Grinding hull for new stringers

[proshadetree]

Thats awesome white gel in Tennessee is 200 bollars for 5 galon.

 

[mickyryan]

yup John I got my supply from hills in Daytona but as O said fiberglass supply is just in Melbourne I think or somewhere close and they are who hills buys from so guess if ya wanted to make the trip would be well worth it or go with your local supply you mentioned , it seems same price as hills

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

Was originally going to use 1708 for the stringers and CSM for the deck with a layer or two of tight weave 6oz on top for a smooth finish.

The guy selling me the poly resin has some much thicker biax. I think it is 2408 or even thicker. He will give me an incredible deal on it if I want it. I know it would be harder to work with but would also build up strength and thickness quicker. I would end up using it for both the stringers and the deck. What are the thoughts on this? Should I go the original way or try this? Weight isn't really an issue for the size of job I am doing.

 

[tpenfield]

Nothing wrong with going with the thicker cloth. :thumb:

 

[proshadetree]

I dont see the issue going to a thicker cloth, done it myself when I get a deal on it. Will not on a houseboat roof due to size and weight issues but for most pleasure craft it will not make much diffrence.

 

[JASinIL2006]

For the deck, a lot of it comes down to how you want it to look. Even the 6 oz. over CSM will show some print-through. I would expect 2408 to have a very pronounced texture. 2408 would be very strong, though.

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

For the deck, a lot of it comes down to how you want it to look. Even the 6 oz. over CSM will show some print-through. I would expect 2408 to have a very pronounced texture. 2408 would be very strong, though.

Was actually considering doing a bit of fairing on the deck and sanding to get the smooth feel I want and using SeaDek over that to finish it off in a nice way. Not sure on that right now though.

 

[proshadetree]

Are you gelcoating the deck? Gell will hide the cloth some. Flareing and sanding with 40 befor gel will hode that completely.

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

Are you gelcoating the deck? Gell will hide the cloth some. Flareing and sanding with 40 befor gel will hode that completely.

Honestly at this point I am leaning toward paint. Getting gel right on the floor doesn't concern me as much as getting it smooth and pretty on the walls and gunwales. Doing that with paint would be much easier, and the walls don't take quite the abuse of the floor so it should hold up well if I get a good quality two part and roll and tip it. And if I am putting in SeaDek on the floor then painting would be fine for underneath it.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I topped my deck with 6 oz. cloth and the faired it with fairing compound (fairing powder added to poly resin). I was not shooting for 'perfectly smooth', although I would have tried to get close if I was going to attach SeaDek or something similar. I think those would adhere better with a smooth surface.

I covered mine with Durabak (which I am not crazy about after several seasons) and even with that, I can see the print-thru of 6 oz. glass where I didn't fair.

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

Well I was finally able to get out to the boat. Didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to. My 5 year old had been sick and we had to end up cutting the day short to take him to the hospital for a couple days. He is home now and on the mend, but man that pneumonia is a mean dude. Anyways, before the update I have question. Looking at doing all polyester resin for the stringers and deck after all your input. But didn't know when I put in the waxed resin on the stringers. Do I do all the glass in one layup and just used waxed from the beginning, or do I not worry about wax and just let is slowly cure under the deck (seems like that is a bad idea). Just trying to wrap my mind around when and how to use it. Epoxy is straight forward, but having to use a wax coat to cure poly seems to be throwing me for a loop. Also would love some input on a bedding material for the stringers. Planning on using the foam squares like I have seen many use, but some guys bed it in a peanut butter and others use PL. Any advice from people that have done it would help. Anyways....here is the short update:

Was going to start ripping out the last of the deck, but decided it was time to clean up all the trash and cable and wires from the console first. Actually should have done that last week, but I finally got around to it. Was happy I did it. Found a few things I was planning on having to buy like a battery switch and a fuse box. Will test them and if they are working that is money saved. Got the hydraulic steering system and the wiring harness lines all pulled and wrapped by the motor for now. Will pull them off the motor next week.




