Newbie Questions About Project Boat

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

NidaBond or Seacast would Not solve the rivet issue. You would Bust Your budget big time if you used it. If you do a Normal Stringer, Deck Transom job using the normal materials, Poly, Plywood and Paint, You should have No problem having an extremely seaworthy fishing boat for a $2,500 investment. If you're careful prolly more like $2,000.

Good news, thanks. Maybe I will get lucky and not need to do the transom. Can't wait to do the weight on the motor test now, the suspense is killing me. Doing alot of research on working with fiberglass. Hoping I can pick it up quickly, seems like there will be alot of that type of work on this project.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Got over to the boat to work for a couple hours today. First on the list was weighting the motor to detect transom flex. It flexed a bit and I found rotten wood by enlarging my previously drilled core test hole. Bummed out about that. Decided to do some more demo on the deck and now have some questions about the stringers. There are 3. The center one runs from the fuel tank bulkhead to about the center of the bow, where it terminates. The other two run along the sides of the fuel tank and bluntly terminate in about the center of the boat. None of the stringers are more than about 6" tall. My questions are is the center stringer structural? Are any of these stringers structural? Keeping in mind this is a tri-hull, is it possible that these only function to hold the deck up?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Stringers are structural. When the hull takes on a wake or a wave, their attachment to the hull prevents the hull from flexing and collapsing. The wood core works in conjunction with the fiberglass laminations to provide the structural integrity required for this. You will need to closely duplicate them in your reconstruction efforts. The Nautical Engineers that designed the hull, designed it for good reasons and it's usually not a good idea to deviate to much from the original design. I think your next step should be to remove the motor and then the rubber insert in the rub rail and drill out all the rivets and then remove the top cap from the boat. You will then have full access to the stringers, bulkheads, and transom to begin the full demolition of the boat. You might find the attached PDF informative.

(Click the pic to download and view the PDF File)
View attachment MaterialsList.pdf

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

I agree. It's gonna be a long hard road but it's the only right way to do this. So we will disconnect the steering and electrical and drill out the rivets. At that point, does it just lift off, windshield attached? No tricks?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Here's how one guy did it...
removing the top cap of a boat - Bing Videos

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Seems relatively straightforward except for where the cap meets the deck at the threshold. Is the cap just floating at that point? In other words, are the only fasteners those at the rub rail?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

At the splashwell it is sometimes permanently attached with resin and glass and requires cutting with a sawzall or similar tool. Again that can all be re-glassed on the Go Back!!!

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

At the splashwell it is sometimes permanently attached with resin and glass and requires cutting with a sawzall or similar tool. Again that can all be re-glassed on the Go Back!!!

Awesome, I will cut that under the trim piece that's back there to possibly avoid having to gelcoat/paint it later. Plan is to pull the cap later this week!

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Plan to cut the splashwell free from the transom under this trim piece, if needed:

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

I kept my splash well intact when I pulled my cap. The transom was already a mess so I used a sawzall and was able to cut through the edge of the transom down below the splash well. I am pretty sure that I will have enough clearance when i fit it back. But it came out intact.

IMHO, and it is only my opinion. Others may correct me if I am misguided. But if you have the cap off and are already replacing the stringers and bulkheads, it just makes sense to cut out and replace the transom. You're already going to be cutting and grinding which means that you'll already be covered in dust (inside your PPE). A bit more sanding isn't that big of a deal.

IIRC, WOG is of the opinion that wood transoms are just fine if they are sealed right and the boat is stored properly. They'll last for many years and material cost shouldn't run over $150.00. To me it's a pretty easy call to make.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Plan to cut the splashwell free from the transom under this trim piece, if needed:

Yep, once the motor's off, that't the place to do it.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

I kept my splash well intact when I pulled my cap. The transom was already a mess so I used a sawzall and was able to cut through the edge of the transom down below the splash well. I am pretty sure that I will have enough clearance when i fit it back. But it came out intact.

IMHO, and it is only my opinion. Others may correct me if I am misguided. But if you have the cap off and are already replacing the stringers and bulkheads, it just makes sense to cut out and replace the transom. You're already going to be cutting and grinding which means that you'll already be covered in dust (inside your PPE). A bit more sanding isn't that big of a deal.

