Schiaward

[Backlash]

RG thank you for the compliments. My glass work is marginal at best but I feel I will get better the more I do it. And with this project, there will be plenty more to do! You should glass the bulkhead in yourself. It isn't difficult and if you take your time and think everything through, you will be fine. It isn't that difficult my friend. I will be replacing a lot of components (Structural and non-structural), in this hull but I'm not sure if I will be at that point before you. You may beat me to it and I will have to take notes from you. My recommendation would be to try to "Work neatly" to both minimize the mess/cleanup, but also have a nicer finished product.

RB, I really appreciate the compliments. Thank you for the input! I enjoy the photos and the lengthy posts. I'm sure some get tired of it but that's OK. I'm hoping people will see my mistakes and errors and learn what not to do. And I'm hoping more knowledgeable veterans can correct me or point me in the right direction along the way. I'm here to help but also to learn.

As far as supporting the hull, I would highly recommend it. The more support you can give the hull before you remove any structural components, the better off you will be. And you are correct. I would remove the stringers one at a time if you can. The more support the better.

My little Baby has four stringers and the hull is laid up fairly thick. So I felt comfortable removing the two outer stringers and leaving the two inner stringers to support the hull. (It's also resting on the bunks of a cruddy trailer which helps.) When I get to cutting out the two main stringers, I may do those one at a time. We shall see.

As always, thank you guys for following along and for helping out. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks,

I was able to get a few things done on the Schiaward this week.

I finished another drain plug sleeve on the forward mini-bulkhead that will go below the floor, in between the two center stringers. This mini-bulkhead will separate the "Ski locker" portion of the hull from the floor board area of the hull where the driver (Me!), will sit. Little Ms. Cutie will have to enjoy the view from the passenger seat until we both get comfy manning this thing.....

I had previously laid up the sleeve and simply over-bored the hole near the bottom of the bulkhead. Once I did that, I repeated the steps shown earlier where I added the vinylester resin and thickening agent to create a paste. Once the paste had set up and cured, I trimmed everything close to flush, then cleaned it up with a quick round with a sander.











The next picture shows the mini-bulkhead sanded smooth and ready for some fiberglass cloth. You will also see another fiberglass sleeve....this one will be used for the transom drain plug when we get to that point. If you notice the hull in the background, I had just finished sanding the repairs from last week smooth. These repairs are currently below the surrounding level of gelcoat. Meaning, they are not flush or even with the surface of the hull. This is a good thing as it will leave me with room to add a thin layer of filler to help with smoothing out the repairs.






Here is a picture of the transom once the repaired areas were sanded. You can also see the shape of the rounded keel for the first time.....I couldn't stand that black paint on the bottom of the transom and hull. So off it went!






The next two pictures show the repairs and a straight edge placed across the repaired area. You can see there is a little bit of space between the repaired area and the straight edge. Maybe less than 1/16".










Once I got the lower half of the transom sanded, I bored a hole for the drain plug sleeve. I didn't install this yet because I am still messing with the plywood core for the transom. I then moved to the top of the transom and began to tape off the holes in the cap.






The next picture shows the layup schedule for the inside of the cap. I laminated these pieces together then put them up on the inside of the cap where the ski pylon and stress cracks and rigging hole were. I did this so I would have something on the "Inside" of the cap to lay the fiberglass layers on when I moved to the outside of the hull. Since I did all of the following at the same time, I didn't take time to get pictures of the inside of the cap above the transom.






The last two pictures show the repaired areas near the center of the cap above the transom, and the rigging hole that was previously drilled into the top of the starboard gunnel above the transom. The repairs look pretty sloppy right now, but once they are sanded down, the look of the "Depression" in the center of each hole will be minimized. They can then be filled with additional layers of fiberglass and again sanded so that the level of the repairs will be just below the surface of the hull.










There is a long series of stress cracks that had started to form on the transom above the top of the outboard bracket. Basically, the transom was being pulled outward near the top of the outboard bracket, and pushed inward near the bottom of the outboard bracket. There simply wasn't enough support built into the transom when this ensemble was initially put together. There was just too much movement and the leverage placed on the transom is what caused the long stress cracks above the outboard bracket. This same problem will not repeat itself once we have finished building this new transom.

I know there isn't a lot to report, but any progress is progress nonetheless!

As always, thank you for following along!

Stay safe and have a great day!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning!

Earlier in this project, I spent a few minutes boring out some of the holes in the tops of the stringers. Once I got all of the soft wood out, I filled the holes with dowels then capped everything with epoxy. Well, when I was messing around with that, I thought I may have been able to save some of the stringers (Feeling the damage to the stringers was minimal). Since then, I have elected to remove all four stringers and replace everything. The reason for that is because the stringers were in worse shape than I originally thought. I took pictures of one of the cracked stringers but I now realize I never uploaded the picture. So here you go!

At some point, the previous owner did his best to complete some fiberglass repairs on this hull. Here are some pictures of the damage and the way things were repaired (And I am using the work "Repaired" very loosely!).


The owner had applied a layer of fiberglass cloth directly over the top and sides of the stringer. He didn't grind anything down nor were the surfaces "Cleaned up" or even "Roughed up." Well, guess what? I peeled this fiberglass repair up using only my finger.






And this is what the stringer and the fiberglass looked like beneath this quality "Repair."







This is one of the reasons ALL of the stringers are coming out.



While I was waiting for the inspector to show up to sign off on a re-roof, I figured I could start assembling some of the layers of plywood for the new transom. The material I am using is 3/4" Birch plywood (7 layer I believe). I had previously cut out the general shape of the transom onto a template and had transferred that shape to the plywood. I cut out several layers that will eventually be bonded together. Since I will need multiple layers to add strength to this transom, I need to bond the layers together. For this, I used Loctite PL 510 (Construction adhesive that is designed for wood). I'm sure there will be differing opinions on the "Best" or "Correct" glue, adhesive, etc. to use. I'm sure lots of people will have different opinions, but in the end, majority of the adhesives used today are stronger than the actual products that they are being used to bond. What does that mean? It means the plywood will most likely separate far before the adhesive fails. But in this particular application (With the bracing that will be added to this transom and this hull), the idea of layers separating should be eliminated.

The first picture shows the pilot holes I drilled through the first two layers of plywood. Once the pilot holes were marked and drilled, a layer of adhesive was spread between the two layers of plywood. Everything was lined up and the two layers were pressed together.






I then used a number of coated exterior screws and drove them through the top layer of plywood and into the bottom layer of plywood. This drew the bottom layer tight against the top layer so there would be no movement while the adhesive cured.






Once the adhesive had cured for about 24 hours, I removed the screws then over-drilled each of the holes left by the screws. Once the holes were drilled and cleaned up, I inserted dowels (With glue), into each of the holes. I then trimmed the dowels using a flush-cut saw. Each was trimmed flush with the surface of the plywood. I had to do this on both sides of the bonded layers of plywood because I had cut the dowels long enough to protrude through both layers of plywood.






Once the dowels were trimmed flush, I sanded both sides of the transom creating a smooth and level surface. It even looks halfway cool! Too bad you wont ever see this!






The next step is to trim this core material to the correct shape and size, then fit it to the transom.

As always, thank you for following along!

Have a great weekend!

Henry

 

[Toolman]

I'm hooked!!!!! Nice work Backlash!!!

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks!


Toolman,

Thank you for the sincere response. Coming from someone with your talents and abilities, your compliment means a lot. I really do appreciate it!



As far as updates go, I do have a little to share.



I wasn't extremely happy with the way some of the repairs turned out from a few days ago. If you were to look at some of the previous pictures I've posted, you will notice some light areas where I did some patch work. While it would have probably held up just fine, it bothered me. So, I ground out the repairs and did them again. And the results are noticeably improved. Now I just have to sand the repairs down one more time and check for any low spots.



The first picture will show the center of the stern where the ski pylon used to protrude through the hull. To the left of the larger area was one of the rigging tube holes that was cut for the battery cables and fuel line for the engine. In this picture, I have already ground my cruddy repairs out and am getting ready to "Re-do" them. You can see where I had to grind almost all the way through the last repair to remove any light colored glass that wasn't properly laminated.


View attachment 394553



This next photo shows one of the other repairs that seems to have turned out much better. This area was still a little bit low, so I had to grind the area slightly before I added additional layers of fiberglass.


View attachment 394554



In the next photo, you will see the repair after I added additional glass. This repair turned out much better this time around. In the picture, you can see multiple layers of fiberglass. There are circular shapes marked with a blue permanent marker. You can see the layer furthest from the surface is the smallest circle. As you move closer to the surface of the hull, the circles appear to get larger. There isn't a light "Halo" around this repair like there was on the first attempt. Once this is sanded smooth, it will turn out much better.


View attachment 394555



The photo below shows the same type of repair. This repair didn't have as much glass that needed to be removed or ground out. I was simply adding additional layers of fiberglass, so this repair was pretty straightforward.


View attachment 394556



The next picture shows the first part of the transom being trimmed to fit. I must have lifted this core in and out of the boat 20 times! Lift it up and into the hull, slide it up under the gunnels, mark it here, mark it there, slide it out from under the gunnels, take it back out, trim it, lift it back into the hull, slide it back under the gunnels, check the fit, mark it again, slide it back out again, lift it out of the hull, trim it, put it back in, check it again...... Over and over again!






In the next picture, you can see the two layers of plywood and the adhesive between the two 3/4" layers. The gap between the two layers is almost completely filled with adhesive and the thickness appears to be fairly uniform across the entire core. I'm happy with the way this turned out.






This next picture shows the way the transom core and the transom knees look mocked up in the hull. Once I cut out another small section out of the core (Where the drain plug sleeve goes), the transom core will drop down just a little bit lower. There is still a LOT of work to be done before these pieces get glassed in, but it was nice to see them sitting there.....mocking me.