Also pulled all the wiring from the boat. I am removing the stereo completely. Just a headache and with todays wireless bluetooth waterproof systems it seems to be a waste and just another place to let water in and something else I will have to replace as it breaks. Man that was a ton of wire. Whoever ran it used home grade wiring and just ran it everywhere. All corroded and junk. This is just a small bit of the wires I pulled.




Also pulled out the old bilge pumps. I will test them. If they still work I will keep em as back ups, but will be replacing them for the start. After the short day I at least now have a cleaned out hull and won't be tripping over garbage as I continue to rip out floor and start the process of grinding and sanding.





Picked up a few flap wheels and hope to get to that point next week. We will see!

 

[Woodonglass]

Looking at doing all polyester resin for the stringers and deck after all your input. But didn't know when I put in the waxed resin on the stringers. Do I do all the glass in one layup and just used waxed from the beginning, or do I not worry about wax and just let is slowly cure under the deck (seems like that is a bad idea). Just trying to wrap my mind around when and how to use it. Epoxy is straight forward, but having to use a wax coat to cure poly seems to be throwing me for a loop. Also would love some input on a bedding material for the stringers.

You don't need to put wax in the poly resin for the stringers or transom. It will cure in week or so. As long as it doesn't get wet before it cures. You might find this informative...
Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

You don't need to put wax in the poly resin for the stringers or transom. It will cure in week or so. As long as it doesn't get wet before it cures. You might find this informative...
Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms

I was under the impression that without a sealing coat to cut off the air the poly would never fully cure, guess I was wrong. You say that you can use 1708 or 6 oz on the stringers....which would you say is best?

 

[ondarvr]

Only the very surface of the resin stays tacky, and it's only for a short time, waxed resin is rarely, if ever, used in boat building.

If the surface gets wet prior to it becoming tack free it may turn white, but only the surface, it will have no effect on the strength, and will typically turn back to the normal color when it drys out.

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

Only the very surface of the resin stays tacky, and it's only for a short time, waxed resin is rarely, if ever, used in boat building.

If the surface gets wet prior to it becoming tack free it may turn white, but only the surface, it will have no effect on the strength, and will typically turn back to the normal color when it drys out.

So if I want to sand it or fair it before paint I can just wait for a few days for the tack to go away?

 

[ondarvr]

If you were going to sand it with fine grit paper in a day or two then wax would help, with a grinder the wax wouldn't make much of a difference in two days.

This time frame can vary with ambient temperature, exact resin and catalyst level.

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

That's great. And if I was to fair any of it with an epoxy fairing compound how long should I wait?

 

[Shakedownscott]

Also would love some input on a bedding material for the stringers. Planning on using the foam squares like I have seen many use, but some guys bed it in a peanut butter and others use PL. Any advice from people that have done it would help.

One thing to remember is that foam squares only really work with epoxy. Polyester resin will melt the foam and turn it to goop. I learned that one the hard way.

I am still working on my first boat project and learning all the time from the great people here. I decided to use polyester resin and made PB for bedding the stringers. I have read about PL having adhesion and outgassing issues with poly resin and decided to stay away from it. PL is a great adhesive but since I am new to all of this I figured I would keep it simple.

 

[ondarvr]

That's great. And if I was to fair any of it with an epoxy fairing compound how long should I wait?

For epoxy fairing compound you need to let it fully cure, then sand 100% of the surface, apply the epoxy, then sand smooth.

For polyester fairing compound you just apply it as soon as the laminate is hard enough and then sand it smooth.

 

[ImJohnnyKelley]

For epoxy fairing compound you need to let it fully cure, then sand 100% of the surface, apply the epoxy, then sand smooth.

For polyester fairing compound you just apply it as soon as the laminate is hard enough and then sand it smooth.

How do I know when it is fully cured? And can I paint over the poly that I let air cure without any wax after it is cured as well?