1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

[Lukie46]

Hello everyone. This is my very first post. I am a do-it-yourself person. This is my very first boat restore and the first time that I will be working with fiberglass, so I am a bit excited and alot nervous. My boat project started like so many others that I have read. It started with a soft floor at the rear of the boat on the drivers side. It then turned into a rotten stringer and then a rotten middle transom (3-piece), and so on. I have now removed two-thirds of the wood in my boat. I am hopefully done with the grinding process unless I get feedback telling me otherwise. I would like to start building the middle transom this weekend. I plan on using exterior grade plywood and poly resin for my restore. I have followed Friscojarret's Youtube videos and plan on restoring my boat in a similar fashion. He used CSM and 1708. I will post my progress using Photobucket (once I learn how), so I am hoping that this forum gives me as much advice as it possibly can. This boat has been in my family for 25 years and I refuse to let it die. I am very motivated and I want to make this boat better then new. Sorry for being so long winded. I do have some questions about the transom.

1) The middle transom thickness varied a little becuase it appears that the rear of the boat fiberglass thickness varied, but the average was 2". The plywood appears to be in two pieces, one of them was approx. 1" and the other is approx. 3/4". I cannot get 1" at Home Depot, is it alright to make my transom out of 2 - 1/2" and 1 - 3/4" pieces of plywood? I know that the actual dimensions of plywood are actually a bit smaller.
2) After waterproofing, what type and how much fiberglass do I use for the transom? I have a 130 hp Mercruiser Alpha I.
3) The outer two smaller transoms appear good with no rot, and sound solid. I skinned some fiberglass back to inspect the wood. Can I just install new fiberglass in what I removed or do i have to remove the entire skin? What should I use to re-fiberglass this area?

 

[Bumperlt12]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

Hi there, post pictures! I'm doing a 88 seville and I'd like to compare what you've found. Too bad yours isn't an outboard, I wanted to copy someone on my transom repair.

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

My demolition pictures are too large to display. This is my boat project as of today.

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

This is the front of my boat. I have not detected any wood rot or wet foam, so at this time I do not plan on replacing anything in the bow.

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

Welcome to the Dry Dock Lukie!

Your transom thickness is critical! proper thickness and flat.... There are specs for it in your outdrive manual.

I see your doing a cap on resto like mine was.... check my thread for stringer splicing details..

Your demo and grinding is looking good !

The side areas of your transom.... grind to good clean glass.... csm where you pealed off to the wood and build it up then 2 layers of 1.5oz csm and 1 1708 biax
When you glass in the new center transom you can glass over the sides again to tie it all together.

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

Thank you for your input. I have a couple of questions.

1) Should I keep the transom to the original size? The main stringers did not actually go the front of the middle transom but to the side it. They went right up to the back of the boat. They did not actually touch the back of the boat. I am assuming they do that so you don't create hardspots. Is this correct?
2) What is the best way to post pictures? I looked at yours, and they were large and you did not have to click them with your mouse.

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

I am no expert in boat transom and stringer design.... I would think a wider transom would be ok since most boats I see the stringers butt the transom.... I would ask oops his opinion....

Hard spots generally refer to the stringers and bulkheads to bottom of the hull... you don't want direct contact of the wood and the hull... 1/4" space between and filled with PB mixture or PL construction adhesive.

Pics are uploaded to Image Shack and use the url code to post.... some others prefer other photo upload programs.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

hi lukie.....welcome to iboats !

as ryder said........really good job on the gut. it looks great.

ok......in the link in my sig is a searay ....they have not changed the transom design for a few years....the motor cage is a little different than other boats....i think the transom and stringers are covered in the first 16 pages.

lets start at some of your questions you asked in the pm....

ok.....as far as the triple transom...if the two out side peices are good....just leave them...
the reason is.....why replace good wood with good wood?
if the wood is dry and free of rot it can be re encapsulated in fiberglass and it will be good to go.
if the wood is just a little wet....but no rot.....place a ceramic heater with a fan on it.....and dry it...let it dry for a good long time.

