Restoring checked fiberglass Deck on 1967 Boat

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by E350, Jun 18, 2019.

  1. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
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    Location: Colorado

    Blueknarr Senior Member

    The rub rail is not strong enough to hold the deck to the hull alone. The hull deck joint should also be glued and/or screwed and/or riveted. You could loosen a few feet back from the bow to verify how the joint is formed.

    You haven't stated your outcome expectations. As Mr Efficiency points out returning to original is going to be a major investment and PITA.

    How well can you finesse a grinder?What is your experience level with fairing?
     
  2. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    That cracked patterning could come into vogue, I recall being in a second hand furniture shop on one occasion, and the proprietor was regaling a customer who was interested in a cabinet with similar crazed appearance, as it being an example of "Santa Fe" finish, and very much in demand. The customer seemed impressed.
     
  3. E350
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    Location: Sacramento River Delta, CA

    E350 Junior Member

    That's the attitude! I do some steel welding (poorly), and have the Dewalt 4"-6" angle grinder and others and just got the Dewalt die grinder to grind some corners where the stringers meet the transom on another boat.

    But I know my limitations. The surface area on this deck is relatively small, so I was planning on just taking my time sanding with the Dewalt palm sander with that red, stiff 36 grit floor sanding "paper" you buy in the Home Depot tool rental dept., because I don't even like using the Porter Cable double action sander on finish fiberglass. My skills are just not good enough.

    I have little experience "fairing." Remember, I have only used gel coat a few times. One was a shower pan. Most of my experience has been under tile shower pans or handlaying up w.w. kayaks in a mold where gel coat was not used because it was considered nonstructural cosmetic dead weight, or patching windsurf board noses again, where, gel coat is just not used.

    Wouldn't a middle approach be easiest, but would it work? That is sanding the lips of the crazed puzzle pieces down, vacuuming out the dust and then flooding the remaining dust out with a garden hose. Letting the boat bake in full sun for a week then squeegeeing in some polyester fairing compound, painting on (by roller or spray) some marine laminating resin laying out some pre-cut "S" or other glass weave or the thin veil Chopped Strand Mat (which scares me...) suggested by Blueknarr, let it set up and then fair in some polyester fairing compound which I assume I would let cure then resand for the spray gel coat application(s)?

    I know this must post must show true naivete which you guys have seen come and go on this forum.

    Mr Efficiency and ondarvr I guess my goal is to acquire skills.*

    "Girls like guys with skills" -- Napoleon Dynamite *
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2019
  4. ondarvr
    Joined: Dec 2005
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    Location: Monroe WA

    ondarvr Senior Member

    This is something that can be done.......but......it’s going take a tremendous amount of time and work, with little benefit.

    I’d concentrate on other aspects of getting the boat in shape that will yield greater results in making it useable and reliable.

    These aren’t skills that girls will take into account when evaluating your level of desirability.
     
    E350 likes this.
  5. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
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    Blueknarr Senior Member

    Trust me. Loading my clothes with FG grindings is a skill my woman neither likes nor finds desirable.

    How far aft does the crazing extend under the blue tarp?

    If you are willing to accept a non-traditional looking bow, there are several options which offer greater value (less cost, time, effort in for duration of finish). Consider;
    • Bed liner or rubberized paint
    • Mosaic of bumper stickers
    • Outdoor carpet
    • Applied wood
    If you are determined to retain gelcoat look:

    • "V" grooving the crazing is counter productive. The sugesteg slope of the grooves is 8:1. Adding both sides together, the top width of groves for 1/32" thick gelcoat would be 1/2" wide. Your groves would overlap.
    • The current gelcoat has failed cohesivly. It will telegraph it's failure to any coating bonded to it.
    • Palm sanders don't usually have the power to handle 36 grit. If one did it would still take 20 times longer than your 6" grinder with a 36 grit disk would.
    • 60 grit on Palm sander is appropriate for the radius down to the deck joint
    No offense intended, but Perfect your grinding skills before attacking the deck. Secure a large piece of scrap thick plywood to your work bench. Wearing protection, grind the top ply down to the glue line. Change sanders and remove the next ply. Rince and repeat until you dominate, command and can finesse those beasts.
     
    E350 likes this.
  6. E350
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    Location: Sacramento River Delta, CA

    E350 Junior Member

    Blueknarr: Fair enough. All my wheels are cutoff wheels (6" Metabo) or 4" course wheels for grinding down my welds. What is the best wheel to use on fiberglass?

    This is the 4"-6" 13 amp 9,000 rpm beast:
    [​IMG]
    Regardless, it is not getting anywhere near the metal rub rail.

