Building ‘Sharpy’ Part 110

Skeg for trolley

For the very first time I used West System quick set epoxy on the boat. I found it had a fuller ‘body’ than UK Epoxy Resins’s product and it set much quicker. In fact it hardened so rapidly that the brush I used for applying it to the pieces to be joined became solid within 20 minutes! Consequently, I couldn’t save it by washing it with Acetone and afterwards with soapy water, which was my usual practice when working with UK Epoxy resin. Some brushes were effective for many applications of epoxy. Perhaps I didn’t get the correct mix of West Epoxy with hardener, i.e., 5 amounts of resin, either by weight or volume, to 1 of hardener. I may have had more hardener than I should.

Fore and aft rubbing strips attached to bottom

Today I made a skeg for attaching a trolley as per the boat plans. Derek Munnion, the designer, kindly sent me photographs of a trolley that can be attached to his boat enabling him to take her short distances to and from launching sites, otherwise inaccessible. The trolley can also carry the keel with its fixed weight and the separate keel weight.

Close-up of rubbing strips either side of the keel box slot

I was pleased with the way the rubbing strips went on the bottom of the boat along the centre line without any bias to one side. If the strip had not been straight, there might have been a tendency for the boat to veer off course when the rudder was centred. I feel confident that she should hold a straight course.


My next job, after tidying the rubbing strips, will be to slightly round the chines prior to epoxying GRP tape to them. I shall also have a shot at making the outer stem post and fixing it to the inner one. Thereafter, only one job will need doing before I start painting the exterior; that will be making a little collar for the rim of the pipe where the mainsheet enters the stern deck. The collar will minimize wear on the mainsheet.