@Colin Angus - these the sleekest bow and stern handles ever!
I really want to build them into my Expedition.
Can you share the assembly/production method? And how to work with the glass frabic when it comes time to glass the hull?
Please and thank you,
Tony
Hello Tony. Yes, those handles did come out pretty nicely. It may work with the Expedition, but one slight problem is the Expedition is much wider and the bow vees out at a greater angle. For the boat pictured above, it was extremely narrow, which makes it easier to make the handle, and it works more effectivly as a handle, since it's a narrower grip.
The way it was made was simply filling the area where the handle would be cut with epoxy thickened wth microballloons and fumed silica (microballoons reduce the weight). I then carefully cut out the shape of the handle. Once cut out, fill any gaps or voids with thickened epoxy, and finess the shape with sandpaper, rounding the edges so it will be a nice comfortable grip. I then coated it all with a couple of coats of epoxy to create a nice hard surface.
You could also use a light piece of wood (pine or spruce) to fill the void, with just a bit of thickened epoxy to bridge the gaps. For the wider gap in the expedition, it would be lighter, and allow you to just fill the area that needs filling (It's harder to be precise with thickened epoxy. Good luck with that, and I'd love to see the results.
Hello Colin,
Thank you very much for the information, and the warning re the width of the Expedition. In a few weeks I'll be at the stage to maybe fashon these handles. I'll keep you posted.
Kind Regards,
Tony
