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Can i just get a large piece of foam. And say cut it to the shape i want. And just fiberglass over it with mat. And then cut out the foam underneath.

Would a few layers of mat be strong enough to support a steering console/wheel?

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I built the center console on my 15' whaler project. I used 1/4 luan to frame it. I then used 2 2oz layers of angel hair fiberglass cloth on the exterior 1 layer on the inside while reinforcing all angles in and out with another rlayer of 2oz angel hair cloth. It's plenty strong enough. My dimensions were 24Wx 30Tx 21L . Good luck

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I bought a console from C&M Marine. I decided that was the most economical way to get a console when I added up all the materials and time it would take to build it myself.

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I should add that 3/4 and 1/2 inch wood was added where steering wheel mounts and throttle control

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In case you are interested:

C & M consoles:
http://cmmarineproducts.com/Product/L...1c42b4614a

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Digging foam out would make your garage look like it was snowing inside,
unless you have an electric hot-wire setup.
A simple glass over 1/8-1/4" skin over a wood frame sounds the easiest.
Frame thick enough to round out a nice bullnose edge.
TP

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If you decide to do the foam method you should use some form of release agent or material on the foam before you glass. Spray wax or saran wrap will work. Possibly "peel ply" which is often used with epoxy.

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Yes i planned to have some plan to release the foam. Either wax or release agent. Ive heard masking tape or foil works too. Just wondering if and how i can make it strong enough to support the steering wheel. I dont want to fiberglass over wood if i dont have to

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Just add some other composite material in the dash panel area for the steering wheel . Boston whaler added wood in that area and other parts of the console and it lasted for decades. If you encapsulate the wood well, it should last for that long also. Use sealant on any penetrations into the wood. Another way, You could just build up in layers of fiberglass ( I don't recommend ) just my opinion.

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i want to then cover it in fiberglass while using a mold release(probably masking tape AND pva release)

my question is.... how many layers and what type of mat would be best to use for this application?
my plan as to start with a layer of 1.5 oz CSM, and then a few layers of 1708

i also would like to use polyester resin as its cheaper... IF i can.

i do not want to use wood for this project, any help would be great

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I agree with Todd that you should use some type of backing substrate under your fiberglass where you want to mount things. This is both to stiffen and spread out the forces, as well as provide a better grip for screws. Your steering wheel in particular will exert a fair amount of leveraged force upon the surface it is mounted to. In the Whaler consoles I have, these high stress areas are backed by 1/2" plywood.

I'm not sure why you are not inclined to use a plywood backing, as it is relatively cheap and lasts for many decades in a console. But as has been pointed out, there are other synthetics that might work too. I have some Coosa board that is used as a backing substrate for laminations, so that might be one choice.

It would be a shame to go through all of the work to build a console and then have cracking develop around the helm area.

Dennis

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I may use wood on the panel so the steering wheel can have some support. I meant i dont want to use wood anywhere else. Im just concerned with how many layers everywhere else i will need. And what mat/cloth to use?

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See my first post. I would think your going to need 4 to 6 layers of 1.5 oz csm. You can evaluate after 4 and see how strong / rigid the console is. I don't believe you will need any other type of cloth ( I am not saying it would not bet better, just overkill ). Good luck

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I thought csm is not for strength? So i figured 1708 would be better???

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I measured the thickness of the side of my console and it is a little over 3/16". Not sure how many layers it would take to make that. Quite a few?

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Yes 1708 is stronger. I have told you what worked for me, maybe you can go to YouTube and see what others have done . How big of a console do you plan on building ? Do want a smooth finish ? Do you plan on gel coating the console ?

