Since you asked about aesthetics I would nix the rod holder idea. Have the rod holders welded to your t-top. Structurally every one you add will be stronger than my 81 that has stood the test of time through some heavy seas (not by choice). I would think your strength is in the gunnel cap.

If I think about it too long I could argue not putting them in there at all but I of course am no expert. I think I could argue reinforcing the bow to where the flare ends with layers of glass for rigidity and relying on the cap and floor for gunnel support.

Here are some more pics of the gunwale supports. My cap is gonna taper from a full 12 inches at the transom to 8 1/2 continueing thru out the rest of the boat, so my supports look like they do because of this. It still looks kinda funky to me but i think it will look better once the cap is on.

Yea im not gonna drill the holes for the holders.

paint and fair
 

Well I have a paint schedule finally. Im gonna be using all Interlux products starting on the bottom with a white VC PERFORMANCE EPOXY, moving up the sides with a epoxy primekote primer and Interlux Perfection Fighting Lady Yellow topcoat. The caps and inside will also be primed with epoxy primekote and top coated with Interlux perfection Artic White. Im also open to using a durabak 18 white bedliner for non skid or a Grizzly grip product. Im also gonna sandblast my t-top then use a Interlux prime wash and then prime with Interprotect 2000E epoxy primer with a finish coat of Perfection Artic White.

i have been experimenting with the 3m glass bubbles I bought, and making fairing compounds. I think its alot better to make your own rather than buying it and alot more cost effective. I can make 2 1/2 gallons of fairing compound for right at $115.00.

I was thinking about using those same rpoducts. I was going the sterling route until I priced it all up Friday and the tab came to $1300:oh: so I went back looking at a few different brands. Anyway, the only drawback to the VC for me was having to spray it. I read they said it can be applied with roll and tip but its not made for that. So I'm going to keep searching for a high-gloss hard bottom paint that I can roll and tip.

Are you spraying or are you going to try and roll it?

Oh I'm definitely spraying. I painted my skiff,my old 24ft seaox,and the Albemarle and a bunch of stuff. I'm pretty good with spray gun. I have a good friend who paints cars for a living and pretty much taught me how to spray

I'm gonna have right at $380.00 just in product,I don't think that's bad at all. I was given a free gps for the boat today so that opens the budget big time!

I made my chase box at the transom yesterday, and yes its boxy and yes its gonna hold water in that corner but i really dont have a choice. I had plans of building that splash box witch would have incoporated the chase box in the corner.

I also built and routered my ridgid teak grate over my sump well, I made it with some scrap teak that came off of an old bow rider that is scraped. It turned out awesome.

All i have to say is, AWESOME JOB Kracker Jack!! :clap:
I just spent about two hours reading this whole thread. I learned alot.

I have a 1982 Wellcraft 18 Fisherman. The PO cut the liner all the way across about two foot ahead of the splashwell to do a transom repair, and now the liner is cracking where they halfass repaired it. So i may take the whole liner out and cap the gunnels with open sides. That alone may be enough to allow me put a bracket on the 18. :sun: AND raise the floor if i need to.

Kracker that grate is awesome!!...I'm REEL glad ya decided to nix the splashwell!!...yer doin' a great job on this...EXCELLENT WORK!!...:clap:...fun to watch the progress!!...:sun:

I have learned alot also!!! when I started this project I pretty much knew nothing about this kind of work. I owned my own buisness for 8 years doing residential remodle and light duty commercial work, so working with wood all my life and having what I like to call "VISION" made it pretty easy to catch on. I also did alot of studying and researching on the internet. Thank for the compliments. She gonna be battle ready soon I hope!!!

Reel I have decided to put a removable transom type splash board in this boat. As you can see with the black lines i photo shopped in the picture shows that the board will span the whole beam port to starboard. Will be about 14 to 16 inches tall and will be offset to the transom side of the sump well allowing deck water to drain into the sumpwell. The splash board will also have garage door type rubber gasket under it to reduce fatigue on the floor and ultimately keep water that comes over the transom in the general area until it can wash into the sumpwell and be pumped out. The beautiful thing about this setup is that its removeable. I am going to be making in out of a 2 inch micro-lam beam that will be glass with 1708 to encapsulate.

When you start a project evryone always has a vision of what they want there project to look like. I have had a vision of what my v20 was gonna look like since the day I saw it sitting in that cow pasture. Ironicly a guy On THT forum sent a picture of his v20 to my build thread after reading that I was gonna paint it fighting lady yellow and also paint the bottom white. when I looked at the picture of his boat I thought I was looking at a ghost!!!!! It looked exactly like I wanted my v20 to look like Except for some things which I photo shopped his picture tonight. I made the t-top white and instead of a black boat stripe I want a dual white boot stripe. Here is the picture I photo shopped. Its beautiful and is exactly how my rig will look when finished

...and that Float On trailer is EXACTLY like mine except he's got smaller diameter wheels/tires...ghost pic for sure...

