Having a go 146r rebuild

[Kevinwd1]

After reading giddyup58 how to rebuild a 146r post, I’ve decided to give rebuilding a 146r a go.I’ve bought a boat and have stored it at a mates place.He’s on a 8 acre block so grinding dust etc is not too much of a problem.
I’ve never done anything like this before so am doing a lot of research online and posting on forums
So far I’ve managed to remove the back top section of the boat,remove the floor and chisel out the old transom material (finished yesterday and forgot to take a photo).Hopefully in the next few weeks I can grind and clean up transom area ready to fit new material
I’m still unsure on weather to use ply or thermolite.Thermolite will blow the budget and extend the rebuild time a lot.Aussie plywood is almost as expensive as thermolite and I’m not sure about cheap imported ply .
When I do install the new transom of thinking of using a epoxy cream adhesive (Trojan fibreglass supplies) to bond the new material to the outer skin.For the rest of the build I will be using vinyl ester resin .I’ll just have to make sure I remove all traces of epoxy glue left on the hull.Don’t know why photos are rotated?
Any advice,tips etc will be appreciated

[stevej]

I did one years ago

before you take the stringers out get the boat supported with full length supports underneath

even in a small hull like this its easy to get a concave or warp to the hull underneath

[Dignity]

Don't worry about the photo's, at AF here we're all pretty well sideways. I think you msy have taken the photo's in portrait, try landscape mode.

But as Stevej says, do support the hull in a cradle. I've seen hulls where the sttingers were stripped while on a trailer but end up with a hook in the hull or a twist in it. Hell,I've watched an ally boat being built where one bloke pulls the sheet together and another welds, no bracing - nothing. Too many out there getting CNC plate work but not ensuring that the hull is all square.

[Kevinwd1]

I was thinking off jacking the boat up on the trailer and supporting the keel only on the front and back rollers.Then having the hull supported with some timber underneath the sides of the boat .

[chris69]

Yep Another vote for a cradle when you take the combing off and remove your stringers just standing in the hull working on it can change things, what you do now will make the final rebuild easier if the hull stays in shape , less headaches by not having to go back to correct things.

[giddyup58]

[QUOTE=Kevinwd1;1700385]After reading giddyup58 how to rebuild a 146r post, I’ve decided to give rebuilding a 146r a go.

Excellent! Glad to see that you have taken the plunge!

If you need any clarification, feel free to pm me. What you have done so far looks pretty good.

Itchies cure:
If you have a compressor, hose off all fg dust on yourself, then asap blow off with air gun. That will get rid of 80%
If no compressor, get a loofa or similar, and while you are in the shower, load it up with soap and keep rubbing, probably 3x more than you usually would to get clean. Will get rid of 80% too.
Combine both - 90%

Good luck and keep those landscape photos coming.

[gazza2006au]

Don't use the trojan epoxy cream i bought a set of A/B its runny like honey and as it kicks off it runs really thin

The trojan epoxy resin is good stuff but if u fair with it using fairing alone it thins right out as it kicks off and if u add silica to the mix to make it non sag trying to sand the cured mix is like sanding marble with 3000 grit sand paper

Use the epoxy but be cautious where u use it, anything that needs fairing use polyester resin but not over epoxy

[gazza2006au]

I actually made a 18 layer glass laminate using trojan epoxy resin and woven roving i chucked it into my 20,000kg hydraulic press and the press maxed out without the laminate snapping

[Kevinwd1]

I was only going to use the cream to bond the new transom core to the existing skin. So hopefully will only have minimal sanding .I will wipe up any excess cream that is pushed out when transom is clamped down with acetone. I'm hoping the epoxy bond will compensate for the uneven surface of the existing skin ?.In theory I will on have a small bead of exposed epoxy (as long as I cut new transom core accurately) that shouldn't effect bonding of vinylester resin?
Do you think that this cream would be to runny when applied vertically to bond transom.
My other option was to buy laminating epoxy and thicken with cabosil .The longer bonding time of the cream appealed to me

[Ducksnutz]

Kev,

Just a small piece of advice mate….

Please do your due diligence in who you take advice from on this forum. There’s members on here who have contributed outstanding information and education on how things should be done regarding your project.

The search button is the key….

giddyup58 is one who I would be getting in touch with…

Looking forward to the progress mate.👍

[Cobbo1]

Kev,

Just a small piece of advice mate….

Please do your due diligence in who you take advice from on this forum. There’s members on here who have contributed outstanding information and education of how things should be done regarding your project.

The search button is the key….

giddyup58 is one who I would be getting in touch with…

Looking forward to the progress mate.

