Stringers

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

Greetings - Couldn't locate the how-to section.

I took a lousy photo of one of the stringers we shaped yesterday...we have the other side to do today. We decided to laminate two 3/4 inch ply together for them. Thought it would be stronger.

Decided to use the West System.

Do we take the deck all the way top the sides of the boat and laminate the deck to the sides? Since this boat will be used for skiing, tubing, wake boarding, the kids will be climbing aboard and shaking the water off like a dog. There is no transom plug to drain...only one plug midship and I suppose that is used to drain the oil. There was two bilge pumps and I'll replace those. However, should I cut several half circles where the deck meets the transom so the water can drop down and get sucked out?

The posicle sticks still have me a bit confused when you come right back and laminate the stringers to the hull. What is the purpose of the popsicle sticks.

Do I laminate the stringers to the transom?

Is it ok to break the full length of the transom at bulheads as long as I bond the two together nicely?

I wanted to keep as many screws out of the deck as possible. Is there a way to use cloth to hold it down to the stringers instead of screwing it?

That's it for now. It's brrrr cold outside so we'll have to give it a while before Mr. Sun heats things up.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Stringers

Mark,

Looks like I am late to the game. You need to take a look at oops thread and my thread (linked at the bottom) we have gone over, taken pictures, and videoed how to rebuild a boat. If you would like to see the condensed version of my thread, take a look at the completed projects section. There you will find a more detailed and easy to understand version of my thread.

Are you sure about the west system. My boat took 45 gallons of resin, and that would have been almost 3 grand for resin alone. Poly is plenty strong and cost me about 14 hundred. It is what these boats are made of. Epoxy is overkill.

Take some time a watch some of my videos and I think it will really help you with some of your questions.

 

[mxcobra]

Re: Stringers

maybee I can help you here...
I,m not as expericed as oops or wood but have been in and out of my boat amny many times.
I uses 3/4 x 10 dougles for my sringers mainly becouse thats what I removed,
I used PL premium to bed stringers put on real thick so there would be no hard spots.
to match the curvature of the boat held up stringer close with bracing then used a pencil and square,
ran doun boat marking a line were stinger will sit. cut on line and used a grinder to get a close match.
epoxy is to expencive your going to need a lot, so i stuck with polyurathain plus if your gonig to gelcoat,
this sticks to poly better.
I am also going to use the pl to glue the deck to stringers and hole and very minamal screws scews that i do use will be sealed with PB
look here for some pics of mine that may help- http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=496235

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Stringers

The link in my signature will explain about the popsicle sticks and how they work to hold the stringer up off the hull while you bed the stringer in to the hull with PB. There's also pics on how to fabricate your deck. Frisco's videos are about the best there is for showing you how to fabricate and install an I/O transom. You really should take the time to watch and learn.

 

[oops!]

Re: Stringers

Greetings - Couldn't locate the how-to section.
.

Decided to use the West System.

Do we take the deck all the way top the sides of the boat and laminate the deck to the sides? Since this boat will be used for skiing, tubing, wake boarding, the kids will be climbing aboard and shaking the water off like a dog. There is no transom plug to drain...only one plug midship and I suppose that is used to drain the oil. There was two bilge pumps and I'll replace those. However, should I cut several half circles where the deck meets the transom so the water can drop down and get sucked out?

The posicle sticks still have me a bit confused when you come right back and laminate the stringers to the hull. What is the purpose of the popsicle sticks.

Do I laminate the stringers to the transom?

Is it ok to break the full length of the transom at bulheads as long as I bond the two together nicely?

I wanted to keep as many screws out of the deck as possible. Is there a way to use cloth to hold it down to the stringers instead of screwing it?

That's it for now. It's brrrr cold outside so we'll have to give it a while before Mr. Sun heats things up. View attachment 132582

Mark,

You need to take a look at oops thread and my thread (linked at the bottom) we have gone over, taken pictures, and videoed how to rebuild a boat. If you would like to see the condensed version of my thread, take a look at the completed projects section. There you will find a more detailed and easy to understand version of my thread.

Are you sure about the west system. My boat took 45 gallons of resin, and that would have been almost 3 grand for resin alone. Poly is plenty strong and cost me about 14 hundred. It is what these boats are made of. Epoxy is overkill.

Take some time a watch some of my videos and I think it will really help you with some of your questions.

