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Salt & Tar: Ep.332- Fiberglassing the Deck
12 March 2026 · 19 min · 43K views
What this video covers
Garrett and Ruth lay a structural fiberglass layer over the foredeck of Red Aviva, a tall-ship-style vessel being refit for ocean crossings at a boatyard in Penasco. The original deck had a single light layer of 6-oz woven cloth applied for waterproofing only; this layup uses a heavier biaxial cloth — woven roving on one face at opposing fiber angles, chop strand mat on the other — specifically to add stiffness and impact resistance, since the deck will carry no planking and will be finished with non-skid paint.▶ 11:34 Preparation involved penetrating epoxy on exposed end grain, Total Fair to fill voids, and removal of two deck fills (diesel and water tank) and running-back hardware so fiberglass could run continuously over the deck; the fills will be recut and reinstalled after glassing.▶ 6:41 Panels are cut to deck contour with 4–6 inch overlaps, vacuumed, and alcohol-wiped section by section to manage dust.▶ 13:27 Garrett also mills fo'c'sle corner posts from salvaged black locust stock, planning to through-bolt them at all four corners into full-length deck beams and carlins, then wrap the cabin house base with biaxial cloth tied into the deck.▶ 1:30 Epoxy rollers, used here for the first time, significantly improved wet-out speed and consistency.▶ 18:41
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