1988 seacraft rebuild

[No grave but the Seacraft]

Here is the transom in the final stages with the longitudinal brace glassed in. The bracket has it's last bit of structure glassed in with the addition of the two stringers for a little extra support. next up will be the addition of the swim platform.

[No grave but the Seacraft]

I got some fairing done on the outside of the tub and the swim platform is dry fit in place. It's comprised of 2 layers of 3/4" coosa with a layer of 1700 in between. It will get tabbed in place then a final layer on the top and bottom. I still need to do some finish work and paint on the inside of the tub before it gets glued and glassed in place.

[MASBAS]

Do you have experience with building brackets? If not, how do you know your approach will support the stress while running in sloppy seas? I am thinking about making my own bracket and fiber glassing it on, but fear the ultimate failure. I have not worked enough with fiberglass to test its strength with different techniques.

With the cost of material and time, having one built then fiber glassing it on over top of bolting it on seems like the overkill but reasonable option.

What do you think your final cost will be on the bracket? Coosa, Fiberglass, epoxy... also hours invested.

Thanks,

[No grave but the Seacraft]

I've not built a bracket before but I do have some experience with fiberglass. I built three fiberglass over plywood boats before starting this project. I don't know that I would try building a bracket and glassing it on which is why I extended the stringers through the transom. This way the stresses are spread out from the hull through the transom and to the motor mount. That being said fiberglass is stronger than you think it would be especially epoxy. Either way I added more than I think I needed. As far as cost it took 4 sheets of 3/4" coosa with some to spare. Maybe 5-6 yards of 50" 1700 cloth and 20 yards of 12" 1700 tape and roughly 6 gallons of resin. All total its been about 35 hours of labor and $1800 in materials. Ordering an aluminum bracket might be cheaper and definitely easier but i prefer to do things myself.

[No grave but the Seacraft]

I took a break from sanding and started to build the molds for my transom livewell and seachest. The livewell is roughly 17 gallons and the seachest will hold 2 rule 1100 pumps. one for the livewell and one for raw water washdown. I also plan to raise the deck and the transom scuppers along with shifting the fuel tank, console and batteries to compensate for the extra weight.

[No grave but the Seacraft]

I've been bouncing around working on different things here and there as I have time. I have also been putting off finishing the outboard bracket because I couldn't decide on the style of drain plug I wanted to use but I did get the inside of the tub painted. I went with white only because I couldn't find a black bilge paint. The livewell and seachest molds are faired, painted and ready to be waxed, gelcoated and glassed when I can find a full day to get it knocked out. I also, was able to plumb and pour the stringers. I used cheap luan subfloor screwed to the sides of the original stringers and poured 2lb foam right on top of the old ones. They were dry so I didn't bother removing the old foam. I extended them to the bow and raised them roughly 2 inches. They just need a bit more sanding and they'll be ready for 2 layers of 1700.

[No grave but the Seacraft]

So I picked up my new custom fuel tank today. It was built by RDS Aluminum out of Perry, FL. It measures 70"Lx22"Wx8"H and has a 50 gallon capacity. the original tank was 93"Lx22"Wx8"H and had a capacity of 70 gallons. I plan on mounting the front of the tank in the original location or slightly farther forward which means the weight is shifted forward roughly 2 feet. I am hoping this will help with the weight of the transom livewell. Also, the extra space gained will make room for the seachest and below deck storage. The floor livewell was already missing when I bought the boat so I'm not losing anything there. Plus, more bilge space! Now I just need to glass the starboard stringer and get it mounted permanently.

[No grave but the Seacraft]

I popped my first mold today. I say pop but really it was soak and pry and peel. Luckily it turned out well because that mold/plug is ruined. I tried spraying PVA but for the life of me I couldn't get it to spray evenly and without beading up so I just waxed it. That's probably why it was difficult to remove. What I'm left with is a ~17 gallon livewell. I don't like the idea of a standpipe so the recessed area at the bottom will just have a plug to drain the tank at the end of the day and I will have the strainer/drain mounted to the side while in use.

[DonV]

Looking good Jon!!!

[strick]

Nice job...

Strick