1983 Glastron X17 restoration

[sqbtr]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Looking good!!

Is that wood I see running down the aft keel?

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Thanks! Yes, there is a support for the gas tank that I haven't removed. I am still debating the best way forward - I have considered leaving it in place but I haven't verified it is solid. It is a magnet for leaves and other junk. I will most likely pull it out and replace it while I am at it.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

The grinding looks great, and I like your stringer height trick.

 

[gunsup007]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

South Texan, looking good man. Just caught up on your thread and looking forward to watching everything go back together.

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Keep on Truckin' lol
It will be worth the effort!

 

[meandme]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Looking good Seaman. I started restoration of my Glastron HPV175 this past summer. Took the top of just as you did to get to all the rotten wood, witch was basically all of it. I was able to replace everything from the middle bulkhead to the transom, including the floor on the back half before it started getting cold here. While putting on the top for the winter I discovered a problem, the bottom half had grew about a half inch or so at the transom area. The only thing I can thank of on what happened, was the clamps that I used to put the transom in was just heavy enough to pull the top of the transom back and out of the correct angle. Don't know if you will have this prob or not because you have an inboard and I have an outboard but I just thought I would pass this info on to ya. Good luck with the project.

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

A big thank you to everybody for the kind words! I have made some incremental progress the past few days, starting to build some momentum again.

Completed the foam stringer mockups - I used the cardboard cutouts previously made to mark the height of the stringers: (I had previously shaped the bottom of the stringers to the hull contour)

Here are all the cutouts in place, I then marked the correct height using a tape measure as a straightedge:

I then copied the dimensions onto some wooden stringer blanks I made from 1/2" Auraco plywood. The plywood was glued together to create two 1" thick, 6" wide and 12' long stringers. I used the trusty 4 1/2" angle grinder with a 36 grit disc to contour the bottom of the stringers. Once the transom is glued in I will do the final fitting of the stringers before bedding them with PL adhesive.

Speaking of the transom, here is the first one I made:

Looking at the top, it was clear to me that I needed more wood for strength. I cut another transom out, this time the top edge is about 1" taller.

I am preparing to order some fiberglass materials - hopefully next weekend I can really get some progress made. I plan on waterproofing the transom before gluing it in place - here I have a question. As the picture of the old transom shows, there are some bevels I need to make to allow access for various components:

Because it will be difficult (I think) to lay mat and resin in these odd shapes, I am considering using epoxy for the rear of the transom (side facing the hull) and the area inside the cutout (keyhole?) for waterproofing. I would use poly resin, CSM and 1708 on the front of the transom and for tabbing. Does this sound like a reasonable idea?

I have read that several people on this forum have used PL adhesive to join the transom and the hull, which I am planning on doing. Has anybody heard of a negative outcome from doing this? EDIT: I suppose I could use the epoxy to adhere the coated transom to the hull?

All in all I am glad to be back at it again and hope to make quick progress in the upcoming weeks and months.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

I'd use Peanut Butter to stick the transom to the outer skin and then use the squeeze out with additional PB to fillet in the edges. No need to switch to Epoxy. Check out friscoboaters thread. He has a great video showing exactlyhow to install this type of transom. By the way your attention to detail is outstanding as well as your craftsmanship.

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Thanks Wood! I will go back and re-read Jay's thread - I thought he had sealed the back of the transom prior to install. My recollection is fuzzy at the moment. Any recommendations for sealing the "beveled" edges of the transom (pic above of the old transom for reference)? My concern is that I won't be able to lay CSM and poly resin down flat, and I don't want to leave those edges unprotected as they will tend to get wet over time.

P.S. Your project is fantastic! Hope you get a lot of use out on the lakes this upcoming season!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

From the looks of it, I'd say you could coat pretty much all of it with the PB, and then lay some CSM on top of it or some 1708. That stuff conforms to just about any shape pretty easily.

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

So I have made some rough calculations for ordering fiberglass materials, figured a sanity check is in order. I am getting my poly resin and catalyst from a local business, I figure 10-15 gallons will be used. I just need to order the mat and such. I plan on using 2 layers of 1708 on the transom, 2 layers of 1708 tabbing on the stringers with a CSM cap. For the deck, I plan on a single layer of CSM underneath, and two layers on top, with 1708 tabbing of course. Here is my proposed shopping list:

1.5 oz CSM (50") - 25 yards
1708 (50") - 10 yards
cabosil - 4 gallons
chopped fibers - 20 lbs
wax - 2 quarts (top coats)
2 lb foam - 16 cu ft total
assorted squeeges, rollers, etc

This seems about right for a 17' boat with 2 stringers and a smallish transom to me. Any comments?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

You are WAY over on your chopped fibers. I'd say 2lbs would be plenty. That's about 2 1/2 gallons by volume. It don't weigh much and you won't use as much as you think. Everything else looks good.

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

You are WAY over on your chopped fibers. I'd say 2lbs would be plenty. That's about 2 1/2 gallons by volume. It don't weigh much and you won't use as much as you think. Everything else looks good.

Thanks as always Wood! US composites sells the fibers in 10 lb increments, so I will just go with that. Can't wait to get this boat back together!

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Looks like I was wrong about US composites - they do sell smaller batches of chopped fibers. Went ahead and ordered tonight - hope to have my materials in the next week! Also, I reread Jay's thread, I will probably install my transom with PB as Wood suggested. Hope to have some good progress to report in the next two weeks!

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Hey buddy,

I finally had some time to drop by. I did seal my transom first with resin and one coat of csm, and then used PB to glue it to the skin. The CSM works pretty nice once you get it real wet.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

I've always just used CSM and resin alone to "glue in" a transom. Precoat the wood once so it's doens't soak up all your resin. Then I apply two layers of CSM to the transom skin and one layer to the wood and while its still wet lay them together and clamp it up. (Note: you don't need a ton of pressure on the clamps, just enough to set it good)

Roll out all the air good on both halves. Never had one fail this way yet. The thickened resin mix is fine but I think it's easier this way and you don't have to crank your arm off mixing. (Thickened resin is just that THICK and a real bear to mix)

CW

 

[Decker83]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

I would make sure to round over the outside edge of the transom.

I did mine with a 1/2" radius and the csm and 1708 did really well.

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Thanks for the replies, looks like my US Composites order is getting here on the 12th, so I am in a bit of a holding pattern till then. I did find that a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a 36 grit disc works really well for shaping - I was able to bevel and radius with it easily. I would have liked to use the boat as an excuse to get a router, but the grinder was paid for!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Howdy ST,

Finally had a chance to come aboard and say HI!

I have read through your thread and I gotta say, Great Work! I love the way you laid out the grid for the deck, definitely gonna use that idea...

Keep up the excellent workmanship. I will definitely be following along to see Splash Day...

Best Regards,
GT1M

 

[SouthTexan]

Re: 1983 Glastron X17 restoration

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything! I injured my right knee (MCL, no surgery) and was out of business for 3 months but all is well now. Not much to report, but I am getting back in the swing of things. Bought 5 gallons of resin from a local supplier, so I have everything I need to get this project back on track. Today I glued the transom in with some PL premium:

I have read some people like using PL for the transom, some prefer good old PB. Next I need to make some cut outs in the transom for various clearances. Once everything is test fit I can start with the glassing. Looking forward to making some progress and getting back on the water! Now if I can remember where everything goes...