Well put, far less straight forward about it than I am ;D

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php/207173-Vintage-Inboard-Cruisers-to-Centre-Console-Conversion?highlight=Gazza

[Kevinwd1]

No worries Ducknutz
I have studied giddyup58's rebuild post and will be taking his feedback as gospel. I'm going to follow his rebuild as closely as I can .So far things have gone ok, but it's been a bit of a struggle with the heat/humidity here in brisbane.
I now thinking of maybe using epoxy resin for the entire build but am unsure of how user friendly it is compared to vinylester. One of the reasons for this is the short shelf life of polyester( didn't realize it was only 3 to 4 months).
Is epoxy a lot thicker and harder to wet out resin? and require a faster work pace due to shorter pot life
I'm trying to find out as much info before going ahead and buying products

[chris69]

[QUOTE=Kevinwd1;1700465]No worries Ducknutz
I have studied giddyup58's rebuild post and will be taking his feedback as gospel. I'm going to follow his rebuild as closely as I can .So far things have gone ok, but it's been a bit of a struggle with the heat/humidity here in brisbane.
I now thinking of maybe using epoxy resin for the entire build but am unsure of how user friendly it is compared to vinylester. One of the reasons for this is the short shelf life of polyester( didn't realize it was only 3 to 4 months).
Is epoxy a lot thicker and harder to wet out resin? and require a faster work pace due to shorter pot life
I'm trying to find out as much info before going ahead and buying products

QUOTE.

With epoxy it just takes longer to go off before you can work on the new bit and with summer you will have shorter pot life you can measure out some epoxy and cool it down in the fridge or freezer before adding the part b ice cream containers with lids are the go for this.

And epoxy wets out well on some cloths but it’s a bit different with chop strand because of the binder in it ,the trick is to get it out fast to lessen the reaction in the resin a rule of thumb is about1.2 litres mixed will cover around 1 square mt of 450 gram double bias mat glass and that’s for 5 to 1 epoxy ,working with epoxy to make fairing be careful not to mix to much epoxy to start with as if you make big mixes you will feel the heat very fast and learn about exothermic reactions don’t let that scare you but be always it can get to the smoking stage and your mix will go off before you can work with it you will learn very fast on how much you can mix and work with before it goes off.

A tip for you it your epoxy gets tacky and you can’t roll it gently wave a heat gun over it and it will allow you to roll it but don’t hold the heat gun on it.

Start with small mixes until until you get to not how much to use for the cloth size your using large 60 mil syringes for resins are good to work with and 20 mil hardener work well for little mixes, and litre jugs for larger mixes are the go ,just remember to mix well and get it out as fast as you can the gives you the time to work with it.

And peel ply is a good thing to work with with epoxy if your keen it’s pretty cheap and good on vertical surfaces it stops your resin from draining.

[Kevinwd1]

Thanks chris69 for your help
Regarding chop strand would you use binder less mat? Cant seem to find much 450gsm binder less chopped strand for sale online
How many layers of 450gsm double bias could you lay in one go before exothermic heat becomes a problem
Looking at giddyup58's rebuild post it looks like he used 5 layers of glass on transom core.Could this be done in one day ,or would the time waiting for resin to cool prohibit this?
I will PM giddyup58 to see what layup he used
Trogan fibreglass has a sale on their 500 series epoxy laminating resin (super slow cure).Not sure if there are any issues using super slow cure?
When I finally decide which way I'm going to go I'll be screwing 3 pieces of ply together to resemble corner of transom .I'll practice filleting corners ,laying the glass etc to get a feel for the process

[gazza2006au]

Ask Noelm for advice top bloke he is pretty much the only one i took solid advice from in my build

I used 120 litres of epoxy in my 19 foot rebuild heres a video showing the potlife of the trojan epoxy resin use normal speed of hardner only use extra long if your up in north australia

Few ways of glassing stringers this just how i done mine, u can see the roller change frequency because of pot life

Trojans epoxy pot life is 20mins about the same as therepolyester resin, there polyester resin has a 12 month shelf life there epoxy resin has 3 year she life

Take my build with a grain of salt i screwed up here and there but ask Noelm for advice the bloke is very neutral and level headed

Giddyup doesnt post his processes in main forum as he previosly told ne in private likely so people think his perfect

https://youtu.be/rpisRZkdgPQ

[Dignity]

On the itchy side of things when I first did fibreglassing I would lather up in talcum powder, theory was it filled the pores of the skin but as years wore on and I got thick skinned 🤣 I stopped doing that.

Kevin, certainly take Giddyup up on his offer, his work is excellant. His beef, if it could be called that is his posts being side tracked which is fair enough as he is focused on what he is doing.

Gazza, is that a fair amount of white showing through in places where the epoxy didn't wet out the glass or just bad lighting.

[Kevinwd1]

Spent a few hours grinding the glue that held the floor onto the hull today ,then started grinding the transom. Scary how thin the top of the transom is.
Thankfully I haven't had the itches yet. I only do a few hours at a time and really cover up, but do struggle with the heat
Still have a lot of grinding to go .Will post some pics at the end of the weekend

[gazza2006au]

On the itchy side of things when I first did fibreglassing I would lather up in talcum powder, theory was it filled the pores of the skin but as years wore on and I got thick skinned 🤣 I stopped doing that.

Kevin, certainly take Giddyup up on his offer, his work is excellant. His beef, if it could be called that is his posts being side tracked which is fair enough as he is focused on what he is doing.

Gazza, is that a fair amount of white showing through in places where the epoxy didn't wet out the glass or just bad lighting.

