Caulking Release

[cpo1]

Moving along with my top cap removal on a 1977 16' Chrysler Pro Bass Runner. All rivets and screws are now removed. Both sides are fully free and moveable. All four (tri-hull) corners are caulked. I have the rear starboard corner released, but the rear port is stuck in one area. I've worked at it, but still no luck. Any ideas for breaking this loose? I have a block and tackle connected above and a hydraulic jack on the floorboard under a compound curve area. I jack very cautiously, listening for any cracking noises and/or other signs of too much stress. I also applied heat to the area, which I know is not a good idea. Here are a couple of pictures showing the stuck area, 2-3 inches wide I'm guessing. The stuck area is right next to the wood wedges on top of the transom. May have to cut and re-glass. Thanks for your help.

 

[Drivewayboater2]

Have you tried an oscillating multi tool? See if you can get in between top cap and hull. Worth a shot since you were considering to cut away fiberglass and re glass . Go slow and careful. Keep us posted

 

[Grub54891]

Did you check inside the boat to see if something is stuck inside?

 

[zool]

The only area you usually need to cut is by the splashwell where the motor mounts. The other areas should come free if u use a multi tool like stated above, or a putty knife and a hammer to break the sealant.

 

[Lectro88]

I feel or understand your pain.
Don't feel bad. in truth it took me probably 4-6 months working on different areas of the boat and pondering/brainstorming, back and forth on here for advise before I got my cap off. But I did't push it, I'd work at it and leave it alone, work on something else.
But I had all kind of areas to work on and address.
You are probably fighting something like 3m 5200 adhesive or factory PB.
They put that stuff in strategic places to bond or create a solid 1Piece unit.
It does make the boat strong and keeps vibration sounds out.
They really didn't intend on anybody doing these "Repairs or Rebuilds" and they certainly didn't care.

 

[Lectro88]

And you don't want to overheat the fiberglass 140F. is probably on the high side of temps.
To be safe.

 

[cpo1]

Have you tried an oscillating multi tool? See if you can get in between top cap and hull. Worth a shot since you were considering to cut away fiberglass and re glass . Go slow and careful. Keep us posted

Thanks for your comment. That's what I did. Up until that, I was using a round cornered putty knife. The oscillator helped, but it was still stuck. I finally used two hydraulic jacks and also a very small block and tackle hooked to the rear of the port side where it was stuck. The hydraulic jacks (using boards) did the trick and it let loose with a bang, but no apparent damage to anything that I can see. I do have some minor damage in the transom area on one side, but it is should be a very minor issue. See other comments and photos below.

 

[cpo1]

And you don't want to overheat the fiberglass 140F. is probably on the high side of temps.
To be safe.

Yep, I know that you can ruin fiberglass with too much heat. I'll be re-glassing that area to some extent anyway, so it should be strong again. Not sure that it's damaged, but will soon know, I think.

 

[cpo1]

Did you check inside the boat to see if something is stuck inside?

Thanks for your reply. I did check, but found nothing. The rear was stuck with caulking. It finally let loose with some hydraulic jack persuasion.

 

[cpo1]

The only area you usually need to cut is by the splashwell where the motor mounts. The other areas should come free if u use a multi tool like stated above, or a putty knife and a hammer to break the sealant.

I think you were dead on. That is the area that broke loose, I think. Until I get the cap higher into the air, I won't know for sure, but the cracking noise was coming from that area when it let loose. Doesn't appear to be damaged, but I won't know for sure until I raise it some more. See below for more comments. Thanks.

 

[cpo1]

I feel or understand your pain.
Don't feel bad. in truth it took me probably 4-6 months working on different areas of the boat and pondering/brainstorming, back and forth on here for advise before I got my cap off. But I did't push it, I'd work at it and leave it alone, work on something else.
But I had all kind of areas to work on and address.
You are probably fighting something like 3m 5200 adhesive or factory PB.
They put that stuff in strategic places to bond or create a solid 1Piece unit.
It does make the boat strong and keeps vibration sounds out.
They really didn't intend on anybody doing these "Repairs or Rebuilds" and they certainly didn't care.

Lectro88, you are correct. This might make an older man out of an old man. I think some of it may have been 3m 5200 or similar. See my drivewayboater2 and other comments. I now have it hanging with 4 straps from the ceiling. As I look at it though, I think I will add 2 more straps between the straps that are now there and use 2 under-hoists to hold the front of the cap up so I can open and close the garage door. The under-hoists have an approx 44" range and that should get me high enough to drag the hull out from under the cap. Should be okay in a couple more days. Tuesday is set aside for a crappie trip here in Indiana. I'll use my son's old 14' Lund with a 9.8 motor for that trip. The hull has a slight natural bow and I see the cap is not bowed as much with the straps. That's why I think I'll add the additional supports. I'll also try to keep things aligned as well as I can with supports. I'll first measure and then if I see things creeping I push or pull it back into its zone. I'm excited to see what trouble lies ahead now, once I get things moving again. I have my fingers crossed on the transom, but we'll soon find out. Once outside, I can start ripping away on the deck. In the past, when working with fairly hard foam I used a 1 1/2" Forstner bit that was rounded on the corners so as to help protect from gouging with an o'crap. My foam is likely damp, so we'll see how that might work with the foam removal. I'd drill, then break away with a crow bar or screwdriver, drill, vacuum, repeat, etc. Any new suggestions will be appreciated. Here's the latest photos. Thanks again for your and the other's help.

