For anyone wondering this is the basic process to do the inlay: 1. Get materials. You will need a 2 part epoxy for bonding fiberglass/carbon fiber (if its for fiberglass it should also work well for carbon fiber). I used West Systems but Totalboat also has good results from what ive heard. For carbon fiber you can either go with a normal carbon fiber weave or get a cooler looking weave (honeycomb weave for example). You can also try carbon fiber/kevlar composite which comes in different colors. Finally, you will need a good pair of shears or scissors (tight and sharp), some small throw-away rollers and brushes to spread the epoxy, some silicone or RTV to help seal things, gloves, painters tape, a well-ventilated area, and anything else you might want when dealing with epoxy. 2. Template creation. Cut pieces of paper and fit them to shape. Cut as many pieces as you deem necessary, and make sure they fit properly before doing anything else. Make sure there is a good overlap from one to the next (~1/2 - 1 inch), and make sure you cover the seam that goes all the way around the edge near the top. The seam is the MOST important part to cover properly. It is extremely hard to go all the way down to the tips of the boat, however you should be able to get within 3-6 inches of it if your careful. In terms of the other areas of the boat, cover as much as you deem necessary. If a given piece is not covering the seam, you dont need to go all the way down to the tips, as again, this is hard to do. Finally, for oddly-shaped areas like the rear of the boat, make folds and cuts into the paper as necessary so the piece folds nicely into the cavity. 3. Cutting. Cut the carbon fiber using the paper templates. Use a sharp pair of scissors or specialty shears to do this. Be careful not to fray the epoxy. If a piece has desired folds or cuts in it, be sure to repeat these on the carbon fiber. For smaller pieces, use thin pieces of painters tape to hold the edges together, but DO NOT REMOVE THE TAPE, as this will fray everything. This was the step I screwed up on, and my pieces were quite frayed, making everything much more annoying. 4. Prep work, the most important step. First, gut EVERYTHING from the boat. Anything left in there WILL get soaked with epoxy. Do not remove the brass tubes, but plug the ends with silicone/masking tape so nothing gets in. Next, sand all fiberglass areas lightly with a 100 grit or so sandpaper. This will help the new carbon fiber adhere better. Do not sand too much, as you can go through the hull. Then wash out the inside of the boat with water to remove dust. For the screw holes and other holes in the boat, fill these in with RTV or silicone sealant so no epoxy gets through. For the nuts to hold the battery tray on, cover these with painters tape. Additionally, cover the entire outside of the boat with a significant amount of painters tape, plastic bags, etc, whatever you need to get it covered. Watch for potential leaky areas. My entire boat was covered and some epoxy still got through. It is extremely important to seal everything on the outside properly. I recommend doing the entire operation outdoors on a sunny day. If you do it over a patio, put plastic or cardboard under the whole area as the epoxy will soak into the rock, making permanent dark blotches. Finally, have everything you need there at the ready. Run through every step in your head and make sure you have everything. Once you start, theres no going back. 5. Go time. Make the epoxy in SMALL batches at a time. Mix it EXACTLY to spec according to the manufacturer. This includes having correct ratios and mixing times. I did it correctly and my epoxy had no issues. The stuff I used starts hardening fast, so you only have 5-10 minutes or so to get everything done before it sets. If this worries you, purchase a slower-acting hardener. This does have the downside of potentially having to hold some pieces in place until it sets, however. Use small batches at a time in order to work on ONE piece of carbon fiber at a time. Place the piece in, then use a roller/brush to spread the epoxy evenly, then mop up any excess. Make sure the piece is properly set into place, and that there are no air bubbles. Also make sure there is as little excess as possible, as this entire operation will add significant weight to the boat. Once the piece starts to set, leave it, and move onto the next piece. 6. Cosmetic adjustments. Look for any areas where frayed pieces are sticking up and be sure to press them back into place before the epoxy fully hardens. Also make sure to remove any more excess epoxy. I also used black dye mixed into the epoxy for some areas. This was purely cosmetic and was to cover the white fiberglass in hard-to-reach areas (around the motor mounts for example). Do this at the end, and just paint the epoxy in any area that you want black. Do not dump it anywhere, as this will leave a ton of excess. 6. Cure. Let the epoxy cure for the recommended amount of time according to the manufacturer. 7. Final cleanup. Once its cured, remove the masking tape and silicone plugs from the holes. Then re-drill the holes with the same size drill bit as they originally were (the carbon fiber will cover the holes, thus they will need to be re-drilled). Then put everything back into the boat. If you did it right, the screws should still be long enough to go all the way through the carbon fiber into the inside. If not, just use longer screws. Put RTV or silicone under all metal pieces to help seal the boat better.
You may claim to be a noob but you did something that "professionals" missed. You added strips of CF to the seams down to the tips which are to me the most important. My question is, how were you able to reach all the way in there? I'm thinking a roller with an extension of some sort. Please let me know.
I basically taped a few popsicle sticks to the end of a disposable brush, then stuck the CF strip to the brush with some epoxy, then stuck that at the tip of the boat. Then I used the extended brush to paint epoxy on the rest of the CF strip.
Hello, sorry for the late response. I have not tried the Kevlar combo, so I have no idea how it would turn out, however I have seen others do it before with good results. I have used it for other projects however, and I know that its extremely hard to cut without proper shears. For the water cooling system, the cooling lines are all 1/4 inch, as I didnt see a reason to upgrade as the system never got too hot and still doesnt.