Digs it was 800gram woven roving it doesn't or didn't for me go translucent like 400gram double bias, the 800gram woven roving is thick picesof fibreglass atleaee 4mm-5mm in thickness per strand apposed to 400gram double bias that the strands are 1.5mm in diameter massive difference its like sowing cotton to anchor rope

[gazza2006au]

Spent a few hours grinding the glue that held the floor onto the hull today ,then started grinding the transom. Scary how thin the top of the transom is.
Thankfully I haven't had the itches yet. I only do a few hours at a time and really cover up, but do struggle with the heat
Still have a lot of grinding to go .Will post some pics at the end of the weekend

Thru summer i found working under led lights at night was really good, working during the day in summer the resin and glue mixes kicked off to fast

[gazza2006au]

Heres my build not perfect but it works, maybe doing a 55km trip next week offshore

https://youtu.be/Gme5U69u-eY

[bluefin59]

Heres my build not perfect but it works, maybe doing a 55km trip next week offshore

https://youtu.be/Gme5U69u-eY

You don’t want people contributing shit to your threads so you should go away and do the same , the only thing anyone will learn from your pile of garbage is how NOT to do it . Go away your not relevant in any way .

[Dignity]

Kevin, my suggestion is you start a new thread with your build and do as Giddyup did, brook no shit and shut people down to keep it on track, which is what makes his post enjoyable.

[Kevinwd1]

If I start a new thread I’ll just be changing the battlefield🤪
So I’ll lighten the mood and post a few pictures from todays grind
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This took me 2 hours so at this rate it’s going to take awhile
I think I’ve been over thinking things and have decided I’m going to use Vinylester resin for the entire build
I will glue in new transom core using resin/cabosil glue
I’m going to use thermolite because I don’t trust quality of imported ply and Australia made ply is almost as expensive as thermolite
The fibreglass layup once the new core is glued in is what I would like some guidance on
I’m thinking of using a combination of 450 or 600 gsm chopped mat and 400gsm double bias as follows
1st layer - Chopped mat
2nd layer -Double bias
3rd layer-Chopped mat
4th layer-Double bias
5th layer-Chopped mat

Each layer will progressively tab further and further into sides and bottom of hull by 50mm
I may add a few more layers in the corners later

Any constructive criticism/advice welcomed

[gunna]

Just for encouragement Kevin - there are probably plenty like me who don’t have the skills but nevertheless thoroughly enjoy following the progress of these rebuilds when done properly. Giddyups is a classic example. So I am looking forward to your progress reports and to the advice you will get from those who have done their own professional, top quality job.

[bluefin59]

If I start a new thread I’ll just be changing the battlefield[emoji2957]
So I’ll lighten the mood and post a few pictures from todays grind
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This took me 2 hours so at this rate it’s going to take awhile
I think I’ve been over thinking things and have decided I’m going to use Vinylester resin for the entire build
I will glue in new transom core using resin/cabosil glue
I’m going to use thermolite because I don’t trust quality of imported ply and Australia made ply is almost as expensive as thermolite
The fibreglass layup once the new core is glued in is what I would like some guidance on
I’m thinking of using a combination of 450 or 600 gsm chopped mat and 400gsm double bias as follows
1st layer - Chopped mat
2nd layer -Double bias
3rd layer-Chopped mat
4th layer-Double bias
5th layer-Chopped mat

Each layer will progressively tab further and further into sides and bottom of hull by 50mm
I may add a few more layers in the corners later

Any constructive criticism/advice welcomed

Excellent work mate carry on with your post it’s good to see and can’t wait to see the progress . Matt

[Dignity]

Yep, keep it up as it's your build not someone elses, unfortunately the photos didn't come through for me.

[gunna]

If I start a new thread I’ll just be changing the battlefield浪
So I’ll lighten the mood and post a few pictures from todays grind
126241

126239

126240
This took me 2 hours so at this rate it’s going to take awhile
I think I’ve been over thinking things and have decided I’m going to use Vinylester resin for the entire build
I will glue in new transom core using resin/cabosil glue
I’m going to use thermolite because I don’t trust quality of imported ply and Australia made ply is almost as expensive as thermolite
The fibreglass layup once the new core is glued in is what I would like some guidance on
I’m thinking of using a combination of 450 or 600 gsm chopped mat and 400gsm double bias as follows
1st layer - Chopped mat
2nd layer -Double bias
3rd layer-Chopped mat
4th layer-Double bias
5th layer-Chopped mat

Each layer will progressively tab further and further into sides and bottom of hull by 50mm
I may add a few more layers in the corners later

Any constructive criticism/advice welcomed

Can you throw up a couple photos of the complete boat as it currently is please.

[Dignity]

Yep, keep it up as it's your build not someone elses, unfortunately the photos didn't come through for me.

Working now, thanks.

[Kevinwd1]

A few more hours grinding
A few pics of the boat for gunna
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[giddyup58]

Hey Kevin.

I've been absent for a few days, and I'm really impressed with your progress!
Apologies for not answering your PM immediately.

A couple of observations, if I may be so bold.
Forget about Vinylester. Way too expensive and not as easy to work as Poly. No big advantage.
Forget about Thermolite or Cootaboard. There is nothing wrong with waterproof glued ply. Your boat lasted 50 years with it.
Just my 2 cents worth...
I want to see this boat finished as quickly and as cost effectively as possible. Eliminating totally unnecessary expense will help attain that goal.
Keep up the good work and focus on the objective. Restoring one of the best 14.5' hulls ever built.

