1987 18’ Wellcraft “restoration”

[pjbrownva]

Originally Posted by cjohnson82

I’ve never done any fiberglassing nor boat work previously...

Welcome!!! I'm lookin' forward to following your progress.

I haven't done much fiberglass work either, but I've *read* a lot about it.

One warning that I've seen is about the problems created by "hard spots".

Basically, having your support structures directly flush with the hull can be a bad idea. It creates a stress point that can amplify forces and cause problems.

Maybe some of the veterans can shed light on how much of this is a "nice to have" vs a "must have"... but I thought I'd share that concern now, so that you are aware of it.



Good luck and welcome!

-Philip


P.S. -- A quick google search lead to some postings on sail boat forums.

Part of one reads:

To avoid hard spots it is best if any perpendicular structure bonded to a hull does not actually meet it. Instead, there should be a small gap filled with a softer material like foam, balsa wood, or putty. The joint should also be nicely radiused with a wide fillet. This serves both to reduce stress in the area and to strengthen the bond generally, as the transition from one bonded surface to the other is more gradual. The wider the radiused angle, the stronger the bond will be and the less stress it will experience.

Source: https://wavetrain.net/2011/09/24/fib...ll-structures/

[Dana A]

I would not apply this Hard Spot theory on the stringers !

Remember this quoted post came from a sailboat forum and this is for "support structures" like bulkheads that go floor to ceiling to add support to the deck in a sailboat.

Originally Posted by pjbrownva

Welcome!!! I'm lookin' forward to following your progress.

I haven't done much fiberglass work either, but I've *read* a lot about it.

One warning that I've seen is about the problems created by "hard spots".

Basically, having your support structures directly flush with the hull can be a bad idea. It creates a stress point that can amplify forces and cause problems.

Maybe some of the veterans can shed light on how much of this is a "nice to have" vs a "must have"... but I thought I'd share that concern now, so that you are aware of it.



Good luck and welcome!

-Philip


P.S. -- A quick google search lead to some postings on sail boat forums.

Part of one reads:



Source: https://wavetrain.net/2011/09/24/fib...ll-structures/

[pjbrownva]

Originally Posted by Dana A

I would not apply this Hard Spot theory on the stringers !

Remember this quoted post came from a sailboat forum and this is for "support structures" like bulkheads that go floor to ceiling to add support to the deck in a sailboat.

And so I'm already learning!

Years ago, I had purchased a hard cover book about boat maintenance and fiberglass repair written by Don Casey who was a big player in providing info from Boat U.S. The book spoke about hard spots... but the book was also heavily focused on *sail boats*, so I heard the warnings, but didn't really know how to interpret it.

What @Dana A said, seems to make sense to me, but again, I've read a lot but not done very much, so I'm still trying to learn.

Intuitively, the comment seems to make sense to me... that the concept might be best applied to building essentially interior walls within a sailboat that support the deck... even if you call them bulk heads.

-Philip