Another fiberglass discovery

[Steve K]

Just did a little experiment.

We all know that you can't lay up fiberglass directly onto Stryofoam (using polyester resin that is). The foam will disolve as soon as the resin touches it.

I want to build a one-off part, using a foam core and decided to see what I could do with materials I had laying around.
Here's what I did:

I got a small scrap of Stryofoam and coated it with some primer. The primer is a product called "Gripper" made by Glidden. It is a water based product and sticks to almost anything. I had some left over from from an interior painting project. (Home Depot stocks it)

I applied two coats to the scrap (waiting a couple hours between coats) yesterday. This morning I mixed up a little resin and cut a small piece of mat, then laminated it onto the primed foam. I also painted another spot with the resin alone.

It's been about thirty minutes and it looks like the test passed with flying colors. The foam held up fine and the resin bonded to the primer very well. The primer also bonded to the foam great.

I have enough materials in my shop to build that big, custom fit ice chest I've thought building. All I need is the Gelcoat.

Just thought I'd share this with you all.

Best Breezes,
Steve K.
Mac 26D "Three Sheets"

[Wayne nicol]

pray do tell... a bit more about your ice chest- i too have been considering the options, of either buying a fridge/ freezer combo- or buying the unit from dometic, and building my own.
i want to install it opposite the head- in that unused space- to be good for 4 adults for a weeks worth of frozen supplies.
thanks
wayne

[Russ]

You guys that create stuff with fiberglass are magicians to me. It's all hokus pokus.

One magician on this forum is Currie. He did what you are doing with foam and glass.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... rn#p208355

And of course his cockpit mod looks amazing.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... =8&t=13570





--Russ

[Steve K]

pray do tell... a bit more about your ice chest- i too have been considering the options, of either buying a fridge/ freezer combo- or buying the unit from dometic, and building my own.
i want to install it opposite the head- in that unused space- to be good for 4 adults for a weeks worth of frozen supplies.
thanks
wayne

Hi Wayne,
Here is a great article about building an ice chest: ( you can download it in PDF form too )
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/building-a ... -icebox-2/

Mine will not have the plywood. It will be fiberglass directly over stryofoam, but the process is the same.. I will add strength in the areas of hinges, latches, mounting points etc. I don't need the extra weight of the wood and I'm not generally crazy about wood cored lamination anyway. But still, it's the best article for icebox construction I've found out there.

You guys that create stuff with fiberglass are magicians to me.

--Russ

Russ,
Thanks for the kind words


Best Breezes,
Steve K.
Mac 26D "Three Sheets"

[Russ]

Custom ice chest is a fantastic idea.

I would take a look at what Sumner did on his Endevour http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... age-1.html

He built a custom fridge. Again, WAY over my carpentry skills, but I do believe he said he'd build one for his Mac S if/when the portable cooler gives out. Makes sense if you got the skilz. I always though our boats needed some kind of built in cooler. Would love to see what you come up with.

--Russ

[yukonbob]

Looking at Sumners freezer he built, it brings a hotly debated topic (up here anyways) of thermal mass. Wonder what the addition of say a 1/2" or an 1" of cement board directly behind the final wall panel liner would do. It would take more to cool initially, but would it be dense enough to hold the cold say if you were more or less living on board or onboard for an extended period of time, and reduce the compressor run time?

[Boblee]

Would it be better to use something like this http://www.biasboating.com.au/Foaming_Resins_s/402.htm by building the boxes and then pouring this into it ? not sure of the R rating but could use reflective paper behind the fibreglass as well.

[mastreb]

I have a friend who build a icebox in his old columbia by simply finding an existing flexible plastic container with a snap-on lid that nearly filled the lazarette he was converting (the lip of the top edge fit over the lazarette edge), and then plumbed in a small drain line to his sink drain at the bottom.

Using expanding polyurethane foam from Home Depot, he sprayed the bottom of the lazarette, pushed the container down onto it which squeezed some foam up the sides, and then filled in the rest of the sides by pulling back one edge of the nozzle at a time to fit into the gap.

He then took the container lid and glued a 1" thick piece of styrofoam board cut to match to the inside surface of it.

It worked great. Looked a bit ghetto, but the whole thing cost him $40, and it would have looked great with a custom lid.

[DaveB]

I have had the Edgestar 63 quart frig./freezer past 4-5 years under the table. This has worked for us with low amp draws 2.2 average in 85 degree temps.
I installed a Adler Barber in my Ice box on my 35ft.Alberg in 1982 and tho it was air cooled it performed well. Few years later they came out/water cooling peformed much better in the Tropics but requires a truhull seacock. I also used closed cell liquid two part polysyrine the area around the built in ice box.
The two part had a desity 3 times and Rfactor than Styrofoam.
If I was to do a built in on the MacX I would do it in same location of current ice box under salon seat but make a new outer shell much larger and stay with air cool if only doing week trips. Water cool for sure if one was to sail in SW florida for 3 mo. or more.
I work with fiberglass all the time and easy to form a not so fancy mold to create a form to do this.
Most of us for week cruisers prefer the portable frig./freezer quart with twin house batteries.
Dave


.

Looking at Sumners freezer he built, it brings a hotly debated topic (up here anyways) of thermal mass. Wonder what the addition of say a 1/2" or an 1" of cement board directly behind the final wall panel liner would do. It would take more to cool initially, but would it be dense enough to hold the cold say if you were more or less living on board or onboard for an extended period of time, and reduce the compressor run time?