77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Thanks for your input guys, I really appreciate it. JB the hull thickness seems to be pretty hefty, its the glass covering the thin strips of wood that is very thin. Kinda looks like it was strings of glass just blown on. Came right off when grinding. Gus, that's kinda what I had in mind, just wasn't sure on csm or 1708. I've been following your thread, AMAZING,AWESOME WORK !

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Kinda looks like it was strings of glass just blown on.

That was the new fangled technology of the day...it was called a chopper gun and basically used a long continuous strand of glass fiber that got chopped up and mixed with resin right in the gun itself and was sprayed on the mold to build up some thickness...very rarely was it ever rolled out to flatten and create a good seal or even bond for that matter, it was just a very expedient way to kind of glue everything together...very popular, cheap and fast way to build boats...

I've been following your thread, AMAZING,AWESOME WORK !

Thank you.

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Hi everyone, Just a quick question here. Would it be ok to heat up garage to about 70 degrees, do my glass work with poly, then kill the heat after it kicks? Temp would probably drop into the 30's overnight. Thanks.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Not something I ever have to deal with in frosty south Florida, but I think it needs to stay above 60? for about 4-6 hours...
Hopefully someone with waaaaay more knowledge about this particular resin scenario will pop in soon...

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Now I'm jealous!

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Thanks GT, Boy, I sure like the cold weather less and less every year! Soooooo, What's everyone think? Do I wait for spring or do I move to a warmer climate? That will sure set the build back a little.

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Hi All, Just a few pics of progress so far. It's not much but I did get the hull ground out and now making templates for transome and stringers.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Hi everyone, Just a quick question here. Would it be ok to heat up garage to about 70 degrees, do my glass work with poly, then kill the heat after it kicks? Temp would probably drop into the 30's overnight. Thanks.

I'd experiment with some scrap lumber and cloth first, do a 4" x 2 or 3' layup on a piece of scrap and then cut the heat down after it kicks and see what it looks and feels like the next day.


The grinding and templates look good pop, but I'm not sure I'd trust that level for anything other than a straight edge. For that level to be at least half way reliable you have to level your hull fore to aft and port to starboard perfectly, and still even then your body weight inside the flexible hull can throw it off.

If you are using the level (bubble) double check everything with measurements down from the gunwales to make sure bothe sides are the same. I'm not trying to be a PITA, but levels are something you need to be real careful with when putting a boat back together.

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Thanks jigngrub, No PITA'S here, I'm open to all advice, suggestions and criticism. I'm going to try to keep temp's in the 40's and see how that works out. My shop is not insulated, it's one of those things I keep meaning to do but just haven't gotten around to it. The hull is level port to starboard but not fore to aft. I took measurements every 12" fore to aft from top of hull to top of old stringers. Factory measurements sure aren't real consistent. I'm only using level port to starboard and only as a rough check. Thanks for stopping in and I appreciate your input.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Hey Pop, I've found that these little 500 watt work lights put out an amazing amount of heat

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bayco-500-Watt-Halogen-Project-Work-Light/14003469
... and they let you see what you're doing too! 3 or 4 of these little jewels in your boat should keep it warm enough for glassin'.

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Thanks jigngrub, Great idea! I already have about a dozen of those little gems. Never gave it a thought. You guys on this site are the best!

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Hi everyone, Well its time to get the project out of winter mothballs and get moving on her. I'm ready to order supplies and I want to post my list. If there is anything any of you think I need to add or remove from the list, your input is appreciated. So here it is.

25yds. 1.5oz csm
15yds. 1708
10gal. 435 resin
10qts. cabosil
1lb. 1/4" chopped strand
5/8"x4" bubble roller
latex gloves
1qt. mixing buckets (sleeve of 50)
6.5oz. metric measuring cups. (sleeve of 25)
pumps
2" and 2 1/2" brushes
4" roller pads
stir sticks

Thanks, Joe (poppop51)

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Get the Thickster gloves, 14 mils thick and they hold up really well...heard say you can use Playtex gloves also...Box says single use only...NOT, if they don't tear, I have gotten several uses out of a pair...you get approximately 25 pair per box...