[gazza2006au]

[QUOTE=giddyup58;1700398]


Gazza, You can clearly read that Giddyup has offered to help via PM..plus the all important itch removal techniques.

and some of us here enjoy a good rebuild thread..Plenty of people tried offering their advice to you but you just argued or ignored them mostly..

So cut the shit stirring already and lets not turn this poor bugga's thread into another Gazza clown show please...if you cant refrain from personal attacks kindly fuk off..

Half of you regular guy's on here have never rebuilt a boat so let's get that out of the way.

Shit stirring? I have followed Giddy's thread's his first build took week's, Giddy's second build took a couple month's his latest build has takin a full year, he won't mention if he had someone building his No1 and No2 build's they were done so fast but i think he is actually building No3 with no help or it would have been finished months ago.. just take a look the date's are all on ausfish.

[Cobbo1]

[QUOTE=disorderly;1700474]

Half of you regular guy's on here have never rebuilt a boat so let's get that out of the way.

Shit stirring? I have followed Giddy's thread's his first build took week's, Giddy's second build took a couple month's his latest build has takin a full year, he won't mention if he had someone building his No1 and No2 build's they were done so fast but i think he is actually building No3 with no help or it would have been finished months ago.. just take a look the date's are all on ausfish.

You call your boat a rebuild 😂😂 and taking shots at how long people take to finish shit 🤣🤣
you crack me up gazza

[Dignity]

[QUOTE=disorderly;1700474]

Half of you regular guy's on here have never rebuilt a boat so let's get that out of the way.

Shit stirring? I have followed Giddy's thread's his first build took week's, Giddy's second build took a couple month's his latest build has takin a full year, he won't mention if he had someone building his No1 and No2 build's they were done so fast but i think he is actually building No3 with no help or it would have been finished months ago.. just take a look the date's are all on ausfish.

Some people do work. Get off Kevins thread as you aren't contributing to his build.

[Kevinwd1]

Gazza I’m not into conspiracy theory’s.I started this thread to get some constructive advice/criticism,so prefer we stick to that
Giddyup’s rebuild thread was the reason I started this project so will be taking his advice .He’s been good enough to take the time to respond to my PM’s with detailed answers to my many questions .This is much appreciated as I’m a relative novice to this type of project
Anyway I hoping to finish of the grinding required to start fitting up new transom core this weekend

[stevej]

you may have seen this
i did a 70hp center console conversion 20 years ago along similar lines to this, just a lot more basic floor.

https://www.boatsales.com.au/editorial/details/haines-hunter-project-boat-pt-1-a-445r-runabout-conversion-to-a-centre-console-59232/

there is 6-7 parts to the story if you search for it.

id do one again to alleviate some boredom but bugger that fiberglass itch

[giddyup58]

[QUOTE=disorderly;1700474]

Half of you regular guy's on here have never rebuilt a boat so let's get that out of the way.

Shit stirring? I have followed Giddy's thread's his first build took week's, Giddy's second build took a couple month's his latest build has takin a full year, he won't mention if he had someone building his No1 and No2 build's they were done so fast but i think he is actually building No3 with no help or it would have been finished months ago.. just take a look the date's are all on ausfish.

Really? Ya think? Idiot.

[Ducksnutz]

[QUOTE=gazza2006au;1700565]

Really? Ya think? Idiot.

Disregard what he say’s mate…

Most on here know he’s a washed up has been that never was…..Myself and everyone else on here have loved everything you’ve done with the build.

It’s unfortunate that “ONE” member on this site, which was once the “best of the best”, has seen the loss of some of the best of the best knowledgeable folk in our passion…

Yep Gazz, I’ve something to say….

[gunna]

[QUOTE=giddyup58;1700594]

Disregard what he say’s mate…

Most on here know he’s a washed up has been that never was…..Myself and everyone else on here have loved everything you’ve done with the build.

It’s unfortunate that “ONE” member on this site, which was once the “best of the best”, has seen the loss of some of the best of the best knowledgeable folk in our passion…

Yep Gazz, I’ve something to say….

Yep. We’ve lost way too many good contributors because of one idiot. Ignore it Kevin and keep the reports coming.

[Kevinwd1]

Have finished most of the grinding necessary to start fitting new transom core .Still need to clean up the corners I couldn’t get into with the grinder.Gave it a good hose out to get rid of all the dust
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We then slid the boat off the trailer and put it on blocks .Did really plan on how to do this so just used whatever was laying around .I’m hoping this is the correct way to support the boat in regards to replacing stringers and transom
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A question for giddyup
Just want to double check whether you coved the corner of the transom shown in red.There’s a small radius there but not sure it’s big enough.I don’t think I wasn’t very clear in the PM so I thought “a picture is worth a thousand words”
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Next job is to start getting all the materials required

[Noelm]

It doesn't look like there's much support under the hull, make double sure it's still all square and in shape, once you glass it all together, that's how it's going to stay, any twist or bows are going to be permanent, it might be just the photo, but........

[Dignity]

A multi tool with the triangular pad and 40 grit paper will get into the corners.
With respect to the supports it would be better if they were tied in together. Before any glassing as Noel suggested I'd be making a cradle, you need beams to go under hhe boat thwart wise, some vertical rails then beams across the top of the hull to lock it in and brace it all together. It's like painting, all the work is in the preparation.

