Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Bill: That sounds good, but according to ondarvr, I need to draw it and then glass it to hold the shape. Just getting it there only solves part of the problem.
I put a couple bolts through, like ondarvr said and it draws it down nicely......Think I should put heat on it while its drawn, then let it cool? I think it will spring again. I don't really know though. I'm spacing the bolts 10 inches apart so I can glass strips between them, then pull the bolts and reglass that area. i'm not sure about the area right at the transom though. Maybe heat there? Heck, I don't know. This is kind of trial and error.

Hey Steve,
If its pulling down nice with just bolts then stay with that. I think I'm not sure that adding heat will soften the resin enough to were it will hold the new form and relieve the stress from pulling it down. Heat will relax the hull, I could be wrong but just pulling it down then glassing while its under tension will initially cause a stress point depending on how big of an area it is you might be able to do it with a heat gun or a hair dryer

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Hey Steve,
If its pulling down nice with just bolts then stay with that. I think I'm not sure that adding heat will soften the resin enough to were it will hold the new form and relieve the stress from pulling it down. Heat will relax the hull, I could be wrong but just pulling it down then glassing while its under tension will initially cause a stress point depending on how big of an area it is you might be able to do it with a heat gun or a hair dryer

Hey Bill. Yeah, I got one side done. It drew down nicely until the hull/transom joint. the last couple inches there drew the board up some. The rest looks good though. I have a couple halogens under it now. It's pretty hot on the bottom side of the glass. Too hot to touch for long. I don't know how long i need to hold the heat on it before releasing it. I guess I can leave it on there quite a while. I'll do the other side with the heat though, may pull down even easier. Trial and error I guess. Be nice if it held form so i could pull the bolts before glassing. I guess Ondarvr will check back and give me some advice too. Thanks for the help.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Don't over heat it, 140 or 150 is about where you can't touch it for long and that's about as warm as you want to get it. Move the lights back a little too, polyester is a good insulator and it will take time for the heat to transfer through the laminate, you don't want to over heat the surface before the rest of it has had a chance to get warm.

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Steve,
I am so sorry I didn't see this sooner, I have been outside working on my honey do list and son do list ( my parents live next door ).
What ondarvr said^^^^^^^^ you want to wind up with a nice even heat, you don't want to overheat it. Too much heat will degrade the poly and remember it took years for it to warp like that .

I know that is like saying " you can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor." does it mean, its impossible to or you don't want to ? In this case it means you don't want to (sorry SNL Flashbacks )

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Ok, well, I got the other side done. Lowered the light. I have no idea how hot it got. I can't imagine it was too hot. Was hot to the touch, but, eh, anyway, it's all pulled pretty tight. Right at the transom will require some fairing, but for the most part, It drew down well. Here is a pic.

The boat is level, there isn't any twist I can find from bow to stern. It's solid on the bunks. I am declaring bunk building over with.

I traced and cut the second piece of ply for the transom. Also, put a 3/8" roundover on the stringer tops. It was nice to work on something without having to crawl under it!!

So, what is the protocol with the lamps? I have them on now. Do I let it heat all night then call it good or leave them longer?

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

I need a refresher on transom prep. I have two 3/4" pieces. I'm using 1708 biax and epoxy resin. I'm planning glass on the front and back as well as a layer between.

1. Do i want to precoat the entirety of each board with epoxy, let this dry, then recoat and apply glass to the outside faces? Then, when that is dry, recoat back sides with layer of glass on one and laminate them together?

Guide me, please

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

I need a refresher on transom prep. I have two 3/4" pieces. I'm using 1708 biax and epoxy resin. I'm planning glass on the front and back as well as a layer between.

1. Do i want to precoat the entirety of each board with epoxy, let this dry, then recoat and apply glass to the outside faces? Then, when that is dry, recoat back sides with layer of glass on one and laminate them together?

Guide me, please

Hey Steve,
Here I go driving you crazy again LOL Get your heat lamps out and get the wood nice and warm, mix up your epoxy and pour and roll. The heat will open the pores of the wood & thin the epoxy so it flows into the pores and help seal the wood. let it set 1/5-30min mix another batch, lay in your 1708 ( you really don't need it with using epoxy) pour and roll lay the other sheet of ply on top and screw it together, let dry for a day. Next day (24hr min) remove screws fill holes with PB trim excess 1708 grind/sand to fit boat. after the PB is cured, get the heat lamps out again, Heat the wood soak it with epoxy laminate it to the exterior skin of the boat

EDIT - Before laminating the new transom wood onto the glass you are going to want to make up a clamping system to clamp the new wood to the old skin. Wait for others to chime in on that I know how I do it but I just don't know how to explain it and I don't think I have any pics :redface:

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Get 3 coats on each board , if there are nice and warm they will just suck up the epoxy !! you getting it Steve !! you know all you got to do is yell !!! Grandma had the surgery !!!! she Doing Great !!! And im not not vacation yet, still got a couple weeks !!! Yea did I tell you my store got hit with 3 bullets the day after you were there ??? 3:47 in the afternoon !! John

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Hey Steve,
Here I go driving you crazy again LOL

Ahh, never!!! I really appreciate your advice, Bill. Keep it coming. Ok, so, after I have my boards laminated, I can dry fit it and then I was thinking of drilling the lifting hook holes, bolting it up dry and marking the holes for the transom bolts and the transom hole and removing it to drill/cut them before i install the transom. Is this the way to go?

