1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

ok, so heres my update. First thing I did was to cut all my glass out from the new 14 yard roll of 50" wide 1708. My wife was so awesome. She took all my measurements and figured out how to make them all fit on my glass with minimal waste. She even went so far as to make a 1/4 scale model! God I love my wife

SO with that, I cut them all out.

Then after that, I knew I had to rough and scuff before I could start glassing so I figured since I was making a mess anyways, I may as well cut my starboard side outer stringer to the exact height I needed. Man what a mess. I made quick work of it with my battery powered skil saw. I also used my router with round over bit to form the top for glass to go over it better.

After that, I rough and scuffed the hull hoping and praying that I didnt have to do that again. I will...

After that, I shop vacced the whole thing and finished it off with a acetone bath. With this, I was ready to glass.

 

[robbankston]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

Looks good man. Big job....

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

so, I laid the glass out with the 2" overlap(ok, probably more like 4") then cut it to match the stringer shape and all areas that needed relief cuts.

Then, it was glassing time. Man this one really hurt me. I may be out for the week. With my herniated disk, I really should go easier when working on this thing but if you have worked with 1708 especially in 2 layers at a time, you know that you have to WORK it. I got it though. I have resigned myself to just deal with the fact that there are going to be bubbles in my glass. THere is just nothing I can do to stop it. I KNOW the glass is secure and strong enough. Again, this is a reason I coated all the wood with 3 coats of epoxy first. Here is how it turned out.

Most of it is pretty much perfect but there are a few spots that have more bubbles than I would like. But, such is life. I garauntee that the manufacturer did not care as much as I do. I know, I did the grinding!

For any of you that are planning to wrap 1708 over a 3/4 ply all I can say is ehhhh it kinda works...There are a few spots that have air but most of it wet out pretty well and hardened quite well.

After that hard a** work, I decided to PL down the tank support then call it a day. Here is a picture of the mini stringer under it fully glassed with 3 layers of 8.5oz cloth.

THen the tank support. I had a bit of a mishap as you can see

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

And, Lowkee, here is the pics you asked for. And a few more that I had on the camera.

Reallllllllllllly complicated tool here. My engineering background helped here

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

That last pic of the 1708 that looks like a boat shape. That should give you an idea of how much glass it takes to do this work! THat is a 4' wide by 8' long sheet of ply its on and it is rolled up and hanging off the back by another 6'. This is just ONE stringers worth!

 

[robbankston]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

That last pic of the 1708 that looks like a boat shape. That should give you an idea of how much glass it takes to do this work! THat is a 4' wide by 8' long sheet of ply its on and it is rolled up and hanging off the back by another 6'. This is just ONE stringers worth!

So what hurts worse (not including your back)? The amount of glass or the amount of epoxy it takes?

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

EPOXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! duh I can buy enough glass to wrap my house for as much as it would cost me to fill my kitchen sink with resin

 

[robbankston]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

EPOXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! duh I can buy enough glass to wrap my house for as much as it would cost me to fill my kitchen sink with resin

Just keeping you honest....

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

Just keeping you honest....

Thanks!

 

[Jonezin]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

man you aRE just chipping away at it,are you going to pain it.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

man you aRE just chipping away at it,are you going to pain it.

Oh, I have already PAINED it! And it has PAINED me! If you meant paint, I am going to paint the interior now but the exterior is up in the air at this point. THe hull has been painter recently and looks pretty good. I like the original scheme but not the color. It was like the 70's pepto bismol pink/orange and off white. I will not go with those colors but I may paint it in the original scheme with the rear L shape a darker color than the rest. I dont know. Paint is a lot of work to do it right. I will finish the hard work and then see how it looks and what you all think and maybe someone that has photoshop experience like redfury will come along and do a mock up for me.

 

[robbankston]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

Oh, I have already PAINED it! And it has PAINED me! If you meant paint, I am going to paint the interior now but the exterior is up in the air at this point. THe hull has been painter recently and looks pretty good. I like the original scheme but not the color. It was like the 70's pepto bismol pink/orange and off white. I will not go with those colors but I may paint it in the original scheme with the rear L shape a darker color than the rest. I dont know. Paint is a lot of work to do it right. I will finish the hard work and then see how it looks and what you all think and maybe someone that has photoshop experience like redfury will come along and do a mock up for me.

Didn't notice the pink in any of the pics. Paint it dude. You've come this far! May as well make it a pretty exterior too.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

Didn't notice the pink in any of the pics. Paint it dude. You've come this far! May as well make it a pretty exterior too.

No, the whole hull is white now. Originally it was a pepto color. I will post a link.

Here you go http://www.hsmarine.com/WellcraftAirslots/images/Airslot Brochures and Stuff/1973/page05_sm.jpg

Hope that works...Mine was originally identical to the lower picture. but has been painted white all over at some point. What do you guys think? Should I take her back to the beginning?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

I don't care what color you go with but you should definitely go white with a contrasting color of some sort like in the picture. Looks cool and seperates your boat from the run-of-the-mill tri-hulls out there.

 

[Jonezin]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

I say might as well, I'm going to much easier to work with with the cap off. You can flip it over and do a really good job on the bottom. I'm going with with white and where its tan will be a royal blue and maybe some baby blue pinstripes. My lettering will be royal blue,baby blue and a black shadow. and for the in side white and royal blue vinyl. Cant forget some super high gloss clear coat.

 

[robbankston]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

Do it man. We can take the adventure together!!! We'll be starting the prep for ours in a few weeks.

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

I don't care what color you go with but you should definitely go white with a contrasting color of some sort like in the picture. Looks cool and seperates your boat from the run-of-the-mill tri-hulls out there.

Its not a trihull! Its an airslot damn it

No doubt I will be painting the little spot in the rear and the interior but I dont know if I want to do the whole boat. I am damn near killing myself on what I am doing now, I couldnt imagine all the hours it would take to prep the hull for a nice job. I know me Good news is that I have a airless paint sprayer or a HVLP gun and a air compressor capable of running a DA sander.

Let me get the stringers done first guys. well talk later about painting the hull Jesus you guys a slave drivers!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

Its not a trihull! Its an airslot damn it

My point exactly!

 

[Jonezin]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

hey was that a stab at tri-hauls?

 

[chrishayes]

Re: 1973 wellcraft 165 sport airslot project w/ pics

My point exactly!

gotcha


And Jonezin, I have nothing against tri hulls but man they are ROUGH rides! I swear even with my non existent stringers and potting soil transom my boat was leaps and bounds above my buddies tri. With my back, I actually couldnt ride in his boat. It only took one time. I rode in the bow and it beat me senseless.