The next picture shows some "Rithmatick" going on..... I had previously set the core in the hull to take some rough measurements in relation to the stringers. Here I was basically double-checking things and making sure everything was as square as it could be.






The last picture shows the transom/stringer knees positioned on the transom core. I did this so I can position and fit the additional layers of 3/4" ply that will be on the inside and outside of the two knees (One piece is visible in this picture). There will be a third layer of plywood that goes on the entire core of the transom that will essentially "Lock" the stringer knees in place and prevent them from leaning towards the left or right. With these three layers of 3/4" ply, this transom core will be approximately 2 1/4" thick. That doesn't take into account any layers of fiberglass currently on the transom or the layers of fiberglass that will be added once the transom core is bonded to the hull. This transom should be close to 3" thick once everything is said and done.







It's been slow going on this project because I have been funneling money and time towards other projects. Me taking my sweet-ass time and trying to make everything as good as I can make it doesn't help either. But as long as I can keep moving forward, every little bit helps!

As always, thank you for following along! Stay safe!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Hmmmm.......

For some reason, the pictures didn't upload in the first half of that lengthy post (Even though they showed up when I "Previewed" the post). I'll add them in the same order here but wont add any other details.

Sorry about that!

 

[82daytona]

Lookin' good Henry

 

[Backlash]

Thank you 82daytona!

I wish the pictures would have loaded properly but it could have been "User error" too.

I've really enjoyed messing around with this project and spending countless hours daydreaming and contemplating "What to work on next." Believe me, if I didn't enjoy this stuff, I surely wouldn't be dong it!

Thanks again for the compliment I really appreciate it!

Henry

 

[Rickybobby]

Backlash
Couple of DA questions??

1) I am guessing you wanted a thicker transom and hence the sandwich job ??? Was there a reason for the extra thickness (sorry if I missed it)

2) You chose to use three layers of fiberglass, matt,cloth,matt. Just curious why you went this route and not use 1708 ??? Inquiring minds want to know.


Love your work, wish I was there to ask you all this stuff and more.
thanks again for posting.
rb

 

[Backlash]

Rickybobby thank you for the compliments I greatly appreciate it!! And for the record, there is no such thing as a DA question! Well, that may not be true. I'm a DA myself and I ask a lot of questions, so....

The new transom will be approximately 3/4" more thick than the transom that was originally in this hull. If this were being restored as a v-drive and the weight of the drive train were inside the hull, I would have left the transom on the leaner side. Since I will be hanging this current motor (And later, hopefully a newer engine), off the back, I wanted to beef it up.

Just based on the way the transom flexed and the telltale signs of the stress cracks above the top of the outboard bracket, there was quite a bit of movement going on.

The current engine is in the neighborhood of 500 pounds, plus the weight of the cool bracket adding at least 50 more, plus the loads that could be placed on the rear of the boat in varying water conditions, I elected to make things a little bit thicker. I hope that sorta answers your first question.

For these small repairs, I didn't feel it necessary to go with the 1708. I have a roll of 1708 waiting in the shadows but that will be used in more of a structural setting as opposed to the aesthetic. I like the 1708 a LOT and it does serve it's purpose. But I just didn't think it necessary at this point. The picture I posted of the small layup was something that I slapped up inside the very top of the gunnel to help support the little repairs.

I also didn't want quite that thick of a layer of glass on the inside of the tops of the gunnel because I would have to sand majority of it down once I reached the point of putting in the new core.

(Both the new core and the old inside skin of the transom will be getting 1 or 2 layers of the 1708. I wanted those layers to go down as smoothly as possible.)

I think I answered your question but if I didnt, please let me know!!

Thank you for the inquiry!!

Henry

 

[Rickybobby]

Backlash
Thanks for responding and yes you did answer the questions. I have a v-drive I am kicking around redoing the transom and wondered why you went extra thick on the transom (makes perfect sense). And the response to the cosmetic verses structural makes sense too... Please keep posting as I am learning a ton watching you work through this. I do not mind the sanding and grinding it takes to get this stuff done. Kinda of looking forward to getting started.
rb

 

[Rickybobby]

I had to look up what the hell a flush cut saw is ??? My kid is the carpenter not me.... very cool !!!!

 

[Backlash]

RB, thank you for the kind words. I truly appreciate the interest and the feedback. I think we are both learning along the way which is always fun.

I am like you and I don't mind getting dirty and crying tears of fiberglass dust and itching the day after I spend a few hours with a grinder. It's borderline therapeutic. Hahahaa!!!

Before you jump in with both feet, know ahead of time you will open up a can of worms and you will spend more time and money than you had initially thought. And as we all know, these projects quickly spiral out of control. But if you know that going into it, then it isn't so bad.

Thanks again for the positive feedback and I will continue to do my best to keep posting up pictures and updates. If you have a question or want any other info, please don't hesitate to ask. I definitely don't know it all but I can surely try to help!

Henry

 

[coolchange]

wow... I haven't seen this thread since the early days and just stumbled on it again this morning. Major props for your determination and workmanship. I'm getting to know Jose at Revchem for a couple of my little projects too. Great job.

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Guys (And Gals!),

Coolchange, thank you for the interest and for chiming in! Stop in a little more often and say hello! Jose' is a super-nice guy and he has always been helpful during my visits. I will hopefully be seeing him again soon for some miscellaneous materials. (I actually had to stop by the Revchem Composites Corporate Offices in Bloomington earlier this week to pick up a few gallons of Vinylester resin.)

With that being said, I had a productive period of time with this project and am excited to share the updates. I will try not to put everyone to sleep with too many boring details!



Before we get too far into this, here is a picture of the transom as it was. This measurement was taken right where the transom drain plug USED to be. If you remember, I had made some repairs in this area so the measurement is not exact. The thickness of the fiberglass layer on this transom is about this same thickness all the way across though. It is less than 1/8". Or, should I say......"Was."







I will be adding quite a bit of material to this transom to both strengthen things up and to create a more uniform surface to begin bonding the transom core. This next picture is a picture of the first layer of fiberglass cloth that I will be adding. This is what people typically refer to as "1708." More on this in a moment....







This next photo shows what the "1708" looks like. There are two sides of this material. The back side is the side that looks like your standard chopped strand fiberglass matt. It is a cloth of approximately 8oz. in weight. The matt layer is the part of the material that is closest to the RDP watermark towards the bottom of the picture. The front side of this cloth is the fiberglass cloth that is "Multi-directional." This cloth is approximately 17 oz. in weight. This is the material that you see in the middle of this picture. These two layers are laid on top of one another and then sewn together forming one thick layer of cloth and matt. The total approximate weight of this cloth is 25 oz. Hence the name, "1708." 17 ounces of cloth combined with 8 ounces of matt stitched together. I have heard some call this "Stitch-matt" but I am not sure if that is the proper term for this fabric.







The next photo shows a close-up view of the 1708. In this picture, you can see the top layer of 17 ounce cloth with the fiberglass strands flowing in one direction at a 45 degree angle. You can also see the additional fiberglass strands flowing in the opposite 45 degree direction. Then you can then see the horizontal thread that is used to sew the multi-directional fiberglass cloth to the 8 ounce fiberglass matt. The 8 ounce matt is the layer that you can see below the fiberglass cloth. Matt usually has no uniform direction as the fibers appear to laid out in random.







Once I had the shape of the transom traced out on the 1708, and the material cut to size, it was time to dry-fit it to the interior of the transom.








The interior of the transom was sanded, wiped down and cleaned up. Once things were fairly clean, I put down some cardboard and put the goodies inside the hull for laminating this layer of 1708.







Obviously, once the resin gets mixed up, the cell-phone gets thrown aside and it's time to get to work. This is how the inside of the transom looked once this layer had been laminated into place. I used a sanding block to smooth out any portions of this layer that were protruding or sticking up (Loose threads or strands of fiberglass).







Once the layer of 1708 had cured, it was time to re-cut the transom drain hole. But.............with a little twist. You can see the transom in the background and the transom drain plug assembly and a fiberglass sleeve in my hand.







Just like in the bilge bulkhead earlier in this project, this sleeve will fit over the inside portion of this drain plug assembly.







In this photo, I am using a small sanding sleeve to open up the hole enough to slip the sleeve into place.







The next two pictures show how the fiberglass sleeve looks from the exterior of the hull and how it looks on the inside of the hull.











Once I got the fit where I wanted and positioned the tube at the correct angle exiting the transom, I mixed up a concoction of resin and fiberglass strands. This forms a putty-like substance that I worked into the gap between the transom skin and the fiberglass tube itself. I purposely left the tube longer than necessary and will trim this up once everything cures.











Man that work looks sloppy!

 

[Backlash]

I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that!


After everything had cured, I used an angle grinder and a small disk to smooth things out. I sanded this fiberglass tube and surrounding putty back to just below the surface of the gelcoat on the hull. This will leave me some room to add a thin layer of filler to smooth things out and fill in any remaining blemishes or pin holes. Looks a little better in this picture!







Here is the drain plug assembly for the transom.















The interior of the transom will stay as is (Ugly), until I begin fitting the transom core in place. Once I get to that point, I will grind down and smooth up the filler used around the drain plug sleeve.


Once I finished with the work on the transom and the drain plug sleeve, I went back to work on some of the smaller bulkheads. These pieces were covered with one layer of 7.5 ounce fiberglass cloth. Once the cloth had cured, I trimmed the edges and cleaned things up. Due to the blocking on the back side of the bulkheads, some of these smaller parts will be covered with multiple layers of a thinner cloth to make the transitions easier.



















