I have returned... with a Starcraft this time!

[GA_Boater]

The BFH - My favorite tool. What is it with us old farts and Tin?

Did you have many styrofoam bubbles floating around in the rain water? I had the stuff plug bilge pumps - It's just a PITA. Go with blue or pink sheets. I'm not a fan of noodles for flotation.

A quart of Gluvit should be fine. Only rivets and seams need it.

 

[BWR1953]

Making slow progress... but progress! (The health stuff has been beatin' my butt lately.)

Got most of the trash & foam out of the boat a few days ago. Went out this afternoon with a break-off type utility knife and carved the poured foam out of the bow. Went pretty easily actually. Just need to finish cleaning with the pressure washer to get a good idea of what needs to be done to make the boat ready for Gluvit.

I did find some broken rivet pieces in the junk in the dirt, so will be examining each and every rivet for integrity. I've never done anything with rivets before so will need some guidance as I go along.

And I still haven't figured out the best/easiest way to remove the screws that were holding the deck down. They're visible sticking up on the keel stringer and ribs.

But it certainly looks different than it did a week or so ago!

 

[GA_Boater]

I soaked with Liquid Wrench for a while and used vice grips on my screws,

 

[BWR1953]

The BFH - My favorite tool. What is it with us old farts and Tin?

Did you have many styrofoam bubbles floating around in the rain water? I had the stuff plug bilge pumps - It's just a PITA. Go with blue or pink sheets. I'm not a fan of noodles for flotation.

A quart of Gluvit should be fine. Only rivets and seams need it.

Yeahh... there were plenty of styro bubbles. Still some floating in the bilge area even now. But the shop vac should take care of 'em.

 

[BWR1953]

I soaked with Liquid Wrench for a while and used vice grips on my screws,

I do have some Liquid Wrench. Will use that. Am thinking of using my big electric drill to try to remove the screws. Will attempt to mount the chuck down over one and tighten it down good and tight with the chuck key and see if I can reverse it out. Might work? LOL

 

[g0nef1sshn]

For the sringers id grind the off and punch them out. The ribs i would try like mentioned above.

 

[BWR1953]

A few more pix before the cleanout... including tiny bubbles.

 

[Decker83]

Hope you get to feeling better..
If you can get a bite on the screw the drill may work.. Good ideal..
I would not grind off any of the screws in the boat.. The metal dust from grinding will get all over and in the boat..
If you don't remove the dust 100% completely, it will rust..

What are you going to fiberglass?
You can use 1708 biaxial.. It has 3/4 oz mat on 1 side and a biaxial weave on the other.. This is what most
of the glasser's use for there transoms..
Take a look at my deck boat thread.. Have tons of info there..

 

[BWR1953]

Hope you get to feeling better..
If you can get a bite on the screw the drill may work.. Good ideal..
I would not grind off any of the screws in the boat.. The metal dust from grinding will get all over and in the boat..
If you don't remove the dust 100% completely, it will rust..

What are you going to fiberglass?
You can use 1708 biaxial.. It has 3/4 oz mat on 1 side and a biaxial weave on the other.. This is what most
of the glasser's use for there transoms..
Take a look at my deck boat thread.. Have tons of info there..

I'll just be glassing the transom. I read about the 1708 biaxial but wondered if the mat was appropriate in that application. I don't want to build up extra thickness there, right?

 

[Decker83]

The 1708 will add about 1/16 to 3/32" thickness.. If you try to use a cloth without the chop strand mat, it will not hold..
Why do you want to glass the transom for? Most of the tin heads use epoxy or spar on the transom..
I think I am going with the spar on mine..

 

[BWR1953]

The 1708 will add about 1/16 to 3/32" thickness.. If you try to use a cloth without the chop strand mat, it will not hold..
Why do you want to glass the transom for? Most of the tin heads use epoxy or spar on the transom..
I think I am going with the spar on mine..

I'm planning on using 3/4" plywood doubled up to 1.5" thick glued and screwed together to match the current transom size. Then I'll encapsulate the transom with the fiberglass and epoxy. Should be super strong and last 20 - 30 years. eep:

 

[Decker83]

If you use the epoxy you will need to use the 1708 without the mat. The mat is not made for epoxy.
The epoxy by itself will make it last for your grandchildrens life time..

