1995 Larson 174 SEI Complete Rebuild

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
ok, stupid question Mike. Why the plastic? doesn't the gelcoat cure by itself? What plastic are you using? I have seen some people using plastic over the stringers to hold the 1708 in place on the top. Can it stay there until it cures and won't stick?

Like WOG said above its to fully cure the final layer, but I did add wax to the final coat but wasn't taking any chances this time and did plastic as well over the main floor because I want to work in there now. I am probably going to leave the plastic down for now to prevent any damage from me moving around with tools and such as a precaution. Plus i know there is still dust and stuff trapped in hard to reach places that's going to get disturbed as i start to put things back together.
 

Chris51280

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jan 24, 2018
Messages
897
So that's why the wax is applied to seal it so it will cure. What plastic is used to wrap it? Does the kitchen plastic wrap do?
 

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
So that's why the wax is applied to seal it so it will cure. What plastic is used to wrap it? Does the kitchen plastic wrap do?

All are different options for creating a air barrier. You can add surfacing wax to the gel coat, it comes to the surface after its laid down to create a barrier. Or you can put something over the gel coat like plastic or you can spray PVA. PVA is a spray that solidifies to create a barrier that can be washed away later. Lastly there is laying down regular plastic. You can use kitchen wrap if you want but you can get a 9'x12' drop plastic for $3 at the hardware store.
 

mickyryan

Rear Admiral
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
4,210
I had some soft material once and took a heat gun and went over it to warm it up and it hardened right out , not sure if that would have helped you but it worked for me:)
 

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
I had some soft material once and took a heat gun and went over it to warm it up and it hardened right out , not sure if that would have helped you but it worked for me:)

Everything is all good now, I was actually going to try this before deciding to just do another layer. I really decided to do another layer because it seemed like the pigment had changed a little bit even though i had mixed my two gallon jugs together before starting and didn't want to see the big difference.

I got in and set the gas hatch in place and walked around in there a bit and man it is nice.
 

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
For a change of pace I busted out the heat gun and eraser wheel and removed the 90's graphics and pin stripping. I have a plan to update the outside a bit to match the new color scheme on the inside plus this will allow me to wet sand and buff all the scratches out of everything else. I also got inside and started to clean up the wiring. I want to remove all the excess wire and tidy up the wire harness. I found a few bad patch jobs and bare wires.

 

Timr71

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Messages
326
Thanks WOG, there not perfect and parts of it are killing me to look at but I just tell myself she's not a show boat. I have seen much better work than mine on here that's for sure.

My interior is not perfect either, and I could've spent more for sure, but it does look good and it's more than functional. And, I don't have a heart attack with my kids and their friends eating chips and drinking drinks in the boat. So that's worth the trade off. Do you really want a show boat??? that you'll use to play with your family?
 

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
Spent the last couple days trying to finish the interior pieces. Got the bench back board covered with batting and vinyl then carpet where the storage compartments are. Came out pretty nice.



Then it was time to set everything in the boat so I could measure for the middle bench seat and the piece between the seats and sun deck. Got the wood cut and coated the night before and last night got those pieces covered and set in place.



It looks so good. Still a lot to finish, most of the pieces need more staples to get the bottoms to look smooth. All the pieces still need the wood on the bottom covered and final edging done. I hope to get that and at least one bucket done this weekend.
 

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
Man is this bucket seat kicking my butt. It took all day but I got the first one close to being done. Not super happy with it but I guess they will do. Mostly because it looks exactly like what it is lol a back to back seat converted to a pedestal seat. Still need to do a few things but should be able to share tomorrow.
 

Mechanicalmike08

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
308
Well here are some pics of one of them. Its not 100% done but I am out of staples and still need to make edging. Its ok but there are some wrinkles and just overall not that thrilled with the look. The plan is to run edging around the backside where the panels meet. I want to find some cargo net or something to put across the back to make it into storage and look more natural. I think that will complete the look. Might be hard to find some off white netting. I think black will look bad.



 
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