1992 Skimmer 18' Flat Bottom Skiff Restoration

[jigngrub]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

I really like the structural layout of that boat, stringers and bulkheads evenly spaced out and square.

 

[studioq]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

The part that gets me is that none of the bulkheads go from the deck to the hull. They're just 2x2 pieces of wood. The rest is foam. I think if there had been some solid bulkheads glassed in - the damage would have been a little more localized toward the stern.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

The structural integrity of the hull is mainly dependent upon the foam. The wood gives some additional structure as well. Make sure to take and record a lot of measurements so you can put her back exactly as you have found her.

Don't forget to "PIN" yourself on the iBoats Members Map...https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=935424

 

[studioq]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Don't forget to "PIN" yourself on the iBoats Members Map...https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=935424

Pinned..

I intend to cut out the rest of the deck with smaller tools and then measure the entire frame as it rests. I'll certainly need some help when it comes to "How to" template for new stringers and bulkheads.

 

[studioq]

Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

I'm in the process of re-decking my skiff and I want to redesign the utility conduit for more water protection and ease of service. The way it is now it gets a lot of water in with the cables and the wiring harness. I'd like to come up with something that was more functional and provided more water protection. I'm not beyond glassing in a new enclosure on the stern. I just wanted to be able to design something that would work as intended and not interfere with the function of the steering, fuel, choke, electrical and VRO lines.

 

[Axkiker]

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Hummm I like where you are headed with this but i cant really think off hand how to do it. I have some experience wiring stuff up to be sealed using Sealtite conduit. Typically sealtite seals using special connectors which are attached to a electrical box of some kind. So in this instance the box also has to be sealed.

So, maybe you could extend the conduit into a box which would be a sorta distribution box. Could it be possible to incorporate the bus and fuses etc? Granted the box is not gonna be 100% waterproof but if you have it out of the way of water it should remain dry.

Otherwise could it be possible to adapt something like a jet ski electrical box? I think the conduit and the ability to seal it is the least of your worries. Its the distribution which seems to be a pain.

 

[Axkiker]

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Now that I looked a little closer at your pics I dont think the jet ski electrical box will work. I didnt catch that you want to seal the steering and throttle cables which are pretty big.

 

[studioq]

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

I was thinking of a box glassed into the corner where the transom and starboard side meet with a flexible pipe - like a vacuum hose coming out of the side and angled down to allow for drip. Ultimately I'd like a more accessible pipe to the console hidden in that box - but I want to be able to cover the large opening that allows for that easier access.

 

[Axkiker]

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

Re: Ideas for cleaning up electrical - utility conduit. Want more water protection

I like the idea mentioned above. If you could attach and seal a flexible tube to the floor you could run it to a glassed in box. As long as the box is out of the way of water you should be good.

 

[studioq]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

I'm not sure how to take this apart so that I can remove the steering cable and then the console. Does the box come apart so that the cable can come out? Are there any things to be aware of - you know - irreversible mistakes?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

That's a standard Teleflex Rotary Steering unit. Pretty straight forward. Are you wanting to just remove it or totally disassemble it??

 

[studioq]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

I just want to be able to remove the cable from the aluminum housing so that I can pull it through the conduit.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

If you're doing this thinking you're going to replace it, it's best to just buy an entirely new cable. LOT's of guys have "been there and done that" here on the forum and the overall concensus is...stuck or sticky cable are just not worth the time and effort to attempt to fix. Best to just get new ones. There are videos on YouTube that will show you how to remove it if you want to go ahead. Just look for How to remove a Teleflex Rotary Steering Cable.

Good Luck

 

[studioq]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Thank you for the name. It helps a lot.

 

[studioq]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Yep. This cable is really smooth - and actually looks quite new. I just didn't know if anything would go wrong by trying to remove it from the helm by detaching it and turning the wheel until it came out.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Re: New boat for me. Minor fiberglass repair. Foam is waterlogged though.

Grease her up and she'll be good to go!!!

 

[studioq]

No Title

Finally got all of the foam taken out and removed some of the wood that was wet - but not rotten. The stringers are still quite solid even though there are a few areas where the ply has de-laminated where they were exposed to the water. When you go over them with a hammer they all sound very solid. I plan to inject some epoxy into the areas that have come apart and squeeze them back together. Other than that I think they're worth saving. Cutting them out seems a little unnecessary. Particularly because I intend to glass them over after I sand them all down. They weren't completely glassed in to begin with. They were put in with a ton of PB on the bottom where they meet the hull. I have no desire to replace all of that. Aside from that - all seems to be going well.

 

[jigngrub]

You'll never dry those stringers out enough for the epoxy to work to glue the delaminated plywood back together nor will fiberglass bond to them. They will continue to rot under the deck.

 

[redneck joe]

why wont they dry?

 

[jigngrub]

why wont they dry?

Even though they aren't completely encapsulated with fiberglass there's still enough f'glass laid up on them to retain a lot of moisture, and since they've been covered and surrounded by that wet foam for who knows how long they'll be soaked through and through. That wood is ruined and has already started the rotting process and it will only continue to decay.