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ceasefire49

Recruit
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
2
Picked up a very cheap 1988 Rienell 18.5 with a 260 OMC Cobra and out drive the boat had been sitting for two years in Sacramento. Has a Dual axle trailer with surge brakes that is in like new shape. The owner bought it in 2007 but is a long haul driver and just didn't have the time to use it anymore and needed the space for his tractor. He informed me the hull was great and it is no dings or cracks but the transom and floors were soft so I took on the arduous task of removing the engine,Floor,foam,Transom and rotted stringers . Removed tank and discovered through all of this a previous owner(guy before the one I bought it from) had really botched the stringers and foam. The interior is in pretty good shape and ill be cleaning and touching up with SEM vinyl restorer. I am using the west system with the 407 low density filler for tabbing in and fillet on stringers I will be soaking everything in pretty good with epoxy. I am using marine wood for the transom of course using the west system with 1708. My question is I have noticed a few different ways to laminate the transom together.. One is to apply matting and epoxy to the side facing the transom and then one side matted between of course both of those sides with epoxy and clamped then I have seen both pieces that are clamped together with mat on each side and epoxied in before clamping then after applying filler tab and epoxy apply glass and more epoxy and then use filler. I called west system and they said I could also paint the transom with un thickened epoxy before I clamp the transom down. The other thing is when I got the wood off the transom I noticed a lead deal about as round as a quarter and about 3/8 inch protruding out. I made a relief cut in the template to accommodate that Whats its purpose. I paid 400 for the boat itself and will be putting a total of a grand into it when all is said and don. The trailer Is worth more then that. LOL. Ill be using the aero marine 4lb foam. Of course new bellow and seals are in the works.
 

boedekerj

Seaman
Joined
Jul 24, 2017
Messages
71
Greetings and welcome! I’m not completely sure im interpreting the picture, but I’ll take a crack at it. Most people build the thickness and shape of their replacement transom before gluing/securing to the existing outside transom skin. Have you removed the inside transom skin yet?
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,296
I think you are underestimating your budget. most transom/stringer/bulkhead/deck jobs are about $2-3K using poly. epoxy is about 50% more.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Yeah Your budget for full stringer, transom and deck replacement is 'WAY low. Check the 2nd link below for some good info on what you are about to undertake. You DON't have to use Marine Plywood and You DON'T have to use expensive epoxy. It's all explained in the link.
 

ceasefire49

Recruit
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
2
Yes I understand laminating first. Also I have bought the west system products and have purchase marine wood and non marine wood exterior grade for decking purchased 30 yards by 50 inch of 1708 at a discount for 55 Bucks on a close out. So far I have spent 650 on what I have to finish which includes the aero marine ballast foam plus 100 bucks for seals bellows etc. I am doing all the work myself. I did get a estimate of 3
k to do what I am doing but that included labor. What I am asking on the laminating is after doing a good surface prep on the transom glass should I paint the transom with unthickened epoxy before installing laminated transom and clamping it. I dont think I will be going over the 1k to finish this could be but it will be close.
 

kcon

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Dec 10, 2016
Messages
302
Howdy, interested in seeing some pictures! Always love watching what people get into on this forum. When you say West System products I'm interested to know which products exactly. If you went with West Marine 105 Epoxy, which is an excellent product, you should be aware of three things. 1: You didn't buy enough, 2: It's going to get expensive, 3: It's not really compatible with that 1708 fiberglass you said you bought. When I started my work in progress project, a small 17' boat, I thought one gallon of West System 105 would do, I must be on my 6th or 7th gallon now lol, granted I surely overused it in many cases! Anyway, cost wise I'm like $3-6k deep in materials alone, I never really kept count lol, just be aware you might need to spend a lot more to make this boat structurally safe.

