first complete fiberglass floor transom help needed

[proshadetree]

You will never and I mean never seal a boat deck 100% water proof. My boat will sit in the water for 2 to 3 days and stay bone dry. After about a week or two it seems to weep water in. Not much just a second blast from the bilge pump. Water can also get in the floor by external means ie rain waves ect. I recomend limber holes that have the edges well sealed in all boats at the lowest point leading back to the bilge. That way water can make its way back to the rear of the boat and be drained out. That is also why the drain is at the lowest point.

 

[jigngrub]

isn't the objective of a sealed deck to keep water from entering the hull? ruined stringers, foam, and other wood can only be caused by water getting in.

Absolutely!... but the vast majority of boat owners don't understand the care and feeding of a sealed deck and they do dumb stuff like drive fasteners and drill holes through it without sealing the penetrations properly, they also do the same thing to the hull below the waterline.

 

[neversinksmith]

You will never and I mean never seal a boat deck 100% water proof. My boat will sit in the water for 2 to 3 days and stay bone dry. After about a week or two it seems to weep water in. Not much just a second blast from the bilge pump. Water can also get in the floor by external means ie rain waves ect. I recomend limber holes that have the edges well sealed in all boats at the lowest point leading back to the bilge. That way water can make its way back to the rear of the boat and be drained out. That is also why the drain is at the lowest point.

limber holes??? so this brings me back to my question about how far should I go with my drain area should I go. im not sure if im explaining this correctly. in laymens terms, how far should I be able to stick my arm up the drain area? 2 feet? 4 feet? from stern to bow?

 

[Woodonglass]

Drain Area??? The recessed area "Box" is called the Bilge. Typically it has some openings in it to allow water to enter and exit. The Exit hole is the one drilled thru the transom the entry holes can be of various numbers and locations depending on the design of the stringers etc. This drawing may help you understand the process of draining your hull beneath the deck. As you can see, limber holes are drilled into the stringers to allow water to pass thru the chambers created when the deck is sealed to the stringers. When the boat is stored bow up as is the norm any water trapped below deck will flow to the stern and out thru the limber holes and to the bilge. The center stringer should have deflectors, as shown to move the water to the side and then it can flow into the entry holes into the bilge. and then when the drain plug is removed exit out thru the drain. Any water above the deck will flow into the bilge and out the drain. Hopefully this explains how drainage is accomplished. When a boats hull is Foam filled you can see out this drainage is compromised and this IS a huge topic of discussion here on the forum and to the best of my knowledge has not had a consensus #1 Best Method to accomplish a good drainage of a foam filled hull. If you plan on using pour in foam in your hull then below deck drainage is not, IMHO a high priority. Make your bilge box. Create the Transom Drain and move on.

 

[neversinksmith]

i was going to put precut pieces of plywood in each compartment then lay down plastic wrap, pour my foam and cover w plastic wrap and wait till it cures, remove foam and trim plastic wrap, paint the individual foam blocks w several coats of latex, remove plywood cutouts, install rubber coated foam blocks suspended 3/4" above hull, and deck her.

is this insane?

 

[kcassells]

i was going to put precut pieces of plywood in each compartment then lay down plastic wrap, pour my foam and cover w plastic wrap and wait till it cures, remove foam and trim plastic wrap, paint the individual foam blocks w several coats of latex, remove plywood cutouts, install rubber coated foam blocks suspended 3/4" above hull, and deck her.

is this insane?

NS,
No your not insane at all. As Wood suggested this has been a discussion of ages and as stated no real middle road final agreements. Some pour foam and say that is all you need to do, cover your boat and protect it well and will last your lifetime. Others debate that water will make it's way in and should have some type of outlet/aeration to drain and prevent mold.
Personally I believe it's a combination of both schools of thought.
So why limber holes at all? If pouring foam. Simply stated all boat mfgs have different designs that demonstrate limber holes or all foam applications and/or a combination of all of the above. Boat rehabs/modifications...typically from water intrusion sets off a light in all our heads of how to alleviate the issue we are now repairing. Total boat structures have been annihilated by water intrusion for one reason or another.
Personally.. your bag method will work but as I've encountered in my own boat framing/rehab some areas will not allow me to do your method. I do have limber holes, will use some pour in foam and also use the "pink" foam carved to fit to enable air and water passages.
All of the above is acceptable in combination. Typically there is no end to this debate at the moment but has always been a cool topic when others chime in with varied opinions.
In fact I recall Wood has a drawing of his interpretation of "pink" foam layout to help remedy this situation and it is a good one for the records. Maybe he will hit his archives for us and shoot over again.
KC

 

[kcassells]

From what I can see by your pics, you don't have a bilge area/drain.

