Shadow Bass Boat Restore

[Get-it-Wet]

I have a shadow bass boat, not sure of the year yet, that i am replacing the transom, stringers, and the deck for. it is an 18' boat, i have the top off and the transom out. my questions are what is the best way to remove the foam that they "injected" under the deck, is there another purpose for this foam other than support, what is the best way to replace the foam when i get to this stage, and am i in the right forum to be asking these questions? pictures will be coming soon so you can get a visual.

any help would be appreciated

 

[oops!]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

my questions are what is the best way to remove the foam that they "injected" under the deck, is there another purpose for this foam other than support, what is the best way to replace the foam when i get to this stage.

any help would be appreciated

1....yep....you are in the right place !

2.....many ways......razor knife....chain saw....freekin crowbar !......or my personal fave....a pick axe with a wide blade on one side......comes out like butter.

3...purpose for foam.......anti crush against the hull....(structural support) emergency flotation. and besides that....water sucking foam allways rots the stringers so the person ahs to buy a new boat !

4. use the same pour in foam that they did.....however...to cut the costs of the stuff....use rigid or other pieces of closed cell foam to fill the void areas and let the new stuff expand to fill every crack and crevice.

cheers
oops

 

[oops!]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

oh....sorry....

4. to replace foam....cut a series of 3 inch holes in the deck AFTER you screw it down to the stringers AND BEFORE you glass it in. pour the foam thru these holes......use the hole saw cut outs to fill the hole back in (epoxy or resin them back in place.

the holes will also allow the foam to expand out of the cavety without warping your hull

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Oops, thanks for the reply and the info. Could you explain in laymens terms the difference between a chemical bond and a mechanical bond in reference to fiberglassing? (i think i am asking that right). i am about 5 pages in to your resto link (my vision and my thinking are getting blurry) and some of you guys are talking way over my head!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Could you explain in laymens terms the difference between a chemical bond and a mechanical bond in reference to fiberglassing?

Ayuh,.... I ain't Oops, but I'll give it a shot....

The chemical bond occurrs when the 1st layer of resin/ glass has kicked off, but isn't completely cured yet, 'n you add another layer of resin/ glass...

The mechanical bond occurrs when the base material your workin' on it Hard...
Then you have to sand it with reasonably coarse sandpaper to give it enough tooth to mechanically bond the new to old...

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

I have a shadow bass boat, not sure of the year yet, that i am replacing the transom, stringers, and the deck for. it is an 18' boat, i have the top off and the transom out. my questions are what is the best way to remove the foam that they "injected" under the deck, is there another purpose for this foam other than support, what is the best way to replace the foam when i get to this stage, and am i in the right forum to be asking these questions? pictures will be coming soon so you can get a visual.

any help would be appreciated

As far as removal of the foam.. a Drywall knife/saw works wonders. Also a compressor if you have one. ( try making slit cuts along the outer edge here and there in your foam..then blast with air in these holes to try to pop the foam from your glass. this works sometimes to loosen larger chunks of foam from the glass ). It also depends on the design of the filled foam. DO NOT blow air into stringers filled with foam. just the underside of decks.

YD.

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Thanks for the help. I have the old transom out (came out in pieces) and one foot in front of the transom area cleared out. Now I have to grind everything down to get it ready for fiberglass.

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Okay, I am trying to upload some pics so we will see how this goes. Two pics you can see the old rotten transom I removed along with the foam I was talking about. In another photo there is an odd box that they filled with foam, there was one on either side of the boat, anyone know what those were for?

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

ok, so attaching photos is not working so well, what is the best method?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

I like using the method posted in my signature. You might give it a try.

I'm just sayin...

 

[jonesg]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

In another photo there is an odd box that they filled with foam, there was one on either side of the boat, anyone know what those were for?

The thinking is foam that is above the deck will prevent the boat from going turtle if swamped.

In practice it retains water to make certain the transom will rot to mush.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Put a Rapid Strip by Norton (Home Depot or any hardware store) on the end of a drill and have at it. You will remove the foam with ease and it will wire brush the stringer, hull, etc leaving nothing. Worked like a dream for me when I removed all the foam. Wear goggles and long sleeves!!

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Yes, as you can tell, these boxes soaked up all available water then concentrated it on the wood below them!

As I started my tear down, someone told me to either do the transom or the stringers first, then do the other. So I decided to jump on the transom area first and got it and about one foot in front of it. Now I am trying to grind out all of the old fiberglass and it occured to me, how much is too much and how much is enough? I have not found much information about how Shadow Bass Boats were built, but I am thinking that it will be epoxy going back in. This is my first boat resto and only the second boat that I have owned, so I could use the help. I have been going through some of the old restos you guys have done and they are alot of good advice.

By the way, I have pictures to post, but seem to be clueless as to get them on this site (wierd because I haven't heard of anyone else having trouble). When I get it worked out, I will show some of my slow progress.

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Here is the workspace, not a whole lot of room when it is inside, but no bad weather and there are plenty of tools nearby.

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

There was so much water soaked up in the transom and the "evil" foam that even after all that grinding I still seemed to find water trapped in one of the layers of glass!

Okay, so how much grinding is too much? and how much is not enough? How do you know where to stop?

One more question, are these stringers, are they wood, or are they foam? How would I know and should I tear these out just to see?

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

I got back on the boat today for more grinding so that I can be ready to go back in with the transom soon. Seems as though every time I go back to work on the boat, I come back with more questions than answers. One more question, I really hope someone replies with some help, I still have the boat on the trailer, the cap off, and the transom area almost completely ground out and ready. When I started I measured a spot on the hull just forward of the transom and it seems as though it has spread almost one inch. Is this something to be terribly concerned with? My plan is to put the cap back on for fit, then remove again to put the transom in because I cannot do it with the cap on.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Get some straps around her ASAP to maintain the hull shape. She WILL distort if you don't and it will be a PITA to get the Top cap back on. Good thing you took prelim measurements so you can get her back into form.


I'm just sayin...

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

ttt

 

[Get-it-Wet]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

Ok, I know that I am asking alot of questions (hopefully someone will start answering), but one more that I am running into is that there is not alot of info on shadow boats. I have run across some info and more people that think they know. But, when I follow up, it turns out they did not know what they thought they did So, before I try to buy the resin, can anyone help me either determine what type of resin they might have used and if there is any way I can figure this out by looking at it? I know that epoxy will stick to poly, poly will stick to poly but not epoxy, and if I understand it right ve will stick to both. I have been trying to make the best decision, or at least a good one, but there's alot of conflicting info. I am pretty confident that it is an '89 shadow 18' V hull that needs transom, stringers, and deck replaced. This is my first resto, I have a ton of questions, and the boat was free, so it makes this worth it. I got the boat and trailer, no motor. Trailer needs new tires, lights, and jack that can all be done easily.

Thanks for any help

ps - what was the picture size for the forum?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Shadow Bass Boat Restore

ps - what was the picture size for the forum?

Ayuh,... 480x640 fits nicely in the forum, with good detail, 'n No danm side scrollin'....

The odds are about 99% that your hull was built with Poly resins, 'n repairs can use the same resin...