[Kevinwd1]

OK ,will do some more research on boat cradles.Any pictures of what other people have done would be appreciated

[Noelm]

Are the stringers still in the boat? I re-read everything, but didn't quite see whether the stringers are still there or not. If they are, then at least the hull "should" still be flat/straight/true, if not, then some extra work is in your future! Then you have to make sure the hull is not twisted, any twist will be very evident when water testing. It's well worth the effort to make sure it's all good now, because later will be too far gone to rectify. A cradle is pretty east to make, depending on how "wobbly" your hull is, a simple few bits of pine forming a V to suit the bottom, and some side supports, then something over the top to keep it all straight when you hop in and out and start glassing.
edit.......just enlarging the pictures a bit, it looks like stringers are still there, and most of the deck, if that's the case, then the hull should be pretty good (hopefully)

[Kevinwd1]

Yea all stringers are in except for the last 200mm where i have ground up for new transom.All the top deck is on except last 600mm to allow access to transom core.I'm following giidyup58's rebuild method to the best of my ability .Its a bit of a learning curve
Will build a cradle and post pictures to get feedback

[Kevinwd1]

Started building a cradle this afternoon.I screwed timber to some old pallet racking beams and put them on some concrete blocks as a base.
Placed timber against the hull and nailed to the base.Hoping I’m on the right track?.Will add some more bracing to support sides of the boat where the top deck is missing.I’ll have to tie the two vee supports together as there’s not much weight on the rear support and tends to move .The vee supports we’re placed under the two bulkheads .Feedback appreciated on what I’ve done
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[chris69]

That’s the go it’s just got to hold its shape while you do the restore.

[Kevinwd1]

Brought some ply for the transom today and managed to get it cut to size after making a template.Now just got to laminate the two pieces together and work out the easiest way to bevel the edges
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[chris69]

If you mark out your outboard mounting hole and use a bigger hole saw to drill it out then bog it back up when you drill them out again you want need to seal them again if get what I mean,I used a 35 mm hole saw so you have plenty of meat when you redrill them .

You can chop up some glass and mix some resin to make a structural bog or epoxy if you have some this will stop any ingress into the transom in the future.

[bluefin59]

Brought some ply for the transom today and managed to get it cut to size after making a template.Now just got to laminate the two pieces together and work out the easiest way to bevel the edges
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Looks good so far but I’m certainly no expert , Matt

[Shawn 66]

Looks good so far but I’m certainly no expert , Matt
It’s funny Matt,
I am the same, I can bring a 20 / 30 storey high rise out of the ground,but doing something that Kev is doing would scare the shit out of me.
Keep the updates going Kev ,enjoying the journey.
Shawn

[bobfromblacky]

Kev, the way you've gone about this so far !, I can tell that you will ace this, even myself being no expert, there's stuff done by others on this forum that unfortunately i cant unsee, wish you well.
Mark

[Dignity]

Kevin, I see you got some ply, my mate couldn't help wigh a supplier in Redcliffe.

[Kevinwd1]

After a few hiccups were hopefully back on track .Managed to laminate the to pieces of ply on Saturday and then glue the core to the transom on Sunday.Probably used a bit to much glue .There was a lot of glue that was pushed through the drain holes and we used quite a bit of acetone to clean off excess glue .I think everything looks good .Just have to remove screws from transom skin tomorrow
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[Dignity]

Better more glue than not enough. You're going great.

[giddyup58]

Beautiful work, Kevin.

I should have asked earlier - Did you set the transom for 20" or 25"?

[Kevinwd1]

Set it for 20”.It seemed like we needed about another 5 to 10mm more than existing transom to get dimensions correct to suit outboard.Decided its probably easy enough to grind off the extra timber if we’re wrong.Will dummy up the motor before reattaching top deck?

[giddyup58]

20" is 20".

Make the transom to that dimension, then fit the engine well to that.
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Glass it all in with a couple of 450gsm d/b's and don't forget the choppy if you're using poly.
Add an extra choppy on top, so when you get to fairing, you are not overzealously sanding into the db.
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It will look something like this when bogged up and sanded off the 1st time:
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But don't panic, it will end up perfect.
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Important to use the same layup inside the boat where the rear deck attaches to the sides and transom.
It will be so much stronger than factory.

If you don't have a drilling jig, you will need to mount your motor to mark the mounting holes. These will be over-drilled to 1" diameter, epoxy glue filled, and re-drilled 1/2'. Have to protect that core...
Set the motor up so that the bottom of the hull is a level with the bottom of the cavitation plate, and spend as much time as is necessary to mount the motor perfectly square to the boat. Water level the same spot on the outer chines is a good start.
There will be sufficient holes on the transom bracket to lift the motor upto a couple of inches if needed, which will be most likely with modern propellers..

