1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

PSSSST!!! Sneak Peek.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Man oh man, those old Mercs are Handsome!:thumb:

 

[sphelps]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Ya got the old Merc looking so sweet I think your work deserves a tribute from one of the GREATEST bands ever !
Crank it and enjoy !

 

[glnbnz]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

PSSSST!!! Sneak Peek.

That will be a nice sweet addition TC Nice Score!!

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Thanks Glenn. She will be looking fine when I get the new decals on. As far as this weekend, I finally have the stringers glassed in. Although I had the stringers in place and pb'd in place, I still wasn't happy with the way it looked. So I decided to go over what I had to done to 'neaten' them up. Then you all know the rest. Cut mat to size, fit, measure, cut, scratch, cut some more. I did leave a bunch of hair behind but the resin took care of that. After my glassing was done and dried I didn't like some spots. So I let it cure for a day then went back out and did a bit of grinding and patching, just to make it pretty. And more grinding and patching. It's not easy being 6,5 and a 285lb galute. Plus I was working along, so getting in and out of the boat was a chore..lol. Anyway, here are some pics. It's not perfect but close enough., Bringing her back to pasture.

 

[Trooper82]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Now them stringers won't ever get wet again....looking good TC!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Nice lookin progress...:thumb:

Remember 2 things...
How long the original factory job lasted...
and...
Perfect is the enemy of Good Enough...

 

[sphelps]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Looks good from down here TC !

 

[saginawbayboater]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Nice glassing on the stringers TC!

 

[ronward]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Aww man. I've just read this thread all the way thru and didn't realize it was still active. I didn't look at the dates as I was reading. TC,I have the exact same boat getting ready for same repairs and was hoping to see your end result. Guess I'll have to stick around and see how you're doing. Good looking work so far though. I have some Hilti 2-part epoxy used for attaching rebar into concrete. I tried using it to stick a 2x4 to plywood. After it cured I tore it apart. The plywood failed before the bond did. I was wondering how that would work in place of pb for fillets and maybe attaching transom to outer skin as well. It has a longer cure time so easier to work with. Anybody have any thoughts on that idea?

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Aww man. I've just read this thread all the way thru and didn't realize it was still active. I didn't look at the dates as I was reading. TC,I have the exact same boat getting ready for same repairs and was hoping to see your end result. Guess I'll have to stick around and see how you're doing. Good looking work so far though. I have some Hilti 2-part epoxy used for attaching rebar into concrete. I tried using it to stick a 2x4 to plywood. After it cured I tore it apart. The plywood failed before the bond did. I was wondering how that would work in place of pb for fillets and maybe attaching transom to outer skin as well. It has a longer cure time so easier to work with. Anybody have any thoughts on that idea?

As far as using Hilti, using it on the outer skin would work fine. As far as fillets I'm not sure how that product would work. I don't know if it would shrink or stretch or soak in any water. Personally, I would us PB.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Thanks guys. I didn't take any after pics but it looks better than what it did. I am my own worse critic. After a few hours my back just gives up and just want to get it done. I always catch myself rushing through but have learned to slow down and take more breaks.

 

[sphelps]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Remember poly does not stick to epoxy so if using poly only use it where no poly is going ..I think the Hilti stuff would be too runny to use for fillets. As TC suggested it may work ok for gluing the transom to the outside skin..

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Well, I spent this Thanksgiving weekend working on my Gypsy. I used 3/4" exterior grade plywood for the deck. A bit of overkill maybe but it will be solid for sure. I stained the downside with an exterior wood stain. After cutting and fitting the plywood into place I was bothered about the fact that the boat seem to have a twist in it. I thought at first that perhaps it was the way that it was sitting on the trailer. However, after careful measuring and discussions, it was decided that it was the boat that had the twist. The stringers are already glassed in and I thought for sure that I was in real trouble. First of all, with the help of my gf's dad, we measured the boat to the trailer at different areas and found that there wasn't a square measurement anywhere. So with patience we went about measuring, adjusting rollers, bunks and more measuring we had most of the boat squared up. There still was a drop at the starboard side bow. By using simple stool with and a couple of shims we first eyeballed the boat to be quite level. Then with a couple of measurements at the chimes we had, what looked to be a squared up boat. Now I was getting nervous. lol. Next I screwed then glassed in the deck I did have to do a bit of cutting on the centre plywood section after we squared it up. Then the holes were drilled for the pour in foam. With the foam poured in it was time for turkey and ham. After supper it was time to get back at it and peanut butter the plywood back in the holes and let set. Then came the glass on the deck. I used two layers of 1.5 oz mat and it really turned out quite nice. But sadly this is the last time I will be working on it this year. With the winter closing it, I decided to pull the plug and put the cap back on to get ready to tarp it for the winter. The biggest relief was fitting the cap on was the easiest time I had. It fit absolutely perfectly. And it met the floor perfectly. I was so relieved. The 3 hours of fitting and measuring and squaring up paid off. I am so happy with what was done this weekend.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

TC, you're getting to be Quite the PRO with the POLY!!! It all looks GREAT!!! Congrats on a Job well done.

 

[Trooper82]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Looks great TC!....bummer you have to put her away for the winter...

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Thanks Wood, much appreciated. Yeah Trooper, it is a bummer. It's been a long year at it and very frustrating. But at least I can see the finish line. Sometimes life just keep getting in the way. I've got a brother in law, who is more like a brother battling stomach cancer, so I've spend time with my family, they live 4 hours in the opposite direction. Things are now looking much better although he had to have his entire stomach removed. I also had some unexpected repairs to make to my tow vehicle, and now I have some dental work to be done. Last week I broke a tooth in the front so that is an unexpected expense. So pretty well every weekend has been travelling and getting very tiresome. I think the next few weekends I'll be just taking it easy with my lady bug. As far as the boat goes, I just have to take the cap off once more to gel coat the deck and glass in the side storage area. I have to place my seats and mark the deck where they are going. I think i'm going to fiberglass two pieces of 1x4 to the deck, to fasten the seat bases to them. I don't want to bolt them to the floor, like they did at the factory...yikes. So during the winter I will be picking up some stuff to finish. I've found most things, I just have to get them ordered. Things like new carpeting. Yes, I said carpet. LOL. I know most people dont' like it but I do. There's one in every crowd, eh?? :facepalm:

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours TC!
Seems like you had a very productive, tasty holiday...
Sure sounded scary when you found the twist...
Glad to hear it was solvable...
Deck looks fantastic, must feel really good to have a dance floor again...
Like Troop said, bummer you have to put it away for the Winter, but at least you are very near the end...
Plus it will give you a chance to gather up the rest of the stuff you'll need and get the creative juices flowing while you contemplate getting it all finished up...
I would also like to offer my thoughts and prayers to your BIL, may his health be restored.
Hopefully your dental bill and pain won't be too much...
Best regards,
Gus

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: 1978 MFG Gypsy Rebuild

Thanks Gus for the kind words. I was a bit nervous glassing such a big area with the polyester. I do see now that with great patience taking your time, and great advice from Wood and all the iboats gang, that it all works out very nice. I bought a proper aluminum fibreglass roller but I found it very awkward to use. So it was 4" foam rollers to the rescue. Slow and steady. As far as my BIL, we just got word today that he is cancer free. They took the chemo bottle off. He goes in 6 months for another scan, just to check things out. Now he just has the battle of living without a stomach. Something that I could never imagine.