Hi all,
I recently started my first boat restoration and have a few questions. Well, I admit, I have a zillion questions, but will start with a few today. My 18ft 1980 Glasply runabout has foam filled glass stringers. I pulled the deck and several hundred pounds of soggy foam from under it, but have no idea how I will get the foam out of the stringers. And once out, will they need to be foamed again? In other words, does the foam in the stringers serve any function other than flotation?
I removed a 4 cyl Volvo and outdrive, and my plan is to re-power with an outboard on a bracket. The transom looks sound, but I will drill some test holes to be sure. Since I will mount a bracket on the back, I have a hunch that the transom will need to be tied into the stringers somehow for extra strength. Any ideas on how to do that would also be appreciated. The HUGE outdrive hole has beveled edges, which would make it challenging to plug easily. I am wondering if a new transom is in order to solve a few of these questions. One last question, after pulling the deck up, some of the rotted deck was left stuck to the tops of the stringers. I know I need to get after them with a grinder, and to clean up the edges and get down to the hull. I bought a 7 inch grinder and an assortment of grinding wheels and disks. What would be best to start with grit wise? I'll also mention that I am fairly mechanically inclined, but have never worked with fiberglass. I've been enjoying reading all the posts here. Thanks in advance for any help!
I recently started my first boat restoration and have a few questions. Well, I admit, I have a zillion questions, but will start with a few today. My 18ft 1980 Glasply runabout has foam filled glass stringers. I pulled the deck and several hundred pounds of soggy foam from under it, but have no idea how I will get the foam out of the stringers. And once out, will they need to be foamed again? In other words, does the foam in the stringers serve any function other than flotation?
I removed a 4 cyl Volvo and outdrive, and my plan is to re-power with an outboard on a bracket. The transom looks sound, but I will drill some test holes to be sure. Since I will mount a bracket on the back, I have a hunch that the transom will need to be tied into the stringers somehow for extra strength. Any ideas on how to do that would also be appreciated. The HUGE outdrive hole has beveled edges, which would make it challenging to plug easily. I am wondering if a new transom is in order to solve a few of these questions. One last question, after pulling the deck up, some of the rotted deck was left stuck to the tops of the stringers. I know I need to get after them with a grinder, and to clean up the edges and get down to the hull. I bought a 7 inch grinder and an assortment of grinding wheels and disks. What would be best to start with grit wise? I'll also mention that I am fairly mechanically inclined, but have never worked with fiberglass. I've been enjoying reading all the posts here. Thanks in advance for any help!