Stringer replacement

[justintime1718]

hello im replacing the stringers om my 1989 wellcraft 190 classic and i will be using epoxy and i have read that you DONT need chop strand mat. with that being said is one layer of fiberglass cloth enough or should i do two ? also what type of cloth woven , stiched biaxel ????? any help would be appreciated

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would use poly vs epoxy myself.

CSM is only used with poly as the styrene in the resin is used to dissolve the binder

you will need a few layers of 1700 biax mat

cloth wont cut it.

 

[justintime1718]

So would 2 layers of 1708 with poly be good?

 

[ondarvr]

Look at what was there, if it didn't fail (not talking about rot), then rebuild at least with the same amount of glass, you can use a bit more if it makes you feel better.

 

[Scott Danforth]

it depends on the boat.

if using poly, I used 2 layers of CSM, 2 layers of 1708, and a top of CSM

So what are you working on?

 

[justintime1718]

it depends on the boat.

if using poly, I used 2 layers of CSM, 2 layers of 1708, and a top of CSM

So what are you working on?

Im working on a 1989 wellcraft 190 classic. Everything under the floor is rotten or well on its way to be I'm also going to upgrade the engine but after the boat is structurally sound after ripping up the floor i can see where wellcraft cut ALOT OF CORNERS!!!

 

[justintime1718]

Also why poly over epoxy?

 

[ondarvr]

Also why poly over epoxy?

​Did the current fiberglass fail, or was it a sloppy job that allowed the wood to rot? It was built with the lowest cost polyester resin they could buy and very little attention to detail, and still survived all these decades.

Either resin can be used, it won't make much of a difference.

 

[justintime1718]

​Did the current fiberglass fail, or was it a sloppy job that allowed the wood to rot? It was built with the lowest cost polyester resin they could buy and very little attention to detail, and still survived all these decades.

Either resin can be used, it won't make much of a difference.

From what i can see they didn't glass the top of the stringers and water soaked through the floor and the craftsmanship is poor

 

[justintime1718]

Do i need to put CSM down first or can i start with 1708 and go from there?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Im working on a 1989 wellcraft 190 classic. Everything under the floor is rotten or well on its way to be I'm also going to upgrade the engine but after the boat is structurally sound after ripping up the floor i can see where wellcraft cut ALOT OF CORNERS!!!

all boats in the 80's had corners cut - just be glad you didnt buy a bayliner. the boat has a design life of 15 years before a total rebuild. your boat is 30 years old. you may want to read this http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...at-design-life

Also why poly over epoxy?

you cant gel over epoxy, and considering the amount of surface you need to do and the fact you need to cut everything out and grind everything, poly is cheaper. however if your bent on epoxy, use epoxy

From what i can see they didn't glass the top of the stringers and water soaked through the floor and the craftsmanship is poor

see my comment above. however this is also due to the lack of care in the boat over the years

Do i need to put CSM down first or can i start with 1708 and go from there?

yes, csm down first

 

[justintime1718]

all boats in the 80's had corners cut - just be glad you didnt buy a bayliner. the boat has a design life of 15 years before a total rebuild. your boat is 30 years old. you may want to read this http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...at-design-life

you cant gel over epoxy, and considering the amount of surface you need to do and the fact you need to cut everything out and grind everything, poly is cheaper. however if your bent on epoxy, use epoxy

see my comment above. however this is also due to the lack of care in the boat over the years


yes, csm down first

Will the poly be enough to waterproof the stringers ? Or do i need to gelcoat everything below the floor?

 

[Scott Danforth]

poly is enough to encapsulate the stringers. google friscoboater on youtube, he has a bunch of vids. his thread in the DIY restoration forum stickies suffered the same photobucket fate that all prior photo-rich threads did.

 

[ondarvr]

Will the poly be enough to waterproof the stringers ? Or do i need to gelcoat everything below the floor?

​While nothing is actually waterproof, for all practical purposes polyester resin would be considered waterproof. So was it that the water penetrated the current glass laminate on the stringers and allowed the wood to rot, or was it the fact that they only glassed part way up the side of the wood and it was fully exposed to the water.

​If fully encapsulated with a laminate the only way water will reach the wood is through a sloppy job or unsealed holes being drilled in it, in these situations it makes no difference which resin you use, it will rot in the same way and the same amount of time.