The last picture shows one of the bulkheads that will be installed between the two main stringers in front of the ski locker. If you look closely, you can see a little space between the bulkhead and the hull bottom. This space will be filled once the bulkhead is bonded into place. Yes, there is also a little bit of space between the hull bottom and the bottom of the drain plug. It is approximately 3/4". This was planned and the solution will show itself as this project moves forward.







As always, thank you for following along! I hope you have a wonderful day!



Henry

 

[Rickybobby]

BL
As usual badass work but your post tend to generate more and more questions!!!! In the initial pics on the latest work, I see the stringers are cut at an angle and do not go all the way to transom. This confuses me as I thought the transom and stringers were "tied" together somehow. My application maybe slightly different then yours but not sure if I am missing something here??? Again thanks for taking the time to post this up and sharing your workmanship.
rb

ps
I am assuming or guessing that the transom wood would go in before the stringers ???
thanks
bob

 

[Backlash]

Rickybobby thank you for the huge compliment I really do appreciate it! I'm sorry if the pictures made things more confusing but you hit the nail right on the head.

The transom core is typically installed in a hull before the stringers. And during the manufacturing process, this step is even more simplified because you aren't fighting with the deck of the boat. Since I needed to replace this transom core I had a few choices. One would be to do what I did. Remove the stringers so the new core could be set in place. My stringers were in the condition that I felt more comfortable replacing them entirely. So I cut the two outer stringers out completely and left as much of the two inner stringers as possible (For hull support). Hence the angle cut at the ends of the two inner stringers near the transom. The angle left more stringer in the hull bottom but allows me to slide the new transom core in with less headaches.

Another option is to separate the hull and deck and essentially cut the interior transom skin off and dig the rotted transom out. I didn't want to go this route because the hull and deck are capped and the interior skin on this hull didn't look that great once I started digging into it. And being an outboard, I wanted to add as much support to the transom as I could. Once the transom core is ready to be replaced, theoretically you could slide the core material in between the ends of the stringers and the outer skin of the hull. You would then glass everything back in. Once glassed, you could then set your deck back in place and reattach it.

Another option is to cut open just the top rear section of the deck to give you access to the transom from the top. Depending on the hull style, you might cut open the last foot or so of the deck. Again, you would dig out the rotted/damaged core and replace it with new. Glass in the new transom core and then you simply repair the section of the deck that was cut out. (I've seen this technique used on smaller hulls like 19' Eliminator Daytonas.

I hope those examples made sense. Like anything in life, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I like the idea of replacing everything with new material. This hull is 32 years old and was showing some signs of abuse and neglect. If it takes me longer to get this boat back on the water, that's OK. Not only am I working with somewhat of a budget, I'm also not in any hurry. And once it IS back in the water, it should hold up and last for quite awhile. At least that's the goal!

Again, thank you for checking in and I hope I answered your questions. As always, thank you!

Henry

 

[Rickybobby]

BL
I am not the sharpest tool in the shed but that explains everything. I did go back in the thred to see if I missed an earlier class session and while I saw some stuff about the stringers it still was not making sense to me. Thanks for clearing it up. Also I liked the in-depth on 1708. I know that is what Pete Giroux uses in his go fast boats and I was told that is what Campbell was using to lay up their boats before Bob died. This is why all the questions !!!! Jr. and I will tear into this thing soon and do what you are doing now:bash::bash::bash:

 

[Backlash]

Good evening Folks,

Rickybobby, as always, thank you! I am nowhere near the talent that Pete G. is but maybe some day I could try and come close!

I had a few minutes to tinker around the house and figured I would get the first layer of glass down on the transom core.

As you may recall, this core is simply two layers of 3/4" cabinet grade Birch that I bonded and screwed together to form a core approximately 1 1/2" thick. All the fasteners were removed and the holes plugged. The core was then fit to the hull, trimmed here and there, sanded smooth, then set aside. Well, since it has been sitting in the corner for a few days mocking me, I figured I could make some headway with it.

The first picture shows the shape of the transom core being traced onto a layer of 1708 fabric.






Once the fabric was trimmed to the appropriate size, I sorted everything out and mixed up one 8 ounce batch of vinylester resin and MEPK. I poured more resin into a second container (8 ounces), and more resin into a third container (4 ounces). I didn't add any MEPK to the second and third cups of resin. While I continued mixing the first batch, the other two were set aside close by along with the MEPK.

I folded the 1708 fabric back halfway exposing one half of the plywood core. I poured the first 8 ounces of resin onto the cloth that was folded back. I used a throwaway chip brush to brush a layer of resin on the exposed plywood core that was exposed. While I was doing this, the other 7 ounces of resin that I had poured onto the 1708 fabric, was also spread around and left to soak in. If you haven't worked with 1708, it absorbs a LOT of resin. Once I worked the 7 ounces of resin into the 1708, I pulled the first half of the 1708 back over onto the side of the transom core than I had just coated with resin.

I then flipped the other half of the 1708 over onto the first half that I had just laid down onto the core. I grabbed the second batch of resin (8 ounces), and added the MEPK and mixed it thoroughly. Once it was mixed, I poured this second batch over the cloth that hadn't yet been soaked with resin.....the second half. Confusing huh! I brushed about an ounce or so of the resin over the second half of the plywood core that was still "Dry." This allowed the resin I had poured onto the 1708 fabric to soak in for a few moments. Once the plywood core was coated with the resin, I pulled the second half of the 1708 fabric back over onto the plywood core. Doing it this way allows the entire core to be coated with resin and it allows all of the cloth to be wetted out. Since I was working against the clock and I didn't want any resin on my cell phone, I didn't take any pictures of this process.






The next picture shows the 1708 being rolled out before everything began to cure. To roll the cloth out, I used a medium sized composite spreader to move all of the excess resin to areas that appeared to be "Dry." Once it looked as though everything was evenly coated with resin, I used a grooved metal roller to work the air bubbles out from between the 1708 and the core. I worked the bubbles from the center outwards towards the edges. This process also helps to squeeze any excess resin out from underneath the fabric. Since you are working against the clock, you have to move fairly quickly. I would say I managed to squeeze out approximately 1 ounce of resin from underneath the cloth.






Once I had all of the air bubbles worked out from between the 1708 fabric and the core, this is how things looked. As pretty as this is, it is one of the many things that will probably never be seen once it's glassed into the hull.







This piece was set aside and left to cure.

As always, thank you for following along! Have a great evening!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Hello Folks!

I started things off by trimming the 1708 on the transom core. I can say this, it sure cured nicely! A lot of people will trim the excess fiberglass material back while the glass is still "Green." There is nothing wrong with that technique as it is common practice in this and other industries. As I am in no hurry with this project, I elected to wait til everything cured so as not to disturb the glass. Using a body saw, I trimmed the edge of the transom core. It cuts cured fiberglass like a hot knife through butter. It literally took a minute to trim the entire thing! A quick pass with the angle grinder and the edge of the transom core was smooth and snag-free. I then went over the fiberglass surface with a sander and knocked down any loose threads. It was roughed up with 36 grit then test fit in the hull of the boat one last time.














I have to admit, the next task hurt just a little bit.

I have spent so much time trying to get this transom core "Just right." I had everything squished together nice and tight and had all the holes filled and everything smooth. Then, it was time to add more holes to the core so we could secure it in the boat. Using a 1/2" wood boring bit, I added 10 new holes to the transom core and 10 more holes to the transom of the boat. Everything seemed to be lined up pretty well. (I used the transom core and the holes I had drilled in it, to line up where the holes were to be drilled in the outer skin of the transom....like a template.)











Once the holes were drilled and everything cleaned up, I put a layer of wax paper across the outside of the transom and a layer of wax paper across the inside of the transom core. I did this to keep the bonding compound from getting into places I didn't want or need it.







Now, like anything else in life, there are more than one way to do things. So yes, there are several ways to attach a new transom core to a hull. I've seen jacks used to apply pressure from the inside..... I've seen people wedge wood into place between the top cap and the transom core and then wedge additional pieces in against the stringers.... I've seen people through-bolt the transom core into place using bolts and braces. I'm sure they all work in different situations. For this project, I just through-bolt the sucker. Yes, it means more holes to fill and patch, but I wanted to tighten things down as much as I could.

Once all the holes were bored, all the appropriate wood, metal hardware, ratchets and wrenches were in the correct places, it was time to mix up some bonding compound.

I needed to put some form of strong adhesive in between the outer fiberglass skin and the backside of the new transom core. For this, I used a vinylester bonding compound. It's a vinylester resin based material that is applied with a trowel and will reportedly fill gaps up to 1 1/2". No, I didn't have any gaps that large but I wanted something that would take up any space (If there was any), between the outer skin and the transom core. I also wanted something that would form some type of chemical adhesion or bond between the two layers. As this product is specifically engineered to bond fiberglass skins and is designed for structural applications, I felt I would be appropriate to use.

So, I mixed things up according to the manufacturers specifications and slopped it on the back of the transom. I used a notched trowel to get it spread out as evenly as I could. Once my son and I agreed it was applied "Evenly," I slid the core up into place. My son and I quickly hammered all of the bolts through the 2x4's and through the transom of the boat. We both jumped inside the boat and began throwing on washers and spinning on nuts. Once things started to get tight, he hopped back out and drove the bolts through with a ratchet. I had the fun of tightening things down on the inside of the transom with a wrench. I could have used shorter bolts but I had these on hand for a different project.

As this was all done in just a matter of minutes, there are no "In progress" pictures to post. It was hectic to say the least as we were up against the clock! Thanks to my son Nicholas, we were able to get this step in this project completed. Had I been working alone, it probably wouldn't have happened. Thank you Buddy!











This is a chunk of the bonding compound that had cured. It was as hard as a rock. Tapping on the outside of the transom sounded different too.....it sounded nice and solid!







