Can the floor rot from the top down???

[elark7]

Re: Can the floor rot from the top down???

Just some more pics of the stringer repair. The photo above with the X's cut in the wood is the original floor that I removed. Strange way to make sure the fiberglass soaked in and bonded to the wood.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Can the floor rot from the top down???

If its not too much to ask can you resize your pics to large? They are very hard to see.

Your bulkheads (the pieces perpendicular to stringer), are going to be hard to glass the 90 degree angles. By hard I mean you can't put 1.5oz csm into a 90 degree corner reliably. Round holes and rounded edges are easier to fiberglass.

 

[elark7]

Hobbling along and doing what I can

Hobbling along and doing what I can

So here are some pics of the floor showing what I have been able to do while not climbing in and out of the boat. It is a tight fit, had to 45 angle cut in the middle to get it in under the helm and rear deck. Definately going to remove the cap for the next boat I redo. Had a hard time trying to line up and mark for cuts from the outside, should have waited for my son to help as I cut off to much in two places. I am still trying to get it to fit in the corners since it is 3/8 inch thick resin that won't cut out, broke two blades and bent a third. Added two more cross pieces then original as the floor seemed to flex in the middle, and wanted more wood under where the seats will mount. Also have cut a full length stringer for the middle. Decided to replace the whole thing rather then piece it together, since I replaced all of the other stringers. Also decided to go with the pipe down the middle for drainage. Thanks to chrishayes.



So I haven' figured out the flickr web sight completely yet, but if you click on the x you can go to the sight and see larger photos of my progress.

elark

 

[elark7]

Re: Can the floor rot from the top down???

Just spent the last 2 hours loading and editing 100+ pics onto photobucket. Hopefully the larger size will help those wanting to see them.

I have put resin on all of the new wood. See my seperate post of how dumb I was while doing this. I am now waiting for warm days to glass in the stringers and support pieces. Once that is accomplished I will commence to glassing in the new floor. Then of course I have to reinstall the motor. I am contemplating using the same color as the boat to repaint the motor. I still have a quart in the basement and think it will look better if it matches the hull.

But before I get elbow deep into the glassing is there any way to cut some costs without cutting corners or skimping on quality. Being unemployed and hoping to sell the boat I am well past the amount I had hoped to spend. I am guessing that this boat has a ratail value of around $1000, can't find it on line in any of the value guides (yes I know it is only worth what someone is willing to pay so lets avoid that discussion). The problem is I have way over double in what I belive the boat is worth and will have to buy more resin (used a full gallon just coating the stringers, supports and bottom side of the floor) and will, by my calculations need double what I have in fiberglass. Having no income I am going to have to draw the line and either finish what I can with what I have and sell it as needing work, sell the extra motors and parts that i have amassed and put the money towards finishing the boat, or call my mom and ask for a short term loan (not keen on this last choice). So any help in cutting costs would be appreciated.

elark7

heres a link to my album of pics
http://s794.photobucket.com/albums/yy224/elark7/

 

[elark7]

Re: Can the floor rot from the top down???

This has been a real learning experience. Unfortunately i have not yet caught up to the curve. Got all of the stringers glassed in, then the cross supports. Started to replace the foam and ended up having to trim them to fit. Forgot that I was adding to the size of the wood by placing cloth and resin on them. And probaly put too much resin on as a lot of it ended up in the middle of the hull as it ran down the stringers. Which is now a bigger problem as the floor sets about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch above the original floor glass along the edges. I can't win for losing. Anyways Should I fill the gap along the 1-2 inch edge? Or should I not worry about it as I will be putting carpet back down. If I do fill it should I use PB or multiple layers of glass? Also would it be bad to use Tiger Glass, a glass filled body filler I have used on cars.

elark7

 

[noworries79]

Re: Can the floor rot from the top down???

I am with ya! Found all sorts of things in mine...flip flops, lighters chewed gum, and a boys dress shoe

That's funny you mention that, I just found some fiberglass shears stuck under the front deck today!

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Can the floor rot from the top down???

I cut up an old Thunderbird trihull a few years ago and found an empty bottle of Jack Daniels, five gloves, two rusty screwdrivers and one wrench all foamed into a closed compartment beneath the deck up front. I also cut up an old Glastron last spring and found what I think was a dead pigeon or Seagull beneath the bowrider area. There was no way that I could see for it to have climbed in there with the upper cap on.

I had an older Dodge van which I bought from a family friend in high school, it always had a knock or rattle on really rough roads that no one could ever find. It got hit in a parking lot one day and when I cut away the quarter panel around the fuel filler door I found a small bottle of peach schnapps stuck in between the panels, half painted the color of the van. It had never been hit or worked on before so it had to be there from the factory. Inside was scrap of paper with a date on it from the year the van was built. The bottle was the rattle, it would flop side to side on hard turns. Once I replaced that side panel, and removed the bottle, the noise was gone. I guess the guys on the assembly line get bored from time to time. Besides, I suppose who ever stuck that bottle in there had to dump it someplace where it wouldn't be seen.