Epoxycraft
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Epoxy Basics
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
  • Trade Secrets
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Aviation
    • Architecture
  • Meet The Maker
  • News
  • Contribute
  • Contact

Projects: Grey Falcon Update
1st October 2018

Grey Falcon Update

David Grey is now in the engineering stages of his home build of a 5.8m barrel-back American-designed Glen-L runabout , but – as he laments on his blog – why does everything take so long? The timetable also took a knock when David had an accident with a bandsaw. A very slight misalignment with the teeth on the blade caused a piece of timber to jump up and make a mess of his fingers.

Thankfully David is now healed and back in action, so here is a brief summary of where this remarkable home build is now. Whilst the key build stages using WEST SYSTEM products have now largely been completed, we are sure Epoxycraft readers will enjoy how the boat is finally coming together. 

November 2017:

The bottom of the hull was painted with six coats of primer, followed by seven coats of two-pack Jotun paint. This was allowed to cure and then polished for two days. Then it was time to roll the boat over.

“It has taken two years and five months from the start date, and I could not be happier,” David writes. “I am very pleased with how the interior looks. After some cleaning up and the washing off of amine blush, followed by a light sand and a coat of paint, it looks pretty good, but of course the next boat will look better. Nothing beats experience.”

May 2018:

David has finished sanding the interior, a process that he says took him three weeks but has made him the darling of Festool. He has chewed his way through around 250 of their sanding discs.

The interior has been coated with an epoxy-based paint from Jotun, and David is very pleased with the finish this formula produces.

“As with anything epoxy-based, the fumes are pretty horrendous, especially when it is being sprayed,” David advises.

The real challenge has been the engineering, most notably the second-hand gearbox. In trying to save money, David has sadly wasted a lot of time and energy and ended up with a bill not shy of buying a brand new mechanism. “Lesson of the month – what is cheap is dear,” he says.

July 2018

Just in case the followers of his blog thought he had been idle, David has published a long list of jobs he has been doing between his posts. Much of the woodwork has involved planning and sanding the chine and deck and installing the mahogany edging timbers.

David has also installed the prop shaft and begun what will prove to be a long struggle with the engineering. WEST SYSTEM epoxy has been used to help seal the GRP prop shaft and the metal P bracket into position.

“Drilling the shaft hole was less difficult than anticipated,” he says, “especially if you line the hole with a GRP tube. That gave me some flexibility when it came to sealing it. Mix the epoxy fairly thick to stop it sagging, but make sure you coat the timber with unthickened epoxy first.”

August 2018

Taking a break from engineering, David is now back to the part he enjoys the most – woodworking. He has made up the sections for the foredeck, and also created the dashboard with a rough-cut ‘Zebrano’ timber veneer to go on top.

He has also taken the decision to beef up the floorboards, feeling that the 12mm specified in the plans wasn’t enough. They are now 25mm.

Unfortunately, the bandsaw accident put paid to any more work until September.

September 2018

With his fingers mended, David is back to the less fun, more frustrating part of the build, but he is certainly winning.

He has had a great deal of help from Lancing Marine in sourcing components to replace those that he thinks were miss-sold to him, mainly the exhaust manifolds. Meanwhile, the ancillaries such as the cast bronze rudder seal, hydraulic arm and rudder blade have gone in, along with one of the exhausts and the fuel tank.

“I have some upholsterers coming to have a look and give me some advice,” he says. “That is one area I am definitely not going to do myself.”

We’ve only scratched the surface here, but you can read the blow-by-blow account in David’s upbeat style and with some fascinating photos on his website: www.greyfalcon.info


Share on


Back to projects

Subscribe to our newsletter
Our unique epoxy knowledge and experience, delivered straight to you

Events

Future dates TBC

What is epoxy?

Epoxy Projects

UK Chandleries Open – January 2021

As England, Scotland and Wales enter another lockdown, you may have started work on those home projects. Whether it’s boat maintenance and repairs, a restoration or a brand new build,

Creating an Artisan Gold Ring with Canadian Maple and Epoxy

You may be surprised to learn that the UK is home to some of the finest gold around. Mark discovered this as a child when his father, Edward, would take

Heritage 9.9

Castagnola Launch Heritage 9.9

Castagnola Shipyard has launched the elegant, custom-made Heritage 9.9. Able to reach a cruising speed of 34 knots, the 10.91m custom-built luxury yacht is a fine example of what happens

Nick Zammeti Gets Creative with Epoxy and Liquorice Allsorts

What happens when you give Youtuber Nick Zammeti lots of epoxy and bags of Liquorice Allsorts? You get one incredibly funky table! Nick is well-known and loved in the industry

Meet the Maker – The Resin Reserve

Resin artist, alchemist, resin-gineer. Kate Ede of The Resin Reserve has always kept us in awe of her marvellous and beautiful creations. Inspired by patterns in nature, Kate is a

Split Film Festival Trophies

Creating the 2020 Split Film Festival Trophy

The Split Film Festival is one of the oldest film and video festivals in Croatia, showcasing new films and radical works of all styles, themes and genres. The festival celebrated

Hot Box

How to keep your epoxy warm in winter: build a hotbox

Winter is a challenging time for epoxy products. Warmth is needed to keep the resin fluid enough for dispensing pumps to work well and cold ambient temperature can greatly reduce

How to Work With Epoxy in Cold Weather

The frosty mornings and dark evenings are drawing near. There are projects that need finishing, but what do you do when epoxy and cold weather don’t get on too well.

Mas Snowboard

Snowboard Enthusiasts Taking On The World With Incredible Designs

To many a holidaymaker, Turkey is a haven of golden sand beaches, historic landmarks and party towns. However, it’s not just those looking to top up on their tan that

Class Xero Yacht

Class Xero Combines Coffee and Epoxy in Sustainable Yacht Design

Image credit: Alec Smith - https://www.imagemundi.com Craig Palmer, based in Worthing, is looking at opportunities to bring the marine industry together in a collaborative way. In the middle of building

Craobh Woodwork

Bringing a New Lease of Life to Reclaimed Scottish Timber

Tucked away in the highlands of Scotland is the small village of Culbokie, home to Craobh Woodwork and artisan Bruce Neill. Specialising in producing bespoke timber products from the highest

Final Bar Design

Cheers! Leeds Furniture Maker Creates a Bar Worth Celebrating

James McKay has been a creator since his early years. His fascination for creativity guided his interest into art, design and technology during his school years. James went on to

  • Home
  • Epoxy Basics
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Architecture
    • Aviation
  • Trade Secrets
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contribute
  • Contact
West System
Pro-Set
Entropy Resins
Subscribe to our newsletter
Copyright © 2021 Epoxycraft | Website by MAA