Front and rear vent ducts laid in place after being removed from their molds
View from the rear looking forward
The idea would be now that the ducts are laid, to form up the shape of the overhead itself over the top of everything and have these ducts hidden behind it. I'm happy with the design, in fact I think it will work out to be very slick, but I may very well attempt to make these ducts a second time. Tonight we actually went over to our friends Chad and Kim's place, who are building a Cozy Mark IV together in their garage. A while back Chad had offered for me to stop over and learn a bit about fiberglassing technique. His timing was perfect by getting ahold of me today and saying now was a good time to stop over! Funny coincidence for sure... or, maybe he saw pictures on this blog of how terrible the fiberglass is looking over here and thought geez I better help this guy... haha.
We most certainly learned a few things tonight that I think we can apply to these ducts (and especially the overhead itself). First of all, Chad recommended to always cut the fabric on the bias (at a 45-degree angle) so that it would lay better over corners and complex shapes. I knew this already but I didn't realize you can "always" cut it that way, I thought it was more for special layups. He also demonstrated a technique where you wet out two layers of fiberglass together at a flat work table, on a piece of clear plastic. Then, once the glass is wetted out, you can lay the whole works on top of your form, making it much easier to have consistently wetted glass and speeding up the whole process significantly. Also, he recommended a peel ply fabric that works better than dacron and is available at the local fabric shop, called "underskirting" fabric material (EDIT: After going to the local Hancock Fabric Suppy, it's called "Poly Elite Lining", P/N 3516226, $2.39/yd). It's a white, sort of satin type fabric that is much finer and thinner than dacron, and apparently it works just the same but better (as a side note, I should have also used peel ply to make life easier but did not on these first two sessions). There were a number of other little tips and tricks I gathered from just looking around his shop and watching the master at his craft. I'm by no means an expert now, but I feel like I at least more than doubled my knowledge with one night in the shop with these guys... thanks Chad and Kim!!!! (And your Cozy IV is looking awesome!)
So, I think the next step will be to set these ducts aside and try again. For round two, I think I want to spend a bit more time on the molds, employ the new techniques I've learned, and try circular vent pads instead of square. If it all goes sideways, well, it's another learning experience then! Stay tuned for [lots] more fiberglass!