DIY Fiberglass Rod Pod lid

Nice upgrade on the lid, Insayn.

Having a background in wood/composite boats, I'd be tempted to use some 4-5mm plywood for the the flat portion of the lid. A layer of glass on each side, and you'll be done. Wood-cored composites are about as light and strong as you can get before going to carbon fiber.

Take photos! 

How would using a wood core change the process?  (Scoping a winter project).

Some how I missed your question, demonick.

Okume plywood is much less dense than than a fiberglass layup. It's also much stiffer than a layup of the same weight. From my read of Insayn's process, it sounded like he used 6-8 layers, total, of 4-6oz glass. I'm guessing that a layer of 4mm sandwiched between a layer of glass on each side would have been lighter and stiffer. The only problem is that to be cheaper it would require having scrap marine ply lying around, like I do.

Insayn,

Did you use fiberglass mat to build up the lid and then cover it with cloth?  If so, what was the mat like I have never used it.  Does it soak up a lot of resin?

- Craig

Insayn,

Did you use fiberglass mat to build up the lid and then cover it with cloth?  If so, what was the mat like I have never used it.  Does it soak up a lot of resin?

- Craig

I used 4" wide cloth for the lip piece, mat for the flat top piece, and then the 4" cloth again to join the two piece together.  Then cut pieces of mat to certain shapes to build back up and thicken areas that I had ground down the front of.  Being that this was my first time dinking with fiberglass, I had some learning curve to adjust to. 

In the end it came out better than I planned so I'm good and happy. 

Tips:

1.) Once your resin is mixed, don't leave it in the stir cup too long as it builds heat and hardens quicker (sometime TOO quick and hot enough to smoke).  So, pour it into a container that spreads it out thinner.
2.) Don't expect to get the resin off whatever you are using to spread it with.  Not going to happen!
3.) Pre cut everything BEFORE mixing up resin.  Trick for cutting the cloth is to apply "blue" painters tape to both sides of the cloth where you plan to cut the cloth.  It holds the fibers and makes it cut like paper.  The tape comes off easy without messing up the cut.
4.) You can put the painters tape on the mat, but it pulls it all apart when you take off the tape.  It cuts easily enough with out the tape if you take your time.
5.) Get a good quality pair of scissors, as the el'cheap pair will be too sloppy and just piss you off till you end up throwing them and sticking them into a nearby tree. 
6.) When applying the resin, just pour it on the 'glass and use a combination of tools to get it to wet out the 'glass.  I mostly used body filler squeegees, where I could spread it, and then use the edge to tap the 'glass down and move the excess resin around to areas that was thinner.

haha, looks like you learned some of the same lessons I did   mixed my first batch in a plastic mixing cup. after 10 minutes, it started smoking, melted the plastic and burned my hand. I switched to an old camping mess kit.  Worked perfect!

I also learned that tape, foil, and Pam all fail as mold releases.  While it kept the resin from sticking from things I didn't want it to, it's still a PITA to remove tape and foil from the final product.

I didn't know this was your first FG experience too. After this I'm eager to get into some other FG builds that I've been wanting to do for years.

I didn't have any problem with the blue painters tape as a release.  The foil sucked though!  Maybe try car wax next time?

Wish I had found my blue tape (which was and still is just 15" away from me) when I started.  Just used the regular automotive tape, which the resin stuck to.  I had sprayed it down with Pam as well. All that did was get my hands kinda greasy.  I used foil for the top part.  It worked fairly well for the most part, but still have a few pieces stuck on that i'm probably not going to worry about.

Wish I had found my blue tape (which was and still is just 15" away from me) when I started.  Just used the regular automotive tape, which the resin stuck to.  I had sprayed it down with Pam as well. All that did was get my hands kinda greasy.  I used foil for the top part.  It worked fairly well for the most part, but still have a few pieces stuck on that i'm probably not going to worry about.

Die grinder with a 3" 120 grit sanding disk does a beautiful job of shaping, and removing the foil that you can't pick off. 

Just a die grinder and a compressor to run it would be nice.  All i've got is a palm sander (220grit) and a dremel.  So far all my shaping has been done with shears!  I'll finish with the dremel though.

Just a die grinder and a compressor to run it would be nice.  All i've got is a palm sander (220grit) and a dremel.  So far all my shaping has been done with shears!  I'll finish with the dremel though.

I'm off this week, swing by and you can hit it with my die grinder.

thanks for the offer, but i'm pretty much booked till 2pm friday, then its game on!  Off to work here shortly, tomorrow will be the rodpod completion, thursday is the gear up/check, friday AM work

Here is update to my fiberglass rod pod lid.  I added a 6" center hatch, tackle tray, and a cup holder.





And for when I don't need surf pounding lid security, I just used the bungee.

That looks cool.  Nice upgrade.

Pssst ... I hear whispers of a commercially available aftermarket hardshell rod pod lid.  I have no other details other than that.   

-Allen

While i'm sure they'll have a harder lid, these fiberglass ones will still out perform.  One thing I've learned is that the different Tridents have different rodpod openings. While the dimensions are the same, my fiberglass lid from the T15 does not fit on the T11.  In fact, it doesn't even want to pretend it fits. There is enough difference in the mold, and something you can notice when you have them side by side.  Guess that explains the press-and-seal-one-size-fits-all lid...

You should see how Swiftdraw's factory lid fit, or didn't.  Wasn't even close. 
My factory lid was nearly an inch longer, and wider than his for the same boat. 

My fiberglass lid fit his boat perfectly.   

But still, there could be enough variation between boats, lids, and moon phases, that it's a crap shoot either way.