First rebuild - '89 Campion Allante 185 - Stringers, Deck, Transom

[Woodonglass]

If I was doing your transom I'd build it using 1/4" ext. grade plywood and laminate l pieces together to get to 1 1/2". If you make transom clamps like these...

and clamp each layer one at a time, it will conform to the curve and be strong as heck. I'd use TiteBond III wood glue and clamp each lamination for and hour before doing the next layer. In one day you're tansom will be done and match the curve perfectly. NOTE" first layer should be glued to the outer skin with Peanut Butter. All the rest you use TB III. Make the transom about 1/2" short all the way around so after it's all done you can fill the GAPS with Peanut butter and form a cove for the fabric application. Hope this makes sense. If not PM me your contact info and I'll call you and talk you thru the process

this is another option as well and use 3/8 or 1/2" plywood,,,

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...ons-on-curved-transom?p=10490831#post10490831

 

[steve_h7]

If I was doing your transom I'd build it using 1/4" ext. grade plywood and laminate l pieces together to get to 1 1/2". If you make transom clamps like these...

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i1018.photobucket.com\/albums\/af303\/WoodOnGlass\/transomClamps.jpg"**[/IMG2]

and clamp each layer one at a time, it will conform to the curve and be strong as heck. I'd use TiteBond III wood glue and clamp each lamination for and hour before doing the next layer. In one day you're tansom will be done and match the curve perfectly. NOTE" first layer should be glued to the outer skin with Peanut Butter. All the rest you use TB III. Make the transom about 1/2" short all the way around so after it's all done you can fill the GAPS with Peanut butter and form a cove for the fabric application. Hope this makes sense. If not PM me your contact info and I'll call you and talk you thru the process

this is another option as well and use 3/8 or 1/2" plywood,,,

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...ons-on-curved-transom?p=10490831#post10490831

Thanks WOG!
That makes perfect sense and the 1/4" method sounds pretty straight forward so that's how I'll proceed. Do you coat any or all of the laminates with resin before gluing and clamping?

 

[ACon977]

I knew he had typed it out for someone before, figured I wouldn't fumble around, and just let the master take the wheel instead.

 

[ACon977]

Do you coat any or all of the laminates with resin before gluing and clamping?

And I believe you do wood glue to hold the layers together, Resin and glass the outside to keep water out. Using PB for your adhesive to the hull, and for fillets so your glassing is easier.

 

[steve_h7]

And I believe you do wood glue to hold the layers together, Resin and glass the outside to keep water out. Using PB for your adhesive to the hull, and for fillets so your glassing is easier.

:thumb: Thanks Austin!
And that makes sense and is what I was assuming but you know how that goes. I've seen some debate about if glass is needed between it and the hull but seems like cheap insurance.
I'm not looking forward to getting all that wood out. It's not nearly as rotted as I was hoping for! But it's good to know exactly what I need for the next step so time to get at it.
Thanks again everyone!

 

[ACon977]

Yup! And a lot of people will glass their Transom before installing, but your is not the case, since you will have to do it in layers and slowly build it up.

So you will need to chip, grind, scrape the old wood off, then grind it down to fresh glass, then cut your first layer and put PB all over the transom. Then put your first layer on with the clamps and whatnot. Then after that is cured, you put wood glue onto that exposed face, and build up your layers that way until you are at you 1 1/2" thickness.

Then you will put a layer (or 2 most likely) of glass over the top. Use PB to create Fillets between the hull and the transom so your glass will have something to sit on. Its also probably worth sanding down the edges of your transom so its easier to fold over the corners.

This may have been repetitive, but just wanted to make sure each step makes sense! Good luck!

 

[Woodonglass]

That’s ^^^^ exactly right!!!

 

[steve_h7]

That’s ^^^^ exactly right!!!

:thumb:
I thank you both so much for all your help!!

Got started on it today and have about 1/3 ripped out. Almost all is wet but none is rotted, which makes it slow going. But it has allowed me to get a couple of good templates of sections too so it seems a bit like a double edged sword. I'm learning so much with each new part I get to... thanks to all for getting me going in the right direction! :joyous:

 

[steve_h7]

Old transom is out and I started a little grinding but have a rookie question...
When I get to an area that looks like strands, do I keep grinding till I get to solid fiberglass (hull)? I just didn't want to grind too far and create another boo boo. Some pictures:
First is an example of the "strands" and not sure if I should keep grinding till they're gone...
Second is what looks like a factory defect on the hull as there's another one on the same spot but opposite side. Try and fix or just leave it and continue?

Thanks!

 

[Woodonglass]

As long as the "Strands" area are well attached then here's what I'd recommend. Mix ups some Peanut butter using only cabosil. Use a bondo spreader or plastic putty knife and fill in all the voids with the PB. Make sure to scrub it clean with hot soapy water first, let it dry, then wipe down with acetone prior to applying the PB. This includes the Factory BooBoo too!!

 

[steve_h7]

Will do! Thanks!