Unless you plan to do a lot of throw away, and this is a trade off, you will need lots of either acetone or lacquer thinner for clean ups...
If you are resourceful, you can reuse the dirty clean up solvent by letting it sit in a closed metal/plastic container for a couple of days to let the grunge settle out of it and reuse it...
I say its a trade off because the solvents are NOT cheap, but they do let you reuse things like brushes and buckets many times over, although the cost of new brushes and buckets may be cheaper in the long run...

Baby powder is your friend...buy the big bottles at the discount pharmacy store...it helps in so many ways...before you put on your PPE, makes your gloves slide on easier, while working, you get your gloves all hairy, wash them off with solvent, they will become sticky as heck until you powder them up, if you clean up your brushes you can give them a dousing of powder to keep the brush reusable [BTW, you will still have to "soften" the bristles in some solvent before reuse, as they do become stiff], If you clean your mixing buckets and stack them into each other, after they dry, give them a dusting to keep them from sticking together...etc, etc...

Bubble buster roller...



Plastic Spreaders...a.k.a. bondo spreaders...

Some way to measure your MEK-P...I use pippetes graduated in ML's and they measure up to 3ml...

Scrounge up some cardboard to use as wet out place mats...put your cardboard on the table, wet out your mat/cloth, then carry the wet out piece to the work area...helps to make the cloth lay better when its pre-wet...

Rags for constant clean up while applying lams...keep a couple of wet ones in solvent...they are somewhat reusable if you wring them out after use...they will become hard and stiff, but a bit of soaking in solvent before the next session of glassing will usually soften them up enough for some more use...

That's all I got for now...
gt

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Thanks GT, I appreciate the input. Where would I look for the measuring pippetes for measuring the MEK-P?

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Type in pipettes in your search engine...tons will show up at cheap prices...
You can also get a graduated measuring bottle from the supplier of your resin supplies...they look like this...

 

[poppop51]

Re: 77 Skeeter Wrangler restoration

Thanks GT.

 

[poppop51]

Hi everyone, Finally ordered my supplies from U.S. Comp. Should be here on Tuesday. Haven't been able to work on the skeeter since last fall. It will feel good to start building up instead of tearing down. Also, Haven't been around for a while. (Forgot my password, took a long time to get reset.) I noticed the site has changed, and the threads that I frequented for information and inspiration have all the pictures missing. Does anyone know why? Thanks, poppop

 

[poppop51]

No Title

Hi everyone, Well the big brown truck brought me some good stuff. Ready to build but I have a few questions.
(1) My pb takes hours to harden at 1%. Should I use 1 1/2 %.
(2) Do I still add the chopped strand when gluing the transome to the hull? I'm using poly.
Here are a few pictures.

 

[Woodonglass]

What are your Temps. To glue your Transom I'd use this mix 1000 ml resin 1500 ml cabosil 75 ml 1/4" milled fibers.

 

[jbcurt00]

Haven't been around for a while. (Forgot my password, took a long time to get reset.) I noticed the site has changed, and the threads that I frequented for information and inspiration have all the pictures missing. Does anyone know why? Thanks, poppop

Hi everyone, Well the big brown truck brought me some good stuff. Ready to build but I have a few questions.
(1) My pb takes hours to harden at 1%. Should I use 1 1/2 %.
(2) Do I still add the chopped strand when gluing the transome to the hull? I'm using poly.
Here are a few pictures.

Forum software update didn't go smoothly, still trying to resolve problems. Pix are a major part of the problem. Your pix didn't show up, for the same reason it appears many Topics (formerly threads) are also 'missing' their pix...

Try to use photo bucket. There's an IMG code for each pix you post there. Copy the IMG code & paste it into your posts. It'll look something like this:
{img]http://www.cubefx.com/smart/starcraft_01.jpg[/img}
And pix show up IN your post:

Yes you can go up a 1/2% w/ the MEKP. Make sure you're measuring it correctly. Unless your daytime glassing temps are approaching 60*F, it shouldn't be taking hours to kick. MEKP can be old & cause some problems too. Since you've had it less then 30days, I don't think that's the case.

You can turn some halogen work lights on below the area's your glassing to gently warm the area, to help it kick too.