To answer your question about laminating the transom might depend on if you're using poly resin or epoxy resin, but generally yes you you'd want to coat the transom in a thin layer of resin before laying it with fiberglass, the wood is going to sort of wick in some of that resin and you don't want it to pull it from what you used to lay the fiberglass, you'd want to let the layer of resin you put on the transom wood to tack up a bit before you lay the fiberglass.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
1708 can be used with epoxy but is totally not needed. The CSM stitched to the 17oz fabric does nothing more than soak up more of the expensive epoxy resin. You do realize that it takes.1 gallon of resin to wet out about 4-5 yards of 1708. MOST newbies use more resin than is required so the number goes up. I'd guesstimate that you'll need a minimum of 10 gallons of epoxy to do your boat and probably more like 15. Last time I checked it was running about $100 a gallon. You can use just about anything to thicken your epoxy for filleting and gluing the transom and setting the stringers. Heck you can use the dust from your wood sander or even Baby Powder Again read the 2nd link in my signature line below on how to install your transom. You don't need any fabric on the transom back prior to glueing it to the outer skin. What's your plan for clamping it in place?
 

ceasefire49Z

Seaman
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
56
Okay For some reason the forum did not recognize my name or email so I did this. Okay progress report. I installed The transom using three coats of epoxy on each side of the transom and outer skin last coat slightly thickened.. Clamped using the 2x deal with all thread that seems to be common. Then left clamped for three days removed. Holding well I put screws through existing holes for added binding. Then went inside double tabbed in the the wood and prior to that fillet was applied. Came back used the 1708 for 1st application. Came back and laid a 2nd layer the first layer was cut to add to the tabbing and overlapped it giving we a third tab, I have been told the hull depth(For omc Cobra out-drive install) should be 2.25 is this correct I have seen 2 and 1/8 discussed And different depths at the top and bottom. I want to make sure before I start coating the last layer of 1708 with the thickened epoxy. I have used1.5 Gallons of resin and nearly two qt cans of 206 hardener. So I have been getting good deals on ebay. Paid a total of 75 bucks for the Resin and hardener I just ordered and 20 bucks for a 12 oz deal of 207 filler.. so I am assuming Ill use another combo on top of that.
 

ceasefire49Z

Seaman
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
56
By the way I had a ton of wood and other materials available fro previous projects and I am going through those. So That and searching for good deals has really helped the cost like I said the 30 yards of 1708 at 50 bucks helped..
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,524
Okay For some reason the forum did not recognize my name or email so I did this. Okay progress report. I installed The transom using three coats of epoxy on each side of the transom and outer skin last coat slightly thickened.. Clamped using the 2x deal with all thread that seems to be common. Then left clamped for three days removed. Holding well I put screws through existing holes for added binding. Then went inside double tabbed in the the wood and prior to that fillet was applied. Came back used the 1708 for 1st application. Came back and laid a 2nd layer the first layer was cut to add to the tabbing and overlapped it giving we a third tab, I have been told the hull depth(For omc Cobra out-drive install) should be 2.25 is this correct I have seen 2 and 1/8 discussed And different depths at the top and bottom. I want to make sure before I start coating the last layer of 1708 with the thickened epoxy. I have used1.5 Gallons of resin and nearly two qt cans of 206 hardener. So I have been getting good deals on ebay. Paid a total of 75 bucks for the Resin and hardener I just ordered and 20 bucks for a 12 oz deal of 207 filler.. so I am assuming Ill use another combo on top of that.

Not sure if OMC is the same, but Merc specs transom thickness between 2" and 2.25".
 

ceasefire49Z

Seaman
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
56
Yea I saw Frisco boater on his merc and he had 2.25 at the bottom and 2.12at the top. I have also seen 2.22 all the way from top to bottom.i have also seen 2 inch. I am thinking the 2.25 at bottom and 2.125 at the top would do it.
 

kcon

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Dec 10, 2016
Messages
302
I'll be using regular resin on deck and front stringers. Epoxy on engine compartment

Be aware that Epoxy can bond to Polyester resin with ease, but polyester resin doesn't bond to epoxy so well.
 

ceasefire49Z

Seaman
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
56
some pics all the foam has been removed notice the weird stringer rebuild someone attempted and the crappy foam pour sucked.
Notice the short outer stringers maybe 12inches long tabbed into rotted stringer with redwood 2x attached and its is curved. The only portion touching anything is where it is tabbed in the rest is embedded in the foam. Everything removed and wood for where stringer was glassed in is all ground out. Anybody know what the actual stringer layout should be or was this it and the foam was the strength.
http://s1116.photobucket.com/user/ceasefire49/media/20180210_172646.jpg.html?o=4
 

ceasefire49Z

Seaman
Joined
Apr 3, 2018
Messages
56
all foam is gone
 

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