[Kevinwd1]

Fibreglassed the inside of the girders after removing the old plywood.Laid two layers of combination mat and used thickened resin to cove the corners.Needed to practice on something before doing the transom as I haven’t much experience fibreglassing.Things went pretty smoothly and the combination mat seemed easy to work with .Hoping to do the transom next weekend
100%x​

[Noelm]

Just a word of warning (and I know this is obvious, but....) when working with resin, no matter how careful you are, little drips/drops will get on the floor, then you walk in them and spread resin all over the place, little bits of mat stick to your shoes until you look like a Yeti! Be warned......walking into the house with resin on your shoes can result in a near death experience when you wife/partner/girlfriend/boyfriend sees the carpet or wooden floor covered in non removable marks, note, do NOT bring acetone into the house, or that previous near death experience will seem like a picnic when you dissolve, Lino, wooden floor finish or any painted surface..........don't even ask how I know.

[Noelm]

Just a few home handyman tips (that I have mentioned before) ice cream containers work great for resin mixing, when hard, twist the container, and the old resin just pops out, leaving a "new" container, save a few for use. Use cheap disposable paint brushes and rollers, don't try to clean them, the acetone costs more that a cheap throw away brush, only wash a metal roller if you have one. Constant washing of hands with acetone will dry your skin out, use moisturiser after washing, and constant use will dissolve your finger nails too! Spread an old tarp or drop sheet on the ground to work on, that saves you garage or lawn from resin "blobs" it's a big advantage if you have a helper to mix batches if resin, it saves you jumping in and out of the boat, and a new batch can be ready just as the previous one is used.

[chris69]

Fibreglassed the inside of the girders after removing the old plywood.Laid two layers of combination mat and used thickened resin to cove the corners.Needed to practice on something before doing the transom as I haven’t much experience fibreglassing.Things went pretty smoothly and the combination mat seemed easy to work with .Hoping to do the transom next weekend
100%x​

If your lamiating corners make some bog up and lay a fillet in the seem your joining and run a paddle pop stick down along it to shape it and your glass will lay in the corner better.

[Dignity]

If your lamiating corners make some bog up and lay a fillet in the seem your joining and run a paddle pop stick down along it to shape it and your glass will lay in the corner better.
And if you go to the local reject shop you can generally buy paddle pop sticks of varying width, I've found the really wide ones are great for mixing small amounts of resin etc.

[Kevinwd1]

Found a icing piping bag worked well to quickly/cleanly lay the fillet ,then formed the radius with a disposable spoon .

[bluefin59]

Found a icing piping bag worked well to quickly/cleanly lay the fillet ,then formed the radius with a disposable spoon .

Looks like you’ve done a great job , thanks for sharing. Matt

[Kevinwd1]

Starting fibreglass the transom on Saturday.Planned on starting early to get the cooler part of the day but things came up and didn’t start until 1pm.Had a few issues with getting the glass matting to conform to the beveled edge,radius and tab onto the hull bottom and sides all in one go .We had to cut the glass mat with a scalpel in a few spots to get it sit down while wetting out and had a couple of small air bubbles in a few places.The resin started to go a little milky on the second layer of combination mat .Waited for the fibreglass to cool down before putting on another layer of chopped mat .Had planned on doing the whole job in one day but only got to layers of combination mat and 1 layer of chopped mat over the entire transom before calling it a day .Will put the extra 2 layers of combination mat in the corners next week.Definitely had a few issues and would do things a bit different next time .
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[giddyup58]

What percentage hardener did you use?
You have to be careful putting in big coves, as the bog super-heats the resin and glass that follow.
Your glass work looks pretty good to me. Not much overheating to worry about.
I'd be going back to the parts where you sliced the glass to get it to "lay down".
The resin was probably going off, in which case the glass will not sit. You should feel the lumpy hardness as you are trying to roll it.
But overall, well done. Very neat work.
Are you going to treat the 90 degree corner to a couple more laminates?

And no disrespect to Nolem, whose advice I have always enjoyed, but if you use an empty 4 litre bucket with a lid that seals well, it is very economical to put 1 litre of acetone in it to keep your 4" brush, rollers, coveing tools, screeds and what-nots resin free and reuseable. Just try to get out as much resin as you can. It takes days to glug up, but you will catch it well before then.
The 4" cheapie brushes are still like $4.00 each, and when you are glassing for days on end with transom, stringers and floor, the brush cost will very quickly send you to the poor house!

Regarding clean-up, as Nolem has pointed out, Acetone is not a good idea on skin. AA sells a beaut SEPTONE hand cleaner called ELIMINATOR that removes all forms of paint and resin (both poly and epoxy), and is very economical. From memory, about $50 for a 4 litre pump pack which will easily see out the entire build. Its even good for getting grease off.

Keep up the great work. It's a joy to watch the progress.

[Kevinwd1]

Used 1% harder and will be putting another 2 layers of matback and one layer of choppy over areas where we cut the glass.I think we failed to push the mat into some of the bevel/radius area with enough slack to enable it to stick to both the cove and bevel .Once the first layer had become very tacky it was a little hard to adjust next layer where this occurred.Cutting the glass fixed this but not ideal.
You can see in the photo a bit of white discolouration on the plywood area. Don’t think it’s to bad but but I’m no expert?
This has been a big learning curve so hopefully the extra layers in the corners should be a bit easier

[Noelm]

It is all a learning curve, unfortunately by the time you're really good at it, the jobs finished! On the throw away stuff, I see what you mean, but I got a bulk lot of 1"/2"/3" brushes for about .60c each, if I was doing a big job again, cleaning better quality stuff would be the go. I am very much a home handyman at glass work, but have decades of experience repairing surfboards, so the actual "doing" is no worries. Getting supplies would be a challenge now I think, almost everything you need is back ordered, delayed delivery or something. I needed some stuff for my trailer, all my local shops had bits and pieces, online had limited stocks and delivery time of two weeks, I ended up finding a place in ?Brisbane that had the stuff I needed, but it still hasn't arrived yet.

