1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I see that you had a question here that never really got answered and its a good question...when you are glassing what are the time limits and prep work between coats?

I always hit the area being glassed with acetone if I had left my work overnight. I didn't necessarily between same day layups but someone else may have an opinion on that. It is just what I did. Hope this helps.

Thanks Glenn.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Tonight cut out the stringers which will go between the two bulkheads, as well as some pieces which will clamp to the sides of the scarf joints in the forward stringers. Wetted out with resin.



The bottom corners of the stringers are rounded to fit the profile of the PB fillets on the inside edges of the bulkheads.

 

[atjohnson]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I'm following along with you now. I actually had not seen you thread until you commented on mine yesterday. Looks like you are 2 to 3 weeks ahead of me......roughly. I like you "tent" you made inside your garage. I have actually been debating doing the same thing. I also like the idea of capping the top and bottom of your stringers. If my memory serves me correctly, I can only recall seeing the tops wrapped. Just a couple of questions, what ply did you choose and did I understand that you plan to bed your stringers in PB and not PL glue? Once again, great looking job and maybe I can be at the point you are at soon.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I'm following along with you now. I actually had not seen you thread until you commented on mine yesterday. Looks like you are 2 to 3 weeks ahead of me......roughly. I like you "tent" you made inside your garage. I have actually been debating doing the same thing. I also like the idea of capping the top and bottom of your stringers. If my memory serves me correctly, I can only recall seeing the tops wrapped. Just a couple of questions, what ply did you choose and did I understand that you plan to bed your stringers in PB and not PL glue? Once again, great looking job and maybe I can be at the point you are at soon.

Thanks atjohnson. I like how your boat has orders more structure under the deck than mine. I contemplated adding some additional stringers, but decided against it as I will be filling all the cavities with expanding foam which should add rigidity.

I opted for standard outdoor plywood. We don't have that arauco ply in my area, that I can find, similar stuff is in the $90-100/sheet, outdoor ply is $30. I am using 3/4" for the structure, then 5/8" for the deck. For the wrapping, I have only capped the be bottom of the stringers/bulkheads so far, this was just to add some waterproofing (the original plywood was bare at the bottom and was not bedded in and tabbed properly, so that's where the rot started). After all is bedded in, will tab and totally wrap with two layers of 1708. Woodonglass has some good glassing instructions.

For bedding, I was on the fence for using PL or PB, but eventually decided on PB. I knew I was going to fillet with PB so I would be mixing it up either way. My only wish is that I had held out for 1/4" chopped strand, my supplier was out and only had 5/8", so it seems difficult to work with if I add too much to the mix.

 

[atjohnson]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I have already purchased 4 tubes of PL but after some reading several threads, I'm actually considering going with PB to bed stringers. I'm concerned with running short on resin if I opt for this method. If you have a minute, check out my order list and see if you see anything that I might have over calculated or under calculated. I am trying to make one large order because if I have to buy extra supplies locally, I will have to take a second mortgage on my house to pay for it.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I have already purchased 4 tubes of PL but after some reading several threads, I'm actually considering going with PB to bed stringers. I'm concerned with running short on resin if I opt for this method. If you have a minute, check out my order list and see if you see anything that I might have over calculated or under calculated. I am trying to make one large order because if I have to buy extra supplies locally, I will have to take a second mortgage on my house to pay for it.

I'm sure that PL you bought will come in handy somewhere on this project or somewhere else around the house!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I'm guessin you're gunna need another 5 gallons of resin and another gallon or 2 of Cabosil if you choose to use the PB for bedding the stringers. As stated earlier, it takes about 1.5 qts of cabosil per qt of resin so a gallon of cabosil goes pretty quick. When bedding your stringers a good trick is to mix it @ a 1% MEKP ratio so it won't set up to quick and then put it in a large ziplock bag and cut off one corner of the bag and squeeze it out like a pastry bag. You can control the amount and lay down a nice bead of PB where the stringer will be. Works really well and creates a lot less mess.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

I'm guessin you're gunna need another 5 gallons of resin and another gallon or 2 of Cabosil if you choose to use the PB for bedding the stringers. As stated earlier, it takes about 1.5 qts of cabosil per qt of resin so a gallon of cabosil goes pretty quick. When bedding your stringers a good trick is to mix it @ a 1% MEKP ratio so it won't set up to quick and then put it in a large ziplock bag and cut off one corner of the bag and squeeze it out like a pastry bag. You can control the amount and lay down a nice bead of PB where the stringer will be. Works really well and creates a lot less mess.

Yeah, another 5 gallons minimum. I'm almost through the first gallon of cabosil, and have another gallon left, so yes one or two more will be needed. I haven't tried the ziplock trick yet but plan to on the next set of stringers. Thanks wood!

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

A couple questions came to mind today, looking for some advise:

1) When treating plywood with resin, is it better to cut it light (1%) with MEKP to give it more time to soak in, or does it really matter?

