The bulkheads are completely finished after sanding the high edges off of the fiberglass tape and giving them a light coat of epoxy. The foot braces have been installed and are complete. I cut the hip braces to size and shaped them with a flat file and sandpaper. They were then dry fitted and adjusted until I was happy with the fit. I then masked off the areas on the hull and cockpit coaming where the braces will be epoxied in place and sanded them, after which the hip braces were lightly epoxied in place. The next step will be to make fillets and fiberglass the hip braces in place.
Lagom 
Thank you so much for this very detail blog. I am in the middle of building a Pinguino 150 and have used your blog A LOT the past few days. Hoping to be done with mine by April. I am so impressed with how well yours looks- congrats
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Hi Dana,
I’m glad that you have found the blog useful. As I have mentioned several times throughout the blog and building process, since this was the first time that I had ever built a kayak, like most first time builders I was learning as I went along. I hope you have enjoyed building your Pinguino as much as I enjoyed building the Ronan, and I am sure that you will enjoy paddling a kayak that you have build with your own hands. I know that I certainly do!
Happy paddling!
Kent
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Hello again Kent- quick question I am getting ready to do the sheer seams this weekend. How far down the bow and stern did you get with the glass? In prepping for this i am still coming up about 4-5 inches short of the end. I know the end pours will help with this, but i guess then how many inches deep was your end pours?
Thansk again for all your GREAT info
Dana
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Hi Dana,
If memory serves, I got within an inch or so of the bow and stern tips so that I could be sure that the end pours would cover the ends of the glass tape. That said, the Ronan is only 14’3″ long, so I may have been able to reach further into the kayak than you can. For the end pours, I used 6 oz. of thickened epoxy in each end (in two batches of 3 oz. each), and I think my end pours were 4″, or 5″ deep so you might be fine. When I was putting the fiberglass tape in the sheer seams, I remember it being not too much fun trying to get the tape in the right place and getting it to bed in the thickened epoxy without being able to see it, but because I had cut my hatches first though, it was much, much easier than it would have been if I couldn’t have reached in through the hatch openings to apply the glass tape! I’ll go back through my photos and check, but I’m pretty sure I got within an inch or so of the tips. The bow and stern pours definitely sealed in the ends of the tape. But you can only reach as far as you can reach, so just do the best you can. I would suggest though that if you don’t think you can get the tape close enough for the end pours to reach, that you just try to make sure that the tape is bedded into the epoxy as good as you can at the tips. Just keep at it and you’ll do fine!
Thanks, and good luck!
Kent
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Hi again Dana,
After looking through my build photos, I think that my glass tape actually ended 3″- 4″ away from the bow and stern tips. You can see it (although not as clearly as I would have liked) in this post: https://mypygmyronanbuild.com/2020/02/14/starboard-inside-shear-seam-finished/
I think that if you can get within 5″ or so of the bow and stern tips with the glass tape, your end pours should reach them. Again, just reach in as far as you can, and you’ll be fine. When I was building the Ronan I kept telling myself that I wasn’t building a Swiss watch! I’m sure your Pinguino is going to turn out great!
Best,
Kent
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Thank you so much for your replies. I ended up getting the fillets pretty much to the end but neatly impossible to get the glass all the way down, so I was happy to read your second reply 😉 also like you said the end pours will help as well.
Thanks again.
Dana
PS- I think I may copy you on the hatch cords and go with something other then black…maybe orange 🙂
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OK quick question Kent- i have been gathering a lot of info on whether to do a Z-spar or WR-LPU varnish. I am leaning towards the Z-spar flagship varnish. Can i ask what you went with?
Thanks again for all your helpful info
Dana
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Hi again Dana,
I used two types of varnish from the same company. Pettit Flagship Varnish, and Pettit Captains Varnish. I put links to the manufacturer’s website in my post about applying the first coat of varnish. Here is a link to that post: https://mypygmyronanbuild.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/first-coat-of-varnish-on-the-hull/
The Pettit Flagship Varnish was what Pygmy Boats recommended to me when I was in Port Townsend at their showroom. That post will also explain why I chose to use two different types of varnish. Of course, I’m sure that any quality varnish that offers good UV protection and is durable will work well.
Best,
Kent
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Thanks for the link- just read it and makes sense what and how you did it. Looks like i was in the right direction 🙂
Thank you again for all the info in your blog and responding to me with my questions.
dana
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You’re welcome. Let me know how things work out. I’m sure your kayak will turn out great!
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