Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

[Woodonglass]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Tomorrow, I start measuring everything out and start the demolition. At the same time I'll be looking for a way to get the cap lifted odd of the hull. She is a gnarly beast still weighing in at at least 400#.

Uhhmmmm... A case of Beer, 2 8' 4 x 4's and 4 BIG Friends!!!!

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Actually it's draft beer. I have a kegerator. That was plan A. I'm well beyond that now.

Tonight we got the cap up on 4x4s so we have free access underneath of it. All of the places where rail hardware is bolted down has wood glassed in place. I thought that it'd be a long strip of wood, but they just put it where it was needed. Score one for me! Yay something easy.

I found that I can rent a hand cranked material lift for $26.00 for a night. It has a lift capacity of 650 pounds. I will slide the cap off of the hull toward the lift so that the lift gets completely underneath of it. I will probably strap the cap below the lift and get it to a point where it is balanced. The slowly back away and when clear let the cap down. Worst case, I'll have some friends over to add some extra stability.

BUT... Tomorrow night, the cap will be off and on the ground.

One thing to add. I picked up this sandblasting rig.

It is an air supplied unit that runs off of a compressor. If anyone ever asks me what I recommend for PPE, this is it. This is the cat's meow. The best thing since sliced bread. etc... I was sweating like a banshee and the air blows through a diverter at the top of the head in the helmet. I had a cool breeze down my face and on my head. It was very comfortable. The glass needs to be sealed a bit better, but some cloth affixed to the edge of the glass takes care of that. This thing is slick!

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

One of those breakthrough days!

Yesterday I was trying to work out a deal with a local renatl company. They don't wheel and deal, but the operations guy said he'd work with me and knock the price down on an extending forklift. The price would still be over $250.00. He suggested that I look at a duct lift. They had one that lifts up to 650 pounds. I mulled it over and looked at the dimensions of the lift and concluded that it might just work.

So here is the lift with straps wrapped around the cap to hold it to the forks.

The back side. I put blocks between the rail and the body to keep the stresses down on the rail.

And Voila' Cap on the ground. Single handed too. My wife was there just in case and held some things steady, but all in all, it was a non event. Total rental time of the lift? 2 hours.

Here is what they look like. Definitely worth the $31.00 rental.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

The cap removal went so quickly, that I had time to do many other little tasks. I measured out all of the stringers. With the help of the DW, we took rail measurements every foot from transom to bow. I even suited up and went to work on the hull. I got almost all of the deck removed and most of the bulkheads are cut through now.

Here I took the sawzall and ran patterns through the flotation.

After unsuiting to cool off and get some water, I took a crowbar and removed almost all of the flotation from the port side.

This was a very very productive day.
I am taking the day off of work tomorrow and my goal is to have all of the bulkheads and stringers removed. I also need to strip down the transom. If I get really productive, I plan on doing some sanding as well.

And today I received my first shipment of materials!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

WHOA!!!! SLOW DOWN!!!! Man you are Flying!!!!! If you keep going like this you'll have to buy another boat next month just so you'll have something to work on. That hoist was very Kool and very cheap. Looks like it could be used for I/O removal as well. Good to know the Forced Air unit is working well too. It will be interesting to see how it works when the fiberglass dust starts to fly during grinding.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Full speed ahead!

Today was one of those days where things go fast and then slow and then fast again. Somewhere in the middle you stop and evaluate your progress and determine that you haven't gotten nearly enough done. Then at the end of the day, you look back and think, "Darn, I did get a lot done after all." And that was with a Sawzall cord going bad. I eventually broke down and took about 10 minutes to split the connector and solder the wires back into place.

The day started with stripping the transom of everything that had been left hanging off of it. Inside and out. Then there were measurements to be taken.

I had hoped to get all of the stringers and bulkheads removed. As you can see, it didn't happen. A good 2/3 of them are now gone. It was darn hot under the canopy and tarps today. That is my excuse

Another goal today was to get the transom pulled. It was cooler at the stern so I cut and hacked away and voila'. The transom is now destined for the trash. It is kind of hard to see in the picture, but the transom wasn't even attached to the fiberglass. That's the 2 big light spots. That will certainly not occur again.

if you notice, there are several holes at the base of the transom. The 3 biggest will be reused, so I'm going to use them with some all thread and clamps at the top for squeezing the new wood to the old fiberglass.


The old transom. It was water logged and delaminating in a bad way. totally rotted out. I will use it as a template, however, I am thinking of lowering the drain about 1/2". I'll deal with that when I get to it though.

A bright spot. After cutting out the stringers and bulkheads, the roving(?) that they used for tabbing everything in place can be peeled up fairly easily. I'm thinking that once I get it started, I can use a flat spade to pry up each section. I'll still have to sand all of the hull, but I may not have to sand and sand and sand through most of these layers. This could be a real timesaver and even give me a better surface to bond to when I start glassing everything in place.

Who knows, I might have a lot of the hull down to decent glass tomorrow with plans to get the transom built on Sunday.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

You might want to consider building and using some transom clamps to get more uniform clamping pressure during installation.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

I think that you'll be pleased with my clamping arrangement. I certainly want even pressure across the entire transom. I'll do a mockup and test run before the actual installation. I'll post pics. It has to be better than what Stratos did.

And the outer layer of the transom is THICK!