The link in my signature will explain about the popsicle sticks and how they work to hold the stringer up off the hull while you bed the stringer in to the hull with PB. There's also pics on how to fabricate your deck. Frisco's videos are about the best there is for showing you how to fabricate and install an I/O transom. You really should take the time to watch and learn.

my friend......you really need to do some reading or watching here.. click the link in my sig.....or watch friscos vids...

this is very important.....
when you see them....the light will come on ....you will be saying .OH....THATS HOW YOU DO THAT, !

just take a little time when you are waiting for the sun to warm things up....and watch some of those vids....and read some more.

you will understand very quickly

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

Friscoboater -

Greetings...finally. I didn't match up the name to the video, etc. but we watched your videos for at least two weeks before we started our project. I didn't know what PL or peanut butter was but we kept watching. I kept saying to my son, "Geez, his boat was about as bad as ours is and he managed to complete it." I give you so much credit for cutting and recutting and recutting again until you got your perfect fit for your stringers and bulkheads. You almost made it sound as if you looked forward (not to getting in and out of your boat) but cutting that forward bulkhead. Hahaha.

I optioned for the West System only because of the simplicity in the pumps. Didn't know that poly was so much cheaper and since we are on a fixed budget, we will switch over to poly. I ordered some Fill-It epoxy and the CPES stuff but it has been recommended to send it back and make my own peanut butter with the filler materials. I just hope I can measure out the right amount of catalyst so it doesn't harden before I get into the boat or it remains tacky for three weeks.

I owned a Glastron GT160 back in the day with a Johnson 115. Everything was great until I submarined it in Sarasota Bay. Threw one person out of the boat, took the windshield off, filled it with two feet of water and ripped the front two seats out. Wasn't a good day.

Where do you order your fiberglass materials from?

Thanks,
Mark and Scott

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

Did you use popsicle sticks under the stringers as well...along with the thick PL. And when you say you applied the PL really thick so there would be no hard spots, is that so the entire stringer takes the load verses the one or two hard spots?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Stringers

Note: When using PL in Thick layers it can take more than 72 hours for it to cure and it must cure before you can tab the stringers to the hull. Again, Frisco covers this in his thread and his videos. You really need to take the time to Study his entire thread and videos. It is ALL there.

I'm pretty sure Frisco got his locally in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area. You might be able to do the same. If not then www.uscomposites.com is a great source with great prices. Since I believe you live in Bradenton Florida your shipping should be quite resonable. They are located in West Palm Beach.

 

[jones01m]

Re: Stringers

markedenfield,

regarding the multiple cuts for sizing the stringers... maybe the method I tried can work for you.

I ran some straight edges from port to starbaord gunwale and simply hung a pattern down to the hull. For the pattern I rip 1/8 masonite into 2" strips and break pieces (use a knife to scribe breakline) to fit as needed and hot melt each piece together. You can make a pattern in 5-10 minutes and it will fit perfect every time. You can make a ton of patterns from a single sheet of masonite and then toss 'em when your done. I think I paid 8 bucks at HD for the masonite. I make patterns for everything.

I am certainly no expert... just found a method that works for me.

 

[oops!]

Re: Stringers

I just hope I can measure out the right amount of catalyst so it doesn't harden before I get into the boat or it remains tacky for three weeks.

when you order the mekp (catalyst) for the poly...it might say one per cent ratio on the bottle.......

this is way to weak......the proper range is between 1.7 and 2.5 %....

i stay steady at 2%.

just use smaller batches at first till you get used to the 15 minit time window.

as far as measuring.....use the metric system. it is far easier than the imperal or US system.

you can get a eye dropper with the proper measurements on it.

for example....if you mix 400 ml of resin (just a little more than a beer can) you use 8 mil of MEKP.
so for every 100 ml of resin.....use 2 mil of mekp.

super simple

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

That sounds easy enough. At this point in the game money speaks loudly and if I can get either the same or better quality by using poly resin...it's a no brainer. Thanks for the info.
One last thing. When someone says "My signature Line" do they mean the highlighted links following the thread context...such as "The Hull Extension Thread" in yours?

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

I tried using door skins but the (deadrise??) from about 8' forward of the transom to the tip of the bow climbs greatly. I have no idea if the term deadrise is correct ...all I know is that the gunwales change in height somewhere in the range of 1.5" to 2" in the front half of the boat. So what I've done is started at two points where I knew the location of the old floor was and mapped out a level line on the side of the boat. Under the deck of the bow was the hardest as the old flooring (decking) literally laid on the hull on this convex-like tunnel that runs nearly the entire length of the boat on each side. The old deck had a u-shape cut around that tunnel ...ah, never mind. Later today I'll get up in there and shoot a close-up photo so you can see what I mean. Very hard to explain. And the dog just *****d on the carpet so now I have to clean that up before the wife gets up. Argh! Just took her out. (The dog, not the wife).

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Stringers

for example....if you mix 400 ml of resin (just a little more than a beer can) you use 8 mil of MEKP.
so for every 100 ml of resin.....use 2 mil of mekp.

super simple

You lost me oops..