While the bonding compound was curing, I began to tape things off so I could add a fillet along the outer edges of the transom core. This gap you see between the two strips of blue tape along the bottom of the transom core will be filled and radiused. This will allow the fiberglass cloth to make a smooth transition from the horizontal hull bottom up onto the vertical transom core. I hope to get to this step in the next few days.







Getting this transom in was a big step in this project and a step I have been looking forward to completing. Once this transom is glassed in, it will be time to get back to the stringers. In due time!

As always, thank you for following along! Take care and stay safe!



Henry

 

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Howdie Ho!

I've been trying to stay focused on some house projects and that's prevented me from drifting towards the fiberglass...... Needless to say, I don't have any progress reports for the Schiaward.

I did sneak over to RevChem to pick up some more supplies. Thank you for all the help Jason I really appreciate it!

I also picked up one of the bilge pumps I will be installing in this boat. I bounced back and forth between each of the manufacturers and finally pulled the trigger on this little SPX/Johnson pump. Why did I choose this one over the Rule or Attwood??


Here are a few of the reasons.

1. The SPX/Johnson pump is made in the U.S.A. and the others are not. I thought that fact alone was good enough.
2. The SPX/Johnson pump is red and black and red happens to be my favorite color. Lame I know but I didn't like the looks of the others.
3. The SPX/Johnson pump motors can easily be removed and replaced at a lower cost than an entirely new bilge pump. This means I can carry a $30 spare with me and easily change it out if necessary.


Yep, those are about the only reasons I chose this brand over the others. They are all tried and true and they all are reportedly "The baddest mofo on the water." If you ask a number of consumers, some will say brand "X" is the best and they would NEVER buy brand "Y" because it sucks. Some will say brand "Y" is the best and their previous boat sunk because brand "X" failed. Everyone has their own opinions. I don't really care as long as the pumps work.

Anyhow, I will have two bilge pumps in this boat. This one happens to be a manual or "Switched" bilge pump. Yes, it needs to be manually turned on from a switch on the dash. It's rated at 1000 gph but theoretically it will only move about 850 gph. It will probably pump less gph when you figure in all of the variables. This pump uses the standard 3/4" discharge hose and the typical bilge pump wiring. The plan is to rig the manual pump to discharge out the port side of the transom and it will be used once the automatic pump actuates.

The second bilge pump will also be an SPX/Johnson pump, bit it will be an automatic bilge pump. The automatic pump will either be 500 or 750 gph. The plan for the automatic pump is to discharge water out of the starboard side of the transom. Both pumps use the same mounting cradle and could be switched back and forth from one cradle to the next if necessary.

Why do I care about these details? Because I want to have a clutter-free bilge compartment and I'm going to build the systems so majority of the plumbing and electrical is out of sight. I also want to be able to monitor the boat from the beach where it will be moored. When moored where we predominately boat, the boat typically faces upriver with the bow to the east and the transom to the west. Looking out at the boat from the beach, I will be able to see the starboard side of the boat. If it is taking on any amount of water for some reason, the automatic bilge pump should turn on and begin pumping water. I will see this from the beach if the water is discharged on the starboard side. If this happens, I know I need to maybe activate the second electric ("Manual"), pump to clear out the bilge. Just a small detail but something I think is worth worrying about.

The manufacturer recommends these pumps be mounted to a level surface slightly above the hull bottom (Approx. 3/4"). Since the hull bottom is slightly rounded, I will be cutting out two small pads and shaping the bottom of each pad to the shape of the hull. The top or mounting surface for the pumps will remain flat and level. Once fitted, I will encapsulate them in glass and bond them to the bottom of the hull.

That's about all there is to share at the moment. Once I make some more progress on this project, I will post up some pictures.

Until then, stay safe and thank you for following along!

Henry

 

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Hello Folks!


It seems like it's been forever since I've posted an updates!

The city has signed off on our framing for the house....

We squeezed in a four-day trip to Vegas....

Taxes will be finished this week....

Time to get my priorities back in order!



I finally pulled the bracing off of the exterior of the transom and removed the bolts securing the new transom core into place. I must admit, the new transom sure seems solid!! I snapped a picture looking inside the transom through one of the holes I had previously drilled for the bolt and this is how it looks. You can see several layers of glass closest to the outside of the hull. Then you can see a gray colored compound which is the bonding compound. Inside of that is the core material (A layer of 1708 and two layers of 3/4" plywood). There will be several more layers of cloth and one more layer of 3/4" plywood on the inside of this transom.






The rest of the holes on the transom look similar to this picture. Now all that's left to do is to fill the holes in the core from the inside then glass these holes from the outside. Hopefully I can get this wrapped up in the next few days.



I also continued working on the small bulkheads that will be installed throughout the boat (Between the stringers and along the gunnels). One side of each of these bulkheads has already received a layer of fiberglass cloth. Now I am just adding a layer to the opposite side. The first picture shows several of the bulkheads laid out and the pieces of the fiberglass cloth "Relaxing" on each of the bulkheads. Since this side of these bulkheads has a cleat attached, the cloth has to make several sharp turns or bends. For this reason, I laid the fiberglass cloth on the bulkhead for some time to allow the fibers to relax. I feel that it makes the cloth a little easier to bend into the corners and bend around the rounded edges.







The next picture shows some of the bulkheads with the fiberglass cloth laminated to the individual pieces. Once the cloth was ready to be laminated, I mixed up a few ounces of the vinylester resin and MEKP and first applied a thin layer of resin to the bulkhead. I then laid the cloth back down on top of the resin coated bulkhead. Using a cheap "Chip" brush, I worked the cloth onto the bulkhead and made sure the cloth was straight and completely saturated with resin. Not an excessive amount of resin, but a necessary amount of resin. After making sure all of the cloth was saturated, I worked all of the air bubbles out from between the plywood bulkhead and the fiberglass cloth. As in the past, I started from the center and worked any air bubbles out towards the edges without disturbing the cloth. I repeated this step for each of the bulkheads.







The last picture shows one of the bulkheads once the resin had cured. Each of the pieces looked the same and they all appeared to be free of any air bubbles. In this picture, you can see the fillet that I had previously applied between the "Corner" formed by the cleat and the plywood. You can see how it creates a rounded corner and allows the fiberglass to form a smooth transition from the horizontal surface to the vertical surface. Each of these bulkheads was set aside and allowed to cure. I will trim the excess cloth off later this morning and clean up the edges of each of the pieces with a sander.







I still have a lot of work to do on the transom but I wanted to share these few pictures with you. As I continued on the transom, I will try to take pictures of each of the steps and share those as well.

Being optimistic, I also hope to get the bilge pump mounting pads cut and shaped this weekend. If I can get them how I want, I will try and get them glassed and prepped to be installed.

All it takes is time.



I will try to post more progress pictures up later this evening. As always, thank you for following along and stay safe!

Henry

 

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Good morning!

One thing I completely forgot to mention regarding the above bulkhead pieces.... I did not begin the laminations with a layer of mat. That is typically the way you would want to begin your laminations; mat, cloth, mat, cloth, etc. On these smaller individual parts, the backside of the small bulkheads that have the cleats "Most likely" wont be seeing any water nor any daylight. These mini-bulkheads will be in between the stringers and will be installed underneath the flooring. There will also be a considerable amount of fillets and fiberglass tape used when installing the bulkheads. So for these reasons, I didn't really see the need for the extra layers of mat. With that disclaimer, other parts that WILL be visible and that could see moisture and daylight......those schedules of laminations will include mat. Just wanted to clear the air.

Time to get off the computer and get some more smaller parts finished up. Check back with you in a bit!

Henry

 

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Hello Folks!

Here are a few update pictures from today. Nothing terribly exciting but any progress is progress nonetheless!



The batteries for this boat will be mounted along the centerline of the hull in front of the fuel tank. I did this to keep the weight of the batteries as low as possible and chose this area to keep them out of sight. The batteries will be mounted in billet aluminum trays that will be through-bolted to a panel installed slightly above the bottom of the hull. This will allow any water in the hull bottom to flow unrestricted towards he bilge. Anyways, this panel has already been cut to size and shaped accordingly. There were a few small voids in the edge of the panel and I didn't want to leave them. So I taped off the panel to keep the excess resin/fumed silica from making a mess. In the first picture below, you can also see a portion of the transom knees that will be installed in this hull. The two layers of 3/4" ply had a very slight gap along one of the edges that I also wanted to fill before I glassed them. Those areas were also taped off and filled with the same vinylester resin and fumed silica concoction.







The next picture shows the mixture of vinylester resin and the fumed silica ("Cabosil" in some circles). I mixed this resin to a consistency that was spreadable yet wouldn't sag. I simply used a popsicle stick to spread the mixture where it was needed.







Once the mixture was placed in the voids and along the edge of the transom knees, these pieces were set aside to cure. The picture below shows the slight gap along the edge of the transom knee. Once all these parts have cured, they will be sanded and a layer of 1708 applied.







I then finished sanding the fillets on one of the ski locker bulkheads that will help support the floor above the ski locker. This bulkhead will be installed just forward of the access hatch in the floor that will provide access to a small but usable ski locker. Jimmy Hoffa probably wont fit in there but a few ski ropes should. For sanding this fillet, I used a small sanding drum chucked in a cordless drill that created a nice round contour. It made a smooth transition from one plane to the next. Throughout this restoration, I've tried different techniques for sanding the fillets and this was by far the quickest and easiest. Breathing protection is a must as the fumed silica is no joke.







Once the bulkhead fillets were all contoured and the entire piece was sanded smooth, I laminated two pieces of 1708 to the bulkhead. The picture below shows the bulkhead with the first layer laminated. Again, this part will be "Cleaned up" and the edges sanded once everything cures. Due to the shape, I will finish this piece in stages.







