1990 Steiger Craft transom investigation

[nurseman]

looking sweet! :rockon:

 

[ahmincha]

Wow very nice can not wait to see this on lake Erie

 

[jc55]

Thank you gentlemen! I hope I can get up the nerve to do Erie this summer, Ahmincha. I'll take you out with me out if you're still boat less. (Tell your buddy I have a great running DT200 dirt cheap)

I tried gel coating for the first time. I got Herculiner rollers (bedliner rollers) because I wanted a specific textured look. Here's what they look like...

This was waxed gelcoat so I layed down the first coat. It came out perfect, but the coverage was just a little thin. The roller would pick some of it back up but the texture was what I was after. I got called away for an overnight hospital emergency, so I had to pull the heat.

Tonight I check and it was still pretty tacky. I decided to heat things up again and add a second coat. I introduced a bunch of garbage into the 2nd layer by reusing the same roller. :facepalm: Coverage was good, but I may have to scotch-guard or knock down the debris. Oh well, lesson learned for the rest of the deck. I had the light down low to show the imperfections, but really like the texture.

 

[zool]

We used the same type of rollers on the glass balconies...it works good as a non skid, but we did also add a bit of grit to the gel...no real slipping in the rain as of yet....just knock down the trash like you said, if it flattens, add another coat with a fresh roller...the cockpit on mine was done from the factory just like you have there...with no grit.

 

[jc55]

Good to hear...thank you. That Balcony came out looking great so there might be hope yet. I like the new greenhouse BTW

 

[Mikeopsycho]

What a difference a little gelcoat makes! Sure cleans things up! I made the same mistake when I gelcoated the engine space on my project, reused the same roller on the second coat and got little chunks of who-knows-what here and there. At a buck a shot for a new roller sleeve I'll never make that mistake again.

 

[jc55]

The new motor came in today. It's a DF250TX. The crate is HUGE! Suzuki is giving motors away right now, I mean...giving them away. Plus, I don't smoke, drink, or chase women Even though I rewired this past spring, I'll have to do a lot of it all over again to set up a NMEA network, move the batteries, and go to a different jack plate.

If I ever get a day off, we'll be back to glassin' again.

 

[kcassells]

I think that was supposed be delivered to my house!!
Nice!!

 

[nurseman]

Nice! Would love to see one of those in my driveway!

 

[Teamster]

Please define "giving them away",..................

I'm gonna be re-powering next spring I think, Maybe,....

 

[jc55]

Put it this way, $7k under MSRP + $400 rebate + $250 rebate + 6 year Warranty, 5.99% financing available, and I can rig it myself. It was a tough decision since my old 2 stroke ran great, except for the fuel usage, vibration, lack of repair facilities, and exhaust fumes.

 

[Teamster]

That doesn't sound bad at all,............

I doubt I'll go with a new motor when my time comes, But maybe if they them right,.....

Not sure about the weight of a 4 stroke for my application,...Your boat will handle it very well!!

 

[jc55]

I never in a million years thought I'd buy a new motor either. But, I want to start traveling long distances down the Ohio River. The 2 stroke fuel bill was equal to a small mortgage. The weight is a concern too. I'm eliminating my scuppers and moving my batteries.

 

[jc55]

Update

I've been working every day. It looks like this is going to be a 2 month stretch. I'm going through boat withdrawals and in order to finish by spring, I've decided to try to squeeze in some "real" (boat) work here. I got the last piece of deck in and tabbed. I also installed 2 full length speed bumps.

At least that's how the seams seem to have come out. I guess they're not THAT bad, but will be noticeable.

I've eliminated the scuppers for the first boating season, until I can see where this heavy 4 stroke is going to put me. I have two stainless deck drains leading into the bilge where I am adding a catch tray and additional pump. They're pluggable, so at a later date if I reinstall scuppers, I'll have a dual purpose option.

I have some forward bulk head delamination that I'm preparing to repair as well. Years of heavy seas most likely. I have some hatches on order to install for extra storage and repair access.

Next, I hope to gel coat the entire deck. I'm planning on rolling the outer perimeter smooth, then gel coat texture the rest, then tape off and use interlux gray non skid. We'll see.

I have a Bomar cabin (escape) hatch coming too. That'll be a project in itself I'm sure. Can't beat fixing up boats and making them your own.