im going to jump ahead on the exixting two outer transom pieces....
it looks like you ripped or ground off the old glass...you have two choices....sand/grind off the reisdual resin till you are at good wood....then re glass using standard glassing methods. (please read on the proper way to glass a wood substraight...it is different than laminating.

if you leave the old glass on....you must grind off the grey area.....this is a gellcoat. and it will have wax in it.....so the new layer of glass will not bond to it..
if you just want to replace what you ground off....or all of the glass....that is your call.....but if you were able to rip/pull the glass off the wood...i would replace it....this means a bad bond.

ok.....the new transom...

the thickness is 2 inches.....including outer skin. one sheet of 1 inch laminated to a 3/4 inch will work great.....then you will still have room for the laminating layers, including the layers of 1708.

ok....as for the stringers touching the transom...build the transom first...that includes the fiberglass covering it.
then you can but your new stringers into the new transom glass. the new design will be far stronger and with the glass barrier between the new stringer ans the transom...if one area rots in the future, it will not contaminate the other part.

as far as your bow area....if you find no wet foam or rot wood......just re seal it and you are good !

keep posting....you will have some questions when it comes to the motor mounts,,,like the height and construction...
we can guide you

cheers
oops

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

If I find that the outer two transoms are rotten, is there any reason why I should not make a single step transom? The middle transom is 2" and the outer two are 3/4". Does the boat manufacturer make a three piece transom to save money or make it easier to install?

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

If I find that the outer two transoms are rotten, is there any reason why I should not make a single step transom? The middle transom is 2" and the outer two are 3/4". Does the boat manufacturer make a three piece transom to save money or make it easier to install?

I think it's a little of both....

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

I am trying to find replacement carpet and vinyl to match what I took out of my boat. I know that I can not match exactly because of the years of everything being exposed to the sun, etc., but is there anyone out there that has a 1987 Sea Ray Seville 17 that has the oyster (off white) fiberglass with blue carpeting and trim? If so, where did you find replacement carpet and vinyl trim that closely matches the original colors? Thank you for your input.

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

You can try here....
http://www.iboats.com/Replacement-B...9424586--session_id.030883496--view_id.473735

OR

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Marine-Naug...5988586?pt=US_Fabric&var=&hash=item5ae00cbfea

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

Guys, I have a couple of fiberglassing questions.
1) Do I add a wax additive to my resin on my last layer of fiberglass prior to adding my gelcoat? Or do you just add wax to the gelcoat and not the poly resin?
2) What size fiberglass rollers are a good size for working out air bubbles? I am replacing my transom, stringers, and some decking.
3) I plan on starting out purchasing 25 yards of 1.5oz CSM, 20 yards of 1708, and 5 gal of poly resin to get started. Do these amounts sound reasonable to get started?

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project

Guys, I have a couple of fiberglassing questions.
1) Do I add a wax additive to my resin on my last layer of fiberglass prior to adding my gelcoat? Or do you just add wax to the gelcoat and not the poly resin?
2) What size fiberglass rollers are a good size for working out air bubbles? I am replacing my transom, stringers, and some decking.
3) I plan on starting out purchasing 25 yards of 1.5oz CSM, 20 yards of 1708, and 5 gal of poly resin to get started. Do these amounts sound reasonable to get started?

#1 Just to the final gel coat...
#2 1" x 6 or 7"
#3 45 yds of csm and biax..... you will need 1 gallon per 4 sq yrds.... at least 10 gallons....plus coating the wood first and making PB... don't forget cabosil and 1/4" milled fibers for the PB.....a gallon of acetone for wiping down and cleaning up your tools....

This is great info if you haven't read it.... http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=286013

and this too http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288451

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Guys, I have a question on water proofing my transom. This will be my very first time working with resin and fiberglass. I have seen videos in which resin is applied to the wood, then CSM is put on top of the resin, and then more resin is applied to properly soak the CSM. I have a few questions regarding this process.

1) When you apply poly resin to the wood, do you let it completely cure, in which I guess it remains somewhat tacky, before I apply the CSM?

2) I have also seen videos in which people talk about getting air bubbles out of the fiberglass. How are air bubbles formed? Are they formed from the chemical process of the resin curing? Or are they introduced by the mechanical process of applying the CSM mat? What can I do to prevent air bubbles?

