Rebuild Repower

[Slightly_Twisted]

So hey guys it’s been a few few months and ALOT has happened since I last posted. Well just not that much to the boat. I was informed as I was dismantling the boat that our basement was getting finished this winter... by me. We also were putting in a 60 by 20 garden. Only problem with that is we live on the side of a valley so we have NO level ground, 120 tons of fill/topsoil later, fencing, tilling, etc I finished that. The basement was next.... so 6 months later I can restart on the boat. Well during that time a mouse condo started in the boat . They ate EVERYTHING!! All the new wiring, the entire cuddy was destroyed, and the largest nest I have ever seen was in the cuddy floor.

After seeing the destruction I had to come up with a new plan. I was perry down and didn’t document much until now. So the new plan.

1. Cap had to come off to get to the mouse condo in the cuddy floor
2. Since I was there the strings under the cuddy might as well come out and replaced.
3. Rip out all the wiring (all new as of two years ago)
4. The bracket I was getting got sold under my nose to another guy, so I am going in deep and doing my own.

So as of today I’m ready to start rebuilding.

[Slightly_Twisted]

More pics
So to explain the photos a bit.

I had some older light poles I used as a make shift crane. Didn’t take any photos but lifted the cap off. Not that bad.

Put it in the garage and blocked it up really good. I have 5 keel contact points and 4 on each side of the keel. Started cutting and grinding, man I hate that. Got everything smoothed out and ready for new glass.

I decided to use wood as I can got it out here easily, all the composites plus shipping was so expensive I couldn’t do it. Made the new transom will do two layer for 3/4 marine ply tabbed in with 6in then 12in 1708 tape and then two full covering sheets.

[Slightly_Twisted]

Testing fitting the transom wood I found I couldn’t get the curve correct. The wood was stronger then the glass. Everything I tried bent the existing transom glass to the wood and distorted the transom. after trying 4 or 5 different ways I ended up settling on drilling 13 holes through the boat and wood with a full sheet of the 3/4 in plywood backer plate on the outside of the transom. I then took some 1/2 threaded rod and made my own bolts that had continuous threads. I’ll have to do the two layer of wood separately so I can bend the wood to the transom and not distort the glass. What a pain in the a$$ but I will match the curve. Going to get the first layer on tomorrow morning. Will bed with thicker resin and glass dust. Feels sooo good to start putting things back IN and not ripping them apart!!!

[Myfathersson]

Looking good. I plan to pull the cap on my '87 Center Console in the next several weeks to replace the stringers. Watching your thread for inspiration! - Greg

[phatdaddy]

Nice job ST. Looks like you ve got a great place to work in, that s a big part of it. Keep the pics flowing

[Slightly_Twisted]

Thanks Greg, the hardest part of pulling the cap for me was getting the balance point right. Took a block and tackle, and three come-alongs.

I do most of the work myself, do I was able to con my pops over tonight to get the first transom core board in. Didn’t take that long at all.

Coated both the hull and the plywood with regular catalyzed resin, let the tack up. Took about 15 mins then mixed up a lot of thickened resin spread it out with a 1/4 inch trowel and bolted it to on. We got a really good amount squeeze out the sides so I’m sure there are no air pockets. Used what squeezed out to fill the gap around the ply and the hull.

We are going to let it sit over night then repeat tomorrow. I’ll let it cure for 3-4 days after and start on the stringers.

[Slightly_Twisted]

Everything actually went to plan this morning. The bolts where harder to get out then I thought so that was a pain but not a problem. Interesting the PB squished out to the bolt holes like I planed, the interesting thing was the mixture was so hard that it threaded the holes. I couldn’t break them out I had to unscrewed them. That made me feel real good about the bond and PB mixture I used.

The next layer was just a repeat from the first. I had two options
1. PB and same bolts
2. Layer of 1708 instead of the PB.

Others know way better them me about the pros and cons of both, but I decided that first one came out so well I was going to repeat the exact same process.

I think I will add a third layer of tabbing when I glass the transom in. So I’ll do 6in, 10in,12in, two full sheets of 1708. All hot coated to make sure I get a chemical bond on all the tabbing.

I’m going to give it a few days to cure then mix up more PB to fill the gaps and add a better radius to the wood hull joint. I’m going to try the PB in a plastic bag with the corner cut off, masonry style and see how that works.

[Pipe_Dream]

Keep it up!