Boat Restoration Help Needed

[eligonzalez2010]

I am in the process of restoring an old boat and am not scared to get dirty. Currently I have removed the top cap and rewired it. I need to replace the transom and all of the atringers. Currently I have removed the old transom and sanded it down to the pink resin but I have an issue that I think needs to be addressed first. There are spots that are concave as though resin came off or was non - existent in the outer skin on the inside. They look like someone sanded to deep or something during a previous transom repair. Not sure how to explain it so I will post ohotos. My question is do I need to build all of these areas up with cloth or can I just bring it on plane with the rest of the transom using thickened epoxy, let it cure and then go on with the new transom installation as usual?

View image: 20131209 152125

View image: 20131209 152137

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

I'd skim the inside of the transom skin at the same time you apply the thickened epoxy to the transom for installation, slap them together and compress the snot out of them with clamps and whatever means of compression you intend to use. Make your cove fillets with the stuff that squeezes out.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

You should find lots of good useful info here:
"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

 

[sphelps]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

Are the humps /hills that stick out hollow ? If so you may want to grind those down and put a layer of glass over it before you glue in the new wood .. if they are not de- laminated then I would fill like jig stated or pre-fill with thickened resin filler before new wood ..

 

[eligonzalez2010]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

Are the humps /hills that stick out hollow ? If so you may want to grind those down and put a layer of glass over it before you glue in the new wood .. if they are not de- laminated then I would fill like jig stated or pre-fill with thickened resin filler before new wood ..

They are not hollow/delaminated and acrually dont atick out. There are indentations rather than humps if that makes sense. If I were to put wood up against the outer skin there would be a void between the wood and the outer skin in indented areas. I was thinking that thickened epoxy would work well to fill those voids but wasn't sure if I should build up the voids with cloth or just thickened epoxy. It would be a giant pain in the arse to try to build up these areas with cloth.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

Yeah, I'd fill those valleys in with the thickened resin and this tool to skim it smooth:

Workforce 5-Way Tool-07531 at The Home Depot

What are you going to thicken your epoxy with?

 

[eligonzalez2010]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

Yeah, I'd fill those valleys in with the thickened resin and this tool to skim it smooth:

Workforce 5-Way Tool-07531 at The Home Depot

What are you going to thicken your epoxy with?

I haven't gotten that far but I figured silica or cabosil or whatever is being used lately. I understand the process and have seen all of this done before but just haven't ever done it myself. You have any recomendations?

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Boat Restoration Help Needed

cabosil and aerosil among others are just brand names for fumed silica. Any brand is fine, its all the same thing. You could even use common barn lime in a pinch which is often used in the resin transfer molding (RTM) process. Lime is cheap and easy to find, its just heavier.