Other than that, there isn't much else to share at this point. I'll just keep plugging away on some of the smaller pieces and try to share some updates in the next few days.

As always, thank you for following along! Stay safe!

Henry

 

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Good morning!

I've spent a little time getting reacquainted with my lost Lady this past week and I have to say, it's a good feeling!

I started off filling all of the "New" holes in the transom with some adhesive and dowels. Once they had set, I hit the tops of the dowels with an angle grinder to sand them flush with the surface of the transom core. Here is a picture of one of the dowels prior to curing.







As soon as I finished trimming all of the tops of the dowels back, I cleaned up the rest of the edges of the transom core. I sanded the bottom of the hull in front of the transom about 2-3" forward and roughed up all of the surfaces of the fiberglass drain tube. When it was time to lay in the 1708, I realized I was about 4" short! So, I cut what I had into two pieces which covered the entire core of the transom. This actually worked out well as it allowed me to get a "Tight" fit of the cloth around the drain plug sleeve. It also allowed me a little more time to work the resin and cloth since I did this step in two parts. First I laminated one half of the transom and then the second. There is an overlap in the fiberglass about 6" in width but it's OK. I can go back over that later with a grinder and get it smoothed out. This transom will have one more layer of 3/4" plywood and several more layers of fiberglass cloth.....so what you see today won't actually be seen.











While the 1708 was curing on the transom core, I focused on the bilge pump mounting pads. As the bottom of this hull is curved, I need a flat place to mount both pumps. Lots of people will just put some "5200" down in the bottom of the hull and adhere the bilge pump cradle to it. It works just fine and there is nothing wrong with doing it that way. I'm not a big fan of 5200 and I wanted something a little "Different." Some manufacturers recommend their pumps be mounted approximately 3/4" above the hull bottom. This is for several reasons which I wont get into. Anyhow, I want the pumps to mount "Level" on each side of the drain tube. So here is what I decided to do.

First, I figured out the angle that closely matches the hull bottom (Levels and squares). I set the blade and fence on the table saw and made a cut.







Here is a picture of the cut and the approximate angle of the hull bottom where the pads will be installed.







I then ran the bilge pump mounting pads over the router table to round over all of the edges on the tops of the mounting pads.







Here is what the bilge pumps and the mounting pads look like sitting in the hull bottom. I haven't dialed in the exact location of the pads/pumps, but this kinda gives you an idea where they will be installed. The pump on the left is the automatic pump and the pump on the right is the manual pump.







The next picture shows the layout of the two bilge pumps on the pads. Each was centered and the holes marked. Due to the orientation of the cradle in relation to the bottom of the bilge pump, I was unable to rotate the cradle on the pumps themselves to allow both of the cradles to be indexed in the same direction (Anal I know..... but I tried!). Soooo.....they will get installed as shown.







The next picture just shows how the cradles are removed from the pumps themselves. Each cradle is secured to the bottom of each pump with two screws.







Once the locations were marked, the holes were drilled and the pads were sanded smooth. I drilled the holes larger than what is actually needed to mount the bilge pumps. I did this so I could fill the larger holes with resin thickened with fumed silica. Doing this will make sure the screws used to mount the bilge pumps are drilled and installed into the cured resin combination instead of the actual wood. Again, no water will be able to make its way into the core of the bilge pump mounting pads. This will be similar to what I did for the transom drain plug sleeve and the bulkhead drain plug sleeves in an attempt to keep any and all water out of the wood.







The next two pictures just show the bilge pump mounting pads taped off and the holes filled with the thickened resin.











Once everything has a chance to cure, I will sand the resin flush with the tops of the mounting blocks and begin wrapping the blocks in fiberglass. Once that is finished, the pads can be set aside until they are ready to be installed in the hull.

I worked on a few other small details but I will wait and share those once I get to that point in the project.

As always, thank you for following along! Have a wonderful day and stay safe!

Henry

 

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Good morning Guys!

It's been a few weeks since I posted any updates. I haven't made as much progress as I would have liked.

This small update will focus on one of the last layers of coring that I will install in this transom. This will be the layer glassed in once the stringers are bedded and the stringer knees are installed. This last layer of the transom will be comprised of three separate pieces of the same 3/4" plywood. The center piece of plywood that will be glassed in between the stringer knees and the two outside pieces of plywood will help lock the stringer knees in place. It should make more sense once we get things ready for installation and you can see each of the pieces in their prospective locations.

One of the things I've hoped to do, is keep the bilge compartment "Clutter-free." Yes, there will be two bilge pumps, a fuel cell, two batteries, the ski pole and mount and several other things in the bilge area. But what I would like to do, is make things as clean as possible and reduce the unnecessary components. Of course doing this means I will have more work to do in order to hide or relocate things inside the hull. Hence, this little update.

This last layer of plywood will not only "Lock in" the stringer knees on the transom, this layer will also help conceal the wiring for the two bilge pumps.



I started off by fitting the piece to the transom and marking where to cut around the fiberglass drain tube. I used a 2" Forstner bit to make this cutout. I then cut the remaining points back using a jig saw.







Once the hole was cut and the edges were trimmed to fit, we marked where to drill the holes where the short end of the tubing will protrude through the layer of plywood.







After the holes were drilled, we used the holes as a starting and stopping point and routed two channels in the back side of this plywood piece. I set the depth on the router table to cut the channel so the stainless steel tubing would sit below the surface of the plywood.







After checking the fit of the tubing inside the channels, the length of the tubing was trimmed so the top of each would protrude slightly above the surface of the plywood. Once this piece is installed, it will still leave enough room to allow the wiring to be routed down inside the tubing and out the bottom of the transom where the bilge pumps will be mounted. We then ran the piece over the router table once again to radius the top edge to allow the fiberglass cloth to be able to make the turn.







The last picture shows the same transom piece from the top showing the side that will face forwards towards the bow of the boat. This view shows the very top of the stainless steel tubing where it protrudes from the top of the transom and the bottom of the transom piece where the tubing will protrude.







Now that the channels are cut and the tubing fit, I will fill both of the channels with fiberglass and then bed the stainless tubing down inside the channels. After that cures, I might add a layer of 1708 across the back of this piece.

As you can tell, these are not major advancements in the project....but each little step helps. The more of these smaller pieces I can get glassed up, trimmed and sanded and prepped for installation, the faster things will go once the stringers are in. At least that's the plan!

(I still need to finish grinding back some of the edges where the old stringers were installed!!)



As always, thank you for following along!

Stay safe and enjoy the day!

Henry

 

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Good evening Guys!

I had a few minutes today to play with the Schiaward.

The first picture is the channel routed into the rear of the last layer of wood for this transom. I taped off the sides and ends and mixed up some vinylester resin and hardener and some 1/2" long fiberglass strands. Once everything was mixed up, I laid a layer of the strands and resin down inside the channel. Once the channel was coated, I dropped the stainless steel tubing down into the channel and pressed it towards the bottom.







The next picture shows the tubing covered with a thick layer of the same resin and glass mixture. Once it all cures, I will grind it flat and add a layer of 1708 to this side of this part.







Here is a picture of this entire piece with both tubes set in the channels and both channels filled and glassed over with the same resin mixture.







Here is a picture of this piece showing how the tube protrudes through the front. You can see a small amount of the resin and glass mixture that I forced into the opening around the tube. I will more than likely trim these tubes back slightly. I want to leave enough metal to allow me to slide a piece of shrink-wrap over to prevent water from working its way into the tubing where the wiring will enter. After I trim the ends back, I will also add more filler to make certain there is no chance for water to make its way into the wood around the tube. In addition to the filler, there will also be multiple layers of fiberglass cloth covering this last layer of the transom. Should be more than adequate!







The last picture shows this piece and how the tubing protrudes on both sides. I don't know why it looks uneven in the picture, but both tubes exit the plywood in almost the exact same place (The holes were drilled in the same location on both sides).







Again, not a lot of progress but my time playing around with the boat was limited today. I looks like I have a growing pile of small fiberglassed pieces to grind down this weekend! Good times!

As always, thank you for following along!

Take care and stay safe!

Henry

 

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Good afternoon!


I was able to spend some time working on the boat this week. I cleaned up a bunch of smaller parts that I had fiberglassed and have set those aside until I can apply a second layer of glass. The little things are starting to pile up which is a good thing. No pictures of those pieces but once the stringers get installed, these little pieces will come into play.


I had been putting this part of the project off until the last minute because I wasn't terribly thrilled about the amount of grinding I had to do. So here we go!


I ground down all of the rough fiberglass edges where the old outer stringers were. When I removed the original stringers, a small tab of fiberglass was left and this is what I needed to remove. So, out came the grinder.







That took about 20 minutes to get things cleaned up and close to being ready for new stringers. The next thing I needed to do was remove the bulkhead from underneath the bow area. This bulkhead is slightly forward of the dash and supported the deck of the hull. It was glassed in around the entire perimeter including around each of the stringers. Pulled the flap-wheel off the grinder and put on a cut-off wheel. I cut out the fiberglass tabbing that had delaminated from the plywood bulkhead and removed as much of the glass as I could.







Once I had all of the old fiberglass tape cut out of the way, I had to reach through the small opening in the bulkhead and grind off the bolts securing another vertical support. The support was bolted to the bottom side of a deck support rib and again bolted to the center set of stringers. The first picture below shows the deck and bulkhead support. After blindly grinding off the heads of the bolts, I was able to break the supports loose and work the bulkhead forward so I could remove it.











Once I worked the bulkhead out of the way, I snapped a few quick photos of the bow area to give you an idea of how the deck supports were installed.











