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Dave,
Youre building a battleship there. I think you have addressed the structural issues very well and wont have to worry about a thing down the line.
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Well, hopefully not a battle ship, maybe a battle wagon? The way I’m looking at it, I’ve added strength without adding weight. It can’t hurt and might help.
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Id like to thank you, as well as Chuck and Connor for taking the time to look in to the matter as closely as you have. Im curious to have a look at ours more closely now as I have some cracks in that area as well. I will try to get some pics and tell you what I find.
Looking forward to your progress,
Brandon
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Brandon, honestly, I wouldn’t have attempted an undertaking like this without a site like this. The knowledge, expertise, and support available here are unmatched. The info you’ve shared is part of that, so thanks back at ya. And I’ll second your thanks to Chuck and Connor. I’ve been on the phone with both of them swapping info on these boats.
I’ll tell you now that I intend to take a page from your Gramps’ book and modify my trim tabs to follow the step in the hull. Believe me when I tell you imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Meanwhile, back at the shop…
After spending the past couple weekends under the deck, I went back into fabrication mode this past weekend and made the lip for around the engine compartment. I tried out a new (for me) mold material. Since I was dealing with flat surfaces, I tried out some masonite for part of the mold surface.
The process was to first, build and trial fit the mold.
Then I sprayed the mold with 3 or 4 coats of lacquer sanding sealer, let it dry overnight, made clay fillets and then sprayed 3 or 4 coats of PVA.
While I was at it, I made a mold for the hatch lip for the remaining hole in the cabin deck. That’s in the background of these pictures on the second set of saw horses.
Next step, sprayed gelcoat.
Then after layup with a little help on the cure from a space heater.
And the trimmed piece trial fit in place.
I still need to grind the perimeter of the deck around the engine compartment and epoxy/cabosil it in place. Then I’ll lay a couple more layers of glass on the inside and wrapped under the deck to make it bullet proof. I don’t want it to break if someone steps on the edge.
Dave