The fiberglass mold after it has received its gelcoat…

Using a "chopper" gun to apply the first layer of fiberglass to the hull…

Giving the hull some bulk by adding core material…

Applying hand-laid fiberglass to the hull…

Once the gelcoat has cured, the next step in the manufacturing process is to build up layers of fiberglass which constitute the hull.

The fiberglass is applied with a special gun that performs two functions. First, it pulls strands of soft glass fibers and cuts these strands into 2" pieces. These small pieces of fiberglass are ejected at a high speed from the chopper gun at a rate of about one foot per second. While these pieces are still airborne, the gun performs its second task of spraying a stream of resin onto the ejected fiberglass strands.

By the time the fiberglass pieces hit their target (in this case, the inside of the hull mold), they are thoroughly soaked with resin. After the air pockets are rolled out, it only takes a matter of minutes for the resin to begin hardening and solidifying the fiberglass into the shape of the boat’s hull.

Bauteck has chosen to build its boats with a combination of chopped and hand-laid fiberglass. There is a debate among boaters about which is the best method. We believe that chopped fiberglass provides a smooth consistency without the "joints" that are induced by the hand-laid process. With the chopped method, the hull is a single, evenly layered solid unit. Our chopped method also means that far fewer air-pockets are introduced in the process, and this can significantly reduce hull blisters (Professional BoatBuilder Magazine, February/March 1990, Pg. 55).

The next step in the manufacturing process is to add a 1/8" core material to the newly fiberglassed hull surface. This material provides additional bulk and strength to the hull.

These pre-cut mats are applied to the mold, carefully pressed to remove any trapped air, and coated with a layer of resin.

Once the core material has completely hardened, it is time to coat the mold with yet another layer of chopped fiberglass.

Lastly, a layer of hand-laid fiberglass called biaxel cofab is applied over the final layer of chopped fiberglass.

The completed hull now has a gelcoat, fiberglass layer, core material, another fiberglass layer, and a hand-laid biaxel cofab layer. By the time these elements have "set up" for several hours, we are left with a rock solid hull.

Of course, the hull is only one of several parts that are built at the Bauteck facility. We also manufacture our own fiberglass decks, centerboards, seats, etc.