[Kevinwd1]

Yesterday we finished the extra two layers of fibreglass in the corners of the transom.The first layer went 100mm onto the transom core and 100mm into the sides and bottom of the hull .Second layer overlapped the first by an extra 50mm,then finished off with a layer of 225 choppy.Things went so much easier this time .
Today we started to fit the girders and grind ready for glassing them in place .I’m thinking of using two layers of combination mat (225chop/400db)to tab the girders in place .The same way Giddyup does his stringers but finish with a layer of 225 choppy so I can grind and paint with flowcoat later.Is that what you did Giddyup?
Hoping to get these done before the new year
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[giddyup58]

.The same way Giddyup does his stringers but finish with a layer of 225 choppy so I can grind and paint with flowcoat later.Is that what you did Giddyup?
Hoping to get these done before the new year
.

Adding the choppy will not do anything for strength. As you said, it's just there as a sacrificial layer in case you need to sand.
I don't usually apply that layer when flowcoat is involved, as the flowcoat is so thick, it easily fills the weave.

But if it makes you feel better about the job, by all means do it. The weight penalty is almost non existent. Just time and money.
For bigger areas that do need to have the DB grain perfectly filled, (eg floors), I always use peel ply, which has the added benefit of keeping all contaminates off the glass until you are ready to move on, eg. paint/ carpet/flowcoat.

[Kevinwd1]

When flowcoating I’m assuming you have to sand the area first before applying.Is it ok to sand the double bias to prepare for flowcoat .I won’t put any choppy on if I don’t need to ,just unsure of how to properly prepare double bias surface for flowcoating Thought it was a bad idea to sand double bias ?

[Kevinwd1]

Got a little bit done over the holidays.The girders are glassed in and it went quite smoothly .I did stuff up by not finishing with choppy when tabing in the girders into the side of the boat.I thought it would be alright to give the double bias a light sand in prep for flowcoating but now realise its not really a good idea .Will worry about that later
Removed the floor in the front of the boat and started grinding up the area.I brought a dust shroud for the angle grinding which worked quite well in keeping the dust at bay until the vacuum cleaner blew up
Removed the small outer stringer and ground up in prep for new stringer.The strake area seemed very thin and looked like it had a few cracks in it ,so I put a 2 layers of combination mat and a layer of choppy there to strengthen it up .Not sure if that was necessary ? but it’s done now.Checked the underside of the strake with a straight edge after doing this and still looks nice and flat
Spent hours getting the new stringer to sit right.Getting the stringer to go from the flat strake area into the angled back part of the hull was a real pain .There will be a few spots where an extra bit of thickened resin will be needed to bed in the stringer.Hoping to glass in the stringer next weekend
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[chris69]

Looking good and no harm putting a bit extra in places were you have seen a problem it piece of mind an now’s the time to do it ,after thought fixes nothing.

[bluefin59]

Got a little bit done over the holidays.The girders are glassed in and it went quite smoothly .I did stuff up by not finishing with choppy when tabing in the girders into the side of the boat.I thought it would be alright to give the double bias a light sand in prep for flowcoating but now realise its not really a good idea .Will worry about that later
Removed the floor in the front of the boat and started grinding up the area.I brought a dust shroud for the angle grinding which worked quite well in keeping the dust at bay until the vacuum cleaner blew up
Removed the small outer stringer and ground up in prep for new stringer.The strake area seemed very thin and looked like it had a few cracks in it ,so I put a 2 layers of combination mat and a layer of choppy there to strengthen it up .Not sure if that was necessary ? but it’s done now.Checked the underside of the strake with a straight edge after doing this and still looks nice and flat
Spent hours getting the new stringer to sit right.Getting the stringer to go from the flat strake area into the angled back part of the hull was a real pain .There will be a few spots where an extra bit of thickened resin will be needed to bed in the stringer.Hoping to glass in the stringer next weekend
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Nice work and great to see the progress shots. Matt

[Kevinwd1]

Was hoping to start glassing in the stringer this weekend but ended up changing the cradle .The hull had started to bow away from the cradle and checking with a straight edge showed a concave bow on the outside of the hull between the rear bulkhead and the transom..Probably should have left in some of the stringers between the rear bulkhead and transom to support the hull better .I’m guessing the fibreglass that was put on the floor area when glassing in the transom has shrunk and pulled the hull away from the cradle?.
I changed the original cradle support to 4 pieces of timber running lengthways along the hull and screwed the hull to them
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Original cradle setup
126521
*Should have left some of the stringers in this area ?

126522 Bow in hull

H 126523 Hull screwed down to timber and bow removed

Hopefully when the stringers and bulkheads are glassed in the bow will be gone
Any feedback appreciated
Should have taken more pictures ,hope it makes sense

[Noelm]

Supporting the hull is critical, if you have ever seen a hull with the deck and floor removed it would scare you how "wobbly" it is! My guess it was just pressure from cutting "something" out has distorted the bottom, or, it might have been like that before?