    Back to fairing. My buddy and I did smooth wall (drywall topping coat) over the skip troweled textured walls in my 1,500 s.f. condo. Can I use my stainless drywall "knives"? They go from 4" seaming to 14" field.

    Blueknarr and others, I am intrigued by:

    "Applied Wood"

    Is there an product which you recommend? Is it glued on? Screwed on? Tongue and groove? Is it real wood or synthetic? Varnished? Oiled?

    To all of you, but especially to Blueknarr for your responses. I know how much time it takes to type out a well formatted detailed response like that. It is appreciated.

    P.S. You should marry her asap if she actually washes your FG clothes for you. I am married but have to wash my own, twice. You got a good one there.
     
  7. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
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    Location: Colorado

    Blueknarr Senior Member

    I like to use as large of diameter as possible. 7" leaves less ridges than 3". This is the best pic I found. images.jpeg
    You will also need a backing pad. Use the softest you can find.

    A belt sander with 36 grit might also be useful.

    Yes traditional mud knives can be used for fairing. But you are a ways off yet.
     
  8. E350
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    Location: Sacramento River Delta, CA

    E350 Junior Member

    10-4. I went with zirconia instead of aluminum oxide:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G6UBH0Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I got this 7" backing pad for the grinder:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002FBNL44/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    It will be harder to use than the Porter Cable double action for which I do have 5" pads.

    The 4" Porter Cable belt sander scares me the most, so I will stay away from using it unless it has a very fine grit belt on it.

    I appreciate all the help and I will honor your help by starting on a plywood sheet to test my equipment and to develop my skills first. I will post my homework...

    Until then, take care!
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2019
  9. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Sanding.jpg The "skill" required to neatly remove that gelcoat back to the laminate is not one worth the trouble of acquiring. Some people, most people, would give up before becoming proficient at it. I'll blow my trumpet and say I'm better than most people at such tasks, and I would not even try, given the contours of that piece. And you can't practice on the actual work piece, which will likely have different characteristics to whatever you practiced on. I'd strongly advise covering the multitude of sins, rather than attempting to remove them. However, if you are hell-bent on doing it, I'd only try using the flexible mesh-type abrasives that will follow contours without wreaking too much destruction. You need a sander that has low enough rpm as specified by the mesh disc manufacturer, however you will be up for substantial money, as they are not cheap.
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2019
  10. missinginaction
    Joined: Aug 2007
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    Location: New York

    missinginaction Senior Member

    I'm a perfectionist and prone to spend a lot of time and effort on my boat. But there are times that even I have to back off and ask "does the potential result justify the effort". A few years back I made a rookie mistake and put a decent dent in my extruded aluminum rub rail, right up by the nose where everyone can see it when I'm docked. No leaks but a good dent. People around me were asking "How are you going to fix that?". It's all bedded in and I'd have a major job on my hands trying to even get the rail off the boat, let alone fix it. I thought about it for awhile and decided to cover it with a small patriotic bunting. I've even gotten a few compliments on it. An old timer at the boat club once told me "If your boat doesn't have some dings and gouges on it, you're not using it enough."

    Now don't tell anybody, OK?

    IMG_20180803_161047747_HDR.jpg

    I kinda like that checked look. From what I can see the hull looks solid. Why not just use it as is?

    MIA
     
  11. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    This is right, MIA, sometimes it does not hurt to hide "sins", especially if life and limb are not at risk. After all, this is how the cosmetics industry works !
     
  12. E350
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    Location: Sacramento River Delta, CA

    E350 Junior Member

    Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I am up to my eyeballs in alligators at work and will likely not be back to this thread for a while.

    I will complete the stern drive rebuild and do as MIA and Mr Efficiency have said and get the thing out on the water to see how the hull performs. But I do plan on doing something with the deck ... in the future.

    Thank you all for all your help so far!
     
  13. BlueBell
    Joined: May 2017
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    Location: Victoria BC Canada

    BlueBell . . . _ _ _ . . . _ _ _

    Wash it and wax it.
    It'll look awesome.
     

  14. E350
    Joined: Sep 2015
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    Location: Sacramento River Delta, CA

    E350 Junior Member

    Eh? Who says Canadians don't have a sense of humor?

    (Wife and I ate Mizithra cheese pasta at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Victoria in March. Who says you can't find good old American food in BC? Walked through Butchart Gardens (a little too early for the flowers but a good walk). Good times meeting new and visiting transplanted relatives in Nanaimo.)

    Your Bay is big and beautiful but looks like it could get too rough for this little runabout. I'll bring it up and we can wash and wax it together.

    Till then raise a can of Guiness or Stella, or an entire meal in a can:
    [​IMG]
     
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