81 V20 Restoration Almost Complete
 

I thought I would upload some photos of what I've done to my poor girl. She'll be lucky if she ever sees the water again.

Some more for you guys

Today was a rainy day so not much other than starting to cut down my stringers. I'm almost out of fabric, need to drive an hour to get more plywood, and gotta order some more resin soon. On top of that I still have a couple hours of grinding so it will be awhile before I post more pics of any progress.

I did get my new windshield ordered from UPD Plastics so that is worth getting excited about.

Dude...You're making EXCELLENT progress!!! :clap: Keep up the good work...It's looking nice...and looking at some of those 'before" shots, she most definately needed what you are doing. Well Done Sailor!!! :beer:

SWEET!!!! Git er' done!!

Jesus, you have performed a pile more in the pictures than I've seen in a while!
"Lucky to see the water", my *** in Nebraska.
Looks good!!

So what am I missing
 

I've been mocking up the conduit for my control cables, hydraulic steering and all of the electrical. I came up with the idea of running it under the fuel tank rather than cut through all of my bulkheads. I tried running 3" conduit for all of it but it does not work out so I am planning on running a 2" for the electrical and 2.5" for the controls and steering. The Controls will fit in a 2" but it is tight.

This is what we got:

The bulkhead is going where the yellow straight edge is.
The batteries will sit where the blue styrofoam is.
The access hatch is roughly the same dimensions as the two pieces of PVC.
The fule fill and vent lines will run where the grey conduit is laid out on the tank.
The bottom of the livewell is approx. 7" off the center bottom or about a 1/2" above the top of the 3/4" strip of ply.

I will fill the whole tank area with foam once everything is in place.

So what am I not considering? What do you guys think of going with 2 separate chases rather than 1 and any good ideas to seal them non-permanently?

i would think 2 would be better than one that is packed. if you've got the room, i'd add another 1". just for future stuff.
something else you might want to consider, adding 2 pieces of 3" on the outside of the stringers, below the deck and using them as freshwater storage tanks. i have 2 6' pieces on either side of mine, below the rodboxes and it gives me 5 or 6 gallons of fresh water. i plumbed them to a pump located in the center of the hull, by the transom.

A lot of hard work, it will come out beautiful I am sure.
I would do the two runs in three inch like said above.:clap:

I like the idea for freshwater on the boat. That would be nice to get the salt off me at the end of the day. I may try to plumb in a quick connect water tank for the bow tied into the washdown pump with a tee and valve. Good idea:clap:and also the future conduit idea, plenty of room under the tank.

Looking down my gunnels, I only have around 2" of clearance between the cap and hull above the bulkheads until you get about half way up. Any 3" conduit would have to go through my stringer and through 3 of those bulkheads, I really really want to avoid cutting into all of that since I already have to cut the stringer for the fuel fill and vent.

Here is a pic looking between the cap and hull inside the gunnel

When I finished my stringers I almost cried when I had to drill 2 holes for my conduit to pass thru!!!!!! so I know what ya mean by cutting into your wood.

Yeah man, and I don't know how many years Wellcraft did this but I only have 2 stringers and then all those mini bulkheads going from the stringer to the chine so when I cut a big holes in like the factory did then I just weakened one of my primary support structures at a critical area.

If I recall you have what like 5 stringers? Little more structurally redundant design for sure.

tartuffe,these are a few shots of my tanks. they rest on to of the bulkheads between the cap & the bulkheads. i was limited by the rod box openings, but with the cap off, you could add some more pipe.

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/o...ertankport.jpg
this is a shot of the end of the tank (pvc pipe) the smaller pipe sticking up is the fill tube
port side

this is a shot of the starboard side
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/o...kstarboard.jpg

this is a shot of the pump in the bilge
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/o...waterpump1.jpg

Mine actually had 2 mains and 2 secondarys for a total of 4.

At one point I had every plug from my V. I hated to cut all of those holes in all of that fresh glass and paint. All the holes did render one interesting
conversation piece. The one piece I cut out of the console for the switch panel is about 3/8" thick in glass. I don't recall laying it on so thick? The fiberglass is thicker in that part of the console than in some hulls.
I like the idea of multiple PVC rigging tubes. I went with 4" and let it lay on top of the tank. It is pretty full.
I also did not like the way Wellcraft cut the top of the stringers to allow the passage of the rigging tube and fuel fill. The early boats have 4 stringers but do not have self bailing decks or under floor fuel tanks. The grid system of the latter models is sound IMO because they are so tall. The "mini bulkheads" add a lot of torsional strength and help to sturdy the hull sides and stringers. I asked around about the best design, the consensus seemed to think the grid system to be the way to go for overall strength. A lot of V-hulls from race boats to fast fishing rigs that are typically beat to death, have a similar grid system. (Superboat, Progression, Contender, SeeVee etc.)

