Hedgeapple, The west system, is complete, no need to fiberglass, unless you want to add more weight for more strength. (If you wanted you could lay down the cloth, and brush the west system on it.) I found out about it, a long time ago, in either Popular, Mechanics, or Science. It showed how to make a Pram, using the technique. The guy made a keel, with transom, and square bow. and screwed a board under that, and trimmed it down towards the bow and stern, leaving about an inch or so on each side towards the ends. It is where the ends of the cedar strips will rest, and be epoxied. Then he took plywood, and made the boat shape, but it was not just a cut out rib, it was a piece of plywood, with the bottom, shape, and sides, and they went down from the larger size in the middle to the smallest size near the bow, and stern. He then cut a notch in the middle of the bottom, on the forms, and screwed a strip of pine,or plywood to it the forms, and tacked strips on the insides of the forms, at what would be the topside, where the gunnels would go, to hold the forms, and then put bisqueen over it, and then set the keel and bow, and stern on the center of the forms. Then he took a cedar strip, 1/8th, by one inch, and trimmed the the end at a 45degree angle, and laid it on the board up against the keel. He then took a plastic packing strap, and laid it at a 45 degree angle, and stapled it to the end of the strip, and into the form. Then another cedar strip, another strap stapled to that on, and so on down the line, then he stapled the cedar strips, and plastic straps on down to the edge of the sides, when he had completed one side, he brushed on the west system, and while it was drying, he put the strips, and straps on the other side. and when he was finished doing that side, if the first side had dried, he then pulled the plastic packing straps off, which removed the staples, and then went over the first side with the west system, and then laid out more strips in the opposite direction ( X Pattern ) and did the same plastic strap, and stapling job. and then went to the second side, and removed those plastic straps, and brushed on more West System, and waited for that to dry, and then removed the plastic straps, from the first side, brushed on the West system, where the straps, covered the cedar strip, and then did the same to the second side. After all the straps were removed, and the West System had dried, he trimmed the cedar strips even with the edge where the gunnel would be, and lifted the hull off of the form, and there was a pram shell that only needed a few ribs, and seats, and gunnels. The only place where screw were used was on the gunnels, and attaching the seats to the sides, and those screws were then covered with the West system, except for the screws in the oar locks. They have made full sized sail boats with this system, and they are lighter, and stronger than the fiberglass models, and don't separate from the wood, or leak. I think I would add another strip layer horizontally for some added strength for an ocean going sail boat. I want to make a small 10 - 12 ft. fishing boat, in a modified "Wherry"style, using this system. I also want to make a canoe, and maybe a kyak. But that is all down the road, as time permits, and I still need to save up to buy a band saw to saw the strips, from the left over cedar deck boards, I have, but I need to make a trestle dining table first, and then I may have to buy more cedar deck boards. They are 2 X 6 XI think 10 feet long. Maybe 12, not sure. Didn't measure them. Actual thickness, and width is about 1 1/2 by 5 1/2. So they will be a little wider, than used by the guy to build the pram. A pram, is a Dinghy, with square ends.
That's how I want to build the travel trailer, using this system. For the boat, canoe, and Kyak, I want to make the ribs out of laminated cedar strips on top of one another, using the West System, I can make the the additional layers, less in width, as I layer them, so that there an angled middle in the ribs. I also plan to do that for the frame of the trailer, but use the full width of the board, rather than the 1 1/2 inch strips. Anyway, I hope I have explained it clear enough. It is a simple method, just time consuming cutting the strips, and then stapling them on, and brushing the epoxy on. You can sand it down, to make it nice and shiny. Like I said, if you want you can put the fiberglass cloth over the west system, and then coat it with the west system. Anyway, it will be some time before I can get to these projects, as I have others ahead of them. But there is always the possibility, that I might just bump one of those projects, and insert one of these projects, but it all has to wait till I can afford a band
saw! I also have some ideas for a pontoon boat also. party barge!
Wayne
