Feathering glass tape

Builder's Forum
1

Hi all,

I'm building a shearwater sport from a kit, and curious about the glassing stages (that are still a long way off!) The manual instructs reinforcing the puzzle joints with fibreglass tape. Later, the interior of the cockpit, and the entire underside of the deck are lined with fibregrlass fabric. There is no real discussion of the application of fabric over the tape. Do I need to feather the edges of the tape first?

Much later in the build there is a comment in the manual: "areas where one layer of fiberglass overlaps onto another will need to be feathered into eachother so that you can't feel the overlap...", but this applies to the outer hull, where the fabric layers are all applied in one go (according to the manual).

Is it just a question of aesthetics, or will I have difficulty getting the glass to lay nicely over the previously applied tape if it's isn't feathered first?

Appreciate any thoughts!

Rachel

2

Unfeathered edges could lead to voids and air bubbles under subsequent glass layers, especially at the selvedges on glass tape. Fortunately it doesn't take much to smooth the edges. A quick run with an orbital sander or even just a few passes with a cabinet scraper is usually all it takes.

Laszlo   

3

Thanks so much for reply, Laszlo. As a new builder, I think I'm looking to the manual for 100% of instructions - but I appreciate there's a point where not every detail needs to be provided. It's great to have an additional source of much appreciated info.