Kracker...no matter how the stern area of a boat is configured, the wrong wave at the wrong time can be a problem for ANY boat...but I'm lookin' at the sump-well open to the deck AHEAD of the splash-wall you propose and scratchin' my ol punkin head...if enough water comes over the tranny to fill
'er up, it's just gonna shoot up and out the sump-well in front of the wall, so it really doesn't accomplish much to install the wall...

Another question...is the sump-well open to receive water that'll get under the floor deck...if not, when water gets under the floor, where's it gonna go?...I'm afraid yer gonna tell me all that's sealed off and water cannot get in there...

That sump well is sealed off, theres gonna be one thru-transom drain plug in the sump. Im only gonna be fishing this boat in ideal conditions and no more than 15 0r 20 miles off the beach I seriously doubt I will ever be in a situation to were I take a rogue over the stern but i still I want the deck as sealed of as possible the only place water can get into the bilge is by the storage hatch forward at the bow, I want the boat to have a chance of popping up like a cork and rolling that water over the stern. In front of the sump well I will have a 7x11 pop up deck type hatch so I can access my rule bilge pump. I will also have a 500 gph or better in the sump well to pump transom and deck wash overboard.

Kracker I don't want ya to think I'm raggin on ya...I'm actually envious of your skills, so take the following as food for thought...not criticism...I'm glad to hear yer gonna put a floor hatch ahead of the sump for bilge pump access...but at the same time on pump size; THINK BIGGER...500s are for bait tanks and paddle boats...a grand in the sump and a grand in the bilge are better selections...and even bigger won't hurt...
We took a 17'er 35 miles off Charleston one day and had perfect seas(as forecasted) until we were in sight (5 miles or so) of the jetties when we started taking waves over the windshield one of which took the hat off my head...and I bet ya Macojoe seriously doubted having his windshield destroyed and cockpit FILLED close shore either...some days, that's where the poop gets in the fan...I ain't waggin' a finger here...just tryin' to keep ya safe...

Reel I completely agree with you on the pumps,I will drop and 1100 rule in the sump and in the bilge. The worst conditions I have ever been in was in my dads v20 during our small boat marlin tournament here out of va beach. And I been on my dads v20 and we have taken it where v20's don't belong, the furthest we fished my dads v was 58 miles off the beach up in the " Fingers" tuna and white marlin fishing with acid jugs filled with gas strapped to the console. And burning numerous external red moeller tanks on the way out. So yes you are right, conditions can change at the drop of a hat. Reel I always appreciate all your advice and thanks for all help and input.

Kracker, I allways tell people to go at least 2000 on their primary pumps with teh 1 1/8 smooth wall hose, bilge pumps are rated with no hose, no head pressure, just free flow and at 18 V. WHen you drop it down to 12 v, your cutting flow by about a third, when you hook hose to it with any rise, it probably drops another third, its said that the corrigated hose cuts flow in half. Years ago, one of th boating magazines did some test to confirm this data, it was worse than they thought, I wish I still had that article, I've sure quoted it enough. I run three 2000 GPH pumps on my V, each one with a direct lead to a high amp(20) rated float switch and directly to a battery, I run an indirect on/off switch as well, two of the float switches are in the bottom of the bilge, I have indicator lights on these, the third flaot switch is raised bit off the floor and is hooked to an alarm and light. IF you think youhave enough pump capacity, next time you go to the ramp, leave the pug out when you back it in, see if your pump can over come the water coming in thur a 3/4 hole, imagine what a thru hull broken off, or even some kind of hull breach would allow in. Oh and by the way, I've found the average life span for most pumps is about three years, just after the warranty runs out. Just food for thought

Thanks for the info Spare. Me and you actually spoke about this bilge pump set up on the phone.

X2 What Spare said. The GPH rating system on pumps is well overstated. I have one 1000 and one 1500 Rule's in the bilge of my 20. One of the automatic switches is higher than the other. I can put a 3/4" garden hose at 60 psi loose in the boat. The first 1000 GPH pump comes on, pumps the water out and turns itself off. If the second one kicks in a light and alarm sounds to warn of high water in the bilge. I have heard the alarm during testing but never on the water.. I try to keep the bilge clean so nothing can jam the impeller. I am OCD about the pumps on this boat. When either one of them die, I am going to upsize again. I started with an 800 and a 1000.

Started stripping the t-top today after work. LOADS OF FUN!!!! I devised a mounting plan for the top. Im gonna have to extend it in height by 4 inches and fabricate base plates. Then fabricate some standoff brackets for mounting it to the side of the console. Then bring it to my welder to get it glued together. i can weld but cant weld aluminum!!!!!:head::cen:

Looking good Kracker! :clap: And x3 what everyone is saying on bilge pumps. I wouldn't trust a 500gph bilge pump at all.

On a second note, i have decided to keep my V20. Now, its a cuddy cabin, I want a center console. What do you think of gutting it and rigging it like yours? I showed dad some of the pictures of yours and he likes it. I believe all my stringers and transom are in good shape. I have the console and bow rails from the 18 i planned to rebuild. I just dont like the cuddy and the useless livewell in the floor. :head:

What year is your v20?

