Trailer & Boat project

[Gillstalker]

Alrighty, here are the pics of the project underway...hope you enjoy 'em!

http://s928.photobucket.com/albums/ad12 ... CN2007.jpg

Gillstalker.

[j]

Looking good so far....what kind of shape is the transom in?

Are you planning on re-foaming the floor?

[Raminator]

good motor hard to beat that 50 merc for reliable,was it well taken care of? does it run well?

[Gillstalker]

Ya, getting there. This weekend I'll take the motor off (it's perfect, runs like a top...gotta love them old 50's Ram!) and attack the transom. It's got the typical problems of a 30 year old boat. There is some spider cracking around the motorwell drain hole and rear tiedowns. There is also a good chunk out of the lower middle on the edge, from what I remember being a rock or a log...ha! Sooo, in a nutshell the transom is wet and soft and needs some tlc. I'm going to drill some holes and chip out what I can, dry the "good wood" and then splice in a new transom piece and glass it all in.

More time than money really, which is what these projects usually equate to. I'm not worried about rushing to get it on the water or anything. I'd rather take the time and do it right...once! If the weather is decent this weekend I'm also going to start putting the floor back in. It's dried out now, and the foam is gone. Yes, I am going to put foam back in. I'm probably going to use exterior spray foam to fill the void properly. I hear replacing the foam is the best way to go, since it creates more structre between the deck and lower hull....makes sense to me. I don't know why they only put foam in the rear section only, but I'm going to bring it a little further...maybe mid-way to the bow. All and all I figure when I'm done I'll have about $1,500-$2,000 into it, including the trailer. Not bad for a cheap fishing rig...

G.

[Gillstalker]

So, I picked up the fiberglass product this weekend (cloth, resin, etc) and the plywood, screws, sprayfoam, etc. for the structural work. I gutted the rest of the electrics (wow, spaghetti much?) the gear shift assembly, steering assembly, and removed the motor from the transom. Put it onto a homemade engine stand I made with some left over PT that is on castors so I can move it around. Everything went well, my two neighbors helped me lift the engine off, which wasn't as heavy as I thought...which was a good thing! I'll update the photo album on 'bucket soon, so you can see the latest....

Transom is wet and the plywood is falling apart as I suspected. Now to remove it all and start the rebuild and get the new floor in place...

G.

[bardern]

Gillstalker there is a product called SeaCast that is a pourable epoxy that takes the place of a plywood transom. you might be interested in checking it out. It works out to about the same price as plywood.

[Gillstalker]

Bardern, I've researched SeaCast and really like the product. That was what I wanted to use but after pricing it, it's very costly. Plus, I can't find a local distributer that sells it...so that would mean bringing it in from the States. Not cost-effective with shipping at all, around $500-$600 I think.

From what I understand the product is Polyester based resin/milled fiber mix with a slow curing catalyst, and chopped strand filler. The only thing that makes their product not look like standard fiberglass, is the tint that they add to their catalyst which turns it pink. Structural fillers are easy to make and are readily available from companies like West System, MAS and BONDO brand, so I may try and make my own and see what happens.....

Thanks for the response, I need any tips I can get!!

[bardern]

yeah the shipping and brokerage will kill ya. what I do is get big items sent to the Shipping Store in Ogdensberg and pick it up myself. Seems to me that UPS has a similar drop-off address.

your idea about mixing your own makes sense. good luck with your project!

[RobM]

I would be cautious trying to make your own epoxy / polyester based filler for your transom. Most epoxies give off heat as they cure. And the hotter they get, the faster they cure, which creates more heat, causing it to cure faster and create more heat (vicious circle). Leaving an open plastic container filled with 100ml of extra epoxy will result in a melted plastic container and poorly cured epoxy inside of it. Putting a gallon of epoxy resin in an enclosed space like a boat transom will result in a fire. Though I don't have experience with slow curing polyester resin specifically. Just be sure you do your research before you go ahead with it.

Have you tried Noah's marine in Toronto for the SeaCast? They carry an amazing assortment of products for boat repair and construction. Shipping is reasonable too. The older gentleman that runs the store is extremely helpful. He recommended I use East Systems epoxy rather than West Systems. He feels East Systems is a superior product and it is much cheaper. I have used both and haven't noticed a difference.

http://www.noahsboatbuilding.com/noahmain/index.asp

Good luck with your project.

Rob

[Gillstalker]

Ya, friggin' shipping...I love buying from the States, but it can get "ouchy" for the big items sometimes.

RobM ~ I hear ya, there is many chemical angles to look at when combining things. Epoxy is volatile compared to Polyester, which is what I would be using. PolyE is more forgiving to work with, mix, and has much less heat build up than epoxy. The cool thing about epoxy is it bonds to anything and everything. PolyE on the other hand bonds to PolyE the best, and other items "good" as compared to "excellent". Most if not all boats from the era mine was built it, are PolyE based which is why I have chosen the PolyE resin-route.

I'm still in the research phase, so next is to test my theory and do a mock-up of the whole thing...make a trough out of plywood, come up with a resin/fiber mix, and pour it and let cure. I won't be taking the risk of screwing up the boat, that's for sure....slow and steady to make sure I've covered all angles...

Thanks for your help and insight...
G.

[cprince]

Just starting reading this thread again...

One thing; I would remove all wood in whole pieces. You are better off ripping it all out and replacing it whole. You are in it know... might as well go the whole 9 yards.

I have done a glass boat; all stringers, benches and decks.. and transom... lots of fun!

Have you make "peanut butter" yet? I chopped up some mat and mixed it with resin, this is what I used to set the stringers into. Maybe I missed it, but are you using the same type of fiberglass that the boat was made with? Polyester waxes up and has to be sanded (almost ground down really) prior to applying any glass over top of it.

Good luck. Take your time. Mix glass in small batches. Make certain you get all the air bubbles out when you lay down the mat.

Craig

[Gillstalker]

No, I haven't started the glass-work yet. I'm still in the wood removing stage...working on the transom. The boat is PolyE, and yes I know you have to sand it for the new stuff to bond properly. What I find with most of the other boat-resto websites, is that everyone tends to go REALLY overboard with wood supports and glass. Man, I wish I had that much extra cash!

I'm going the stock replacement route, sticking to the dimension and spec's of the existing boat (although a little thicker on the floor plywood...). I'm not putting in a million extra stringer supports, gussets, flanges, and all that heavy weave roving fabric...it's just overkill. Boats were designed in a specific way for a reason, and I'm sticking to the same layout...just replacing with new products. I want this thing go back together smoothly, so this will ensure that. I'll let you know how things go when I'm at the glass stage...ha!, should be a blast (not...)

G.

[Gillstalker]

Found another product similar to SeaCast called Nida-Core. They're a composite company that makes panels and boards for construction. They also make a pourable transom compound with a ceramic component in it, a lot like SeaCast. Price $160 CAN for a 5 gallon pail, for my boat, two pails = $320 + $75 shipped to my door. So $400 for that style rather than the more expensive US option....getting closer!...

G.

[Cyber]

Do you really think you need 2 pails of 'goop',
I would think 1 would be plenty, No??

[Gillstalker]

Unfortunately, ya. I used their online calculator and for my size it comes to just under two pails...seems like a lot, but the volume is decent in there...damn it!

G.