'1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Well, so far so good on the transom...

Today I spent a bit of time cleaning the front of my garage, as for months it was simply a dumping ground for anything removed from the hull. Seats, gunwale sections, you name it. This gave me room to create a nice roll out glassing workstation. On to the photos!

Used a roundover bit to remove the sharp edges so the fiberglass would stick okay

I finally (after 4 months) made a stand for the roll of 1.5oz mat. Note the extra roll in the background.. yep, I'll def need more resin.

My 1st ever glassing job! That 1.5oz mat sucked up a TON of resin. I had to mix three batches to make it fully wetted out (~30oz total). The roundover was certainly a requirement, as the bottom edge that I left sharp didn't conform in the least. I'll have to cut the excess off tomorrow.

For those who are wondering (like I was) about the transom hole, it should be a 90 degree angle to the transom, NOT the hull bottom. I used the existing outside transom to draw the hole. I'll wait to drill the mounting holes until after I get it installed.

This is a big step for me! I finally did some glassing! For those who are reading this dreading it as much as I was.. don't. It was easy! I precut the glass, then mixed the resin into the cup, added 2 drops per ounce (this gave me a good 20 mins working time) and painted on the resin. It was a piece of cake. The only hitch was I had to wait for the resin to begin to 'kick' (harden) before I could leave it, as some glass spots on the corners didn't want to stay laying down. Here's hoping it all looks okay in the morning.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Glad to see you're back at it dude!

Some good progress! Now you got the feet wet glassin! Aint so bad huh!

Peace brutha!

 

[slvrwolf1]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

That looks like a great job on first glass experience. You should see my first, it was bad. I had bubbles everywhere the next morning. I had one the local fiberglass people around here look at it and they couldnt tell me what I did wrong. The transom looked great when I did it but just one side bubbled real bad. Great job on your first and I wish you luck on the rest of your project.

 

[Nico2112]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

...This is a big step for me! I finally did some glassing! For those who are reading this dreading it as much as I was.. don't. It was easy! I precut the glass, then mixed the resin into the cup, added 2 drops per ounce (this gave me a good 20 mins working time) and painted on the resin. It was a piece of cake. The only hitch was I had to wait for the resin to begin to 'kick' (harden) before I could leave it, as some glass spots on the corners didn't want to stay laying down. Here's hoping it all looks okay in the morning.

Well done Lowkee
Congrats on your first glass job!

I've never glassed before, and am really scared to do it.
I get the precut procedure, but, how do you manage to cut the glass for the sides? and make it stay put while you apply the resin? I mean, glassing the front and back seems easily doable, but the sides?!?!

 

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Now you got the feet wet glassin! Aint so bad huh!

Heya Bear,

Not so bad at all. I've already given the back a good slopping of resin this morning. I now feel a lot less stressed about moving forward. Hopefully by day's end I'll have the stringers at least bedded and ready for glassing tomorrow.

That looks like a great job on first glass experience. You should see my first, it was bad. I had bubbles everywhere the next morning. I had one the local fiberglass people around here look at it and they couldnt tell me what I did wrong. The transom looked great when I did it but just one side bubbled real bad. Great job on your first and I wish you luck on the rest of your project.

Thanks slvrwolf,

I did have some small bubbles scattered here and there on both the sides and main surface, but nothing too bad. I think I skimped on the resin too much and possibly added too little hardener (it took forever to kick). Luckily that was mearly a practice round as it'll get another coat of glass when I mount it.

Well done Lowkee
Congrats on your first glass job!

I've never glassed before, and am really scared to do it.
I get the precut procedure, but, how do you manage to cut the glass for the sides? and make it stay put while you apply the resin? I mean, glassing the front and back seems easily doable, but the sides?!?!

Thanks Nico,

I think the lesson for me was to stop being worried about it kicking too quickly. The last coat I added had 4 drops per ounce and it lasted a good 5 minutes before getting sticky (in 80F heat). The sides are easy once it begins to kick, as it'll finally get sticky and things won't pop back up. For the mat, it was easier, as I just used my thumb to stretch some fibers far over the edge to give the resin more leverage. To conform to side corners I simply made a slice using my knife so the glass would fold over itself, otherwise I doubt it would have stayed put.

 

[Nico2112]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Thanks for the detail mate.

Yup, seems doable. When the day comes, I'll just give it a shot

 

[7designs]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

lowkee,

Looking good. Will be watching to see how it turns out.

Did you use heat resistant primer on the motor? We always just used engine paint.

Glad to see boat projects in my neck of the woods. I am just down the road from you in Fort Mill.

 

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

The transom is in place! I must say, with 2 layers of 3/4" ply and the existing 3/8" of glass, plus the mat I have yet to layer over it, that transom will bend only when hit by a meteor strike!

I have the stringers poly'd and ready for bedding. Once the PL sets and I put a layer of mat over the transom I can begin laying in the stringers. I have a feeling this project will start going much faster from now on.

