Sentisah's Novelty Boats!

I Added more"Noodles" towards the center at both ends of the boat. The"Noodles" on both ends bonded nicely just using the sealant alone. Right now I'm exploring different ways that will allow me to get the best results that can be used in future projects. I am about 75% finished with the underside of the boat. Another coat of rubber coating spray would be  a good idea. Before I apply the last coating, I'm going to hose down the "Noodles" to remove any debris that got into the seams. I been brushing the debris out with a snall brush. I don't want anything getting stuck in between the"Noodles!" Once all that is done, I'll be ready to start working on the deck of the boat. I decided to cover up the boat until I'm ready to add the last rubber coating.

I'm applying rubber based sealant where the "Noodles" are glued  together. This ensures that the"Noodles" are bonded permanently together! I'm sure there are better methods in the way this can be done but experimentation is always done on prototypes. I'm seeing what works and what doesn't, as well as what isn't necessary to do at all. If the rubber sealant I'm using can be used like a glue, Then I will use it for bonding on a future sister boat.

You start realizing that certain techniques just aren't practical after doing them. There's nothing wrong with using tools that makes the job less tedious. I discovered that there are better ways of applying the rubber coating than I was doing. It takes the right tools if you want the work done well.

 I applied the first coat to the front , center and back of the hull. The "Noodles" are very firmly bonded to the fronds that they are laying on as well as to each other. I think adding two more coatings wouldn't hurt, if anything it would make the "Noodles" bond even tighter. I have to really make sure that they won't become loose in the process of the boat being handle or when it is sitting in the water. I ran very quickly out of the spray on rubber coating in a matter of minutes. I decided to try some liquid rubber sealant to see which method of application would be better. The spray is way easier to apply than using the liquid form but they both actually gave me the results I was looking for.

Today I found some more fronds down the street from the job. I also seen some of the redish fronds that have teeth which was cut at another location. They are near by so I'll be able to pick them up sometime this weekend.

A dab of adhesive was needed in two places. Everywhere else seems to be well bonded. The rubber coating hopefully will make the bonding of the adhesive permanent as well as water resistant.

 I Will be adding the rubber coating tomorrow if the weather permits. I have been waiting on the adhesive to thoroughly dry before I begin to apply the rubber coating. The "Noodles" have bonded nicely. It took about a good two weeks for the adhesive to dry. The reason it took that long was because of the amount of rain we have been having! The adhesive dries very well when the weather is cool and dry! The adhesive actually dries into a rubbery like paste which allows bonding of two surfaces together. I'm going to look over the boat again and brush off any leaves, twigs and flakes from the adhesive. I want to create a Gantt chart for the project to document how long the process took!

My very last effort to plug up all gaps before I start adding the rubber coating. I even discovered a way to be able to moor the boat.

 The "Noodles" are just about bonded! I want the adhesive to thoroughly dry before I start adding the rubber coating! I really came a long way since this project was only an idea in my head.

 The adhesive is almost completely dry. There was just one "Noodle" that need some more adhesive added to it. I'll be able to start applying the rubber coating very soon. I'm going to find some more plastc tubes, hopefully like this "cool gear" tube. I'm adding the tubes for more buoyancy. I really like the way the bubble bottles tops look, sticking out the end of the"Noodles." I have to buy more bubble bottle tubes for the stern and bow.

I saw some fronds that was laying on the ground that was recently cut from a palm tree. I picked them up after work. Some Fronds were already dried out so I was able to process them. The rest will take some time to dry out.

The adhesive is still drying. It rained last night so the adhesive still has a lot of  moisture. I added some weight so that the.adhesive can bond to the "Noodles" better.

 "What you do to one side, you do to the other side." This mathematical rule keep popping up in my head. Is it a natural engineering intuition? I could imagine my math probably is slightly off in this equation.

I put a lot of work into the boat today. Filling in gaps using"Noodles" that I cut in half and inserting them into spaces along with adhesive. I Needed to wedge the "Noodles" at the bow and stern to keep them firmly in place. So far it appears as if wedging the"Noodles" is working. Tomorrow I'll know if it did or not. I also inserted "Noodles" in between other "Noodles" that still had large gaps between them. I also tied down the "Noodles" on the bow. I have to say I'm really satisfied with the progress I made today! Once the adhesive dries thoroughly, I'll be able to start applying the rubber coating. You know how much work you put into something when you look like you came off a construction site. .

I finished tying down the  "Noodles"  on the bow (front) of the boat. Tomorrow I'll tie down the rest of the"Noodles" that's on the stern (back) of the boat. I'm still adding more adhesive here and there. The "Noodles" are still sticking up, resisting the stress placed on them. Stepping back, what I'm doing really feels surreal.

I tied down"Noodles" on both ends of the boat. This allows the"Noodles" to be firmly fixed to the fronds underneath them. I was also able to use the zip ties to straighten out the "Noodles" laying crooked at the stern (back) of the boat. I will do the same thing to the bow (front) of the boat, when I buy more bubble bottle tubes and finish the stern.