Restores 1978 checkmate predictor

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by Jcanada1989, Dec 25, 2015.

  1. Jcanada1989
    Joined: Dec 2015
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Fort Worth texas

    Jcanada1989 New Member

    Just need some advice on different kinds of wood I can use for the stringer so that the fiberglass resin will stick to it.
     
  2. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
    Posts: 3,367
    Likes: 510, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 1279
    Location: Lakeland Fl USA

    messabout Senior Member

    Ideally you could use long leaf yellow pine or Douglass fir. That is if you can find some decent lumber. Big box stores are not famous for having anything that resembles a piece of wood worthy of installation in a boat.

    You should avoid oily woods like teak, Lignum Vitae and a few other exotic woods that you are not likely to find anyway. Aside from that, take your choice. The wood should be dry and adhered to the skin and encapsulated with Epoxy not polyester.
     
  3. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
    Posts: 19,126
    Likes: 498, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3967
    Location: Eustis, FL

    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Welcome to the forum.

    I disagree, once you learn how to select wood, you can search through the stacks at Lowe's/Depot and find pretty good stuff. Both Douglas fir and SYP will be available there in Texas, plus (likely) some stuff called SPF, which is a generic name for the farm raised hybrids now available. Avoid the SPF stuff as it's not very good, except as wall studs or very light load/weight projects.

    In most cases you'll be selecting from the 16' lumber isle and also the wide stuff, like 2x10's and 2x12's. The reason is these long, wide pieces have to come from bigger, older trees, so the likelihood of good lumber rises dramatically. I regularly find quarter sawn pieces, without a knot, pith or other major defect in the 16' 2x12 stacks. Yeah, you'll have to sort through dozens of boards, but it's a lot cheaper than ordering something special for a millhouse.

    Of course, it helps to have a table saw so you can remill these puppies down to a size you need, but welcome to boat repair . . .
     
  4. SamSam
    Joined: Feb 2005
    Posts: 3,899
    Likes: 200, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 971
    Location: Coastal Georgia

    SamSam Senior Member

    I always thought SPF stood for spruce-pine-fir, which I took to mean the board could be any one of those species and that it didn't matter much when you were just slapping a house together, they were all adequate for construction purposes as long as strength was not a paramount issue, as in a beam.

    Yes, 8' lumber seems to usually be the worst and 10' seems to be the most expensive per foot. I've built whole houses with 16' stuff cut in half instead of 8' stuff. Much better quality and usually only a few pennies more if not the same or even cheaper, per foot.

    I have also found big box stores aren't necessarily cheaper than independent lumber yards and that ily's can have higher quality wood also. But I don't feel like I should be pawing around for select pieces in those places, like I do in the big box stores.

    Sometimes when the pile gets small and full of rejects, you can tell them the quality isn't good enough for what you're doing and ask them to open another bundle.

    As for the stringers, I would consider pressure treated wood.
     

  5. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
    Posts: 16,790
    Likes: 1,714, Points: 123, Legacy Rep: 2031
    Location: Milwaukee, WI

    gonzo Senior Member

    There is nothing wrong with doing the repair with polyester. The stringers in your boat lasted more than 30 years. They always fail because some area wasn't coated properly or screw holes were not caulked. Limber holes are probably the worst culprits.
     
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.