After months of gutting, measuring, cutting and finally glassing, the first stick of wood is finally in the boat! I used PL adhesive to bond it to the outer glass, as I didn't see poly adhering very well. I plan to wrap a layer of glass onto the front in order to melt it to the surrounding areas.

Clamps-a-plenty! I haven't cut out the bolt holes or the drain hole yet. I got a bilge drain (one with a ball-stop) which I will install once everything is glassed and solid.

While I was pushing PL everywhere, I figured I would use it to round off the edges for the future glassing, since glass doesn't conform well to edges. I may end up filleting those corners with poly and 3m glass bubbles before laying on the mat.

I just hope when all is said and done the transom is relatively level, as the manual mentions only a 1/16" tolerance for the outside and 1/8" for the inside. That is pretty picky! Has anyone had issues with the smoothness/level factor? How did you fix it?

 

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Evening all!

Well, the transom went in pretty nicely. I glassed it to the hull and let it dry, then measured it to make sure it was within Mercruiser spec (2-2.25in) and.. it wasn't! It was 1/8" too thin! Sooo, I took a piece my luan template and cut out a 'spacer' of sorts and glassed that sucker to the transom. Perfect! The luan is just over 1/8" so it conforms nicely. As an added bonus, the luan ensured the transom is smooth all the way around the hole, making it conform to Mercruiser's spec for flatness as well.

After finding out the new transom was too thin, I glassed on a piece of luan cut to the shape of the inner transom. Picasso would be proud!

The stringers are in! I had originally formed and cut the stringers over two months ago, but more pressing projects took over. Today was finally the day to install them.

I placed a piece of 2x6 across the stringers to find out where the deck would end up meeting the hull and it appeared 1/4" too high. There are a set of chines which would make great deck platforms and I wanted the deck to rest squarely on them, so a stringer haircut was in order... 1/4" had to go! After the haircut, I bedded the new stringers using PL adhesive in those giant tubes. Each stringer ate about one entire big tube of PL, including making a nice gradual curve at the base of each stringer for glassing.

There is a slight curve where the hull rises, so I had to brace the tips of the stringers in place. Nothing amazing, just some scrap wood braced against the cap hovering above. Prior to installing the stringers I took a roundover router bit to them to ensure the top accepts the heavy glass mat I have.

On a side note I found some 4x6 foot sections of cardboard for free on craigslist and picked up 30 or so sections. What luck, as they will make simple work of templating the deck. I can duck tape a bunch together and simulate the entire deck at once. Perfect!

Tomorrow I will be cutting some cardboard templates for the bulkheads and fabricating the front engine mount. Things are really beginning to move along, now. The more exhausting work is finally behind me and the excitement is growing.

Til tomorrow!

 

[MERIT6419]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

looking good keep it up and you get there.

 

[keepNitreel]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Your gettin closer & closer to your shake down

 

[JoeyInKC]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

its good to see you back at it full force... keep up the good work, and dont worry, you'll have her on the water in no time...

 

[coastalcruiser]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

very nice!!!!, keep up the good work lowkee
I have been there, you will be amazed how fast it will come together!

 

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Hey all,

Thanks for the posts of encouragement. I have been gaining excitement for this project since the stringers went in and I glassed a piece or two. It isn't screaming fast now, but it is moving forward and I see regular progress for tangible things like bulkheads and engine mounts. I have even begun ordering the last outdrive and engine parts i will need for assembly, which is really getting me excited.

Seeing as it has been a week since my last update, I figure I will catch everyone up. Things have been going slower than I anticipated, as I am dealing with fit and placement. What that means is, some things, where I placed them.. didn't fit! The stringers bedded in nicely and I made my first batch of peanut butter (although it was more like toothpaste) and filleted them for glassing. After doing that I test fit the fuel tank and.. it didn't fit . I'll be grinding the fillet down enough for the tank to slide into place (with enough room after the glass covers the stringers). Luckily I am able to laugh about my stupidity, since I don't have too much to fix. If I had to remove and re-bed the stringers, I would be much less humored. Anyhow, once the glass goes on the stringers, I will be making a few more bulkhead items, as i want the hull and deck to be plenty strong and I never want to feel a soft spot ever again. Once the deck is on, there is no turning back, so I'll brace the crap out of it before then. Luckily, those should go faster, as the upper bulkheads just need a coat of poly, since they should never see water, and if they do, it'll quickly drain into the bilge via some stern drain holes in the stringers (which don't exist yet).

As for the engine placement, I am having some trouble recalling what that area looked like prior to my shredding it, so that is also slowing me down. A lot of 'does this go here.. or here.. and how tall should this be..?' going on in my garage. It'll all come out in the end. Just a warning for anyone getting ready to begin their restore.. take lots and lots of photos, and make sure you get various angles of each spot. It looks obvious when you are staring at it, but when it is a bare hull, that 4 inch spot, under that bulkhead, through that frame, for a hose which isn't yet there.. yeah, it doesn't even enter your mind. On to the photos!