For anyone wondering this is the basic process to do the inlay:
1. Get materials. You will need a 2 part epoxy for bonding fiberglass/carbon fiber (if its for fiberglass it should also work well for carbon fiber). I used West Systems but Totalboat also has good results from what ive heard. For carbon fiber you can either go with a normal carbon fiber weave or get a cooler looking weave (honeycomb weave for example). You can also try carbon fiber/kevlar composite which comes in different colors. Finally, you will need a good pair of shears or scissors (tight and sharp), some small throw-away rollers and brushes to spread the epoxy, some silicone or RTV to help seal things, gloves, painters tape, a well-ventilated area, and anything else you might want when dealing with epoxy.
2. Template creation. Cut pieces of paper and fit them to shape. Cut as many pieces as you deem necessary, and make sure they fit properly before doing anything else. Make sure there is a good overlap from one to the next (~1/2 - 1 inch), and make sure you cover the seam that goes all the way around the edge near the top. The seam is the MOST important part to cover properly. It is extremely hard to go all the way down to the tips of the boat, however you should be able to get within 3-6 inches of it if your careful. In terms of the other areas of the boat, cover as much as you deem necessary. If a given piece is not covering the seam, you dont need to go all the way down to the tips, as again, this is hard to do. Finally, for oddly-shaped areas like the rear of the boat, make folds and cuts into the paper as necessary so the piece folds nicely into the cavity.
3. Cutting. Cut the carbon fiber using the paper templates. Use a sharp pair of scissors or specialty shears to do this. Be careful not to fray the epoxy. If a piece has desired folds or cuts in it, be sure to repeat these on the carbon fiber. For smaller pieces, use thin pieces of painters tape to hold the edges together, but DO NOT REMOVE THE TAPE, as this will fray everything. This was the step I screwed up on, and my pieces were quite frayed, making everything much more annoying.
4. Prep work, the most important step. First, gut EVERYTHING from the boat. Anything left in there WILL get soaked with epoxy. Do not remove the brass tubes, but plug the ends with silicone/masking tape so nothing gets in. Next, sand all fiberglass areas lightly with a 100 grit or so sandpaper. This will help the new carbon fiber adhere better. Do not sand too much, as you can go through the hull. Then wash out the inside of the boat with water to remove dust. For the screw holes and other holes in the boat, fill these in with RTV or silicone sealant so no epoxy gets through. For the nuts to hold the battery tray on, cover these with painters tape. Additionally, cover the entire outside of the boat with a significant amount of painters tape, plastic bags, etc, whatever you need to get it covered. Watch for potential leaky areas. My entire boat was covered and some epoxy still got through. It is extremely important to seal everything on the outside properly. I recommend doing the entire operation outdoors on a sunny day. If you do it over a patio, put plastic or cardboard under the whole area as the epoxy will soak into the rock, making permanent dark blotches. Finally, have everything you need there at the ready. Run through every step in your head and make sure you have everything. Once you start, theres no going back.
5. Go time. Make the epoxy in SMALL batches at a time. Mix it EXACTLY to spec according to the manufacturer. This includes having correct ratios and mixing times. I did it correctly and my epoxy had no issues. The stuff I used starts hardening fast, so you only have 5-10 minutes or so to get everything done before it sets. If this worries you, purchase a slower-acting hardener. This does have the downside of potentially having to hold some pieces in place until it sets, however. Use small batches at a time in order to work on ONE piece of carbon fiber at a time. Place the piece in, then use a roller/brush to spread the epoxy evenly, then mop up any excess. Make sure the piece is properly set into place, and that there are no air bubbles. Also make sure there is as little excess as possible, as this entire operation will add significant weight to the boat. Once the piece starts to set, leave it, and move onto the next piece.
6. Cosmetic adjustments. Look for any areas where frayed pieces are sticking up and be sure to press them back into place before the epoxy fully hardens. Also make sure to remove any more excess epoxy. I also used black dye mixed into the epoxy for some areas. This was purely cosmetic and was to cover the white fiberglass in hard-to-reach areas (around the motor mounts for example). Do this at the end, and just paint the epoxy in any area that you want black. Do not dump it anywhere, as this will leave a ton of excess.
6. Cure. Let the epoxy cure for the recommended amount of time according to the manufacturer.
7. Final cleanup. Once its cured, remove the masking tape and silicone plugs from the holes. Then re-drill the holes with the same size drill bit as they originally were (the carbon fiber will cover the holes, thus they will need to be re-drilled). Then put everything back into the boat. If you did it right, the screws should still be long enough to go all the way through the carbon fiber into the inside. If not, just use longer screws. Put RTV or silicone under all metal pieces to help seal the boat better.
You may claim to be a noob but you did something that "professionals" missed. You added strips of CF to the seams down to the tips which are to me the most important. My question is, how were you able to reach all the way in there? I'm thinking a roller with an extension of some sort. Please let me know.
I basically taped a few popsicle sticks to the end of a disposable brush, then stuck the CF strip to the brush with some epoxy, then stuck that at the tip of the boat. Then I used the extended brush to paint epoxy on the rest of the CF strip.
Nice video!!!
Sick work shes a beast
How did you lay the carbon fiber
How about running the KEVLAR® / Carbon Hybrid (Yellow) material? How did you run your cooling system? Did you only use those small 1/4'' water lines?
Hello, sorry for the late response. I have not tried the Kevlar combo, so I have no idea how it would turn out, however I have seen others do it before with good results. I have used it for other projects however, and I know that its extremely hard to cut without proper shears. For the water cooling system, the cooling lines are all 1/4 inch, as I didnt see a reason to upgrade as the system never got too hot and still doesnt.
@@snowcoalRC i ADDED my cooling system as well and did a few tests runs with some brand new sharpened and balance from #Dasboata. props.
nice video
why do you sound like you are about to cry