my boat was apparently made of mulch

[vegard]

after a month and a half of ignoring my boat project, Im back in action. took the deck off yesterday and today I removed the transom and the rest of the floor.<br />heres the transom after removal:<br />

<br />heres the whole boat:<br />

<br />

<br /><br />And here's my question: when I epoxy the marine plywood in the floor and transom, how do I get it to stick to the old fiberglass? its covered with paint and carpet glue:<br />

<br />I want to make everything as permanent and waterproof as possible.

 

[crab bait]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

WOW,, you're not kiddin' ,,mulch..!!<br /><br />you gotta project on you hands...<br /><br />well,, your in-for-a-penny... in-for-a-pound...can't turn back now.. <br /><br />in order for the epoxy to bond,,it's GOTTA be to/on clean fibreglass...iknow it's alotta work,,but it must be done.. <br /><br />get & use an angle grinder... it'll make FAST work of it... only do areas that will get the glue... use a 'cut off wheel'.. not a grindin' wheel.. <br /><br />good luck... also,, before you permently glue in anything,,, check for hull rackin'..since there's no supoort structure..<br /><br />best way is to lay a good 2x4 across the hull at mid-ships...stand back aways.. eyeball the top of the transom with the 2x4... it'll tell you if things are o k...

 

[vegard]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

Thanks Crab bait, Ill definitely put a 2 by 4 on it.<br />I have another question though:<br />I got some foam, how should I pour it? after or before the floor?<br /><br />I would like it to be right up against the floor, which will be half inch plywood. How would I do this if I pour before the floor gets installed? perhaps a piece of wood to level it as it expands?

 

[bhalsdorf]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

I poured my foam before I set the floor in. I just put a trash bag over the piece for the floor and held it in place so the foam would expand out and not stick to the floor board because of the bag. Worked great for me. If I didn't put enough foam in I could always add more and have no voids that way.

 

[boat doc]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

I assume that you got a/b or 2 part foam? Put your foam in before you put your floor in. it will keep you from getting voids. You can always grind the foam down flat, or use a hand saw. Another thing I would do is not even use plywood for the floor. Get you some 1/2" to 3/4" plastic, and set that in the foam anyplace you may screw seats to the floor. Lay about 3 or 4 layers of glass ontop your foam, and you have a strong floor, that will not rot. When you mix your resin, if temp is below about 75 degress mix your hardner 1.5% by weight, and above 75 1 to 3/4% by weight, that should leave you with plenty work time. One last thing, go and get 2 cheep spray guns from pawn shop, wall mart, target, or whatever you may have in your area, use those for your foam. Part A in one, and Part B in the other. Hold them side by side, and spray them together. This will make a mess, so wear junk clothing, and a resperator. Stiring the foam in a cup, and puring sucks, and will also leave voids.<br /><br />have fun

 

[crab bait]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

that is THEE most ridiculus thing i have ever heard ... not using a solid substrate for flooring... only using THREE OR FOUR layers of fiberglass...<br /><br />first off,,, 3 or 4 layers equate to nothin'...!!! <br /><br />second off,, the foam would have to be perfectly smooth .. no humps ,bumps ,or hollows.. the glass will mirrow image the ugly foam..<br /><br />third off... it'll never bond well to the foam ,anyway... <br /><br />a floor in a boat is a very very important structure componet..an should be one...!!

 

[SeaMasterZ@aol.com]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

uh oh ....<br /><br />yanno, yer supposed to put the floor in first THEN pop the top off and do the transom<br /><br />the boat hull can "spread", and then when you pop the top on, its like putting a too small lid on a tupperware bowl<br /><br />this according to "Runabout Restoration" author Jim Anderson, a guy thats done the dirty deed more than all of us combined most likely ... <br /><br />get the book, it will be a big help!

 

[boat doc]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

that is THEE most ridiculus thing i have ever heard ... not using a solid substrate for flooring... only using THREE OR FOUR layers of fiberglass...<br /><br />Would you like me to send you a video on how a lot of manufactures build there boats now?<br /><br />Your right, going back with plywood would be the best thing, after all it has proven to be fine the first time in this case.

 

[vegard]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

I wouldnt put just FG as the floor, dont worry. Anyway, I ordered plywood. And about the boat spreading... Ill just measure and see if it is. If so Ill just do the transom and then put the deck in before the floor. Thanks for all the responces

 

[boat doc]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

If you do use plywood, the best to use is marine grade, the second best is wolmanized. The problem with wolmanized is it is usually still damp from being treated, and glass has a hard time sticking to it. You will notice that your resin may get milky looking when you lay it out.<br /><br />I still say that no wood is the way, like I said before my edit, its how a lot of boats are done today

 

[vegard]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

I thought about getting rid of the wood, maybe doing some sea-cast for the transom, and then fiberglass sheets for the floor, but frankly its more expensive and I still have wood in the stringers and foam to get waterlogged. But the plywood I ordered is marine. I also plan to cover it heavily.

 

[boat doc]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

I would even coat the side that you put down if you use wood<br /><br />sereiously though, not using wood works fine, and is cheeper than using marine grade plywood. I do not know about your area, but that stuff cost me almost 100 bucks a pop

 

[vegard]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

I definitely se your point, boat doc, but since Im stuck with wood in there anyway, Id rather over-build it and get some plywood in there.<br /><br />About the hull deforming--- I dont think it will (or has) because under the floor (as you can see in the pictures) there are crossmembers ontop of the stringers that should keep the sides from splitting.

 

[catfish1]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

boatdoc, the no ply approach is definitly a new one on me. i'm with crab bait on this one! after pouring foam, it just doesnt come out nice and smooth. i'm not to sure the fiberglass would stick to it either. seems like if everything didnt go right you would have a lot of expense and a huge mess on your hands. if the manufacturers do it now, i'd say they use a higher density foam for better support also.

 

[catfish1]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

vegard, your project looks like it is coming along nicely. i have no doubt it will look great when finished!

 

[wallbanger2]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

BoatDoc, are you sure your not confusing the "no wood" floor with a composite flooring such a fiberglass skinned Divinycell?

 

[plywoody]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

In order for fiberlass to stick to plywood, the plywood has to be absolutely dry. Plywood, even marine grade, comes out of the factory typically somewhere around 5% Moisture content. Then if it is stored in an unheated warehouse, in a high humidity environment, it can get upwards of 8-10% moisture just sitting around. A good grade of west coast ACX fir plywood will do just as well, if it is kept dry, and a couple of layers of heavy cloth (at least 24oz) roving sandwiched between a glass mat over it will give it plenty of strength. The marine grade is a bit of overkill, in my opinion, and neither will stick long term to fiberglass if the bare wood is allowed to get wet.

 

[dinsdale]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

Use S1 Sealing epoxy or CPES and totally saturate the plywod. Never rot after that.

 

[TopNotch]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

holy crap... that is some job you laid out for yourself. good luck, i hope you live long enough to see the end of your project.

 

[vegard]

Re: my boat was apparently made of mulch

Oh, Ill see the end of it alright... And Ill keep you guys updated as long as you keep giving good advice. My forcast is waterborne (not necesarily done..) in a month or less. I have the motor running...