Ideas or help on install of hardwood sole in 14' alum. boat

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by WinnMann, May 22, 2015.

  1. alan white
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    alan white Senior Member

    It's the iron that rusted. Don't worry about it. Maybe bleach will work to get out the stain, but first try less powerful acids. I looked up the problem and they say vinegar, baking soda/water, and lemon juice. In any case, don't be buying products you don't need. Don't add paint to the problem. If you use an acid like bleach---- it effects the aluminum as well as the iron in the stain, so make sure you rinse well after to dilute the bleach.
     
  2. WinnMann
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    WinnMann Junior Member

    Okay, thank you Alan. So today I was going to start cutting some cedar boards that I planned down to 5/8", but I realized I could use a little more support for the sole in a few places. So I cut those board to size and put the first coat of polyurethane enamel on them. On the edges of the fir floor boards by the sides of the boat they seem to be pretty flimsy since their not supported by anything. Do you think that once I install the sole it will tie it all together and strengthen it up a bit, or do you think I should put some type of wedge underneath to support it?I've decided I'm going to build the sole out of 4 slats. One for stern of the boat behind the first bench seat where I'll have my battery and gas tank at. Two slats between the first bench seat and the bow-most bench seat which should make it easy to remove the slats. And the last one right toward the bow where my anchor will sit. Right now I'm trying to decide on how to build my stern slat. I'm thinking of raising it a few inches so that I could fit a bilge pump under there and possibly a livewell pump in the future. The way it sits right now it gives me 2 1/4" of height, and it seems most bilge pumps run around 4" in height. I'm thinking I will just cork the livewell transom hole like it was previously and figure that hook up out later after I set everything else up like the sole, bilge pump and electrical.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2015
  3. WinnMann
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    WinnMann Junior Member

    So I've gotten my first slat cut and ready to sand and paint. I don't need to sand between the coats of the Cetol right since I would be sanding the non-skid sand away? Before the first coat I will sand with the random orbital with 180 as you said, but is that all the sanding I'll need to do in this instance on the slats? Also on the can of Cetol it says to wipe the wood with Interlux Special Thinner 216 before painting. Should I get that product, or can i use TSP (Trisodium Phosphate), or is even any of that necessary do you think? Lastly I was wondering if it's fine if I buck the nails of the slats against a smooth concrete.
     
  4. alan white
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    alan white Senior Member

    Just wipe the wood with acetone or alcohol. Don't buy that special stuff---- it's nothing magical. No sanding between coats. Not with nonskid. Just 180 before you begin.
    What are SLATs??? Boards for the sole? I assume so. You really don't need non-skid. Even wet, there'll be plenty of traction.

    Now, about the unsupported pieces. Please clarify as I'm lost. A few pictures would help. You can build something onto the underside of a section of sole, something that isn't seen but transfers the load down to the aluminum.
     
  5. alan white
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    alan white Senior Member

    Is a slat a section of sole, like a 2 x 4 section, for example? The wrong words throw me.
     
  6. WinnMann
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    WinnMann Junior Member

    Yes, but more of like a 4' x 3' section in this scenario.I was referring to one of the removable sole assemblies as a slat, like the cedar boards with the cleats assembled to them.Thanks for pointing that out, completely wrong vocabulary there. I was gonna sprinkle sand on after the first coat like you mentioned in post #20, but you're right, I don't think that's a big deal.
    I think I've figured out how to kinda tie in everything strengthen the floor a little by adding some supports here and there, I'll show those when I upload some pictures. I don't think the support of the sole will be an issue anymore. But the nice thing about the removable sole is that if it doesn't feel right, I can just remove a section and adjust accordingly.
    I'll just use some acetone for the prep. I was hoping the Interlux 216 stuff wasn't magical. ;) Do i need to buck the nails on a hardwood or will a smooth concrete do the job just fine.
     
  7. alan white
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    alan white Senior Member

    Try having a friend buck the nails using a sledge hammer head, etc.. The more focused the weight behind the blows the better. You don't want nail heads just above the surface. You want them slightly submerged like a nail head should be. With the weight in place, you can set the nail heads with a fat punch.
     
  8. WinnMann
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    WinnMann Junior Member

    Okay thanks, will do. Just wondering if it'll matter if I used a 2 lb. sledge or a 20 lb. Also, this is my first time using rivets and I'm ordering some closed end aluminum blind rivets with steel mandrels to reattach the middle bench seats. How snug does the rivet need to be when I set it in the hole? I have some rivets that came with my gun so I was able to dry fit some different sizes into the holes, I think 3/16" was the original size from the factory. I may have one or two holes that aren't perfectly round so I think I'm going to order the next size up 1/4" just in case. But the 3/16" seem very close, there's just a bit of play when i set it in the old rivet holes. Is this the correct sizing or is it supposed to be pretty snug in the hole? The head of the rivet covers the hole just fine. If it's supposed to be snug than I know just to order the 1/4" rivets and forget the 3/16".
     
  9. alan white
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    alan white Senior Member

    I know little about rivets.I assume they should be snug but it all hinges on the intended use. More important when say a sailboat mast fitting than a sole installation.
    2-5lb sledge.
     

  10. WinnMann
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    WinnMann Junior Member

    Alright, thanks again kind sir.
     
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