than a stuck mold.

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