1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

That is no problem. Use the Pb to fill the gap and make a nice coved fillet. It''' make tabbing the glass to the hull sides much easier.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I know this is a rookie question but; is there any reason why I couldn't just fill the gap with foam, then trim it off flush to the deck?

 

[oops!]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

yes you could.....but then you still have to attach the deck to the sides of the boat.....called tabbing.

the resin from the tabbing will melt the foam...you could use pour in foam.....(dont use the stuff in the can) and tape it off to form a barrier to the resin....but then you wont have a good bond to the edge of the deck or the hull....(under the tape on the edges)

peanut butter is still the best choice in this circumstance.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

Thanks Oops! That's the kind of knowledge I'm here to gain. PB it is!

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

Went to Lowes today and got two refidgerator boxes to make floor patterns with. I had to call a day in advance because they bale them up to recycle as soon as they remove the appliance from the box. That worked out pretty well. I've got all the templates made except for two smalls ones that go in the rear storage bins on each side of the engine. A 6' peice of 1/2" pvc pipe can easily be bent and works well for drawing the curve of the front floor section. Much like a "French Curve" from the old engineering drafting days. A razor knife box cutter works best for cutting and fitting the templates. The best part is I didn't have to buy any materials to make patterns with, and when I'm done I'll recycle to cardboard.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I know everyone says to use stainless steel screws to put the deck down with. How long do you recommend for a 1/2" deck? 1 5/8" was the shortest stainless screw I could find at Lowes. This seems a lot longer than necessary. They have a 1 1/4" exterior screw that is coated with Rust-o-leum that looks perfect. It claims a life time gaurantee. I was wondering about it?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I used regular old deck screws for both my projects. Worked fine. Lots of sizes there to choose from.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I bought 1 5/8" painted exterior deck screws that are gauranteed "for life". I plan to use 5200 to seal them when I put them in. I'm guessing that will serve me well. It's been too cold here in VA to do any more on the boat since this is a backyard project. I'm hoping for some decent temps this coming weekend so I can finish my floor templates and maybe get the panels cut out.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration



Well it's 37 degrees and blowing snow today but I just had to get some work done on this project since it's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to do anything on it. Today I used my card board templates and got my floor panels cut out. Next I need to lay them in the boat and check the fitting. I'll probably have to belt sand the edges here and there to get the proper fit. That will have to wait for a warmer day. I just can't deal with that cold wind. Once I get them fitted well, I think I'll lightly sand the MDO back side with 220 grit sand paper, paint with industrial oil base enamal, then I may spray it with rubberized under coating. This should pretty well water proof the bottom side. I'll post again when I get the floor panels in the boat.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

It was warm today, in the upper 50's, so I got a full day in on the boat. I got all my floor panels fitted into the boat perfectly! I'm pretty stoked about it. I tried uploading some pics the same way I have before, but for some reason it won't. I keep getting a little orange circle icon with an exclamation point in it. It acts like the file size is too big. I don't know why I just started having this problem, or how to fix it. Please help me out with this. I also did a bunch of sanding on the fiberglass that the floor will tab into. A word to the wise, always wear long sleeves when sanding glass. My arms are itching like crazy!

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

Somewhere ( I can't seem to find it today) there is a post describing a method for installing drainage under the deck to allow the inevitable water build up a way out. It utilizes pvc pipe to create channels under the foam that direct water to limber holes which drain to the bilge. The void areas are lined in plastic wrap so that the foam can later be pulled out in order to remove the pvc pipe and revealing the channels for water to follow. I plan on using this method, but have concerns about getting the foam back out after it has cured. Has anyone else tried this method?

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I'm going to prep my stingers now for the new deck. I will use 3M 5200 to seal all the old screw holes and then coat the tops with epoxy just so they are sealed up good. I will be installing PVC pipe inserts into my new limber holes. I'm wondering how best to glue these in and make a good seal. Should I use 3M 5200 for this, or epoxy?

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

Just found your thread and you asked about limber holes in the stringers.... I have that in my resto thread but didn't use pipe as channels. I used insulation foam in sheets so there are gaps for water to make it to the bilge.

I used 5200 to glue in the 1" pvc pipes

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I used 5200 to glue the pvc pipe inserts into the limber holes in my stringers. It worked perfectly! I used 1.25" pipe and the fit was so tight I had to hammer them in place. I then smeared a bead all around the edge on both sides of the stringer to seal it off. I used the remainder of the tube to seal up the screw holes and saw nicks in the stringer tops. I was impressed with the 5200. That seems to be pretty good stuff. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I hope to do some deck foaming this weekend. I will begin by creating some voids next to the stringers that will act as channels to direct any water to the limber holes. I plan to use a 1.5" pvc pipe to create this channel. I will lay plastic over the pipe and pour a small amount of foam to create a cast. Then remove the plastic and pipe and put the formed peice of foam in place in order to foam over it. My question is, will the foam stick to the sheet of plastic, or can I simply peel it off of the cured foam? Is there something I should put on the plastic to help it release? Thanks.

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

I had a thought about this.... How about a thick piece of rope coated in vasoline layed along the stringer,pour the foam in,let cure and pull the rope out..... I would let the end stick out at the bow area and pull from that end.

As far as a release agent.... Pam cooking spray??

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

yeah that might work. I've seen various ideas this being something I've researched quite a bit. I'm going to stick with my plan. I'll post some photos and let everyone know how it goes.

 

[tfret]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

According to US Comp, the slick sheet of plastic should peel off of the foam, so that's the plan I'm running with. Unfortunately they are calling for rain all weekend so I won't be able to try it until next week. So in the mean time I'm planning ahead for the next steps. I will need to seal the edge of the deck with PB. I remember seeing a recipe for this somewhere but can't seem to find it now. That woudl be something good to put into the tech tips links at the top of this forum. Anyway, would someone be kind enough to point me to a recipe? I also wondered if there might be some type of Bondo body filler that is off-the-shelf that I could use for this? Thanks

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

We don't recomend Bondo on boats..... oops thread has the pb recipe in the hull extension thread.....pretty much everything is in there

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=234392

A little tip thats in my thread.....make PB mixture..... Put in gallon Ziploc bag....cut the tip and use it like an icing bag to fill gaps....use a big metal spoon dipped in acetone to smooth and cove the filler.... makes a nice fillet so you can glass it better and easier. Fiberglass doesn't like to make sharp 90 degree bends.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1984 Dixie ski boat floor restoration

This oughta do it for you...
How to make Peanut Butter