 

[kcassells]

I never in a million years thought I'd buy a new motor either. But, I want to start traveling long distances down the Ohio River. The 2 stroke fuel bill was equal to a small mortgage. The weight is a concern too. I'm eliminating my scuppers and moving my batteries.

Good point to be aware of. Is the new motor rated for your boat/mod and if so why do you think the scuppers would be too low unless there were mods from before I'm not aware of.
Sorry....long sentence. Also good to see your progress JC.
Happy Bird day!

 

[jc55]

Older boats are built for the weight of 2 strokes, KC. With a 465 lb Suzuki DT200, a 53 lb jack plate, 2 batteries, a yamaha 9.9 high thrust kicker, and 6 gallons of fuel, the scuppers were at water level. Any "mishap" while I'm away and the boat sinks. This new 250 motor weighs 580lbs. (I think the boat is rated for 300hp)

Eliminating the kicker, fuel, and moving the batteries forward should help. But then again, that's all on paper...

 

[Teamster]

If you plan on fishing on Erie I would advise keeping the kicker,................

You could always get a four stroke kicker and plumb the fuel to the main tank to eliminate the extra 6 gallon can,..

 

[jc55]

I think on short river trips, I'll keep the big motor then offset the kicker weight by port side mounted batteries in the cabin when I take the kicker.


So here's to nightmare on restoration street...


Gel coating the deck has been coming out pretty good. Really good adhesion. Yes, there's a hump on the seam. Lesson learned for next time. most of the deck will be covered in Interlux Gray, in taped off patterns, so hopefully it won't be too too noticeable.

Drilled the jackplate/motor mounting bolt holes then drilled them out to "core" them.

Mixed up a PB with Cabosil and lots of cut up cloth for strength...

Went to drill them out, starting from both ends...forget it. It drilled fine, but the glass is too hard and there were some hairline cracks. Definitely don't want my motor bolts vibrating inside brittle glass cores.I don't suggest this method.
I redrilled them and filled the holes with US Composites thick epoxy and SM fairing compound. I put the halogen lights near the inside of the transom and the epoxy kicked off. I placed the halogens at the back of the transom for 1/2 hr and a HUGE blister developed. At first, I thought that the Awlgrip let go. I stabbed the bubble with a wood chisel and it was under extreme pressure. It appears that the heat damaged the layers of the transom skin very, very deeply.

She's dirty and was never painted under the jackplate. I'm going to have to repair this and repaint the entire rear of the boat. It's going to set me back quite a bit.

All in all a slow go.

 

[kcassells]

I think on short river trips, I'll keep the big motor then offset the kicker weight by port side mounted batteries in the cabin when I take the kicker.


So here's to nightmare on restoration street...


Gel coating the deck has been coming out pretty good. Really good adhesion. Yes, there's a hump on the seam. Lesson learned for next time. most of the deck will be covered in Interlux Gray, in taped off patterns, so hopefully it won't be too too noticeable.

Drilled the jackplate/motor mounting bolt holes then drilled them out to "core" them.

Mixed up a PB with Cabosil and lots of cut up cloth for strength...

Went to drill them out, starting from both ends...forget it. It drilled fine, but the glass is too hard and there were some hairline cracks. Definitely don't want my motor bolts vibrating inside brittle glass cores.I don't suggest this method.
I redrilled them and filled the holes with US Composites thick epoxy and SM fairing compound. I put the halogen lights near the inside of the transom and the epoxy kicked off. I placed the halogens at the back of the transom for 1/2 hr and a HUGE blister developed. At first, I thought that the Awlgrip let go. I stabbed the bubble with a wood chisel and it was under extreme pressure. It appears that the heat damaged the layers of the transom skin very, very deeply.

She's dirty and was never painted under the jackplate. I'm going to have to repair this and repaint the entire rear of the boat. It's going to set me back quite a bit.

All in all a slow go.

Yea I had a heat lamp bubble up a pc on a stringer. Wasn't there at all came back to check it out was there 15 min later. Lesson learned...keep the heat source further back and cover larger area.

 

[jc55]

Thanks for posting KC, I'm glad to know it has happened to others, and will take better precautions in the future. Ordered some Awlgrip paint supplies...sigh, it never ends!