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the console will be roughly 3 feet by 2 feet. about half of it will be 1 foot high and the other half will be taller. it will look like a console that has a seat built into the front of it. but that front part will be under the bench seat and i will put the battery there

i plan on either gel coating it or painting with awlgrip. i would like a smooth finish

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http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/rat...ng20/story

i finished making the mold. bought polyethylene foam(lowes insulation foam)... cut it into pieces and glued them together. finding the right glue was annoying. the best glue for the foam i found was loctite pl fast grab 8x premium. liquid nails i tried and it sucked. i sanded the edges that i needed to be round. the foam sands pretty good. slow and steady but good. i then covered the foam in masking tape making sure all sides are nice and smooth.

my plan next is to cover the mold in pva mold release before i lay it with 1.5 oz CSM using a tooling resin specifically for making molds. it doesnt shrink when hardening so it helps to remove the foam mold afterwards. after removing the mold i will reinforce the inside of the console with 1708 using a stronger polyester resin(not for mold making)

anyone have experience using pva mold release??? how long does that stuff take to dry? how long after should i start laying fiberglass? any tips on anything would be great

(EDIT: fixed link and made it clickable)

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Can someone help?

I just glassed my mold/plug. I used 2 layers of 1.5 oz csm.
I plan on pulling the plug eventually and strengthening the console

Should I.......

A. Glass the outside of the mold with 1708. Over the 2 layers of csm. And then try to pull the mold out

Or

B. Pull the mold out and reinforce the inside with 1708. ???????

Will the mold hold shape with 2 layers of csm?????

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Fine, I guess I have to be the bad guy again...

What the f are you trying to do? Is your fiberglass work meant to be your console? If so then just keep slapping stuff on the outside until you are happy. I'm sure it will look great.

If you are trying to make a mold for a console you might want to start over.

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Yes. Im not using wood. The fiberglass will be the strength of the console. I guess mold isnt the right word. Maybe plug. The foam plug will come out and there will be a 100% fiberglass console. I just figured strengthening it on the inside might have been a better choice

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So you'll be adding this wood to the inside after pulling the plug out?

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no. why would i need wood?????


i may add a piece of wood to where the steering wheel would mount to. but only if i need to??

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You can epoxy a 1/8-3/16 plate of aluminum too.
Sounds like your gonna have a lot of bondo work.
I don't think 2 layers will be stiff enough but it won't break just flex a little.
TP

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Uh, because I quoted you saying you may need wood around the steering wheel. Because you are asking for advice, and everyone is saying you need stiffening around the steering wheel.

Aluminum as suggested above would work as well, but will be more difficult to drill holes for gauges and such. Resin also bonds much better to wood.

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2 layers is csm yesterday.

1 layer of 1708 today. The 1708 went on a lot better than the csm

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http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/rat...ng20/story (LINK BROKEN)

pics added. i think its coming along nice

i am going to reinforce the inside a lil more with a few layers of 1708. glass in some wood reinforcement for the steering/dash

what would be a good fairing compount to use on the outside. something that sands easy and works on polyester resin????

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I used thickned polyester gelcoat and unthined gelcoat .

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Carquest has a good selection of fairing materials.
I like Evercoat Z-grip it's cheap under $30/gallon,
spreads smooth, and doesn't clog after 30 minutes or so.
The Rage series is better but is twice the price.

The cheaper "lightweight filler" is like $15/gallon,
Ok if you add a little resin to wet it out,
otherwise it isn't as forgiving to spread.
It is strong though,
I used it on our hull with no issues.

So is the flat part a seat?
I like the design.
You'd be surprised how adding even a layer of doorskin under another FG layer helps.
TP

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the box part in front of the steering wheel isnt a seat really. well the front bench seat will run across the top of it. i plan to have it touching but not bearing any weight. the battery will be up there which u can access from the top. i will cut an opening to drop it in

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When im done reinforcing the console with layers inside

My plan is to fair it with feather lite lightweight filler
Sand it of course
Prime it with interlux primekote
Paint with interlux perfection

How does that sound
Would it be better to hot coat before i use the lightweight filler?
Should i make my own filler with poly resin and 3m glass bubbles?
Any advice would be great....

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Just buy some and get it done!
TP

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Excellent advice!

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http://s1295.photobucket.com/user/rat...ng20/story

finally finished ..... pics updated


(fixed link)

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Very nice looking and proportional.