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#11
01-09-2014, 02:43 AM
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Good luck with your project. Thanks for saving another one.
__________________
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...t/0a21e0b9.jpg 
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#13
01-11-2014, 10:12 PM
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Good luck with the project. Looks like you've got a good plan. Please post on your progress, especially the vac bag on the transom. I'm thinking along similar lines for an upcoming project and would like to see your ideas.
Dave
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Blue Heron Boat Works Reinventing the wheel, one spoke at a time.
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#14
01-20-2014, 12:49 PM
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Two fun filled days...
I tried and failed to remember to photograph everything as it was coming apart - I have increased my capacity to forget as I get older…
I tried to show some stuff in these pics that I couldn't find in other threads - like how the scupper blocks are in there. I also put this out as a estimate of how much time for this part of the work. I removed the hardware from inside and outside including vents and the 2 assembly screws used to hold vent internals on while they were glassed in. Cut and remove the drain tubes from the transom wells and the bilge. I used a screwdriver to crush the outer lip in all the way around then used a ¾” socket to drive the wreckage through. Removed rubrail back to the windshield. It was about 34 when I pulled the outer piece that covers the screws – it broke on the stern corner – don’t know if it would have broken at a warmer temp but the rubber was much stiffer on the corner. I should have thought about that – now I need to find a new cover strip or a whole new rub rail. Removed the cap attachment screws too. Cut sealant between cap and hull off – glad it wasn’t 5200. Removed internal teak textured vinyl trim piece – I let it warm up first and was much more careful. It is mounted with some sort of double sticky tape in addition to the screws – not sure if I will put it back in or not. Removed Hawse pipes – both had screws fwd and machine screws with nylok nuts aft – twisted off 2 before I caught on. This was because the backing plates for the rod holders only went to the forward edge of the hawse pipe. I had an idea of putting a full length backing plate in now to help alignment when the cap goes back on but I’m going to have to use the Hawse pipes for that instead. I did take several measurements to make sure I get it back in proper alignment. Grind 2” back on each side of cut lines – much easier to control it now before the cap is cut. Need to be more aggressive - this grind is not deep enough – I will still have to touch it up before glassing. I decided to leave the inner liner transom in – working in tight spaces gives me more motivation to stay away from the fridge. Actually the space isn’t too bad for me. Also the inner liner is now in tension and helps keep the hull from spreading there. Cut the cap at the hawse pipes & pull the cap up – Cap weighed about 30 lbs but it is bulky. One of the vent boxes was already broken loose – not enough putty. The other had been cut too short so they used some wood as a spacer against the transom then lots of putty. It took a while with the 4 ½” grinder w a metal cutting blade, a hammer and a chisel to figure out what was up and then take it out. I waited until the cap was off to take the some of the wiring out and get the outdrive transom housing off – that let me hook a chain lift from my A-frame to it and pull up enough to break it loose. It still took a lot of pounding. The boat would have sunk if it had been launched – electrolysis ate up both sides of the transom housing. It was the original one from 76. The zincs on the outside had always been changed annually but 38 years is obviously too long. I cut around edges of inner skin of the transom with a grinder – with a 4 ½” metal cutting wheel in the grinder I wasn’t worried about cutting deeper than 1.5” but it’s hard to see what all edges of the wheel are cutting with the dust flying around and sticking to goggles – I scared myself in a couple of places. The engine bunks and stringers stop at the transom inner skin. I just cut into the transom along the top of them. When water ran out of the lowest cut I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be a lot of wood to fight. The plywood edge at the top of the transom had not been glassed. The wood looked ok there but the 2 pieces of ¾ ply were separated slightly. I opened up the separation with screwdrivers to get some room – then I used something called a ‘pine dibble’; a heavy iron wedge used for planting pine seedlings in the SE about 80 years ago. Probably one of the more useful tools I have ever touched – also perfect for pulling up boards on docks and any other fine adjusting you need to do. With the separation between the 2 pieces of ply open a bit I put a rope through the stern light hole of the inboard piece and tied it to the chain lift. Pulled up and it separated most of the way. The pine dibble made it easy to pull out the top 2/3 of the inboard layer of plywood. Everything else was mush. Used the pine dibble like a giant chisel to rip the next layer off as much as possible. I got my wish about the wood being mostly rotted or eaten – it was both. Carpenter ants had eaten most of what hadn’t rotted and had tunneled through a lot of the ‘good’ wood. The only part of the transom that was semi-solid was the top 6-12”. Used a twisted wire brush in the grinder to rip that off then used a 36 grit flap disk in the grinder to sand it down. I still have a little of the last wood ply in the upper starboard side plus some other small spots to sand off. The wood in the bottom by the bilges was soggy and the glue was weak but the fibers were pretty strong still – I think it was anaerobic there and the wood couldn’t rot without any oxygen. It peeled off the glass pretty well with a wood chisel and a hammer though. After getting most of the wood out I used a grinder to cut off the remaining tabs around the edges. At the factory they wrapped the plywood in cloth and put it in the hull while still in the mold. That left a gap of about ½” around the plywood edges. Then they put a layer of heavy roven over it and tied it to the hull. The inner layer of glass was just under 1/8”. The stringers, scupper blocks, and bunks were glassed in last. I cut the stringers and keel back about 3-4”. I had to use a rotozip to cut where the grinder couldn’t reach. I cut out the engine bunks since the wood was pretty waterlogged and the bottom edge was mush. Each one was about 40 lbs – probably 20+ was water. I wish I had done that as the very last step – they made pretty good seats. Kneepads are almost as useful as the pine dibble. Another reason to have the hollow bunks and foamed stringers out is that it would have kept me from getting a seal for the vacuum bag. I may put a thin layer of cabosil down in a line along where I plan on sealing the bag a few days before I start that – it should make it easier to get a good seal. After I used the grinder to cut off the remaining tabs there is still a step where the plywood was – the hull glass is 1/8” thinner there. I will fill that void with cabosil as the first step of the vacuum layup – I may use slow hardening resin there with medium resin for the rest of it. The plan for the vacuum bagging layup hasn’t changed much now that I have the transom cut out: Cabosil in the void on the edges (slow hardener) 10oz cloth wrapped into hull 1.5” Coosa 26 1808 biax 1708 biax 1808 biax 1708 biax 1808 biax This should have the laminate on both sides of the core close to the same thickness and about the same strength. I went ahead and put the cap back on to keep everything aligned and put a few screws in to hold it in place. It is amazing how flexible everything is when you get it apart. Since I am trying to keep the original gelcoat, I will grind around holes from the inside and patch with VE and some cloth – This is so I can use gelcoat on the outside. The epoxy for the transom laminate will bond to the patches but polyester resin or VE resin patches won’t bond to epoxy as well. I will do the bunks and stringers in a separate layup after the transom is done. I still have some touch-up to do and a whole lot of prep work before I get to that though. Hopefully I get it done before the rainy season starts.
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#17
01-20-2014, 07:30 PM
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Quote:
__________________
__________________________________________________ ________________ 1974 23SF
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#18
01-20-2014, 07:44 PM
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Quote:
 For what it will cost me to replace the insert I could have gotten a nice new heat gun and a gallon of epoxy. You'd think I would learn not to dive into something before the 2nd cup of coffee.
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