[giddyup58]

Hi Kevin.

I haven't been able to post for weeks.
Seems I can now.

What 's new with your build?

[Kevinwd1]

Haven’t done much in the last month.Last week we glued and glassed in the first outer stringer.Started in the morning but things took longer than we hoped , and had to stop after getting first layer of glass on due to the heat (34 deg).Waited until late afternoon to put second layer on.
So far this weekend we have removed second outer stringer, shaped and glued in new stringer ready for fibre glass
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[chris69]

Yer 34 deg is not a good day to be glassing or cutting out stringers hot and sweaty and itchy scratchy.

[Kevinwd1]

Been slowly chipping away over the last month.Since the last post we’ve glassed in the outer stringers and bulk heads .The transom knees have been cut to shape and fitted ready for glassing in .I spent a few hours today grinding up the front section of the boat .Not much fun in the 30 degree heat and high humidity🤢.Summer is supposed to be finished .Will hopefully start shaping the front stringer tomorrow
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[Dignity]

Have you scotched the idea of putting her in the water before the floor goes on?

[NAGG]

Been slowly chipping away over the last month.Since the last post we’ve glassed in the outer stringers and bulk heads .The transom knees have been cut to shape and fitted ready for glassing in .I spent a few hours today grinding up the front section of the boat .Not much fun in the 30 degree heat and high humidity濫.Summer is supposed to be finished .Will hopefully start shaping the front stringer tomorrow
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Any reason why you didn't go with thermolite board for your rebuild ?

Specially for such a important job

Chris

[Kevinwd1]

The boat lasted 40 years with ply and to be honest it probably would have been alright to use it for a few more years .Once I’ve finished rebuilding the boat it will probably outlast me 😳.Also I’ve never done anything like this before so spending 3 to 4 times more using epoxy and thermolite wasn’t that attractive for my first rebuild .I can definitely understand way people would spend the extra on thermolite/epoxy especially on bigger boats but for me polyester/ply was what I decided on .I,m hoping the boat will cost me around $4000 in total to rebuild (this includes purchase price).If it only lasts 10 years it’s still pretty cheap

[Kevinwd1]

Probably won’t put the boat in the water before doing the floor but still tempted

[Kevinwd1]

Slowly getting there,the stringers are all glassed in
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A friend had some thermolite offcuts so decided to dry fit it to the rear floor
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Last weekend we drilled the limber holes through the bulkheads and outer stringers ,then sealed them firstly by brushing on two layers of thinned epoxy resin then a layer of thickened epoxy
126813
Also decided to start flowcoating the stringers and bulkheads to help prevent future rot (maybe overkill?)

Today we decided to start fitting up the floor .I’ve found that its easier to make templates when fitting things to this boat .It might not be the quickest way to do things but normally we don’t have any issues with things not fitting
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This template worked out perfectly with the floor fitting with minimal adjustments
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The way we did the template gave us a good profile of where the top of the floor intersected the hull and also where the bottom of the floor intersected the hull and various points.This made bevelling the edge of the floor to fit the angle of the hull a lot easier
I still need to glass the chine strengtheners and finish flow coating the stringers before gluing the floor down
Still a long way to go

[giddyup58]

Any updates Kev?

[Kevinwd1]

Since the last post we have glued the floor in and then put one layer of mat back on top .Used peel ply everywhere as I don’t like grinding much..The front kickboard took a bit of time to fit and glass in .l have started filling in all the holes on the rear top deck before we glue in back in place .Not sure whether to flow coat the inside after the rear deck is attached .It will be summer before I know it and don’t really want to do flowcoating in the heat .
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Making slow progress but progress never the less

[giddyup58]

[QUOTE=Kevinwd1;1704209] Not sure whether to flow coat the inside after the rear deck is attached. It will be summer before I know it and don’t really want to do flowcoating in the heat .

I would suggest that you flowcoat up under the foredeck now, as it is a truely horrid job. Everything from the dash back is easy. and even summer shouldn't bother you.

I did my whole interior before refitting the deck, but that was a mistake, as I then glassed the hull/deck join and didn't pay enough attention to keeping resin where it belonged... So a lot more rectification work to be done. Bugger.

You should be proud of your workmanship. Excellent work!

[Kevinwd1]

Thanks Giddyup ,I’m going to leave the flowcoating until later.Need to do some more research on how to do non skid for the floor.
I’ve been getting the rear top deck ready for reattaching and should hopefully get that done soon .Unfortunately I have some major projects around the house ,so time on the boat will be somewhat limited

[Kevinwd1]

Have been working around the house for the last couple of months so haven’t done much on the boat.Since the last post we have glued the rear deck on and glassed it to the hull from the inside as well as the out side.We removed it from the cradle and put it back on the trailer .The transom skin gelcoat was ground off and a layer of surfboard mat was glassed over over it to seal up all the holes making it ready for bogging. Peel ply was used on the outside so hopefully bogging will be a lot easier


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[giddyup58]

Always good to see progress in an exceptional rebuild like this.
I can't fault what you've done, except perhaps leave it on the ground to make it easier to get in and out...
Or maybe that's just my battered old body complaining again...