From top to bottom: First we have the ski locker bulkhead which sits in front of the fuel tank. Below that is the ski locker front bulkhead (which I dubbed the 'dog bone'), which is meant to brace the floor while still allowing unhindered access to the full length of the locker, all the way to the bow. Doing this will allow me to use longer anchors which normally would not fit into the small anchor storage at the bow. Next is the engine bulkhead, which sits behind the fuel tank. Finally, we have the engine mount itself, which is made using two 2x6 pieces. The engine mount was truly difficult to make, as the original was horribly cut and didn't conform to the hull, so I had to make one from scratch. Additionally, since there are so many sharp edges on these pieces, I had to make two passes with the fiberglass and will follow up with some extra grinding and poly sealing. These will see water more than anything else in the boat, so I am being super-paranoid with these.

After filleting the stringers, I test fit the fuel tank and it didn't fit. After some extensive grinding I have managed to get the tank to fit perfectly in line with the top of the stringers. This, however, is not ideal, as i still need to glass them and I worry the tank will become the deck support and not the stringers. Some additional thought is required on this. I may place a bead of PL atop the stringers to lift the their height that extra 1/8 inch in order to clear the fuel tank. The fuel tank can then sit on the fillet, which will clear it from the hull and make it 'hover' in place while not allowing it to shift, which makes me happy. I will still add some lower bracing below to tank in order to help support the weight of a full tank of gas. A broken tank is the last thing I want after this restore.

This photo is deceiving, but you can see how close the tank comes to the top of the stringers. It is perfectly in-line with the crest of the roundovers. I'll be working to lower it another 1/8 inch to make room for glassing.

I have found when having troubles getting glass mat to conform to corners, using what I call 'cobwebs' works wonderfully. It won't be quite as strong as full-on mat, but if you will need to grind it off for not conforming, it ends up being stronger. These, of course are made by simply pulling off a bit of glass from the mat. You can overlap them for larger areas without losing strength, since that is really what mat is anyhow. This way you get to pick what areas to concentrate on instead of one uniform thick layer.

 

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Here is another shot of the engine mount. Made from two 2x6 boards it is made to perfectly match the hull for best stability. After all, if this even twitches, the engine will wiggle out of alignment causing premature wear. I used a 2 1/2 inch hole saw for the drain hole.

Here is what I call a 'dog bone'. It braces the deck above the ski locker (a point the old deck was weak), while still allowing storage the entire length of the locker. This should prevent any future fatigue in that area.

The original capri bulkheads had a tiny 3/4 inch pvc pipe for water drainage. They were much too small and clogged from the smallest leaf, causing standing water. To fix this problem, I used a 2 1/2 inch hole saw to create some much bigger drain holes. I will not use pvc in them, as I see no need. I will, however, connect from the ski locker to the bilge using a large pvc pipe sliced in half, so as to prevent leaf jams under the fuel tank, where the only method to clear a blockage would be to remove the tank. Certainly not what I want. If a leaf jam should occur, it will stay in the ski locker, which is easily accessible. The hole is big enough to allow decent (even if slow) drainage even if a jam occurs.

 

[Bubbanator]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Can you send me the template for the ski locker bulkheads and the dog bone? Or can you just cut them for me

Seriously though I know I have the 5.0 liter, but if you need any pictures of any of the bracing, or towers or need any measurements let me know and I'll get them to you.

-Bubs

 

[lowkee]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Can you send me the template for the ski locker bulkheads and the dog bone? Or can you just cut them for me

Your hull, after grinding, will likely be different to mine, so a template from one hull won't be much use for another. I can, though, make a video as to how I make those bulkhead pieces. I was really worried about recreating those when I began this project, but have since found a method which makes it quite easy. I'll have the video ready in a day or so.

Seriously though I know I have the 5.0 liter, but if you need any pictures of any of the bracing, or towers or need any measurements let me know and I'll get them to you.

-Bubs

I may and likely will take you up on that offer. In fact.. you have a PM

 

[88BLiner]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Hey Lowkee, its has been a couple weeks since I had a chance to get on here. Congratulations on starting the reconstructing process. I too got to put in my transom this past weekend. We will be on the water in no time now

 

[nldubin]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Hay Lowkee,

Great Job!!! Hang in there. I have finally got to glassing in the seatboxes and then on to the floor. The glass definitely sucks up the resin :-( . I am using 18oz woven glass and making it about 4 layers thick around all my seams. I also put 7 layers on my transom. I originally ordered 4 gallons of resin and needed to order another 4. You might want to check out the formula for resin to glass on this site. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=270085865174 Well keep up the great work. It is looking good.
-nldubin

 

[Mark42]

Re: '1990 Bayliner Capri 2050 BR - Deck, stringers, transom, custom interior'

Holy Cow! Lowkee you are really cookin on this job. Havent checked in on this thread in a while and I am really impressed with the craftsmanship that shows in your work. Details, details, details.... they make everything better, but take longer! LOL! Love that engine mount. Solid as a rock! And nice tip on making snow balls from the mat. Will keep that in mind when I do the deck in my Bayliner (I'm removing the carpet, adding more glass, then gel coat or deco dot.)