It has begun!

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Anyone have an idea on removing the tank? Any help would be great.

 

[BrandonHa]

Re: It has begun!

When we removed our fuel tank there was 4 blocks holding it in. This is a Moeller after market tank that is 29 gallons. You can see in the pictures how the tank is shaped so that the notches in the top of it hold the blocks. The previous owner did not do a good job of glassing these blocks in.

I think he might of actually used bondo. A good hit with the hammer knocked them blocks off. Our tank was over 3/4 full and we had to drain it in order to be able to lift it. I think its 6 pounds per gallon and they are not really that easy to grip.

Can you get anything like a strap underneath it?

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

I don't think I can get anything under it. Theres not much room around the tank. There is nothing holding it in that i can see. It is a metal tank. I will tryt draining it and see where that gets me. Thank you. I may try to get a strap under it but it doesn't look promising.

 

[redfury]

Re: It has begun!

I'd get that fuel out of there before you do much of anything else, just to eliminate the weight of the tank from being the issue. The tank really shouldn't be glued in place, the issue is the tank shifting and sliding when it's permanent. If it's not going anywhere because of the tightness of the fit, then it's likely that and the fuel weight that is giving you fits.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

So I was just at US composites.com and is this the product that everytone is using for their decks? (DBM 1708 Knytex Biaxial) If so that is used with either the Epoxy or Poly resin? Also, Will any spray in expanding foam work to reinforce the hull? If I so choose to that? I may just layer up a layer of 1708. I just found out (Thanks again OOPS) that the foam in the seat bases was also structural. I am guessing not hull integrity wise but so the seat didn't give out. I will rebuild the seat bases stronger so I can leave out some of the foam and make some storage areas in the bases.

 

[BrandonHa]

Re: It has begun!

Sent you a PM...

 

[BrandonHa]

Re: It has begun!

Our whole boat was foam and besides being water logged it was solid as a rock and road like a champ. You know when you are running and there is a little chop on the water how you can feel the boat kind of slapping down on the waves?

This is my first foam filled boat but it rides (or road?) really good. That slapping down on the chop was non existent from all the foam in the bow. May 23rd was the last day I had ours on the water before the deconstruction. The motor had pretty much given up and we were dead in the water underneath the hwy 395 bridge on Roosevelt. It was pretty rough, a good 2 maybe 3 foot chop. The pillars from the bridge had the waves breaking on us from 3 directions and we had lost all power at that point.

Some fellas in front of us did a 180 to come and get us. They were getting tossed around pretty good and my boat hardly moved. I attribute it to the solid foam. I gotta remind myself though that it was extremely water logged (had no idea at that point) and that added a lot of extra weight to it.

I am adding another layer of glass to the inside of the hull and putting foam back in it. Maybe I am glutten (sp?) for punishment after seeing how hard it is to replace the foam on a water logged boat. I will post in a few months after its done and tell you if it was worth the trouble.

If all goes well I am going to pass on the plywood and go with a composite deck to. I bought a gallon of Polyester Resin, its what fiberglassupply.com sells. Its very nice to work with compared to the cheaper junk (another story, but lesson learned for me). But I also bought a gallon of West Systems epoxy with the 206 slow hardener. Also the additive to help it be a better adhesive. I dont recall the number but could look tomorrow if you want. West System epoxy kicks butt. I am using it every chance I get. Its expensive but man is it EASY to work with. Get the pumps and mix 1:1, super simple and the slow hardener for this time of year is fantastic.

I have not tried the MAS epoxy yet, but I have also heard its pretty good. I know its much cheaper then the West System.

I am going to be vacuum bagging everything I can get fit in a bag Even if I cant, I will use epoxy on everything that allows it.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

I am on vacation this week so we will see how much gets done on the boat.

I was out looking at the boat yesterday and noticed the outboard is closer to the starboard splashwell drain hole than to the port side by 1/4 inch or more. Previously I had noticed that the boat upon decileration would list to the starboard side momentarily. Could this be caused by the motor being off center?

 

[petermarcus]

Re: It has begun!

Gas is a little over 6 pounds per gallon, so it depends how much gas you have.

When I removed my tank, I took the deck off, then carefully cut the glass sprayed over each side, then lifted it from the gas-intake port. I had 12 gallons of gas in (out of a 35 gallon tank), so the gas sloshed as I was tipping it and actually helped me stand the tank up.

If there was more gas, I don't know if I could have lifted it by myself as it would probably have been fighting me instead of helping me.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

I know i have asked this before but.....I have the old foam out of the seat boxes and it is dry. I want to reuse it. I was told that I can reuse any and all foam that is dry. My question now is can I use that old foam under the deck? And will it give the structural reinforcement to the hull that is needed? Can I adhere it to the hull somehow? and if so what is best to use?

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

HELP!!!!