 

[steve_h7]

The grinding continues but never having done it before I'm overly paranoid that I'm going to go too far! So questions... should the area around where the stringer be flat with the hull? I'm assuming so but I'm not sure if the remaining fiberglass is from the tabbing on the original stringers or what. There's a ton of chopped strand in the bottom of the area where the stringers were and I can dig at the base of vertical pieces of glass and it's almost hollow so I just want to verify I should grind both the sides down all the way down to the hull.
The majority of the hull is just sort of a discolored yellowish color from the foam but nothing is really on it, but it does change to a little lighter color when I grind it with the 50 grit wheel. Does that all need to be ground so it's all the lighter color? Or just scuffed up ?
And lastly you can see the similar vertical pieces of glass where the original transom layers were and looks like the old stringer area. Should all those be ground down flat to the hull too? Hopefully the pictures will kind of illustrate what areas I'm talking about. It seems like the large flat areas of the hull would be faster with a belt sander... do people use those too or mainly just a grinder? And if so, same grit (36-50) for a belt?
Thanks!

 

[Mechanicalmike08]

You want it mostly flat but you only need to take it down to good stuck on glass. If the old tabbing is good and stuck then there's no need it grind it all the way down to the hull. All the stringy fibers need to go and then blend everything down to good stuck on glass.

I found the 36 grit flat disk to be best for the big knock down of lips and high spots, once it got close to the hull or flatter sections switching to a flap disc seemed to work better as there was more contact area

 

[froggy1150]

So one of the tools in my arsenal was something I inherited from my dad. It's a "polisher" from the late 50s / early 60s. It's a heavy workhorse! I have a rubber backer pad and run either 16 grit or 36 grit resin backed Sanding disks. Don't know how well newer ones work but they should be fine. Mine will rip your arm off if it gets hung up. I can bear down on it and it digs.....

 

[steve_h7]

Great information, thank you to you both! I'll get some larger grit because it is taking a long time on those very high spots. I've started cutting some down closer to the hull with a Dremel but a larger grit would probably make a lot quicker work to at least get down towards the hull before switching to a finer grit.

 

[ACon977]

Good work Steve, grinding to the hull is the thing that made me the most nervous, but you just gotta do it. Those strings will not give good adhesion for ya, same with the yellow paint or residue. get it gone if you are gonna be glassing to that surface. you only want the "pink" resin

 

[steve_h7]

:thumb: Thanks Austin... I just have to keep saying to myself, "It's fiberglass... if I wreck it I can fix it."

 

[ACon977]

For sure, and the thing I kept telling myself was, if I have to grind out everything I'm doing now because I tried to take a shortcut and messed it up..... I would not be a happy camper

 

[Woodonglass]

What are you using to Grind with? I'd HIGHLY recommend you get a Multitool. It will cut the stringer channels almost Flush to the hull with EASE!!! You can then use 24-36 grit Resin Coated Grinding discs with a rubber backer pad to quickly do the hull. Everything everywhere need to be flat and light colored. Harbor Freight has everything you need.

https://www.harborfreight.com/variab...ool-63111.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/catalo...%2Cf&q=grinder

https://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-2...-pc-69622.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-i...scs-60290.html

Oh by the way, You're really not an iBoater until you've put a hole in something that's not supposed to have one!!!:faint2:

 

[steve_h7]

What are you using to Grind with? I'd HIGHLY recommend you get a Multitool. It will cut the stringer channels almost Flush to the hull with EASE!!! You can then use 24-36 grit Resin Coated Grinding discs with a rubber backer pad to quickly do the hull. Everything everywhere need to be flat and light colored. Harbor Freight has everything you need.

https://www.harborfreight.com/variab...ool-63111.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/catalo...%2Cf&q=grinder

https://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-2...-pc-69622.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-i...scs-60290.html

Oh by the way, You're really not an iBoater until you've put a hole in something that's not supposed to have one!!!:faint2:

I have all of those goodies, or ones like them.
I've been grinding with a HF 4 1/2" grinder with the 36 grit disk. It does go pretty fast but I was less worried about how long it took rather than if I was mistakenly going too far. I just wasn't sure how far to grind.
I've seen the oscillating multitool suggested and so I bought this one:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dremel-...Accessories-and-Storage-Bag-MM30-04/206360248

But honestly I find it painfully slow. Maybe I'm using it wrong but I really found it cutting so slowly that I've hardly used it during the demo. I've found this little blade in a Dremel rotary tool to cut much, much faster, just fwiw:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dremel-...berglass-Plastics-and-Laminates-543/202315728

Mine has the EZ lock and it lasts a long time. I'm only on my second blade.
I do have some very thick vertical 'glass pieces that I can't get the blade too very well and so I was thinking of ordering some of the 18 grit wheels and then switching back to 36 grit once I get through those. I can't find any 18 grit locally.

But like I said the question was more because I've never done any grinding of fiberglass and just not sure how far down I was suppose to take it. With yours and everyone else's assurance I feel better about being more brutal. Thanks for the help!!