For now, the two remaining forward deck supports will stay intact but I will address these later. I would like to make this area more "Clean" and "User-friendly" even though the space is minimal and hard to access. I have some ideas but I haven't quite figured out how I want to do it.


The picture below shows the bulkhead removed along with the pile of fiberglass tabbing that was cut out. Notice the discoloration on the bottom half of the bulkhead. Yes, there is a drain hole cut in the bulkhead but it wouldn't surprise me if that had become plugged allowing the bulkhead to absorb water (The plywood bulkhead wasn't covered in fiberglass and it maybe had a thin layer of resin applied to it...which doesn't make it waterproof.).











This next picture shows how I left things once I cleaned up the mess I had made. I didn't take any pictures but I also cleaned up the inside layer of fiberglass that was covering the transom core. There was a small section in the middle of the transom above the drain tube where I had overlapped the 1708. This created a "High point" on the transom and wouldn't allow the last layer to sit flush....so I ground that down and smoothed out that layer of 1708. I also did some work on the outside of the transom where I began adding a layer of filler to some of the areas that I had previously repaired. I didn't take any pictures of these steps but I can add some next week.


In total, I would estimate I spent about 2.5 hours grinding fiberglass on Tuesday. To say it was fun would be an understatement.


I just try to stay motivated by daydreaming and trying to imagine what this will eventually look like.... But as she sits, she is now one step closer to being a "Blank slate."







This week, I will begin the process of cutting and dry-fitting the new outer stringers. These stringers will be the shorter of the four and are approximately 12' long.







As always, thank you for following along! I will try and update this again in a few days.


Have a great weekend, and for all you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!



Henry

 

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Good morning Folks!

I will bump this thread to the top for two reasons....


1. To add some pictures to show I'm still working on this and am not a complete slacker.

2. To take some heat off of Games for the fuel fill and pop-up light addition.



I pretty much spent the afternoon grinding and filling. And then I did some more grinding. Followed up by some more filling. And a little more grinding. Majority of the holes in the transom are getting close to being finished up. Just in time for me to drill 10 more. LMAO!


There is still a ton of work to do on the transom including grinding out a few stress cracks that are just below the cap line on the on transom. I ground this out down to good glass and it too will be filled.


Here are a few pictures.











I hope to get the stringers started this coming week. As always, thank you for checking in!

Henry

 

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Hello Folks!


Although I?m not currently grinding glass or mixing resin, I still sit and ponder this project. One thing I haven?t done is shared how much money I have spent rejuvenating this hull. So here you go!


$500.


Actually, $509 dollars based on my estimates.


Now, this dollar amount also includes materials I ended up using to build other parts for this boat NOT related to the transom. If I had to estimate how much money I?ve spent on supplies just to re-do the transom, I would estimate the cost between $300-350.


Here is a breakdown of the supplies I have used thus far to rebuild this transom, repair the damage to the outside skin of the transom and laminate numerous miscellaneous pieces that will eventually be installed in different places on this hull. And yes, I?ve paid full retail for everything I?ve used. No good guy pricing or RDP deals here.


2 sheets of ?? 4?x8? cabinet grade birch plywood - $90

2 gallons of vinylester resin - $130

16 oz. of MEKP - $5

4 yards of 1708 fiberglass cloth - $60

2 yards of 7.5 oz. cloth - $20

1 gallon of vinylester bedding compound - $45

1 quart of of fumed silica (?Cabosil?) - $15

1 bag of microballoons - $15

1 gallon of acetone - $15

2 pieces of stainless steel hard line - $20

1 hardwood dowel - $4

Miscellaneous sanding disks, cutoff wheels, tape, gloves, sandpaper, etc. - $100

Total is estimated at $509


Honestly, I think that is a fair price for the things I?ve accomplished so far. Again, I?m not looking at receipts or anything like that. I just conjured up these figures off the top of my head.


With that being said, please PLEASE don?t take your boat with a rotted transom to a repair shop and say ?This guy on River Dave?s Place just redid his transom for $300!? What I am not figuring in is the cost for labor and the expenses of owning and running a full service repair facility. This is a project I?m working on in my spare time with zero overhead and no outgoing salaries or any other expenses. (Half the reason it?s taken me so long!) Sometimes people are curios and want to know, so I thought I would post this up and share it with you guys.


Like I?ve said in the past, I enjoy this type of work. Yes, it?s slow and tedious and itchy as hell. But I enjoy it and I look forward to the finished product even though I know it?s quite a ways away!







As always, thank you for following along!


Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay safe!


Henry

 

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Good evening Guys!


It was a productive day working on the Schiaward. We got the outer stringers cut and fit to the hull and the results turned out better than I had expected. I will upload several pictures and in usual fashion, include a short narrative explaining what we did and why we did it. If I miss something, please feel free to ask!


The first picture shows one of the old outer stringers removed from the hull. I saved both of the original outer stringers because we don?t have access to the original patterns to mark and cut new stringers. So I simply pulled up on the loose edge of the single layer of fiberglass and the fiberglass ?Cap? popped right off of the old stringer. We were left with the original wood stringers that had minimal damage along the bottoms.







The next three pictures show the old stringer (Upside down in the first picture), and then the old stringer on the right sitting next to the new stringer on the left in the following two pictures. For the new stringers, I purchased two select, kiln dried Douglas Fir, each 2?x6?x12?. I searched through the seller?s inventory to pick out the two straightest pieces with the fewest number of imperfections. If you notice the orientation of the grain of the new lumber, these pieces of lumber are considered ?Vertical grain.? This type of lumber is typically more ?Stable? and will have less movement than other cuts of lumber. Needless to say, these are not available at your local Homie Depot or Lowes and they cost substantially more than your typical 2x6 framing lumber.















The next two pictures show a level we placed across the inner stringers and the relationship of the outer stringers when compared to the inner stringers. Each of the outer stringers were lower or shorter than the inner stringers. While it isn?t a huge difference, it is something we wanted to address. Since I will be adding a partial floor in this boat, I wanted everything to be level from port to starboard. The difference in height was noted and addressed when tracing out the old stringers onto the new stringer material.











The next two pictures show how much height was added to the original stringer height in order to bring the tops of the new stringers up to the same height as the inner stringers.











The next picture shows the shape of the starboard stringer transferred over to the new Douglas Fir. Looking at this image, you see the shape near the bow closest to you. The transom end of the stringer is off in the distance. This shape was cut out on the table saw making several passes taking off slight amounts of material with each pass. It was necessary to keep from binding the blade on the saw due to the curve. Once the actual shape of the stringer was cut out, we adjusted the angle of the blade on the saw to cut the necessary angle on the bottom side of the stringer. In our case, the original stringers had an 82 degree angle cut into them. So we mirrored that angle and cut that angle in the new material.







The next picture shows us marking the port side stringer on the new material. The angles were essentially the same on both stringers although the overall shapes were slightly different. The starboard side and the port side of the hull are not 100% symmetrical which means things are not exactly the same for both sides. Each outer stringer was cut and fit individually to the hull.







The next picture shows the starboard outer stringer sitting in the hull. It took several cuts with multiple types of saws to get this to fit just right. We?d set the stringer in and eyeball it and mark it and then pull it out. Trim it where it needed to be trimmed and then set it back in. I can?t remember how many times we repeated these steps. In the end, we ended up using the table saw, circular saw, compound miter saw and a vintage hand plane handed down from my grandfather. There is less than an 1/8? gap AT MOST along the bottom side of either outer stringer. Majority of both stringers fit REALLY well and I am completely stoked with the results. We were even able to get these level with the two inner stringers and then level within the hull itself.







Here is a picture of the port outer stringer showing how it fits in the hull.







The next picture shows the angle cut into the ends of the stringers where they meet the transom. I set the compound miter saw at 12 degrees and that seems just about perfect. I still need to install limber holes in the bottom of each of the outer stringers but that will have to wait for next week.







The next picture shows both new stringers lying on the garage floor. You can see the overall shape of them and how similar they are.







The next picture shows you the curve and the angle that we had to cut into these new stringers. This view is looking from the bow of the hull towards the transom. In this picture you can see the angle in the hull bottom as reflected by the angle on the bottom of the port side stringer.







The next picture shows the same stringer as viewed from the transom. Looking down the left side of the stringer, you can see that there is a slight amount of rocker cut into the stringer. I haven?t put a straight-edge on the bottom of the hull yet but I would be curious to see if this hull has THAT much rocker built into it. Time will tell!







The next picture shows the two new stringers sitting side by side. They are resting on the floor upside down so the top is the bottom and the bottom is the top. The stringer on the left side of the picture is the port side stringer and the stringer on the right side is obviously the starboard side stringer.







With that, the new outer stringers were set aside. I still need to dress up some areas of the hull before we start setting these in and I also need to pick up some more supplies. For now, they?ll have to wait a week.



The next picture shows some fiberglass sleeves or tubes that I slapped together. What are these for? Well, I?m glad you asked!


The outboard engine is mounted to the outboard bracket, or ?Jackplate.? This bracket is mounted to the transom with 10 bolts, five on each side. Well, I could simply drill 10 holes in the transom and mount the plate back on the hull. But, I don?t want to have any chances of water intrusion into the core of the transom. So, I will overdrill the holes for the outboard bracket and insert these fiberglass sleeves. Then the sleeves will be fiberglassed in from the inside and the outside (Just like I did on the transom drain hole). Once the glass is cured, I will grind the inside and outsides flush with the surface of the transom. Voila! 10 waterproof holes to slide the mounting bolts through to secure the bracket to the transom.


So, I rolled a bunch of 7.5 ounce cloth around a metal dowel and made a long fiberglass tube. Once the fiberglass tube cured, I slid the metal dowel out from the inside of the glass. Then, I cut the tube into 3? long sleeves. I still need to make a few more but these are the sleeves you see in the next few pictures.



