The area I've outlined in red is a deck drain/deck well:

The area in red is to drain all the water off of your deck without letting any go into the bilge.

The bilge is the area from the inside of your hull up to the bottom of your deck. Is there another hole in the outside of your transom below the deck drain hole? Some boats have the bilge area sealed off with only a deck drain to get rid of water that gets inside of the boat, other boats will have a deck and bilge drain.

Here's a couple pics from my current project to help you better understand:

Well let's get a couple of terms squared away;
A.}
What you are calling a bilge drain in this pic is really called a ...Transom drain. That's what lets water out that may accumulate in the bottom of your hull.;
Bad pic/repair;

B} what you call a Deck drain is I don't know what it is whereas/because it appears to be below the water line. {thats a concern} If it is a deck drain it should have had some type of "check" valve/flapper incorporated into it. But it's still below the water line.

C} What you are calling a Splashwell drain is indeed the splashwell drain.

I do not see a bilge drain properly located in any event. Just my observations..please chime in anyone.

 

[kcassells]

What you are calling a deck drain may have been a water inlet for cleaning or baitwells, just noticed a cut/flush pipe coming up out of your bilge in #27 post. Did you remove any piping prior?

 

[neversinksmith]

yes I capped the tube in #26 that fed the live well as I didn't use it. live well was cracked

 

[jigngrub]

Well let's get a couple of terms squared away;
A.**
What you are calling a bilge drain in this pic is really called a ...Transom drain. That's what lets water out that may accumulate in the bottom of your hull.;
Bad pic/repair;

B** what you call a Deck drain is I don't know what it is whereas/because it appears to be below the water line. {thats a concern** If it is a deck drain it should have had some type of "check" valve/flapper incorporated into it. But it's still below the water line.

C** What you are calling a Splashwell drain is indeed the splashwell drain.

I do not see a bilge drain properly located in any event. Just my observations..please chime in anyone.

A. If your bilge drain is draining water out of your transom instead of your bilge, you've got big problems.

B. The deck drain is plugged while on the water:
http://www.iboats.com/Attwood-Drain-Plugs/dm/cart_id.513527161--session_id.101558544--view_id.685763
The drain is plugged from the inside of the boat. If water should accumulate in the deck well and on the deck while the boat is being used, all you have to do is put the boat under power and pull the plug. The water will drain out with the forward motion of the boat, when all the water is gone plug the drain again before stopping the boat. The deck drain and bilge plugs should both be removed when the boat is trailered and not in use.

All 3 of the drains on that transom are factory installed and it's kind of unusual to find one of these older boats with 3 drains, usually it's just the splashwell and deck drains with no bilge drain.

 

[kcassells]

J

A. If your bilge drain is draining water out of your transom instead of your bilge, you've got big problems.

B. The deck drain is plugged while on the water:
http://www.iboats.com/Attwood-Drain-Plugs/dm/*******.513527161--**********.101558544--view_id.685763
The drain is plugged from the inside of the boat. If water should accumulate in the deck well and on the deck while the boat is being used, all you have to do is put the boat under power and pull the plug. The water will drain out with the forward motion of the boat, when all the water is gone plug the drain again before stopping the boat. The deck drain and bilge plugs should both be removed when the boat is trailered and not in use.

All 3 of the drains on that transom are factory installed and it's kind of unusual to find one of these older boats with 3 drains, usually it's just the splashwell and deck drains with no bilge drain.

Grub,
Just spent some time looking into the 1983 Ozark T-164... specs and info. I found no definitive anything that what you are saying is factory installed in regards to the transom.. Can you provide that info. for me/us at Iboats? Sure would be appreciated so I have a better understanding.

 

[jigngrub]

J

Grub,
Just spent some time looking into the 1983 Ozark T-164... specs and info. I found no definitive anything that what you are saying is factory installed in regards to the transom.. Can you provide that info. for me/us at Iboats? Sure would be appreciated so I have a better understanding.

We won't know about the Ozark until NSS posts a pic of the outside of his transom.

I posted the pics of the outside of my MFG transom as a "for instance" and to explain the difference between a deck and bilge drain.

 

[kcassells]

Oh I see now what you are saying. I guess I just got all rolled up in confusion of who's boat was under repair. I thought that the pics were of NS's boat. So those were yours. Got ya. What model MFG is that boat? I use to have one also.
Thanks for the clarification.

 

[jigngrub]

Oh I see now what you are saying. I guess I just got all rolled up in confusion of who's boat was under repair. I thought that the pics were of NS's boat. So those were yours. Got ya. What model MFG is that boat? I use to have one also.
Thanks for the clarification.

It's a 1967 Corvette CV 15

 

[kcassells]

It's a 1967 Corvette CV 15

They use to make the fiberglass shell for the corvette car. Here's a great read of MFG;

http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/MFG