IIRC, WOG is of the opinion that wood transoms are just fine if they are sealed right and the boat is stored properly. They'll last for many years and material cost shouldn't run over $150.00. To me it's a pretty easy call to make.

That's the main reason I'm pulling the cap. I found out the transom was shot yesterday. I was originally thinking Seacast but am now going with wood core due to cost and like you said, I feel like if I do it right, it will last long enough. My outer skin/gelcoat is in good shape so I'm thinking if I cut it under that trim piece at the corner where the transom and splashwell are fused (sounds like almost the same spot you went with), I can possibly hide what will be an amateur job of mating them back together.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Put in some work on the boat today. Started with removing both motors. After that I removed the trim piece where the splashwell meets the transom. The splashwell and the transom were not glassed together underneath it, so I will not have to cut it to remove the cap (one small victory, much needed). After the motors were off, I removed the rub rail and drilled out all of the rivets, then had to go back over them because all I had really done was remove the outer pancake, not the entire fastener. Once that was done, I was feeling pumped with my progress until I tried to raise the cap. It moved hesitantly at the bow, but when I got to the windshield, it was as if it was fastened still. I spent a couple hours looking for missed rivets, hidden fasteners, anything that could be holding it down. I found nothing. At this point I was thinking they probably put some epoxy down before they set the cap so I went along with my flat driver gently prying the cap away from the hull about 1/8". It did feel stuck together but after I had gone all the way around the boat, I still wasn't able to budge it except at the bow. I had to call it a day because I was getting frustrated and impatient. Hoping my next round is more productive. I am going to get a couple 2 x 4's, lay one horizontally against the lip of the cap and cut the other one the distance to the floor of the garage, then try to pry or jack up the upright one and see if I can pop it loose. Probably do one more check for missed fasteners first. What I really would like to do is leave the cap in place and do the work that way. Below is a pic of the boat with the motor gone and one of the only 2 stringers that meet the transom. The other runs from the fuel tank bulkhead to the bow. If anyone thinks I could do this work without removing the cap, give me a heads up. Thanks.



Here is a view of the two stringers that run to the transom:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

The windshield weighs more then you think, but I suspect it's really where the bow lower deck is adhered (possibly via the flotation foam) to the hull. Probably all along the bow seats too........

You should be extremely carefully lifting the cap w/ the windshield attached, most remove them. It's weight is sufficient to crack the gunwales when they become stressed lifting the cap.

There doesn't look to be any additional support under the hull, in your most recent pix. No cradle?

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Dumb question, what is a cradle? I'm on two bunks and two keel rollers right now.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

I think you are right about the flotation foam JB. There are these plywood boxes to the left and the right of the stringers under the splashwell. I was able to look into one of them and it looked like it had been injected with foam. Do you think the splashwell is adhering to this? Should I demo the boxes and clear the foam out?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

It's a support structure to fully support the hull while you remove the cap (maybe) and the major structural elements: transom, stringers, & deck

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

It's a support structure to fully support the hull while you remove the cap (maybe) and the major structural elements: transom, stringers, & deck

Trying to decide now if I can avoid removing the cap. I think the stringer job can be done with the cap on because the stringers don't run into the bow. The thing I don't know is if the transom job can be done with the splashwell in place.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

I'm going to demo out the rest of the deck and the boxes under the splashwell. That will give me a full view of the transom from inside. I'm thinking once that is done, I will be able to determine whether the cap can stay on. If it looks possible, take the inside skin off and replace the transom from inside.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Newbie Questions About Project Boat

Most transoms have an interior vertical surface of glass, the rear section of the 'tub' that makes up the splashwell. The splashwell drains are thru it, as do the upper motor mount bolts:

The transom plywood runs up inside that section of transom/splashwell. It's usually well bonded on the interior, and the seam between the underside of the splashwell & the inside transom skin is usually glassed over.

Not real sure how you'd get the current plywood out completely, but more importantly, how'd you'd get a full height, width & thickness replacement plywood transom in to that cavity..............