3) Do you apply CSM inside the keyhole? or is the keyhole just sealed with resin and no CSM?


Thank you for your advice.

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

#1 Yes let it tack up....wet out again lay csm wet out till the glass is clear

#2 Use a bubble buster roller to get bubbles out.....also dabbing with disposable brush helps working with csm..... If you mess with it too much it starts comming apart.......as far as why the bubbles form.... dunno?

#3 Csm dosen't like to bend 90 degrees but it is good to cove all exposed wood with glass.....resin alone will crack... you can fold the csm and break up the fibers a bit to help it lay down... oops may have a better solution on the keyhole

 

[britisher]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

I'm a complete newbie on this, but like many others have been following the friscoboater rebuild and that has been a very valuable info source. I just ordered my supplies from US Composites and Steve, the tech guy said that CSM will 'porcupine' if you try and bend it. It appears it is more a flat application than anything else. On Friscoboaters thread he used PB on the edges to make them more curved and less angular, which I guess would help CSM curve more easily over the edge. I also recall he used 1708 tape around the edge anyway. I don't know if these comments help at all. One more thing that Steve told me at USC was that the poly resin has a shelf life of 3 months and he recommended I buy only 5 gallons to begin with. So if your project time line is 'as & when time allows', it's a valuable bit to know especially when poly resin is $125 for 5 gallons + S&H.

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

I appreciate the feedback. I have followed Friscoboater on Youtube and am using his videos to restore my boat. I too, purchased all of my fiberglass materials from US Composites. Unfortunately for me, the shipping charges wiped out the online savings. I did round off all of my edges on the transom. I was not able to fiberglass it yesterday because it was too cold (Michigan). If all goes well, I should be able to do some today.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Nice boat! Shipping is a savings killer for sure. I found a distributor that bought the stuff once a month and he told me that if i can wait, I would not have to pay shipping because I could piggy back their order. I just got lucky.

Any way I wanted to answer your questions.

1) The middle transom thickness varied a little becuase it appears that the rear of the boat fiberglass thickness varied, but the average was 2". The plywood appears to be in two pieces, one of them was approx. 1" and the other is approx. 3/4". I cannot get 1" at Home Depot, is it alright to make my transom out of 2 - 1/2" and 1 - 3/4" pieces of plywood? I know that the actual dimensions of plywood are actually a bit smaller.

The dimensions need to be between 2" and 2 1/4" for the merc drive. Mine thickness was all over the place, and I have to build up a lot of glass to make it work. Use two sheets of 3/4" ply and then laminate with a few layers of 1709, and then a layer of CSM to finish it off to look nice. I did not do the CSM and I wish I had. It keeps the 1708 from splintering if you nick it.

2) After waterproofing, what type and how much fiberglass do I use for the transom? I have a 130 hp Mercruiser Alpha I.

I did two official layers of 1708. Then I had the build up the top to make is 2" all the way around the keyhole.

3) The outer two smaller transoms appear good with no rot, and sound solid. I skinned some fiberglass back to inspect the wood. Can I just install new fiberglass in what I removed or do i have to remove the entire skin? What should I use to re-fiberglass this area?

I would pull out the whole thing. The rear part of the skin is one lone piece and adds strength.

Here is a picture

 

[Lukie46]

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Re: 1987 Sea Ray Seville Bow Rider Restore Project - Trasnom Water Proofing

Well, I just finished doing my very first fiberglass work and I must say, I did not do a good job. I am water proofing the transom and did the following:
1) Applied poly to the transom and let it cure until it was slightly tacky.
2) I put 1.5oz CSM on top and proceeded to apply poly resin until it was transparent.
3) I used a fiberglass roller to get the air bubbles out that I saw. It seemed like the more I played with the CSM, the worse I made it.
4) I just went outside in the garage and I noticed air bubbles throughout the fiberglass. What did I do wrong?

I am using standard exterior plywood from Home Depot. I am fairly confident that the wood is dry. I mixed the resin as per the directions from US Composites. I just dont understand what could have happened.