Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

[rickryder]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

There should be a sole under the fuel tank....a piece of 1/2 ply covered in csm and bedded and glassed to the stringers.... That's how most are done unless the tank is shaped to the contour of the hull....You want plastic strips bedded to the tank bottom with 5200. Just be sure to take all measurements into account that your tank will be below the stringers

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

The tank is shaped for the hull so creating a sole or false floor would make the angles off. With the 1/2 ply with the rubber strips on top it makes the 2x4 holding the tank in place perfectly even with the tops of the stringers so almost like another bulkhead. Im just hoping it provides enough support with a full tank. Any opinions?


I know i promised pictures but i got really busy this weekend and didn't have time to post them, but i did get my tank area glassed and i capped the port side stringers tonight. It was tough and not perfect but it will do. After watching frisco's video about three times i tackled it and decided not to staple the 1708 in place, I decided it wouldn't be worth the time and extra money on staples but i got the job done and I'm happy with it. The port side is ready for foam. Also some big news, i finally got my money together and my stereo system should be ordered this week. Hoping this boat will sound awesome!

All glassed and capped:

And i know i know the bottom of my hull is filthy but i wiped everything that was going to be glassed with acetone so no worries there. The bottom of my shoes make me look like the lock ness monster when i walk around in the grass, they are caked with resin.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Here are the supports for my fuel tank or shall I say the deck over the fuel tank



Just be sure the only thing touching the tank are the side mount tabs to the stringers. Air needs to flow around all sides top and bottom of your tank

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

You're flying on this project and really doing a nice job.

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Thanks ez! I'm hoping to put her in the water in two weeks. I will take a better picture of my tank idea when I get home from school. I think my plan is a good one but I could be wrong

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Okay well i got my starboard side stringers capped a little less than ten minutes ago so this is hot off the press. should begin foaming tomorrow unless my resin is good and cured tonight, i might try and start a little and see how it goes. But back to my tank plan. I'm going to have to come up with a permanent solution in the next couple of days, so what do you guys think?

This is my plan and i made a typo earlier, its actually 3/4 in marine grade. it would allow water to flow from around the sides of the tank and back into the bilge, and it would be topped with about 1/4 in rubber strips so that the tank wouldnt have any abrasive surfaces making contact with it. Is it a good plan or is there a better idea out there? I've looked at other boats and most just have the false floor, but this is not possible with my tank that is shaped to the hull.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

I recommend you read and study this...

How to install an Aluminum Fuel Tank

 

[rickryder]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Not rubber strips.....plastic strips sealed to the tank bottom with 5200.... The blocks will work just glass them in well.

Woody's right....that's a good read on tank instulation^^

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

I think i need to add that my tank is plastic not aluminum so does that make a difference? no corrosion to worry about?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Is it plastic or fiberglass?

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Im pretty sure its plastic but how would you tell the difference between a plastic or a glass tank?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

I looked back at your pics. Not for sure but it looks like it's fiberglass. If you clean it off with some acetone you should be able to see evidence of glass fibers in the material. If not then it might be plastic.

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

hang on to that thought I'm running outside to try it now! haha we are going to get to the bottom of this mystery material

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

I wiped a spot with acetone and scrubbed pretty hard and it revealed no fibers so I'm going to come to the conclusion and say its plastic. So whats the best way to mount this puppy??

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Just went and looked at my cap job on the starboard side and it is beautiful. almost no bubbles at all. I literally stared at it in amazement for a good 5 minutes. I'm so proud, too bad the port side couldn't look that nice. Oh well i can live with it. Still no thoughts on the tank??

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

well i started my foam last night but was too pooped to post up some pics. I foamed it without cutting the holes in the deck and pouring into the holes. i Just poured in and cut off the excess. Before anyone starts ranting about how i broke the closed celled properties of the foam i just want to say i know what I've done and I'm not worried about it. theres all new wood in the boat and its full coated in glass and its marine grade so I'm not concerned. I'm not trying to make the boat outlive me. I would rather just have one solid piece of deck because I've seen pics on how water gets underneath the deck and rots out the holes, granted it would have been easier i think to do it that way. the important thing is, is that there is foam in this boat and its really coming along.

This only took about a gallon of foam so it looks like i will have a lot extra in my 5 gallon kit.

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Half of the boat is foamed. decided to call it quits early tonight, so i can hit it hard this weekend. Big plans for this weekend, I'm going to finish foaming tomorrow, get all my measurements for the deck tomorrow afternoon, Saturday: get my deck cut out and get it coated in resin and glass the bottom side, fit in the tank and re connect all my lines going to the drain and bilge, and sunday pl the tops of the stringers, set the deck in place, and start laying down my csm and get the deck all tabbed and glassed in. It may take till monday afternoon to get all this accomplished, but i want this thing done and its time to put in some hard hours. Be looking forward to some pic updates

 

[Captain Shikaboo]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

The big T! Hey man I have a little info for you on your foam job to put yourself at ease. First I should ask what foam brand/type you used but I'm going to make an assumption since 99% of all floation foam (urethane) on the market now is closed cell. I used to work for Dow Chemical. I ran a majority of the tests on closed cell foam. Closed cell foam was developed for exactly what you did! retain it's moisture resistance and integrity even after it has been cut or damaged. Think of it as a billion little ping pong balls held together with glue. If you damage one cell (ping pong ball) the rest will be fine, since it's pretty much impossible to pop all the cells. What you did, allowing the mix to expand without being under pressure actually allowed more of the cells to become fully grown as well, which gives you more bouyancy. Open cell foam actaully allows the absorbtion of water through pores in each cells membrane. So it would be like a billion wiffle balls held together by glue.

So there you have it. Enough dork talk, it's lookin good!

P.s. I'm still interested in what foam brand you used and the cost.

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Thanks Capt'n! you really are putting me at ease! I used UScomposites 2lb urethane foam for a price of $252. The guys at UScomposites are super nice and shipping is fast (I've placed two orders and both came in within a week). I really like the foam, Its 70-80 degrees here and it gives you about 1 minute till it starts expanding. I got some help from my dad when i started but last night i did it by myself and it wasn't any trouble at all. I also learned a little trick by laying down a board with some wax paper underneath it, you can make the foam expand up the sides of the hull instead of just rising.

Went down to O'reileys today and got some new fuel lines so I'm ready to drop my tank in when i get done foaming, This project is coming along quick, more updates soon...

 

[Tthomp3]

Re: Wellcraft 186 eclipse stringer and deck restore

Well today was an interesting one to say the least, I knew it was going to rain so i got an early start but i didn't know it was going to rain like this!!

The storm clouds started rolling in so i gathered all the tools i would need so i could stay put in the barn where the boat was.

Then it started to POUR!!!

I heard some loud banging and thought man that sounds like hail and sure enough some pretty big hail was coming down!

It was the biggest hail i had ever seen, but i haven't seen it hail too many times

But i stayed busy in the boat and the foaming process started coming together