On another note. I've thought about getting cheap on flotation. Many of my bulkhead chambers that need foam have enough room for 2 liter bottles. With caps on, those things will last for many years. I'm thinking of putting some in each compartment and using a false deck technique. Has anyone tried that before?

 

[Teamster]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

I don't like the pop bottle idea,.......

I would have to think that the foam helps provide some structural strength,............

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

On another note. I've thought about getting cheap on flotation. Many of my bulkhead chambers that need foam have enough room for 2 liter bottles. With caps on, those things will last for many years. I'm thinking of putting some in each compartment and using a false deck technique. Has anyone tried that before?

Pop bottles and plastic jugs have been used, none that I have read about have ever been "TRIED"...
Heck, I remember an episode of "Mythbusters" that floated a boat with ping pong balls...
Pool noodles have also been used, as well as pink and blue colored insulation panels from the big box stores...
I don't doubt that those two might work in case of emergency, but, and you knew there was a but coming, I can't seem to find where any of them are USCG approved or recommended...
That's my 2?...

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

My thought was to use the bottles to take up some space within the foam as it was poured. Just a wild idea.

I'm familiar with USCG regulations. We waded through them when we did a complete refit of this ship. That's where I learned that I love working with Furuno electronics. Full installation of auto pilot, AIS, satellite compass, Inmarsat phone.

The picture was taken in Salinas Ecuador. On the back deck you can see a dark curve. Those are the blowers that were removed prior to it going from Mobile Al. via the Panama Canal to Ecuador.


I also learned that working in dusty bulkheads in the Alabama heat really sucks too.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Well, lucky for me, the old tabbing was not adhering all that well. I spent the morning peeling off all of the old tabbing. I will have some sanding to do, but not nearly the grinding that I was expecting. In probably 95% of places, I am down to hull material.

I spent the rest of the hot and sticky afternoon finishing the removal of the last of the stringers and bulkheads. There were some extra ones in the bow which were spaced close enough to be a real pain.

On the right, you can see the tabbing has been removed. The left will go tomorrow.

After some sanding and spot grinding, it is my hope to have the boat prepped for transom reinsertion. I've read WOG's guide enough times so that I don't expect it to be a real big issue. I'll get that puppy epoxied in and the back nice and flat.

Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully I'll have the transom area prepped.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

August 28th, 2013.... One of the most miserable days of my life. Hull sand down day!

We all know that air in a compressor tank can get hot if the compressor runs quite a bit. Even though air gets colder in the transition from high pressure to low, it can still be fairly warm. My son brews beer and has a coil of copper that they use to cool the beer immediately after brewing. This made the day bearable. The air coming into the sandblasting helmet was quite cool and even though it was sweltering, I felt pretty darn good.

All geared up.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

If you are reading this thread and are considering rebuilding your boat, be warned. You will have at least one day like this and they suck

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Foreshadowing?

August 28th, 2013.... One of the most miserable days of my life. Hull sand down day!

:sleeping:

My son brews beer and has a coil of copper that they use to cool the beer immediately after brewing. This made the day bearable.

hmmm working in a beer scented & cool air environment. Yep, I could do that :laugh:

Looks like the end of a huge day of grinding. Nice work!

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

But the results are well worth the effort. I am not quite finished. I have a few touch up spots and still have to finish the transom, but overall it looks good



Before

After

I did have an "almost" oops. The white of the gelcoat is close to showing. I'll be mixing up enough epoxy over the next week or two so patching it won't be an issue.

And the reward for a long 3 days of boat refurb...

I will finish out the rest of it tomorrow and hopefully be ready to start getting the transom together. I'd like to get it installed by Wednesday. Then I can start the layout of the stringers.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Congratulations on surviving the worst possible job that awaits all fiberglass boat restorers...and doing what looks like an excellent job on getting most of the nasty work done!
Have an extra two fingers of Dewar's on me, you earned it!
Happy Monday!

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

It was a slow work day today. Suited up and did some touch up sanding and had to fight wood layers on the transom. They did a real crappy job when they made the transom.

Also stopped by the local credit union. With my credit rating, I can get 1.39% interest for a 3 year loan. That is some darn cheap money. Lucky for me cause it will definitely help with my boat restoration motivation.

One of the great things about being debt free. But here in a few days, I'll not be debt free any more.

 

[bakerjw]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Today it begins. The hull is stripped bare and the transom is going to be prepared and put into place in the next 2 days.

I need advice on how much PB to mix up to get good coverage. The transom area measures 84" x 31" The transom wood will be smooth, but the transom fiberglass has some waves on the inside. I've read WOGs guides and am using that as a starting point. I certainly don't want to get caught short, but I don't want to end up wasting too much epoxy.

84 x 31 gives 2604 square inches.
At 1/8" inch thickness, I get 325.5 cubic inches. That equates out to 1.4 gallons.
Does that sound right? I know some will ooze out but as I said, I don't want to get caught with 1/2 a gallon on my hands and no where to put it.

Also, should the consistency be like peanut butter or more like toothpaste? I'd think that thinner would be better.

 

[Teamster]

Re: Stratos 1850 possible rebuild?

Okay,.......I know nothing about glassing but I'll take a guess,...

Can the epoxy be mixed to "kick" a little slower????

Would it make sense to have stuff ready for another part of the boat if you end up with to much epoxy so you could use it somewhere else????

I hope someone gives you a good answer,........