Great work and fast Tartuffe. There is some dead space fore of the fuel tank bulkhead under the floor of your center console. It is a large enough space for a water tank plus some additional storage. I installed a 13 gallon plastic tank from Todd under there. If it ever ruptures I am SOL because there is no access without removing the liner. I put a false floor and an additional bulkhead there because I was thinking of relocating the batteries.

Damn guys, I ain't ever going to get this thing back on the water. I spend more time figuring out where to put led lights and water tanks, things I never even considered when I embarked on this "transom" rebuild.

I like the PVC tube idea, but my model doesn't have recessed rod boxes so the clearance just isn't there. I went with a larger fuel tank so the clearance isn't there either. I could probably go under the forward fish box along with the spare 20 gallon gas tank. Not a fan of putting another 200 lbs that far forward but heck, when I hit the gulf stream I typically have (6) 5-gallon tanks of gas in the bow and it hasn't been a problem yet.

Crap, I don't want my auxiliary fuel tank near my batteries. Gotta keep thinking.

Really though, its alot of fun. I tell her "leave me alone," I'm going to work on the boat like its my job or something, gotta remind myself its a hobby.

And Ridge, on the subject of fiberglass, it sure is easy to get carried away when "another layer will make it that much better." I've told myself that too many times.

are we related? lol!!! you sound just like me!!!! Read my first 6 posts,I was very adimit on making this a work style boat and now im adding leds and trying to make my own underwater lights!!!! and Im painting it with interlux perfection instead of interlux brightside. so my upgrade list keeps getting more and more expensive. And I keep adding more and more.

:clap:Hats off the tartuffe and kracker jack!!...man there is some serious rebiulding goin' on around here...

And hey, tartuffe...wouldn't it be great if we could drawa paycheck for all the hours we put into these things!!...:sun:

Ridge, when you reinstalled those outside bulkheads, how did you attach them?

I've done 2 of the 10 by bedding them in PB with a nice filet and then applying 3 layers of 17 oz biax (epoxy) at 4", 6" and 10" widths. Reading more I see the guru's on other sites saying foam bedding of bulkheads. Beginning to second guess if I should do the others like that or carry on with what I am doing.

Anybody else have an opinion or advice? Keep in mind there are 5 of these down each side going from the top of the stringers to about 5" above the chime and over 2 strakes.

Also, when you replaced the cap, did you put a layer of putty over the grid as was done originally? If so what did you use? I'm thinking I may want to be able to remove this cap again one day.....in 30 years.

PB?

PB=mix of resin, cabosil and chopped strand fibers mixed together in quantities that bring the mix to an overall consistency of peanut butter although mine is probably more like jam.

Time for an update and a few pics. I wish I had taken a few of the structural work prior to the flip but there will be time for that later. I've glassed in the stringers and the grid outside of the stringers leading to the chine. All the wood for the anchor storage, additional hull support near the bow and storage compartments and supports is cut and shaped for moving the batteries just forward of the console under the sole. The transom is about 85% fair, pretty smooth but will need a couple small areas touched up.

The hull is flipped at this point and the first coat of Interlux A2000 E is on. Now I will start with fairing the strakes and filling and rounding the knicks on the chines, then 4 more coats of 2000, sand with 80 grit followed by Interlux VC Perfomance. Above the waterline will be primekote followed with Mauritius blue.

Now the bad part. Seems I can't catch a break. What I thought was isolated soft spots in the sole turns out to be the entire thing. See pics. I've ordered 1/2" divynicell that will be here week after next. Now to build an additional platform for the sole to rest on that will not allow the unreinforced sole to warp. Yee-Haw

Couple more pics. I put the cap on the trailer so that I could work on this back home so I can appease the ms. with a little face time. :fight:

Absoulutely beautiful work!!!!! The PO on my boat had aborted the floor so bad with "home depot" resin and cloth on mine that I decided to tackle my sole core issue from the topside. Your kicking some @$$!!!!! gitt'er done!!!!:beer:

I "bedded" or "glued" my sole ply down with resin thicked with cabosil(no chop strand). I sanded my stringer surface and my bildge side surface of my ply were my stringers hit with like a 50 grit paper ( I was trying to create a rough tooth to the glass for better adhesion)). I then filled a gallon ziplock bag with my thickened resin and cut the corner out creating a "cake decorating" bag to apply my mixture. I do all my fillets with the ziplock also, its cleaner and easy to apply. I also was able to screw my sole down, Im sure your trying to keep factory skin on your floor as best as you can with no screw holes.