 

[Lectro88]

A shovel, your choice square or round, did well for me to break sections loose, pry/crow bar, claw of framing hammer did well also. the stuff most times cuts loose with a bang kinda like you described cap.
Once you get down to hull, you can slide shovel pretty aggressively and pry up/down to separate the two. like digging up sidewalk in chunks.
Same care listening and due caution with fiberglass.
You can use hand saw to go along stringers or sawzall if your adventurous, to make break points if you need.
I found 12"-18" widths did best at turning loose, but as long as you can is fine, most times 2'-3' is about its longest typical.
I used silage or pitch fork to remove, after it was loose and in the way. but I had a lot and was transferring into big blue dumpster right from the boat.
Probably everyone has their own winning method.
By my second boat I had it down. It's odd to say aggressive and a careful in the same sentence, but thats what I found works.

 

[cpo1]

Went fishing Tuesday in old Lund 14'er. If I had caught just 11 more than what I caught, I would have had an even dozen. Oh well. Another day, hopefully soon. I'm adding two more cap suspension straps in the rear 3rd just to keep things better supported. I also have two underhoist jacks that will be used on the front of the boat to keep the cap high enough for moving the hull in and out of the garage. Those jacks are necessary because when the garage door is open, I have to support that area from the floor. Couldn't figure out an easier way. Tried stepladders, but that was not going to work well. Too bulky. Otherwise, nothing new to report. I also adding new wood to the old Lund 14'er and should have that project done by early next week. Got the marine plywood, but now waiting on carpet via mail. More later.

 

[Lectro88]

Dang that was still a good day fishing.
you need some of those new cordless straps to deal with the door issue.
they’re in the same area as sky hook, wire stretcher and fluorescent tube bender. Also the muffler bearings are on the same isle.

enjoy your shopping. Lol

 

[cpo1]

Dang that was still a good day fishing.
you need some of those new cordless straps to deal with the door issue.
they’re in the same area as sky hook, wire stretcher and fluorescent tube bender. Also the muffler bearings are on the same isle.

enjoy your shopping. Lol

Huh? It's been a long evening, but at least I'm still sober. Cordless straps? I'm old and confused. LOL

 

[cpo1]

Moving along with my top cap removal on a 1977 16' Chrysler Pro Bass Runner. All rivets and screws are now removed. Both sides are fully free and moveable. All four (tri-hull) corners are caulked. I have the rear starboard corner released, but the rear port is stuck in one area. I've worked at it, but still no luck. Any ideas for breaking this loose? I have a block and tackle connected above and a hydraulic jack on the floorboard under a compound curve area. I jack very cautiously, listening for any cracking noises and/or other signs of too much stress. I also applied heat to the area, which I know is not a good idea. Here are a couple of pictures showing the stuck area, 2-3 inches wide I'm guessing. The stuck area is right next to the wood wedges on top of the transom. May have to cut and re-glass. Thanks for your help.

10/15/2021 - Ok, so far so good. Here are photos of where I am today. Front of cap is supported by under-hoist jacks so I can open the garage door without issues. Rest of cap is supported by ratchet straps suspended from ceiling. I can now pull the hull and trailer outside to start work on the rebuild of the floor and transom. I think I will end up having to put in a new transom. Not sure yet, but it looks like that will be an issue. There is a "slight" bow in the transom. I ran into problems with the infamous "Smart Straps". Wound them too tight and could not release the tension on them. That will be another story. Moral of the story though is check to ensure that you are not overwinding ratchet straps past their useful linear pull dimension. My bad. Bought new ratchet straps so I could pull enough tension to release the "Smart Straps." The pictures attached are with new straps that are not an issue. Without bad-mouthing "SmartStrap", I'll investigate the real issue after I'm able to get these guys apart again. Otherwise, as you can see, the hull can now be pulled out of the garage, once I lower the hitch jack another 5-6 inches. Actually, It could be pulled out now, inasmuch that the back of the hull is lower than the front. Tomorrow will be an interesting day. One last thing. When I elevated the cap, it move over sideways about 1 ft, but this should not be a problem. It means I'll have to move the hull a little bit to align with the cap when the two come back together. More later. Wil

 

[Lectro88]

Huh? It's been a long evening, but at least I'm still sober. Cordless straps? I'm old and confused. LOL

Man I was just messing with you a bit on cordless straps and other bogus items.

However.. any day fishing is a good day fishing,. Most times anyway.

You are making good progress. by the way.

 

[garbageguy]

Enjoy watching your progress - ALL boat pics are GOOD boat pics (to me). Thanks for posting

Ya, skyhooks, muffler bearings, etc - recalls some funny discussions on that kind stuff over the years (and just last night too).

 

[cpo1]

Enjoy watching your progress - ALL boat pics are GOOD boat pics (to me). Thanks for posting

Ya, skyhooks, muffler bearings, etc - recalls some funny discussions on that kind stuff over the years (and just last night too).

Thanks garbageguy: I have the boat about naked now, cleaned up and ready for the real work of stripping out all the ugly wood and starting the rebuild process, once I can get the wind settled down a bit and the temperatures don't freeze me out. I won't create fiberglass dust in my garage, due to the furnace being there, so it might get a little slow now for awhile. I've attached more photos. Thanks for your comments.

Man I was just messing with you a bit on cordless straps and other bogus items.

However.. any day fishing is a good day fishing,. Most times anyway.

You are making good progress. by the way.

Posted my latest pics to garbageguy.

 

[Lectro88]

That hull and my 70's Pisces almost look like they came out of the same mold.
Your floor is set up different though.

I had to cut the transom glass out.
It was shattered and caved in from previous owner neglect.
Too distorted to try and repair over.

Only had 1 center 1x8 stringer in center.
You see the stringer I made is triple layers.
and adding 1 additional each side equally spaced from center to side hull.
This was a walk through to bow with windshield.
I'm doing away with that and converting to center console.(super custom)


no highjack meant.
Just showing the similars.