Its not as Simple as that . .. it depends on your resin Quality and to how much ( and what your doing ) to be compairing mix ratios ..

What Resin and what application is Allways needed ( especially full layups ).

YD.

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

my friend......you really need to do some reading or watching here.. click the link in my sig.....or watch friscos vids...

this is very important.....
when you see them....the light will come on ....you will be saying .OH....THATS HOW YOU DO THAT, !

just take a little time when you are waiting for the sun to warm things up....and watch some of those vids....and read some more.

you will understand very quickly

Watched all the videos and pictures and thought that my first day of fiberglassing would be a cinch. HAHAHA I was glassing with 1.5 CSM just a few items...short ribs (not BBQ) a small piece of 1/2 plywood, rounded the edges as explained on the videos but the glass just won't bend. How do I cover the edges of 1/2 plywood? How do I cover the edges of anything. This stuff is gnarly. It stuck to everything but what it was supposed to. Took me 20 minutes to delaminate my scissors.

I also included a photo of my progress with the stringers. Been slow going. It's been extremely hot here in Fl and just trying to find a shady spot is hard.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: Stringers

Brutha...

It's lookin good man...

I hear if you pull the CSM fibers apart, kinda fluff the strands on the ends of the ply, they lay down easier when resin is applied... Someone will correct me if I'm mistaken...

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Stringers

Brutha...

It's lookin good man...

I hear if you pull the CSM fibers apart, kinda fluff the strands on the ends of the ply, they lay down easier when resin is applied... Someone will correct me if I'm mistaken...

Brutha Bear is now standing correctly corrected as he is correct...sort of loosen the bond between them, loosen slightly without completely tearing it apart...

Nice build and best of luck,
GT1M

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

Brutha Bear is now standing correctly corrected as he is correct...sort of loosen the bond between them, loosen slightly without completely tearing it apart...

Nice build and best of luck,
GT1M

Thanks -

I will continue this morning. My intent is to cover all of the wood with 1.5 oz CSM, PB the stringers in and then step the laminate process of the stringers and ribs ending with 1708 as the final layer. The boat runs a 351 CI PCM so I have tried to think of a way to better transfer the torque from the engine to a wider area of the hull. Before, it was only tied to the engine beds and the beds were laminated to the stringers. I want to add four ribs, two on each side of the beds (front left, front right, rear left, rear right...and at the point where the motor mounts bolt to the beds)and tie them to the hull in the same fashion the stringers are. Does anyone think this is a good idea or no? I am not an engineer but I am questioning the ability of the bed and stringer (although laminated to the transom and front bulkhead) has the ability to counter the torque.

Also, the use of lag bolts from the mounts into the beds has been briefly discussed, some saying they last forever, others saying they last for about as long as it takes to put them in. I've tried to think of other harder materials (metal...angle iron....?) to lay between the mounts and the beds but keeping them there would require some type of lag bolt themselves or glass. But I've heard that there is little adhesion between fiberglass and metal so if you folks could steer me in the right direction, towards another thread....I'd appreciate it. As Moomba95 said, this type of boat is used in rivers and lakes, not in four foot surf in the Gulf. As always, thanks for your input. Don't know how I would have even gotten this far w/o you. Mark

 

[markedenfield]

Re: Stringers

I need some help here guys with fiberglassing. I've read the article at the fron of the forum regarding "How To" and followed it to the "t". I am trying to glass to wood and I've done both a wet application and dry application and after 24 hours I can peel the CSM off.

I am using US Composite's polyester resin w/o wax, mixing a pint at a time, adding 1/8 oz (as directed) of catalyst and applying. The wood is dry, clean and appears to this novice to be prepped properly. The CSM is 1.5 oz. I have also tried glassing my stringers and have run up against the same problem. The only thing I have not done is grind up the sides with 36 grit flap disc. Help.

 

[Rollinunknown]

Re: Stringers

I need some help here guys with fiberglassing. I've read the article at the fron of the forum regarding "How To" and followed it to the "t". I am trying to glass to wood and I've done both a wet application and dry application and after 24 hours I can peel the CSM off.

I am using US Composite's polyester resin w/o wax, mixing a pint at a time, adding 1/8 oz (as directed) of catalyst and applying. The wood is dry, clean and appears to this novice to be prepped properly. The CSM is 1.5 oz. I have also tried glassing my stringers and have run up against the same problem. The only thing I have not done is grind up the sides with 36 grit flap disc. Help.

If your dust free and wipe it down with acetone and its not bonding something is wrong either your mixing to hot and its not bonding into the wood due to "" kicking ""to fast (curing) or the prep is-int clean enough yet.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Stringers

Did you Precoat the wood with resin first? Did you fill all the voids, if any, on the edges first? If not on the first question, the wood will soak up all the resin and the glass will not adhere.