The bilge pump supports are positioned with lots of chop strand mat wedged between the endgrain and the stripped bulkhead. All we have to do now is glass everything together!
Being how this project site is also my home, I need to make sure that no mess occurs and all the work is contained. By working with smaller sizes, I am able to keep any issues to a minimum and produce a good final product with minimal disturbance to the rest of the boat!
The pure epoxy can be brushed onto the wooden supports with a paint brush just like if it were varnish. It is best to use a disposable chip brush with bristles as a foam brush could dissolve in the epoxy, destroying your ability to apply it and your batch of epoxy resin.
Be sure to saturate the chop strand mat at the ends. The idea of the chop strand mat is to hold wet resin in position as it cures. If you fail to wet the chop strand mat, there will be no bond to the bulkhead! Everything is covered in an even coat of epoxy, the frame, the ends, and the bulkhead as well. I used fast set epoxy simply because it is winter and the low temperatures will greatly delay curing. If it were warmer, I would be using slow or ultra slow hardener, as it would grant me more working time.