2) I've been sanding the ply with 100 grit before soaking with resin, is this adequate or should I be using something more aggressive?

3) Totally unrelated, but is there a decent way of adding flotation inside of the gunwales without removing the cap? I think I have quite a bit of volume available in both sides and would like to take advantage if possible.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Got the fuel tank compartment stringers wrapped with 1708 on the bottom edge, then bedded in, and filleted. Still have a few touch ups to do on the filleting before tabbing and wrapping.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Time for a weekend update. Got a lot done.

-Finished fillets
-Ruff'n'scuffed the fillets with grinder to smooth them out and remove high spots
-Wiped everything down with acetone
-Finished stringer joints at partial stringer replacement locations on either side of ski locker
-Tabbed and wrapped everything new with 1.5oz CSM

My overall plan is to finish up the work on the new wood that I've installed to this point, then install new deck on top of it and tab in. Nothing inside the bilge (stringers, motor mounts, transom) has been done yet. Because I still have to remove the transom which will involve much more grinding, I want to get everything forward of the bilge finished off and the deck installed so that it's easier to keep clean. It will be much easier to vacuum a flat surface than all the nooks and crannies I'm thinking, plus it will be easier to work around. Then I can remove and replace the transom, install the new motor mount stringers, and complete the rear deck.

Time for some pictures.

Overall pic with fillets scuffed up.



Port side stringer joint, prior to wrapping.



I used 3/4" ply for the stringers, which is what the original ones were made of. Because the original still had a layer or two of glass wrapped around, I mounted the new stringers such that they were flush with the original on the inside of the ski locker, this way the surface would be nice and flat for gelcoat after being glassed in. On the outside of the stringers, I had to build up the new sections to match the thicker width of the original before adding the plywood brace. I wetted out 5 layers of CSM for this.



Then added two additional layers of CSM over the entire area where the brace would be.



Clamped the brace into place to get resin oozing out of the sides.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Screwed the brace into place with SS 1-1/4" screws, then removed the clamps. Cleaned up the excess resin.



Filleted the braces with PB.



Overall pic of the two forward stringers with braces.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Wrapped and tabbed all new plywood with CSM, went fairly well.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Forgot to mention, the plan for this week is to chip away at the 1708 wrapping/tabbing (two layers). Not sure how far I will get between business trips and hockey games and tourneys. With any luck I may have the 1708 all in by the end of next weekend. After that, will need to cut a new floor for the ski locker and install.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

:thumb:

Looking good.

 

[atjohnson]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

You are definitely making some great progress. I understand getting to work when you can. Seems like all my trips and other things are getting into my working time as well.

 

[52FordF2]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Just tagin along

Keep upthe good work.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Thanks for the positive comments guys.


Tonight I started cutting 1708 strips for wrapping the stringers and bulkheads, looking for some advise for when I start glassing them in. In particular, when working around joints between the stringers and bulkheads. I remember on Friscoboaters videos of the sea ray, he cut squares of 1708, then made a relief cut down the center of the square, so that he could tuck a piece into a corner at the joints. I'm not sure if my description makes any sense, hopefully you can make some sense of it.

Is it best to tab the stringers to the bulkheads first with two layers of 1708, let it set, then wrap/tab the stringers to the hull? Or is it best to lay one full layer on everything, then start over with the second layer?

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Ok. Time for a long overdue update, with pictures, lots of pictures...

Since my last update, I have tabbed/wrapped all the stringers and bulkheads with two layers of 1708. Let me say, it was way more work than I expected. Rather than running a strip of tabbing, then wrapping a separate piece, I attempted to do it in one foul swoop. It didn't go to bad, and I am very happy with the results, it was just really tricky at times. The largest pieces were on the forward stringers, which wrapped around the joints where the new stringers met up with the original, it was difficult due to the piece of ply which I clamped on the outside of the stringers for extra support. Those particular pieces were around 28"x32" in size, I found that wetting out the 1708 before laying it in place worked extremely well. I had a sacrificial plank of ply inside the boat which I used for wetting out the material, did this by laying it with the CSM side up, pouring the resin on it, and working it in with the microfibre roller until it was clear.

Unfortunately I ran out of resin, so I couldn't finish up some of the details on the bilge bulkhead. Still have to finish up some of the joints. I ordered more material today which included 10 more gallons of resin, 2 gallons of cabosil, 4 yds of 1708, and a bunch more mixing buckets.


Here are some pictures.





Tabbing in the joints got easier as I went along and learned a few tricks.



Tip of bulkhead.



Fuel compartment stringer.

 

[bvetter]

Re: 1999 Celebrity 190 - Engine Mount and Stringer Repair

Here are some picks of the wrapping around the forward stringer splice after wrapping in two layers of 1708.

This side would be inside the ski locker.



Looking down on the outer brace and stringer joint.



View of the brace.