Re: Here I go again!! 1995 Sea Ray 220 Signature Deck and Stringer Restoration
Re: Here I go again!! 1995 Sea Ray 220 Signature Deck and Stringer Restoration
Wood, I thought about that to when I saw Bob's thread. The problem with them being removable is that you lose the adhesion adn stiffness you get with the foam. This is not really for flotation as this boat is way too heavy and according to the coast guard calculation for foam, I could not get enough in here to stop it from going down. It is more to stiffen the hull and provide sound deadening. After talking with a boat builder here, I have learned a great deal in the past week. Most things I have done are correct, but a few I need to change. This guy is in his 60s and has rebuilt lots of boats. Here is what he said.
1. Seal everything and do not use limber holes.
2. Use a rubberized coating inside your compartments (ie redguard) after all glassing is done
3. Glass and rubberize the underside of the deck
4. Use stainless screws to hold down the deck even if you are using epoxy, ans seal with 5200.
5. Epoxy is over rated, and if not mixed just right is not as strong (his words not mine)
6. Poly will fry your brain as it has his... LOL!!!
7. If you are a good glasser you do not need 1708 to not get bubbles :facepalm: I guess I am not good enough... LOL
8. Do not seal up the gas tank compartment in case of a leak. He said access panels are ok, but he preferred to use a full hatch.
9. When foaming under a deck you need to use 4# foam, not 2# in a big boat like mine. It provides more stiffness and stops the boat from twisting as much. This also helps keep cracks from forming in your glass.
10. Lots of bulkheads to help with torsional twist also.
11. Run a large PVC pipe from the ski locker to the bilge for cable runs if needed. I have not done this, but am considering it.
12. If you can do without a ski locker, do not put the hole in your deck. The water runs around the opening and under the bottom of the deck and will find holes. However, if you really make sure it is sealed, get in there after the deck is on, and glass the joint, you will be ok.
13. Last but not least. Pop for covered storage. All boat covers leak.
He has really been helpful in what I have been doing and I am sooo grateful. I still want to put in limber holes though. It is just nagging at me.
Ok... Now for what I got done yesterday. This stringers and bulkheads are totally glassed in, and now I need to cap them off. The video will take a while to edit as I got a cool new tripod so you can watch the work being done. Not sure how it all turned out, so we will see.