Thank you for the comments Kracker. I have been trying to come up with a solution to bed the stringers to the sole from underneath doing this rebuild in this way. My thoughts are that once complete, insert the cap in the hull, do a test fit, then lift, "decorate" the tops of stringers and place the cap back in, then fill some bags with water to place even weight over the sole.

My primary concern is being able to lift the cap off in the future for any further modifications. I'm going to see what I can find/mix that will stick, just not really bond. I'm thinking poly resin/cab mix with no sanding to avoid an unbreakable bond.

I am trying something kind of new with the replacement in a rather non-traditional way. I weighed the time involved and thought this may test my fiberglass skills a little less by not having to tie all the original hatch lips/livewell into my new floor. We shall see.

Time to post more pics. I've been rebuilding using divynicell H80 1/2" foam board. Lots of grinding to get all the rot and not quite rot off. Getting the platform to make the floor completely flat took a little more than I was anticipating but it is FLAT. Bags of water were to distribute weight across the foam board to get a nice bond between the original deck skin and the foam.

Two layers of 1708 will cover it all.

Here is a pic that shows the 1/2" thick aluminum plates to bolt the t-top to as well as a profile of the divynicell. Another pic is the foam board all pre-cut and ready to be removed to lay a layer of PB and place back on.

tarfulle were did you get your windshield? and what kind of cost did you encure? mine is split down the middle and sure would like to have a new one if cost was not to much. thanks

http://www.updplastics.com/wellcraft...indshields.htm

They are as cheap as $147 if you get the 1/4" thick acrylic. The link above takes you to the Wellcraft windshields.

Updated Pics
http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachme...31-website.jpg

http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachme...34-website.jpg
http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachme...36-website.jpg
http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachme...37-website.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...75656691_n.jpg
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...00488853_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...51731434_n.jpg

Pics above show 6 coats A2000 primer on hull bottom along with 4 coats of Primekote on the sides. I alternated between grey and white A2000 so I could see how many layers I was sanding through. Each coat of Primekote was block sanded with 220 grit.

I finished replacing almost all the wood in the cap with divynicell and decided to insulate my forward fishbox while I was at it. Built a mold, lined it with cellophane and filled with 2LB expanding foam. Then I shaped it to accommodate the stringers. What you don't see is that I painted it with white epoxy resin.

Then back to painting. Used Interlux Perfection and IT WAS A *****! I rolled and tipped 7 coats while handsanding with 320 grit between coats. Each time it was different problem. Ended up building a tent with a ventilation system and shooting it. Finally great finish. Put 3 coats of Performance VC on the bottom and now just a little hand sanding to get it glossy on the transom and at the bow and that phase of the project will be done.

Gorgeous:nice:

How did I miss this?? Amazing work. Are you using polyester or epoxy resin? If you do not mind me asking, what does the divinycell cost?

Here is where I got my 1/2" H80 divynicell, think $128 for a 4 x 8 sheet. I went with this to save weight to make up for the extra resin I used. After bonding the H80 to the existing deck, I used 2 layers of 17 oz fabric and it is incredibly strong. Ended up using 3 sheets total for everything. I still need to recore the hatches with what I have left.
http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/Prod...materials.html

I've been using epoxy resin.

Thanks. Not as bad as i thought. Do you think I can use Divinycell for walls and roof on a pilothouse? Also rebuiliding the cuddy from scratch.

Absolutely. I made a 8" x 8" test piece using the original 1/8" fiberglass deck on one side and 2 layers of 17 oz on the other. I put it on the edge of my concrete steps and stomped on it expecting it to crack and darn near broke my ankle.

When they ship it they will cut it down in 2' x 4' sheets and whether you buy one or three shetts shipping costs the same.

Some pretty work there. Gotta be proud of that!

WOW!! She is beautiful! Cant wait to see her put together!