 

[Decker83]

You can also use just the cloth with epoxy and not the 1708.. The 1708 is stronger than just cloth..

 

[BWR1953]

If you use the epoxy you will need to use the 1708 without the mat. The mat is not made for epoxy.
The epoxy by itself will make it last for your grandchildrens life time..

Yah. Epoxy be strong stuff! I use it all the time for my RC planes. lane:
And once to glue a broken head bolt back in a motorcycle... shhh!!! :laugh: :twitch:

 

[BWR1953]

Gluvit and 17 oz. fiberglass cloth ordered.

Can I get epoxy from my local big box store?

What rollers, brushes, pots, etc. should I get while there?

 

[GA_Boater]

I think the Big Boxes only carry poly. And it's not good because it doesn't have the strength of epoxy. Also not good for head bolts.

 

[BWR1953]

Progress is slow but intermittent! :lol: (Been dealing with other stuff, including the health issues which slow me down. Spent all day at the VA yesterday. Ugh.)

I did get the rusted drywall screws out this morning with the help of my 9 y.o. stepson. Used both the vice grip and drill methods. When the screws were really tight and stubborn, the drill worked best. Otherwise, the vice grips were quicker. The boy especially liked using the big drill. Then we rinsed the hull again. Looking better all the time. Even my wife says so! :thumb:

Received the Gluvit and fiberglass cloth this week.

Next step is to go buy a nylon cup brush (or two or three) so that I can begin sanding the inside of the hull. I already have the stainless steel type cup but after reading a number of posts here, I decided that I don't want those little bits flying off and sticking into my legs, thank you very much!

I'll be pulling the boat off the trailer in order to use the Gluvit. And while that cures I'll work on the trailer itself. Just need to do a little touch-up stuff.

Am thinking of making some limber holes in the transom knee brace as shown in the pic below. I'd have aluminum tube welded in so that water can pass through from the starboard side to the port side where the drain hole is located. Anyone ever done that? Thoughts on the concept?

 

[Watermann]

On to the hull repair stage, one of the most time consuming if it's done correctly you should have a dry boat. Be sure not to overlook the main area where leaks are most common, the keel! (don't ask me how I know this :cold

So what's the plan with the fiberglass cloth?

Boring a couple holes in the knee brace could weaken it and possibly give it new places to start cracking. Aren't you going to install a bilge pump? Water will ALWAYS find level no matter what.

 

[BWR1953]

On to the hull repair stage, one of the most time consuming if it's done correctly you should have a dry boat. Be sure not to overlook the main area where leaks are most common, the keel! (don't ask me how I know this :cold

So what's the plan with the fiberglass cloth?

Boring a couple holes in the knee brace could weaken it and possibly give it new places to start cracking. Aren't you going to install a bilge pump? Water will ALWAYS find level no matter what.

I did buy a couple nylon abrasive cup brushes today and just went out a few minutes ago and did a little test using one with my cordless drill. Pretty weak. LOL.

Also bought a flat style abrasive wheel as well, so will be testing that too. Might have to use my big 1/2" hammer drill in order to get those abrasive wheels to really work. Nothing like a bigger hammer!

And somewhere around here I have a couple other options too. Will be experimenting with those also. A dry boat is my goal! :witless:

The fiberglass is to encapsulate the transom wood once I get to that point. Gonna make it STRONG!

Regarding the knee brace; I was thinking in terms of not just cutting a couple of holes, but to also weld in a thick wall aluminum tube that would go all the way across to the other side of the brace, completely welded in place. Strength should be fine that way.

Yes, I plan on putting in a bilge pump on the starboard side, mounted to the knee brace. The problem is that there is NO level place anywhere on my property! Yes, water will always find its own level, but that's always downhill from something around here! :laugh:

 

[BWR1953]

Made some more progress this morning. Hope to do even more this evening after it cools down outside... if it doesn't rain. Getting to be that time of year when we get afternoon rains pretty much every day. By the end of this month and on through all of August you can pretty much set your watch to the afternoon storms.

Pix # 2 & 6 show some pitting that I've found so far. I'm thinking that I need to fill such pits with JB Weld before using the Gluvit. Would that be the correct procedure?

And pic # 5 shows what looks like a factory defect. The metal doesn't go all the way to the stern at the transom. This is the location of the biggest leak that we found when doing the water fill test. What's the best way to fix that?