I was doing some more grinding yesterday and I have to say the flapper pad is the way to go. I have seen on here that some people drill holes for drainage into the bilge are from the sealed parts of the hull under the deck. I decided this is a good plan. I took a 1 1/8 inch hole saw and started drilling. The wood plug seemed solid but it was wet. Please don't tell me new stringers are a must. The stringers and transom are solid. I can tap on the transom with a screwdriver handle and it's solid. Same with the stringers. PLEASE advise.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Anyone? Help on above post. I would hate to assume the silence means new stringers. Thank you in advance for advice.

 

[petermarcus]

Re: It has begun!

Most wood rot comes from a fungus which needs water somewhere in the wood. If the wood is wet, you'd have to question if a microscopic fungus spore got in too. If so, then it will eventually rot out every bit of wood, no matter how well you seal it back up again. It'll be nice and solid now, you'll put your new deck over it, then munch,munch,munch, the stringers will go, and the transom too if there's wood-on-wood contact between the two.

http://www.livingwithbugs.com/dry-rot.html

A lot of us have been there, and I'm there now. Transom out, one stringer out, the other coming out today. I really hoped I wouldn't have to, and about 75% of the wood in my stringers is solid wood, but I know if I don't, I'll be going through this all over again.

 

[redfury]

Re: It has begun!

The problem is, the Fiberglass encases the wood, the moisture wicks up the grain and can't get back out. It sits there, fungus ( previously mentioned ), plus heat and cold cycles eventually break the wood down.

Now, if the stringers are made out of glass in such a way as they are the strength of the stringer itself, then the wood doesn't matter as much, but you have to know for sure that the glass in and of itself is going to be strong enough to support the stresses the hull will throw at it. Plenty of stringers made with foam cores.

The bigger problem is the transom....unless it's solid fiberglass, the wood is definitely structural...always.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Okay so I have siphoned out the gas and still can't budge the damn thing. Does anybody on here have any idea on how to get the fuel tank out of this boat?

 

[petermarcus]

Re: It has begun!

Can you take a picture of it? Does it have bulkheads in front and behind it? It might be possible to pull out a bulkhead and see if you can lift the tank (gently) with a pry bar and see if it budges. They might have set it on the tank supports when the glass was still tacky.

Edit: How big is the tank?

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

It has been awhile since I have posted on my thread. I havn't had much time to work on the project and tell you the truth I am losing my drive. It seems like everytime I try to work on it I feel as though I am over my head. I keep reading other posts and then get worried about whether I am doing it right. I know I am probably taking some short cuts but finances are tight in this economy and don't want this to be a 2 or 3 year project. My fear at this time is the transom. It feels very solid and I can't even push a screwdriver into it at the drain plug buy some moisture does seep out when pressing, so I know there is water in it. How can this be dried out? My wife wants me to take some core samples which i told her i would do tomorrow. If it turns out bad does anyone want to buy a bayliner?. Just joking. I really do love the boat and the restore wouldn't be that bad if I had a garage and could work on it through the winter. About how much does an 85hp outboard weigh anyway? Just in case I have to remove it to get the cap off. Would I be able to just raise the back end of the cap? How do you get the transom out if most of it is still good? I don't want to damage the exterior of the boat. Here are my range of emotions when working and thinking about these things. :redface: . any and all help is always appreciated. Thank you, scott

 

[redfury]

Re: It has begun!

I havn't had much time to work on the project and tell you the truth I am losing my drive. It seems like everytime I try to work on it I feel as though I am over my head.

Everyone feels the same way, you are not alone! It's just a simple lack of confidence that comes with inexperience. Remember when you first started to drive? The highway was a big scary place. I bet it isn't anymore.

I'll tell you this, no matter what ends up happening with your project in the end, the one thing you WILL end up with, is experience. There is no such thing as bad experience.

It's easy to lose the ambition to keep chugging along, especially when your conditions aren't convenient. Heck, I started my project in a mobile home and moved it up to my garage-less house and have just flipped my hull by myself using some ingenuity and some trees ( and a little trial and error ).

Honestly, flipping the hull worried me..it's a big ol piece of something that if handled wrong could either get damaged severely, or hurt me severely. I had a near miss by using questionable equipment on the first attempt.

The point is, don't lose faith! And the line I've been using lately on my customers and myself is this....

Don't make a decision you will regret later. Look at the boat, if it's worth it to you to do the transom, then do the transom and not regret it later. If the boat isn't worth much to you other than just being a boat, then decide that way. There were times where I just thought to myself that I should just not worry about flipping my hull and throw the boat back together and just go use it as is and paint it later. Problem is, I'd never end up painting it later, and I'd end up with this ugly boat that was solid as a rock ( that floats ). So, I flipped the hull last night and I'm not regretting it. I would have if I hadn't.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Okay I drilled some 3/8 diameter holes about 1/2 inch or so deep into the transom. Here are some pics. Tell me what you think. The shavings are moist not real wet. and the wood is still hard to drill through. Is there any way to dry this out. As mentiomed before it is solid. No flex any where that I could see or feel.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: It has begun!

Guys, any thoughts on above???????

Also. What is the minimum working temp. for working with Poly resin? I know it's a chemical reaction that cures the poly but not sure if outside temp. is going to affect it or how much.

Thank you. Scott