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  1. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    Leave the edges for now. It will help get the stringers to the correct height.
  2. M

    Draining gas tank questions -- Is this thing a vent? How does my tank look in general?

    The gasket should keep the metals mostly seperate.
  3. M

    1981 Springbok 18' Restoration/Renovation

    Metal strapping around the tank is pretty normal. Usually the tank will fit snugly between something side to side, and have strapping front to back. There are pieces of foam or rubber to keep the strapping off of the tank, and sometimes under the tank to cut down vibration.
  4. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    Oof, that's not a fun job. Was the drain plug left in?
  5. M

    Gauges don't work

    It can still be a fuse. A lot of them I've seen, the power is chained to the fuses, then from fuses to gauge. This sad diagram shows what I mean. I usually see this kind of thing on older boats, where the dash has a panel with those glass tube fuses. Sometimes its own panel, sometimes with...
  6. M

    Draining gas tank questions -- Is this thing a vent? How does my tank look in general?

    Could be I'm just dumb and don't know what I'm talking about. Stick around for a bit and see what other people think.
  7. M

    Draining gas tank questions -- Is this thing a vent? How does my tank look in general?

    1. Tank looks fine. 2. Yes, you can just take it out and put it back in. It's just the float that makes your fuel gauge move. Scrub it really well and sweep up all of the debris before taking the sending unit out. The hex head screws around the edge are what holds it in place, as well as the...
  8. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    You have to get higher quality paint for it. That stuff gets expensive quick. We did a bass boat once that was going to Texas, so the boss wanted to spray a better clear than we usually do. I think it was something like $400 per gallon. I read somewhere a long time ago that gel could be made...
  9. M

    Drying out interior foam (got oily or wet under table pedestal?)

    #2 is what I was meaning. It will rot eventually, but you can prolong it's life for a long time. Keep a cover on it, but open it up after every use and after rains to dry. Canvas isn't waterproof. It sheds most of the water, but it can still drip through after it saturates. Open every...
  10. M

    Gauges don't work

    I'm not an expert on the electrical stuff, but there should be a fuse panel somewhere. Also, the gauges are all chained together with jumper wires. The jumpers are the power supply to the gauges. So those would be good things to check, fuses and good connections on the power wires.
  11. M

    Drying out interior foam (got oily or wet under table pedestal?)

    Your boat has wood stringers attached to the hull, a wood floor, and floatation foam filling the hollow space under the floor. The foam is wet because water got under the pedestal, and any other opening it could find. The foam is saturated and holding water. It's letting mold grow and causing...
  12. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    As far as environmental wear, it's not much different than a car that stays outside all the time. It will stay shiny much better than gel. The downside is that it's more susceptible to physical damage. So you don't want to spray the bottom because the bunks will damage it, and the roller on the...
  13. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    He could use automotive clear on it, but if he did, then he might as well just base and clear it.
  14. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    I don't see why not. It's more to help hold more resin than for structure. Use it if you already have it, but if you're ordering materials I would just stick with the mat.
  15. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    Yeah, not fun in an enclosed space. Use your respirator, a full face one if you have it.
  16. M

    Changing colour of gelcoat question

    Before the floor is permanently fastened, get some metal plates screwed to the bottom side where the seats go. I see this a lot when we replace floors, but it's always on aluminum boats, usually Lunds. I think the idea is so the seat screws won't pull through if the floor rots.
  17. M

    82 Starcraft MR 180 floor, slight refit and leaks

    My idea, change it to support panels running from back to front, walling off the bilge area. Then put in some easily removed sideways panels. Keep the structural support but get easy access.
  18. M

    My 84 4winns horizon 195 project.

    The bottom sees the most abuse, so use the strongest filler you can. Fiberglass doesn't really dent though, so I'm curious what that really is. If it's just some factory imperfections then no big deal, but if something hit it and pushed it in then that's likely damage that needs fixed. Pics?
  19. M

    Boats from work.

    Not much interesting, but I spotted in 3 colors of flake today. Looks like I forgot to take a picture after I cleared it though.
  20. M

    1989 Sea Ray 200 BR Interior rebuild and new layout

    Now that looks nice. I first read that as "dynamiting" the engine bay.
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