Recent content by todhunter

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    5.7 merc quadrajet idle

    He is talking about the throttle plate - what you are talking about is the choke and the air doors. The throttle plates (butterflies) are down at the bottom of the carb. You can see the primary throttle plates if you open the choke and look below the venturis. You can see the secondary...
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    Any Transom experts here. I have a Transom Rebuilding Question.

    I didn't have a template, fixture, or a special kind of saw. I just took a die grinder with a 1" drum sander on it and went to town - see HERE. I glassed over the wood I ground away afterwards, then gelcoated. In the link above, I had eyeballed it before installing the transom, but when...
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    88 Capri Restoration (Splashed 08/2022)

    Nice score! Hope the surgery goes well
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    Fiberglass patch bilge pump area

    I really would recommend getting a piece of rot-resistant wood like sapele to use instead of pine plywood. Your local hardwood supplier should have some (a piece that small will only cost a few dollars), and it won't rot nearly as quickly as that pine will. Just coat it in laminating resin...
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    Fiberglass patch bilge pump area

    Grind back a big enough spot to glass, coat wood (I recommend using mahogany / sapele) in resin and let dry, PB in place, cover with a layer of glass, gelcoat, and you're done. Don't go crazy with tabbing. It doesn't need to carry a load.
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    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    Yeah, it worked well. Marking the deck surface for where to install screws to make sure they all hit a cleat took some head scratching, but I got it done. Yes, I'd recommend pre-drilling your foam holes. Save the plugs and PB them back in place after the foam cures.
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    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    HERE is how I did my cleats. I recommend just buying some mahogany or other rot-resistant wood. This way it will take a screw and you don't have to worry about glassing over it. I just resin coated my cleats, PB'd them to the stringers, then thru-bolted with SS hardware coated in 5200.
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    Any Transom experts here. I have a Transom Rebuilding Question.

    Watch the rest of them in the series - they were very helpful during my restoration.
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    First time patching gelcoat, couple questions

    For your first chip repair, I think it's fine. I can't really tell too well from the picture, but if you're worried about it not being water tight, use a dremel with a sanding drum and dig out the area a little which has the chip, then go at it again. Here are some of my tips: Use a dremel to...
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    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    2 layers of tabbing is plenty. I think I did 6" and 10" (that's total, not per side) for all my tabbing. But I did glass the sides of my two tall stringers on the bench. I capped with 1708, but 2X CSM will work too. Just know that getting glass to wrap 180 is tough, so the bigger the radius, the...
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    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    I did 2 each way, and much preferred cutting them to height before installing. I also preferred routing the top edge before installation to facilitate an easier capping job once installed. I basically put a full radius on the stringers using a 3/8" radius bit on both sides of the 3/4" stringers.
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    Keel Repair

    Doesn't look too deep, so you may be able to ride with it for today. It also looks high on the bow, so above the water line? I would use color matched gelcoat thickened with cabosil. If you use epoxy, you wont be able to put gelcoat over it. Grind back a little to feather it in, glob it on...
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    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    Wow, your pics bring memories of mine flooding back. Your stringers look great, and congrats on getting the rest of it ripped out. I wouldn't worry about putting any more glass on the transom. The inside skin is likely where the variability in thickness is coming, and that's not the sealing...
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    Any Transom experts here. I have a Transom Rebuilding Question.

    It won't cure without the MEKP. As said above, it should be included with your purchase. Make sure you buy laminating (umwaxed) resin so you can do several layups without sanding. Honestly, based on the questions you are asking, I recommend picking up the phone and calling US Composites. They...
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    Any Transom experts here. I have a Transom Rebuilding Question.

    Just go with layup polyester resin like 435 from US Composites. Epoxy is more expensive, you can't tweak the catalyst to speed up / slow down the cure, and your boat was originally built with polyester. Epoxy is stronger, but the extra strength isn't needed in a rebuild.
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