The inevitable 1973 15 Reinell tri-hull restoration!

[parrisw]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Here you can see a woven tab I used, it layed into here with little to no effort.

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

I don't think you're gunna like the Woven. Its not so nice to work with. Especially the thick stuff.

Nice work. I am with Wood on the woven. It is really hard to work with.

Thanks guys! I think I?m going to take your advice and save myself some trouble. I?ll just finish out the supports and bilge area with the 1708. I?ll check my supplies and see where I am. If I need to, I?ll use the woven to tab the deck to the hull.

Here you can see a woven tab I used, it layed into here with little to no effort.

I?ll go back and check out your thread concerning tabbing. Looks great.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Tabbing the Deck with woven should be ok. Big long runs with nice curves is ok. Tight wraps....Not so good.

 

[parrisw]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Tabbing the Deck with woven should be ok. Big long runs with nice curves is ok. Tight wraps....Not so good.

Yep I agree!! Wrapping a wood stringer would be a pain!

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

The Missus has the camera, so I left with cell phone pics for now. There hasn?t been too much progress. I?ve been busy with work, and not a lot of boat time. But I?m chipping away at it.
I finished glassing in the hull supports and bilge area (with 1708). I also tabbed the transom and added another layer of 1708 to the top where it had gotten thin from sanding.

Now I can begin building the deck. I?ve thought a lot about drainage for under the deck. I?ve read a ton, and even found a guy in Oregon that has a lot of information about old Reinells. He couldn?t find anything on my specific boat, but we discuss possible options. When the gas tank is installed, there is no access to the bilge. So draining into the bilge isn?t an option unless I leave the holes open. And I can?t do that. The other idea I had was to drill two more drains through the transom, one on the outside of each stringer and use a garboard plug in each. Something that I would only open every once in a while to see if there was water under the deck. But drilling two more holes in the transom below the water line just seems like I?m asking for trouble. So I think I?m just going to close it up and fill it with foam. I?ll still be able to drain water from the deck that ends up in the bilge.

I do have a question. When I pulled the old deck, the chines (?) (the gutters that run along side of the deck) where filled with dry, stringy strands. When I put the new deck in, do I need to fill the chines with something similar? Like chopped up scraps? Or can I just lay the deck down, fillet and tab to the hull, and leave the chines hollow?

 

[Robert D]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Just read what you have so far.....finished my '72 Reinell Tri-Hull a year and a half ago or so. The windshield bolts are 'T' bolts. I recall finding some on the web somewhere, but it was insanely expensive. I picked up some stainless steel ones at a local hardware store, and used my bench grinder to downsize the heads a little. Mine were all rusted out and snapped as well.

By the way, I still find things in the shp with a trace of fiberglass dust on them

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Robert ? Thanks for the tip. I?m all for modifying to save a few $. I?ve come across your threads a few while searching the forums. I noticed you had some of the same symptoms ? 2 x 6 stringers with only 2? of glass on the bottom, the thick resin filler at the edge of the deck, and so on. I may be hitting you up for some ?Reinell? info when I start putting her back together. You did a great job with your boat. It?s always inspiring to see someone get through the dust and make it to the water.

 

[Robert D]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Oh it's definitely worth it. There's no doubt about that. You can't even imagine what you're going to feel when you finally get done.....you'll be cruising along, fully aware of every aspect of that boat, every nut and bolt, every fillet, etc, etc. You can't put a price on knowing what you have, vs 'I wonder what's hiding under the deck from the manufacturer?' I live 4 miles from the Cal Kustom factory that built my boat.....in fact, I deal with them at times as my employer does business with them. I showed them photo's of what shortcuts were taken in 1972......it was one of the older managers that has been there forever confessed up and said they were all doing it....all the manufacturers. He said they knew the foam would get saturated with water within 3 years simply from humid weather conditions, even if water never made it's way down there. The Coast Guard knew this, but it was a requirement to install it anyway. He wondered how many boats went down because of it. Guess what...a new Reinell has foam under the deck. I asked them recently....like a week ago.....are you using closed cell foam? The production manager looked at the other guy, and said, "I'm not really sure what that even is. We do use what is Coast Guard approved though."

The bottom line: I feel safer in my boat than a brand new 2011 Reinell.