Its the '83 V20 in my signature.

Come strip my bottom coat and I'll run up there and strip yer T-top!!...:clap:

as you guys have watched me build this boat Im sure a few of you now have figured out that everything I do on this boat is CAVE MAN style and I guess I would say old school and fuctional.Even the core for my hatches that i cut out tonight are just simple ACX 3/4 ply thats gonna be wrapped with 2 layers of 1708 and then faired. This is a very budget concious build.This is what I consider a true shade tree build!!!!!!

UH....NO LOL!!!!!!!:you:

I looked at some 83's tonight and I take it that 1983 was on of the years were they raised the floor and cap. You have a whole different animal than mine. Whack the cabin of that rascal and mount the console and roll. or do a center console with a forward cabin but just shorten the cabin towards the bow like 2 foot!!!

Kracker Jack, i have never been a fan of a linered boat. I like simple and old school. I love my V20 (not as much as my dad does though!!!!!) but in my opinion liners are wasted space, excess weight, and something else to leak. I would like to build a ?rolled gunnel? V20 center console. I think i can use the upper portion of the liner. And do like you suggested and cut the cuddy portion out or shorten it. I apologize for hijacking your thread, i see a good idea and get carried away.

Well I suppose all things are relative...it looks like rocket science from here...:clap:

Re subscribed.. Jasoncoopercola, The liner on the 1983 also adds a lot of structural support. The hull is flemsy without the cap. Glassing a rolled gunnel will help with some of the structural issues but I suspect you would need to install some ribs to keep the hull sides from flopping in the waves and causing stress cracks where the bulkheads meet the hull sides. The older hulls, like KrackerJack's have a liner but it is glued in place tight to the outer skin I think. that adds strength. Then his gunnel cap and vertical braces (ribs) are going to tighten her up even further. I have Reels old 74 here that is like Kracker's. That is the best I can determine without ripping into her.
Kracker, your work is just fine, don't beat yourself up. Two layers of 1708? :beer: You are building her heavy. :clap:

Ridge you are correct my liner is tight to the outer hull. It is glued or puttied down from the cap about 2 inches and then it expands out and seperates from the out side hull. So what I did was drilled holes in my liner were my gunwale supports are laid out and filled the holes with foam to even further tighten up the rigidity of the hull.

I did not know that Ridge. I know the 18 i have tore apart now is a floppy mess. I am just wondering if i can cut the liner and reuse the cap but lay my own sole. I have no problem installing and making ribs. I want to delete the two rear hatches and splashwell. I may bracket the v20 so i wont need a splashwell, maybe even install a transom door? The hardest part i foresee is the cuddy and windsheild part of the liner. I will have to look close at my v20 and see how much work is involved. But i like Krackers idea of a shortened cuddy centerconsole. I am pulling the liner to check my stringers and transom, but i cant do anything till i get the 18 out of the garage. Last thing code enforcement needs to see is a torn apart boat in the yard..........

BIG GLASS DAY TOMORROW!!! 84 degrees, no humidity. Gunwale supports are being glassed tomorrow. Im gonna try and do wet on wet with all of them to keep it strong. I have alot of glassing left to do, I cant wait till its over. Im getting ever so closer, the t-top has become a project in itself. I also found a slap disc that has a full radius around the entire edge of the wheel it is great for shaping inside radius, I'll take a pic of it tomorrow it is a must have for shaping inside corners saves alot of time.:sleep:

Beautiful day for fiberglass Kracker! I was hoping to have new V here but ran out of time yesterday.....Scrubbing on my '78 today.

Post pics of progress this eve!!!

So I laid out my patches to grind off the gelcoat and grinded for about 1 hour. MEK all surfaces and then glued the gunwale supports on. The pictures kinda speak for themselves. You will see numerous tie-in points from the 4" screws thru the entire rail to the glassed "strap" on top of the gunwale supports also locking in the rail and the gunwale supports. I taped the gunwale supports in with 4 inch 1708 strips. in the next couple days i will completely encapsulate them with 1708. They were rock solid when they were only glued!!!! they were then bullet proof when they were taped, and now they will be bomb proof when I wrap them with the final layer.:beer::sun:

You can see in these pics how I made the gunwale supports rock solid. Not only did I glue and screw them but I also glassed a strip on them inside and outside and kinda "tied" them together before I glassed them on the boat.

heres how the bottom side of the rail has shaped up. I glassed one layer of 1708 to the band tying it into the hull I then at the point of contact to hull made a "fillet" or radius with thickened resin and chopped glass mixture. Just remember another layer of 1708 will rap that rail when I glass my cap to the hull. No chance of water intrusion under that rail!!!

Im off tomorrow so I will be roughing in the cap!! thank god!!! shes getting there fellas slowly but surely.

I didnt get to the cap today. I concentrated on finishing up glassing the inner rail to the hull and encasulating some of the gunwale supports. As seen in the pics the bottom of the rail was filleted and the the cloth glassed down the liner about 1" 1/2.