Bass Boat Restoration

Don't know what rep points are???

 

I'm sure you're gonna tell me in a sec

You're in good hands with Par. The boat will float when he's done with you. Beeg job, worth doing it right from the start.

Post pictures as it's coming along, be nice to see.

 

Still not sure what rep points are..... Anyway, I hear lots of fuss about making fillets to round off the inside corners, and I know it helps the glass form to the corner better, but just how important is that? After completing the grinding of this project is was obivious the manufacturer didn't give a rats a** about them. Every inside corner in the boat was hollow behind it.

 

They're very important. Your stringers and laminate move a little under load. It's a small amount of movement, but enough to stress the fibers in the laminate and test the peel strength and elongation properties in the resin. Since the resin has not so good elongation properties and requires bulking agents for stiffness, a wonderful recipe for cyclic fiber fatigue occurs, at the higher stress locations. An unsupported bit of laminate (a bridge) will cantilever itself to catastrophic failure pretty quickly under these conditions. Couple this with an excessively light laminate (like what was used in your boat) and stringers will crush, buckle, collapse if you step on them, etc.

If you elect to skip the fillets, use more laminate to make up for the lose of stiffness in those areas. This is precisely what the manufacture was hoping for with their laminate schedule and it did manage to get them through the warranty period. You can shoot for another 18 years of service or make it tougher, so that maybe you can hand it down to a son or grand child. It's your call.

 

Top right of your post box you see the #18, then 'Post Feedback' then 'Flag for Moderator'

Post Feedback is used to add to someone's reputation points. So if someone gives you some good advice then it is a nice way to say thank you for taking the time, like Par advised you. You just click on the icon there and the box will open up.

Be carefull to take points from someone's reputation, you may be expected to explain - and proved wrong in the argument or facts.

Flag for Moderator is used to report stuff that is unacceptable or abusive. Jeff may come in with his magic wand and rap some fingers

 

No problem, I'll mix up some peanut butter and run the fillets. I usually do, was just wondering about it after grinding this boat. Just a cheap tabbing job from the factory on this one, huh?

 

I would take everything old out and start from scratch as if it's the first time it's going to be done, even maybe use a different way to put the stringers in. If your peanut butter is what I suspect it is, it's not going to be strong enough and will break so won't contribute. The forces on the hull can be huge...

You will also want to consider doing the whole layup in a one piece go. The bigger and more complete the inset is, the better and stronger and least chance of delamination.

I always make some drawings and try to do a bit of planning rather than doing what the previous guy did - or you wouldn't have had the problem now. I also like stringers in the length and across to improve stiffness that will work against the movement Par descibed.

 

I mix in from resin, cabosil and some chopped fibers, if thats not good what do you suggest?

Thanks

 

I agree with the one shot laminate, but it can cause issue with heat for the novice laminator. I also wouldn't bother making more work for yourself, by knocking everything out and starting from scratch. This is a lot more work, though would be stronger. If I was doing it for myself (likely Fanie too) I would just knock everything out and do my own stringers, they way I like to, but I'm into pain and extra work. I'd also use epoxy rather the polyester and eliminate many issue associated with polyester. In fact, it's repairs like this that I can do faster and stronger with less materials, because of epoxy, but some familiarity with this goo is necessary. Cadwelder, you're doing fine, of course your going to owe me a beer on your next road trip to central Florida, where we aren't having freezing rain, snow and highs in the upper 20's, like the poor souls in North Carolina for example . . .

 

I have no problem with the one shot laminate done that plenty of times(just watch the amount of catalsyt). And it is torn down to the bare hull other than the stiffiners (cardboard tubes mentioned earlier). I have the stringer system built now and am about ready to dry fit it. I'm not a big fan of epoxy (other than for wood projects, hope that doesn't strike a flame on this forum, I know some like it really well), but it was built using polyester so I use it in the rebuild.

Now as far as that beer goes, I'll drop it off the plane in April (going to Miami) as we pass over. LOL, or you can meet me at Disney this summer (take the grandkids there a couple times a year. Not sure what part you're in but Orlando would be closer to you than Miami.

Oh and is the fillet mix I mentioned okay, or do you suggest somthing else? I've seen guys use Bondo for that, but I never have, like I said the factory just bridged the gap with woven roving and resin, hence 8 hours of grinding, but it sure made easier work getting the old stringers out, just cut thru the bridges with the roto zip and they fell right out.

 

The jets landing at Orlando International fly right over my house, though they have some altitude on them still, so a few layers of bubbles wrap around the beer will probably do.

I use epoxy because it's so much stronger then polyester and it sticks so much better too. Polyester will work, it's not as strong for it's weight. As for a fillet mix one of the polyester guys might be more helpful, but I'm a milled fibers guy. Not chopped, milled, which is a fine powder, though if you look under a microscope, they're actually little lengths of 'glass.

I know exactly what you mean about cutting out the stringers, I use a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade. I can twist and turn the blade to any angle usually and the fine tooth count keeps the dust to a minimum.

 

I have a chance to buy some polyester resin really cheap, but its been in a warehouse for 2 years (unopened 55 gallons drums). I know I've seen resin cure even without catalsyt added, do you think this stuff is still good?

 

Don't buy it. Polyester has about a years shelf life, epoxy is about 3 years. Your purchasing something double the usual life span, so it might be a good deal or it might be the very reason it's a good deal.

The local volume discount store has a sale on Pepsi this weekend and the other half was looking at it. It was a huge discount about 60% off, but on closer inspection the soda was within a month of it's "don't sell by date". I'm not sure how many sodas she could down, in the next few weeks before the magic expiration date comes up, but she wisely elected to pass on the "great deal", knowing the two case minimum would likely go bad before it was drunk.

 

Oh I understand "too good to be true" usually isn't. I did buy a good bit of cloth, I know it's good. This was from a small boat builder that went under in the 2009 selling crash, he held on to everything as long as he could but just couldn't hold on and is selling off equipment, materials etc....

Thanks......I"ll pass on the resin.

 

Here is a picture of how the stringers go back in. Orignally the stringer was laid directly agaisnt the hull beded in resin for about 4 feet or so, but only had a bridged gap as it went toward the bow. Should I bed in all the way and use a fillet along all the edges, or just bed the transom end and let in ride up as it was.