99 Larson 186 SEI Ski-n-Fish Re-Deck Project

[QuickPuppy]

It?s only more work. I like your idea Jim. Thx.

 

[QuickPuppy]

Found a dehumidifier... boat is tented for the weekend just to see what comes out if it.

 

[Woodonglass]

I truly wish you well but...Experience has proven that once the foam becomes saturated with H2O there's nothing that can be used to dry it out.

 

[tpenfield]

I am thinking that tenting the boat with dehumidified hot air would have a few month to dry out the boat. Not sure you have the facilities to do this.

FWIW - I am rebuilding a sailboat right now that has/had some saturated foam in parts of the structure, not a lot, but some. I had the boat flipped upside down (don't ask how) in my garage for about 6 months. When I righted the boat, the foam was fairly dry, as water would not longer collect at the bottom of the hull as it did before. However, the foam that had been saturated is still decomposed to the point that it would not be good for structural strength of flotation. Even thoughh the foam is dry, I still plan on replacing it, because it is decomposed.

Keep in mind that the foam in a boat does both . . . structural and flotation.

Your boat looks pretty wet, so it is a judgement call as to if what is below deck can be saved, or if it is better/quicker/easier to cut it out and replace better than new.

 

[QuickPuppy]

I?ll likely be trying Jim?s idea next weekend. In the meantime, the dehumidifier is still working. Pulled about 2.5 gallons out so far.

 

[QuickPuppy]

Wire brush cup=Brilliant! Thanks for the idea Jim.

So today I scoured out foam from the stringers in the cockpit area. I used the rectangular holes that were there from the factory. I was able to get about 7-9" in all directions from where the holes are. I found that the wet slushy foam seemed to only be near the holes themselves, the rest seems dry.

I also cut back the tabs in the cockpit. The multi-tool does work very well for that job. For those that have done this job before... was the original deck just "glued" to the stringers with PB? I've only found one staple so far and the rest seems to be fiberglass. Did you take off the decking and then grind down the CSM to the smooth part of the stringer?

 

[JASinIL2006]

My deck was attached with PB and lots of staples. I ground the stringers until I had clean pink fiberglass. I didn?t try to clean the stringers completel down to the gelcoat. I attached my deck with PB and stainless steel screws, covered with PB over the screwheads.If you do the same, be sure to pre-drill the holes orcthe stainless screws snap off when you drive them.

 

[QuickPuppy]

Thanks again for the tips. Hopefully removing the last of the old deck and foam from under the hatch and front pass through tomorrow.
Anyone have suggestions on the best place to buy fiberglass supplies and foam? Also trying to figure out quantities. Anyone happen to have a materials list from their 18? redeck job?

 

[QuickPuppy]

Have any of you worked with ?King Starboard? polymer sheets? It?s pricey but seems like it may be less work than coating plywood with fiberglass. Thoughts?

 

[JASinIL2006]

You can get them from iboats. I bought mine from US Composites. If you can find a seller locally, you might save a lot on shipping.

 

[tpenfield]

What aspect of the re-build would you want to be using the King Starboard for? Not sure fiberglass or adhesives would stick to it very well. :noidea:

 

[QuickPuppy]

Thanks guys.

I was thinking about using it for the new deck. I just saw it yesterday as I was starting to look at deck cover materials... gelcoat, carpet, closed cell foam, etc...

 

[JASinIL2006]

Does Starboard even have enough strength? Aside from the problems of getting anything to stick to it, it seems like you'd need lots of extra structure under the deck to support the Starboard.

 

[tpenfield]

Probably would be too heavy and hard to work with. It is usually used for seat bases, bow pulpits, mounting plates, etc. rather than structural applications.

 

[QuickPuppy]

Good to know...

 

[QuickPuppy]

So some good news... I am almost done with the deck and foam removal. Found some more water in the foam under the rear deck. Tabs are cut as close as I can get so I'll grind the rest. Any tips on getting the carpet adhesive off of the sides?


...and some bad news... apparently I am no good at inspecting transoms. I tapped, rapped, poked and prodded all over this thing before I bought it and it seemed solid. On a whim, since I was already back under the hatch today, I jabbed at a spot behind some wires and hoses and "crunch". I started really jabbing at it all over and found a total of three rotten spots. Two of them are near where there are holes on either side. It looks like the transom on this boat is 1.5" It is only painted wood on the inside. Not quite sure where to go from here. Can the inside wood be replaced without cutting through the getcoat and fiberglass on the exterior?

 

[QuickPuppy]

Just spoke to John at Larson who said that the cap needs to come off to get the transom out. Oh joy.

 

[tpenfield]

Just spoke to John at Larson who said that the cap needs to come off to get the transom out. Oh joy.

And you thought owning a boat would be fun . . .

 

[JASinIL2006]

Just spoke to John at Larson who said that the cap needs to come off to get the transom out. Oh joy.

Sorry, that?s a bummer. Not the end of the world, but certainly more work.

The only thing Ifound that removed the carpet adhesive was my 4.5? grinder. I tried every solvent I could get my hands on... nothing worked.

 

[QuickPuppy]

I may end up patching it for now. I have several friends that put on bracing bars and plates to strengthen the existing transoms on thier boats and it worked for years. I don’t think mine is anywhere near failing yet so I think I’ll patch it up and brace it to keep it from worsening quickly. If I can get a few years out of it then it’?ll be worth it.