Hull Supports?

smiles16

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My floor repair has turned into a full resto, and now I am in the demolition process. In the process of digging up foam and rot, I am wondering what these boxes that run the length of the hull sides on the interior are for. I am assuming they serve the purpose of sidewall support/flotation foam storage.

My question is, can I do away with them when rebuilding or should I put it back like it was?

Also, what in the world is going on with this glass job? I've never glassed a stringer, but holy crap! This doesn't look right. Believe it or not, the area in the picture is the only portion that still has any decent wood in it.
 

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alldodge

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The box is there to transfer the load over a wider area. It needs support from one side to the other to keep the boat from squeezing together. When filled with foam it becomes more ridged. If you just went straight across in front of the tank then there is just two points to hold the sides. I would leave it there. As for the warper glass, that's from lack of quality in manufacturing

box.jpg
 

tpenfield

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It is best to build it back the way it was . . . more structure is fine, but less is not, as you will probably end up with a hull structure of insufficient strength. Keep in mind that there is not much strength in the hull itself, it relies on the stringers and bulkheads for strength.

The glassing job looks 'low-end', which is pretty typical. The glass layer over the wood structure is pretty thin, so once the wood rots away the glass lay will easily deform.
 

gm280

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Yes, it looks a mess. But that is the typical look with most boats as they are demo'ed for refurbishing. Now is the time to correct all those things as you rebuild it back to a quality boat again. And you will be totally amazing how solid it will become as you do replace such rotted things. Keep posting and asking questions. That is how it is done.
 

smiles16

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Thanks guys, I will put it back then.

If the INSIDE of the stringer form is in good condition, I am really leaning towards filling the skins with Arjay 6011.
 

smiles16

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I checked, and the stringer height is still even across the hull.
 

JASinIL2006

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Thanks guys, I will put it back then.

If the INSIDE of the stringer form is in good condition, I am really leaning towards filling the skins with Arjay 6011.

And pay lots of attention to how it's tabbed to the hull, making sure there isn't any delamination. That Arjay stuff looks pretty pricy... be a shame to pour in composite and have the fiberglass not attached to the hull securely.
 

tpenfield

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Thanks guys, I will put it back then.

If the INSIDE of the stringer form is in good condition, I am really leaning towards filling the skins with Arjay 6011.

Not sure if the arjay has the tensile strength that stringers and bulkheads will need. It is good with compression loads of a transom, just not sure about using it for stringers.
 

smiles16

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"Not sure if the arjay has the tensile strength that stringers and bulkheads will need. It is good with compression loads of a transom, just not sure about using it for stringers."

I had never considered checking the tensile strength. I will contact the rep again and ask. He claims the 6011 has become a common product for stringer repair, but then again, he is trying to sell a product. The numbers won't lie.

"And pay lots of attention to how it's tabbed to the hull, making sure there isn't any delamination. That Arjay stuff looks pretty pricy... be a shame to pour in composite and have the fiberglass not attached to the hull securely. "

I planned on digging out one stringer and pouring acetone in the inner skins to see if leaks past the tabbing. If this fails, I will just go old school. Would you agree this is a decent test?
 

Woodonglass

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I would strongly advise you NOT to use the old stringer channels. The Arjay material is fine for stringers, been done several times by others here on the forum. However it is necessary for it to be strongly attached to the hull via glass laminations. No matter what you attempt to clean the old ones they will not adhere well to to poured in material. You need to remove the old channels, make forms for the stringers, pour in the material, remove the forms and then glass them in just like wood stringers. This is a lot of extra work and money but will ensure never needing to replace the stringers. Personally, I prefer to just use wood. If they are fabricated, installed, and maintained properly they'll lat as long as the boat. Wood stringers usually rot and decay due to either improper installation and encapsulation or poor maintenance.

Start here...http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...as-traveler-restoration?p=4019057#post4019057

and then read the next 5-6 pages to see how this member did his pour in stringers. I believe he used SeaCast but Arjay is pretty much the same stuff.;)
 
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smiles16

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That was an interesting read. I believe if I was going to go through that much trouble, I'll just use wood as advised.

That link just brought another question to mind however. Should I be replacing a keel beam? This is a deep v boat, but the interior hull bottom is solid glass by the naked eye. False floor or solid glass?
 

tpenfield

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Tell us about this keel beam that you are referring to, as I did not see such in the picture

Most boats of this type are a solid fiberglass hull of about 5/16" thickness. Not sure what you mean by false floor. Some boat hulls have a cored hull instead of a solid hull.

Additional pictures along the way would help. I don't recall what brand/vintage ofboat this is. Not sure if that info was posted.
 

smiles16

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My question is do I have a keel beam? I've been reading a LOT of thread, so please bare with my confusion. The post woodnglass referred me to mentions replacement of a keel beam. Another post I read said the keel beam was located under the "false floor" referencing the bottom of the hull.

For reference, my boat is a 1986 Sea Sprite deep-v 17' bowrider with Mercruiser sterndrive.
 
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