More on Fiberglassing

Fiberglassing is like painting or finishing; I don't like it.  It seems like nothing is getting is done.  The boat looks the same as it did a month ago.  Sanding, finishing, etc. yuck.  At least when you build the frames and put on the plywood, it looks like you are making progress.   Not so with this.
Anyway, enough editorial comment.  I just wanted to share a little more information on the process.
Here I am getting ready to glass the transom.  The duct tape edging was applied to make the trim line and I have used masking tape to hold it in place.

You'll notice that the fiberglass is very loosely woven and almost conforms to the corner.  When this is coated with resin, you can make the cloth lay flat over the entire corner without cutting it.  You just have to work the cloth around and it will conform and the resin locks it down.
Another picture showing the tools of the trade. 

When you mix the epoxy, it is best to pour it into a shallow pan such as this disposable paint tray liner.  The reason is that the heat generated by the chemical reaction is dissipated and the resin stays liquid for a longer time.  If you leave the resin in the mixing bucket (shown in the first picture) it will get very hot and set up too soon.  The foam roller is used to apply resin on the vertical surface of the transom or sides. (I had to order these rollers as you can't find them in the big box stores.) The yellow spreader/squeegee is used to force the resin into the cloth, spread it around, and remove the excess.  You can also see the box of nitrile gloves which you need to keep the mess off your hands.  Finally, the 3" foam brush is used to remove any small bubbles that appear when you roll on epoxy.    This occurs when you roll on additional coats of epoxy after the cloth sets up.  You apply the resin like paint but you will find a gazillion little bubbles appear.  Skimming the surface with the foam brush removes them and makes a much smoother surface.
It is also best to mix the epoxy in smaller batches.  The largest batch I mixed was 16oz.  The reason is that you only have so much time to spread a batch before it starts to gel.  At that point, the resin doesn't penetrate the cloth or roll out like it should.  So you are better off making a few more smaller batches, covering an area of cloth and then mixing more to continue.  The epoxy takes hours to set, but you really have 20-30 minutes to spread each batch.  Just make sure you start at one end and work to the other. There is no problem at the overlap.   By using smaller batches and watching your progress, you can also gauge the last batch which may be smaller, thus keeping you from wasting expensive epoxy.
Finally, I build up the bottom edge of the transom with two more layers of cloth.  You can see the cut line of the original cloth plus the whiter area caused by the two extra layers of cloth.  This cloth will get sanded down to create a sharper edge at the rear of the boat.  The edge was originally rounded to make it easier to glass the boat but it need to a sharp edge to improve the water flow off the back of the boat.  At least that is what they tell me. 

The final steps will be to coat the entire hull with several layers of resin before final sanding begins.