I apologize for the long-winded post but I thought there were a lot of cool details and I wanted to point out and share them with you guys (And ladies). While this baby is nowhere near close to seeing the soothing waters of the Parker Strip, she is getting a little bit closer with each passing week. Getting the transom and outer stringers replaced are two huge steps that we are close to completing. Once these stringers are set and glassed in, I will feel more comfortable removing the inner stringers. After that, it will be a matter of cutting out the old and installing the new inner stringers along with the new transom knees. Once they are all glassed in, it will start to look more like a boat. Hopefully!



As always, thank you for following along!


Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!


Henry

 

[AZBrummett21]

Very cool. It will be nice to see the finished product.

 

[rivergames]

Incredible glass skills!!! This boat will last forever with the amount of glass work you are putting into her. Great job bud :thumbsup

 

[Backlash]

Hey Guys just a little update!


I spent a lot of time on the boat but don't have a lot of pictures showing the work I did. What I did was dry-fit a lot of the things that will be going into the hull. Seats, tank, batteries, pumps, filters, etc.... I want to try and make sure I have all the correct measurements documented so I don't run into too many surprises down the road. Once I finished playing around with that, I got to work.


I was able to get a couple layers of glass on the tops of the bilge pump mounting blocks. These will be sanded down and a few more layers of glass added before I finally set them in the hull bottom.







While I was mixing resin and playing with the mat and cloth, I put a few layers down on the final layer for the inside of the transom. This side you see in the picture will be bonded against the other two layers already glassed in the hull....so this wont be visible. This particular piece will be going in between the stringer knees on top of the main stringers. If it sounds confusing, it should make sense once the puzzle pieces start to go together.







As we are getting closer to the new stringers being set, I need to drill limber holes in the bottoms of the stringers before glassing them in. Well, I am not about to drill these holes and leave them bare....exposing the core of the stringers to any amount of moisture. So, I grabbed a piece of 1" PVC and wrapped it with a piece of wax paper. I taped both ends of the wax paper down and soaked some cloth then wrapped it around the PVC. Essentially, using the PVC as a mold. Once it cured, I slid the PVC out and then pulled the wax paper out. I was left with another fiberglass tube. I just shoved the PVC into the hull drain plug to allow the glass to cure. Note the repair around the transom drain plug.....it's starting to look pretty good considering how bad it was!







I will sand the outside of this tube down and add several more layers to thicken up the walls of the tube. I will then cut this into 2" long pieces so I can install them in the stringers where the limber holes will be. Once they are glassed into the stringers, they will be ground flush and the stringers will get installed. Once everything gets wrapped with glass, the core of the stringers will be sealed and protected but there will still be a way for water to drain to the bilge.







While I was slinging resin around, I used the leftover resin to add more layers to the repairs on the deck (Above the transom and the repairs on the transom itself). You can see here that the repair is close to being finished. I will block sand this down and get it flush with the surrounding hull. The repair will essentially be complete and we will just need gelcoat it later on down the road.







Since it pertains to the transom and some of the things I still need to do, I stopped off and spent some money on some 7075 plate. The picture isn't the best but you get the idea. Yep, a piece of metal. Leaning on the wall.


Anyways, not a lot of pictures to share. As always, thank you for following along. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Hahahaa!

Last picture didn't load!



In case you haven't seen aluminum before.......this is a piece of .250" 7075.







(Most likely operator error!)



Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Folks!

I was able to spend some time working on the new stringers for the boat.

I started off by drilling two holes in each of the stringers closest to the transom. The limber hole sleeves I had previously made out of fiberglass are approximately 1" in diameter and were about 3" long. I drilled the holes in the stringers out to approximately 1.5".














I taped both stringers off where I didn't want glass and resin, and set the fiberglass sleeve into the hole. I then packed the space around the sleeve with fiberglass and resin. (Sorry for the cruddy picture!)







Once everything cured, I set the stringers in the hull to make sure everything lined up the way I had hoped.







Then I pulled the stringers back out of the hull and cleaned everything up.







I put the stringers back into the hull one more time to get a better idea of how things looked. This image below is a view of the starboard stringer looking towards the transom.







I don't have any pictures of the next step, but we ran the stringers across the router table to round over the top two edges of both of the stringers. If you look in the above picture, you can see how "Sharp" the top corners of the stringer are. Fiberglass wont make this sharp of a corner so this edge was taken off both stringers. They are now evenly rounded over and look a lot better. We are several steps closer to glassing these into the hull. I still need to run both of the stringers over the router table one more time to remove about 3/16" of an inch off of the bottom edges. I will explain this more once we get that step finished. For now, the stringers were cleaned up and set aside.



I took the jackplate apart and transferred the transom bolt pattern to the new piece of 7075 I picked up last week. This new piece will be installed between the transom and the jackplate when it comes time to start re-rigging this boat.







Here is the bolt pattern from the jackplate on the new midplate. Obviously, this piece will be finished appropriately at a later date.







That's it for the progress on the Schiaward this week.

After cleaning everything up, I logged into Ebay and started looking at random boat parts. Well, as luck would have it, I found a smoking deal on a certain part that I was "Sorta" looking for. The timing was just right, so I bought it. It was too good a deal to pass up. Now, hopefully it fits! I'll share more and post more pictures next week.

Have a great weekend and as always, thank you for following along!

Stay safe!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Folks,

I was able to get the first of four new stringers installed in the Schiaward.

Even though the resin was flying, I was still able to take a few pictures to share with you guys.

The first picture is just a quick picture of some of the fiberglass cloth I picked up for this portion of the project. I picked up several yards of 1708 and fiberglass mat. I picked up several yards of mat in both 1.5 oz. and 2 oz. weight. I wanted to try and set the stringers in 3 oz. of mat but that weight wasn?t available from RevChem. So by combining the two lighter weights, I ended up using about 3.5 oz. of mat to set the stringer.







When glassing these stringers into this hull, I wanted to try and reduce the amount of sanding I will end up doing (Yeah right!). So, the first layer of 1708 will be a narrow strip approximately 2? in width that runs the full length of the stringer. There will be one strip on each side of the stringer. This first layer will only run up the sides of the new stringers approximately one inch. Well, when we later lay up the second layer of glass on the stringers, there will be a small ?Step? caused by the edge left by the first layer of fiberglass. This step would be approximately 3/16? thick due to the thickness of the 1708. Well, I don?t want to have that ?Step? in the sides of the stringers for two reasons. First of all, it wouldn?t be straight and that will bug the crap out of me. Second, after we lay the second layer of 1708 up the sides of the stringers, I will need to make sure everything is smooth before adding the third layer of 1708 over the entire stringer. If I were to sand the second layer of 1708 smooth where the ?Step? was created, theoretically I would have to sand a considerable amount of the second layer of glass off of the edges of the stringers. This would in my opinion weaken the stringer. So, the solution to my self-created dilemma was simple??trim 3/16? from both sides of the bottom half of the stringer. Yes, this will narrow the bottom half of the stringer slightly but I won?t worry about reducing the strength because there will be three solid layers of 1708 tying each stringer to the hull.

This picture below just shows a scrap piece of wood trimmed to allow the first layer of 1708 to lay in the recessed area. We set the router table to trim 3/16? of material 1? in height, and ran the stringer over the table to trim the two sides (Nearest the hull).







The next picture shows the stringer where the 3/16? was trimmed from the lower portion on the sides of the stringer. In this picture, the bottom of the stringer is towards the right while the inside of the stringer is facing upward. The top edge of the stringer is on the router table.







The next picture shows the transom end of the stringer and gives you a better idea of how much material we removed. The bottom of the stringer is towards the right and the top of the stringer is towards the left. The side of the stringer is facing up.







The next picture shows the fiberglass mat rolled out in the garage and the 2? wide strips of the 1.5 oz. and the 2 oz. marked on the mat.







Once we had the strips of mat trimmed and ready to lay in the hull where the stringer will sit, I mixed up several ounces of vinylester resin and MEKP. I painted the hull with a layer of resin then soaked the two layers of fiberglass mat. The mat was rolled out in the area where the stringer was to be installed in the hull. Before the mat cured, the new stringer was set into the wet mat and weighted down in the hull. Braces were placed between the old stringer and the new stringer to hold the top edge of the stringer level (Yes, we actually checked this with a level).


Before the stringer cured, I mixed up a batch of ?? long strands of fiberglass fibers and vinylester resin. I worked along both sides of the stringers and ?Packed? this mixture into the corner between the stringer and the hull of the boat. I did this because I wanted to later form a radius for the upcoming layers of fiberglass (1708). Once this cures, I will go back and grind an even radius along the bottom edge of the stringer.







The next picture shows the bottom edge of the stringer sitting in the hull. This picture was taken before I did ANY grinding or sanding so it does NOT look that crappy! Believe me! I just wanted to give you an idea of how I was doing things.







Now the fun begins.

The next picture shows the tools I used to form the radius in the bottom corners of the stringer. I used a deburring bit designed for metal that works perfectly for shaping fiberglass in corners like this. I simply chucked the bit in the angle grinder, threw on a dust mask and went to work. I ground both bottom edges of the stringer from the transom to the point where the stringer terminates underneath the deck of the boat. Fun times!







The next picture shows how the stringer looks after the radius is ground along the bottom edge. Yes, the top half of the stringer still has a lot of resin drips and small chunks of the fiberglass fibers that I hadn?t yet cleaned up.







The next picture shows how the stringer looks once the radius was formed from front to rear. I also ran a sander over the entire surface of the stringer to remove any additional resin that may have cured on the stringer. While sanding, I roughed up the existing surface of the hull to prep it for the upcoming layers of 1708.











