My project boat pics

[MGH]

I have been following this thread and others like it for awhile and am impressed with your idea's and workmanship. One Question i have is when adding a bracket on back and moving weight of motor back, did you have to make any adjustments to your trailer? Seems like it would get heavy on the tail end and light on the hitch. I would like to pod my boat to get rid of old stern drive but will trailer handle it or is that another part of the budget? Hope this thread is not too old now.
Mike

 

[albernifisher]

So I was taking the fuel tank out today... well lets just say my project boat has just turned into a restoration thread. ROTT!!! and more then just a little.So I guess this is the begining of the stringer and sub floor replacement thread

 

[Sculpin]

That sucks man.

If there is something good to come out of this then maybe a bigger fuel tank? Just saying. While you're down there maybe you can make the fuel tank bed bigger etc. Can never have enough fuel.

If you need any help give me a shout.

 

[lorneparker1]

Well that blows!

Nice work so far man!

 

[MGH]

Not much fun taking out the old foam. In my boat the floor fiber glass had worn through and then rain water had made its way into the foam. So far (not done yet) about 600 lbs of wet foam. Shovel, electric chain saw and flat wrecking bars take it out. Wonder if you can get foam that doesn't hold water as the foam is some what structural on my boat. Quieter too. More $$$. I feel the Pain. Mine stringers are fiber glass with foam inside. I should take a picture. Arg batteries dead
Mike

 

[albernifisher]

Very suprised by what im finding in here,I've rebuilt a campion,hurston and a k&c and the searay isn't any better then the campion was.The searay has 2 stringers made from 3/4" plywood and only glassed on the one side so as soon as your foam gets wet it starts rotting from the inside out.The campion had 2X12 pine stringers and were glassed on both sides.Anyways day two of removing rotten wood and foam

 

[wolf]

looking good only thing id say to do is remove all the wood (thats what i did) easier to work with fresh new wood than the hassle you will get trying to bond to old wood .. just a suggestion and now that you have removed the tank try and get one that will fit in the belly of the boat. great for a pod as ballast keep as much weight as you can in the centre of the boat.

good luck Wolf

 

[albernifisher]

Every last piece of wood will be coming out,this things gonna be bomb proof when Im done with her.I plan on adding lots of storage options and maybe a mid berth that u access from the cuddy

 

[chris73]

I left a small drainage channel open along the upslope crotch of the stringer/bottom so that if there was ever again water getting into the foam it will drain by gravity to the bottom of the foam layer and exit into the open channel. The channel itself exits through a hole through the stringer to the accessible inside of the stringers - the bilge in most boats. I leave this hole through the stringer closed with a thick SS bolt and only open it once in a while to check. Good way to find out if some water gets into your foam. Of course I did this on both sides.

To fit the wood stringer snug to the boat hull I found that epoxy plastic wood works well. Just butter the underside of the shaped stringer with an appropriate amount of plastic wood and then fit the stringer in place. Then make sure there aren't any voids anywhere under the stringer to achieve a complete fit to the hull. You can stuff some more plastic wood under if necessary within a period of a few minutes. Scrape the excess plastic wood off around the stringer bottom. Let it cure and then glass over. This procedure ensures that you have a perfect fit of your stringer to the hull which ensures you don't get any point loads and stress cracks in the hull as consequence.

I also used epoxy resin to completely glass in the stringers and the floor after soaking all wood in rot fix (very liquid epoxy). That makes the wood bullet and truly waterproof. If you want to go the epoxy route as well, make sure you cover yourself in good safety gear such as chemical resistant gloves, jump suit, goggles and respirator mask. Don't get any uncured epoxy on your skin!

 

[MGH]

Here is how they made the stringers in a 77 Bell Boy

Hope this works been a long time since i posted pictures.
The tops of the stringers are cut out so i could get the wet foam out. still have a few to do. In the middle you can just see some water still draining out of starboard side. 15 garbage bags of foam so far. Hey at least on your you don't have to reach inside the stringers to get the foam out.
Here is a link to how to make fibre glass stringers.
http://www.glasply.net/showthread.php?1432-Project-Boat-Rebuild/page4
Mike

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

When I was a kid my dad had a bell boy. I have some great memories of that boat. Do you have any pics of the boat from the outside? Did it have the lapstrake hull?

 

[MGH]

Trying to encourage and possibly help Albernifisher. Don't want to steal this great tread. But Yes it has the lapstrake hull. Maybe start another tread to put pictures. Have to dig off the snow first.
Mike

 

[wolf]

Ok sounds great you can go with what chris said but another option is stuff they call in the business "bear poo" looks exactlly what it says LOL its got little pieces of fiberglass bits in it and is thick and sticky when you have your boat all supported and stringers formed and ready to go in you "PLOP" it where your stringers are going to go,squish it into place have pieces of plywood strips or wood ready with screws in them ready to go then cross brace where you can as you want them level and not to move dont be shy if you can brace in any direction do it you dont want the stringers to move at all you want a good solid bond to the boat.if there is high spots on the stringers after its all said and done dont worry. A quick level snap line cut with a saw and your good to go your going to be covering it all over with fiberglass anyways.
Your local boat shop or fiberglass supplier will tell you about this stuff cheap and works great.

As for your chambers and hidey spots Ive always ran a piece of plastic pipe from bow to stern that a boat plug fits cause no matter what you do water/condensation gets in to the bottom of the boat if its "plumbed" for it all you have to do is pull the plug out let it drain and put the plug back in simple and for chambers use the plastic live well tubes and them little tiny plugs.
Just think of all the worst case scenerios where water could form or build up. and put things in place to combat later.

For your floor make sure you seal the underside if your using plywood as the condensation from the boat will rot it from the underside up and you will get squishy spots down the road (trust me on that one) been there done it....

good luck Wolf

 

[kanuckle head]

Great project undertaking albernifisher hope to see more updates, sucks about the wood rot hurdle but I can see your in the light in the tunnel home stretch

I can only hope that the coin gets better so I can join your trial & tribulation, my hull beam iz 10ft+ so big dual motors will eat most of the undertaking
Thanx or the write-up
K

 

[Revenge]

Hey if anyone else wants to take on a 24'searay project ,I know where theres one in MapleRidge that they could get for nothing or very very little !!!
Let me know
Dan

 

[albernifisher]

Havnt had much time to work on her with all the planning for my wedding in 3 weeks but here is a couple pics.
Hours of grinding,10 huge garbage bags of wet foam and rotten wood,trip to the hospital from grinding my leg,4-24's of bud,12 gallons of resin and 35' of matt...
The two main stringers are in,fuel tank bulkheads are in and am starting to work on the 2 smaller outside stringers

 

[Sculpin]

Only 96 beer so far???. Looks like it's coming along great. That's a lot of work. Thanks for the update Gary.

 

[Peterman]

Starting to think something happend to you... good to see the boats coming along.. If you need a fishing fix after your wedding give me shout...

 

[divecomputer]

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[Foxsea]

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WTF?

Sissy Spacek will be pleased: after many years of searching the skies, we finally have "Contact" - but the alien language cannot be translated. Somehow, I just knew this would happen! (I bet even Sissy did not anticipate that they would be interested in a fishing forum, though. Must be guys - or at least Romanian Olympic athletes.)