Get 3 coats on each board , if there are nice and warm they will just suck up the epoxy !! you getting it Steve !! you know all you got to do is yell !!! Grandma had the surgery !!!! she Doing Great !!! And im not not vacation yet, still got a couple weeks !!! Yea did I tell you my store got hit with 3 bullets the day after you were there ??? 3:47 in the afternoon !! John

John, glad to hear your granddma is doing well. I'll get plenty of resin on the wood! Man, stop chasing shoplifters at work It's not worth it. I'll be happy when you are out of that place. Oh, and yeah, I'll ring you up and get you down here for some glass work!!

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Man, rough night tonight! My two year old was playing and fell and cut his lip on the coffee table. And I do mean cut it. Sliced it wide open. It almost made me ill to look at it. We took him down to Ann Arbor to the pediatric ER and they took really good care of him there. Hurts bad to see your kid in such pain and so helpless. He is just too young to realize they are trying to help him. It was awful.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

OOOH man Poor guy !!! cool he"s ok !!! Yea I know Its getting worse , its just I hate them !!!!! all my steaks walking out the door !!!! John

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Tonight I got out my two transom pieces to do some PB work on them. One, I had to settle for a sheet of b/c grade exterior ply. So there were some voids to fill after i busted out the knots with a chisel.

I mixed up some pb. Epoxy/cabosil/milled fiber. I haven't done this but a couple times and both times i mixed too much and didn't get it thick enough. Some day i'll learn. I may have to hit it again to skin over some areas.

here's before and after.

So, i wear gloves and a respirator. Still, i always manage to touch some of this junk somehow. What do you guys use for cleaning your hands???

 

[HVAC Cruiser]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

So, i wear gloves and a respirator. Still, i always manage to touch some of this junk somehow. What do you guys use for cleaning your hands???

I use acetone, when I run out in a pinch I use my Wife's nail polish remover

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Productive day today. Finally got my feet wet with some fiberglassing!! I needed to laminate the two transom pieces together. So I got them out in the sun, let them heat up nice on the surface.

Coated them with epoxy resin

Then moved them into the garage. Placed a layer of 1708 on the now beginning to cure resin and wetted it out..........

Layed the other half on, lining it up to the other..........

and screwed them together for a nice lamination (I hope)

So, now i can say i've actually fiberglassed something

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Got the excess fiberglass trimmed off the transom following lamination. It looks good and feels strong.

Last night got in the boat and started tearing into the corner that has the damage. I removed the rod holder for better access and had a fight with a bolt that was used to scarf on a piece of wood in the po's repair job. The nut was rusted and rounded off and there was little access so I had to cut it off using a hacksaw blade held by my fingers to cut the stainless steel bolt. A stainless nut would have been nice. Anyway that is off and now its just a matter of grinding out the bad glass and repairing it. I'm almost to the construction phase. Woo hoo!

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Well, did a lot of grinding tonight. Tore into the damaged corner and started grinding out the fiberglass with air pockets and the PB that was laid on a half inch thick accross a foot or so long area. I'm getting close on getting that to where glass should lay on it nicely and it can be repaired properly. I also rough and scuffed the parts of the hull I'd missed previously, mostly gelcoat areas to prep them for the glasswork.

Ok, question. I have a couple areas on my transom where the wood came off with some of the layers of glass in irregular shapes. Am I best off to build this back up with layers of 1708 or some other cloth? I assume this is a better option than filling the areas with pb.

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Ok, been grinding on the damaged corner of my boat (above transom). It used to look like this.............

I cut the board out that the po had scabbed in and fiberglassed around. Then I ground out any of the glass that had air pockets under it. I ground the PB as far as I dared and got it as smooth as possible. It looks like this now.........

The air pockets are all removed. However, under them are some deep spots and there are some deep crevices from some kind of damage done to this corner. What is the procedure for fixing this. My thought was to pb the deep spots and crevices and then start building fiberglass up over it (1708). After this i can put a new board in and glass that to the cap at the end like it is supposed to be attached.

I need some advice on this as well as my previous post on the transom buildup. Thanks!

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

83mulligan,
I haven't read all your thread yet, but it has been interesting so far. I think I'll go back to the start for this one. Looks like your learning a lot of new skills.
I'll keep watching.
Take care and keep up the great work.
Bob

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

Thanks Bob, your thread is really interesting. I've begun reading it from the beginning. I admire your woodworking skills. There are some things I want to do with this boat to make the inside really nice and functional. You can see the motherlode of teak I stumbled onto for next to nothing in this thread somewhere. Thanks for stopping in!

 

[redfury]

Re: Upon Further Review..#$%@..1973 Slickcraft Trans/String Overhaul

I'd say you have a couple of options.

1. continue to grind it out until smooth and then build up with glass again
2. cut scrap to fill in the voids and glass it up
3. fill in the voids to make it all smooth for glassing.

Personally, the less you "bondo" the boat the better. You'll avoid potential spiderwebbing in the gel coat underneath all that from impact damage and it will just be generally stronger.