The next picture shows the stringer taped off and the surrounding areas of the hull covered and masked off with tape. I did this to try and minimize the amount of time spent cleaning and sanding before proceeding to the next steps.







After taping everything off, we cut several strips of 1708. We cut strips that were 2? wide by 12 feet long and strips that were 5? wide by 12 feet long. Once the strips were cut and laid out, I mixed up about 16 oz. of vinylester resin and MEKP. We wet out both the stringer bottom and the hull bottom on one side of the stringer. After the surfaces were coated, I wet out the first narrow strip of 1708. We laid this first strip on the stringer side and hull bottom and began rolling it out. We worked all of the air bubbles out and made sure to get the glass pulled up to where the 3/16? notch was trimmed into the stringer sides. Once this was rolled out, we rolled out the bottom half of the 1708 where it made contact with the hull bottom. Once one side of the stringer was tabbed in, we moved to the opposite side of the stringer and repeated the process. Once both side of the stringer were tabbed in, we pulled the tape and paper up and let everything cure.

That is where I left off. The next step in this process will be to run a sander over the whole thing and knock down any strands or fibers that may be sticking up. I will rough up all of the surfaces and prep them for the second layer of 1708.

I apologize for the longwinded post but wanted to share some of the details of what I did and why I did them. I hope it makes sense when looking at the pictures. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know!

As always, thank you for following along!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Awesome!

After taking a few minutes to put together a detailed update, it's frustrating to see the quotation marks used in the narrative automatically changed to a question mark.

It makes it seem as though I don't know how to type.

Carry on.

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Guys!

Spent some time working on the first stringer and wanted to share some update pictures with you.

The first image is a picture of the outside (Starboard) stringer when viewed from the center of the boat. You can see where the first layer of 1708 comes up from the hull bottom to the side of the stringer. You can see how this layer goes up halfway to the top of the stringer. I had just finished grinding down the entire stringer to made the surface of the 1708 and the transition to the stringer smooth. You can also see where the hull had been sanded and smoothed in anticipation of the second layer of 1708. The next layer of glass will be much wider and will extend to the top edge of the stringer.







The second picture below is the same stringer just showing another portion closer to the deck of the hull. If you remember earlier in this thread, we removed a small portion of the stringer along the bottom edge (About three-sixteenths of an inch). That was to allow this first layer of 1708 to be flush with the top half of the side of the stringer. We did this so I could get numerous layers of fiberglass on the stringers to tab them into the hull. Each stringer will have three layers of 25oz. glass tabbing it to the hull. On each side.

Is it overkill?? Yes. Do I care? No.







The last picture was taken after laying down the second layer of 1708 along the outside of the same stringer. Here you can see how this layer of glass extends further up the side of the stringer and is also extending out further from the side of the stringer on the hull bottom. Once this layer cures, I will got back and grind everything smooth and feather the top edge of the fiberglass on the stringer and the edge along the hull bottom (Right side of the picture). This will make for a smooth transition when the third layer of 1708 goes over everything.







Not much of an update, but an update nonetheless!

As always, thank you for following along!

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Folks,

There isn't much to share but I'm making a little progress here and there.

I've got two layers of 1708 tabbing down on the starboard stringer. The first layer of tabbing was only about 2 inches wide. Once that layer was cured, I went back and feathered the edges and smoothed down any rough spots in anticipation for the second layer. The second layer of 1708 laid down was about 6 inches wide. This layer went up to the top edge of the stringer and extended out further on the hull bottom. Once that had cured, I went back over that layer and feathered out those edges and knocked down any rough spots. The laminations look pretty good and the stringer feels more than solid.

These pictures show the areas where I've ground everything down and smoothed out the edges.











Once I had everything smoothed out, I started filling in the gap in the hull where the strake is. I want to level this area of the hull out where it will be visible between the stringers. For this process, I just used 1/2 inch strands of fiberglass and resin and packed multiple layers into the valley where the strake is. After each layer cured, I ground down the high points and repeated these steps. I didn't take any pictures of this but I will grab some and post them up later.

As my time on this project was limited these last few weeks, I don't have much more to add.

As always, thank you for following along and I hope to post up another update next week.

Stay safe!

Henry

 

[rivergames]

Man you are doing a bitchen job with the glass work :thumbup:

 

[Backlash]

Thanks a lot for the compliments Buddy!

It's hard to tell there is almost 50 ounces of glass holding this stringer in place. The seam in the hull bottom is visible but you can't feel the transition.

This restoration project isn't going very quickly but I knew that going into this project.

I would like the end result to show the attention to detail. I don't want to look back when I'm finished and think "Man, I should have done _______."

Thanks again for the compliment and thank you for following along!

Henry

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Folks!

I hope you all had a nice weekend! We spent the weekend dodging rainstorms in Parker but still had an amazing time! Managed to hit all the spots including the Bluewater, Fox's, Pirate's, Shugrue's and Topock. Reality set in and it was time to beat the storms back to SoCal.

I was finally able to spend some time grinding and glassing on this ol' hull.

I had started to fill in the starboard strake on a previous day and began this most recent day by grinding the surface level. Once the surface was level and smooth, I added more glass to build it up even further. Once that layer had cured, I ground this layer down and made sure everything was smooth. I repeated this step several times to get the gap left by the strake built up to be level with the hull bottom.















Now I am jumping the gun and giving you a few teaser shots of where this project will be going.... But that's OK. It's nothing you haven't seen before!

I just happened to have this stuff just laying around and it conveniently fit in between the stringers just about perfectly, so........ I set it in place to see how it looks.











In the last picture, you can see the limber hole and its relation to the top of the balsa coring. Even after I glass this balsa coring in, any water in the hull can still drain down towards the bilge. I may feather this area slightly but wont know for sure until I glass this in. I still have a TON of work to do before I need to worry about this!







Not much of an update, but an update nonetheless!

As always, thank you guys for checking in and following along. I hope you have a wonderful day!



Henry

 

[AZBrummett21]

Keep it up... I like how it's turning out.

 

[Backlash]

Good afternoon Folks,

I was able to get some more work done on this project in the form of "More grinding."

Now I'm prepping the port side of the hull for the installation of that new stringer. When I cut out the original stringer, there was a little bit of a lip left where the glass transitioned from the floor of the boat to the stringer. There were also a few places where the top layer of glass was delaminated. So those things were cleaned up and ground down. I hope to get the stringer glassed in this next week.

The first picture is before I did any grinding and the second picture is after I finished. I know the second picture is dusty but you can at least see the delaminated areas have been removed.











Switching gears a little bit.... I've tried to work with very little budget in redoing this hull. This theme continues with other bits and pieces that I've picked up along the way. One of the things I have done is to spend a lot of time on websites like "Ebay" and "Craigslist." So, while searching around for random parts on CL, I stumbled into a deal I thought seemed interesting. When I started looking more closely, it was a deal I knew I couldn't pass up and something I jumped on.







My son and I jumped in the truck, hit the bank and off we went. Knowing what I was looking at, I didn't dare haggle over the price he was asking. I simply handed him the cash and he helped me unload the hull from the trailer.







I towed it quite a ways on those worn out tires complete with loose lug nuts, no lights and no license plate (I'm surprised I didn't get stopped). Backed it into the driveway and called it a day!







So, here we are. Now, another project. I will start a build thread over in the "Trailer" section for those who are interested in the alleged history on this trailer and what I hope to do to make the transformation.

As always, thank you for following along!

Henry

 

[Wheeler]

Damn! you do nice work!! :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Backlash]

Wheeler thank you but I'm just a hacker! I greatly appreciate the compliments though! I'm honestly having a great time but I must admit; I'm looking forward to getting these remaining stringers in and getting finished with the "Structural" stuff.

Slow and steady Baby!

 

[Backlash]

Good morning Guys!

We made some progress on the Schiaward and got the port side outer stringer bedded in. There are about 3.5 ounces of mat between the bottom of the stringer and the hull. Once everything was plumb and level, we blocked the stringer in place and weighted it down with some batteries (I had already removed the blocking before taking this picture). While this was curing, I began the process of creating a fillet along both bottom edges of the new stringer. This fillet will be ground down creating a smooth radius for the following layers of 1708. Here is the first picture showing the stringer bedded.







The next picture shows the same stringer with the fillet ground smooth from the transom forward to where the stringer terminates underneath the deck. I will go back over this one more time just to make sure there are no gaps and the surface is smooth.







The third picture shows the same stringer where it meets the transom.







The last picture of the Schiaward shows both of the outer stringers replaced and partially glassed in. The stringer on the left side of the picture needs one more layer of 1708 up the outside, over the top and then down on the inside. The stringer on the right needs two layers of tabbing on both sides and one layer of 1708 up and over the entire stringer.

In this last picture, you can also see where I?ve filled in the strake on the starboard side of the hull near the transom (Left side of picture for you landlubbers). I will do the same on the port side of the hull. The purpose of this is to create a level surface for the balsa coring. This level surface extends 36? forward from the transom which leaves enough room in the bottom of the hull for both bilge pump pads, the fuel cell, the ski pylon, both batteries and the rigging on the transom. There is still a lot of work to do but it is slowly coming together.







Once both stringers are completely fiberglassed in, I will remove the remainder of the two inner stringers. I?ve already purchased new wood for the two inner stringers, so it will be a matter of fitting them and installing them just like we installed the two outer stringers. Once all four stringers are in, then it will be time to install the new kickboard under the dash, the new deck supports under the deck and all of the bulkheads and floor supports. Lots still to do to just to get to that point!

As always, thank you for following along.

Take care and stay safe!

Henry

 

[X Hoser]

Dude, you've got some crazy skills and more patience than a saint! :bowdown: beautiful work and
keep the pics coming.