Of Interest: They have a large outside area covered by a roof, full of fiberglass molds. Maybe 150 of them. I actually found my model in the huge collection. With one of those, you could easily build your own boat! I offered $1,000 for one of a discontinued model.....and was told they aren't for sale.

The windshield T bolts......by the way, they don't need to be a 'T'. They simply slide into the channel. A flat round head works just as well. I made mine rectangular for a perfect fit, though.

Here's an example of the perfect shaped bolt for your windshiled frame:

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Yeah, the guy I called in Oregon worked with Cal Kustom, a real nice guy. I was looking for any info I could get on my boat. He asked me to send him some pictures of my boat to see what he could find out. He searched around and couldn?t find anything, but I really appreciated the effort.
I like the bladder idea that you used for floatation. I struggled with using foam after the mess I dug out of my boat. I even considered using plastic bottles. In the end I decided to go with foam. I think (hope) the foam of today is better than that of the 70?s. Also, knowing that everything below the deck is totally sealed in glass makes me feel better about it.

Of Interest: They have a large outside area covered by a roof, full of fiberglass molds. Maybe 150 of them. I actually found my model in the huge collection. With one of those, you could easily build your own boat! I offered $1,000 for one of a discontinued model.....and was told they aren't for sale.

Building a boat from the ground up with a mold from the 70?s, now that would be a project!

I started cutting wood for the deck last night. What a great feeling. There?s a 2? drop in the deck where the gas tank sits. I made it a little smaller than the original to give me a little more room for the battery and other gear. I plan on getting the cap back on tomorrow to see how everything fits back together before I continue with the deck. It?s been off for about 6 months, and these triple digit temps have me a little concerned about warping.
Speaking of high temperatures, I did a little patch work today, and I noticed that the resin was pouring a little thicker than usual. I know that heat causes it to react. And it?s been right around 100 here lately, probably a little higher in the garage. Is there a chance that the resin will continue to thicken? And will that effect how well it bonds? I plan on calling the store tomorrow to see what they think.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

I used brass toilet bolts for my windshield

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Wood - I saw where you had mentioned that in another thread. Good idea. I priced them at the local hardware store. Not a bad deal. They look identical to T-bolts. And I would think that the brass would last. I've removed a few toilets here and there, and I don't think I've ever seen them rot or break. I've probably got a couple laying around that I can try on for size.

 

[Robert D]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

The brass should work just as well as stainless I would think.

The triple digit temps......well, some of my restore went on through winter, and I had the garage pretty warm The warmer the temp, the faster it sets up and the shorter the time to work with it. It'll definitely still set up.

The deck....I would recommend putting the cap on, making sure the hull measures out perfectly, and then doing the deck. If you do the deck first, and things are even slightly out of place....you'll have a hell of a time getting the cap to fit. I used 3/4" ACX on my deck, and what worked best in the bow was cutting a large piece of cardboard to the exact size I needed.....easy to do with a box knife in the boat.....then using that as a pattern. It still took 3 or 4 'test fits' to get it perfect. I tapered the front/bow piece where it meets the hull as well, so go slightly oversize on your pattern up in the hull if you want to allow for a taper.

I've been wanting to improve on things......put the front seats in the bow on hinges, and add a couple storage compartments. Maybe an 'anchor box' under the front. Very minor updates to consider after you've done everything else!

I think the easiest part was after the deck was on, i.e.: Prepping the deck topside, the tabbing, etc. Nice flat surface, and you get to sit down for a lot of it I felt so good about how well it turne dout, I hated to cover it with carpet

Home Depot still carries marine carpet by the way. Not the high end real plush stuff, but just fine for a family/fishing/whatever boat.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Great job on your build. I'm very impressed with your glassing, very very nice. So far, so good. Keep the pics coming.

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Thanks for the input guys!

RD - Yeah, I've been a little concerned with how to get the bow piece to fit right. A template makes good sense. I like the idea of a tapper. It'll give me a better fit, and less PB to fill in. I found three nice sheets of 3/4" exterior ply wood a couple of weeks ago. It's been laying flat on my garage floor with weight on top. I flip it on occasion to keep it flat.

TC - Thanks! I really appreciate that. I'm working through the weekend, so I won't get any boat time until Monday evening. I'll have some more pictures then.

I had a couple of hours yesterday. I managed to drop the cap back on. Everything lined up well. I kept straps on the hull while the cap was off, and I think that really helped. I mentioned earlier, I had cut the top when I thought this was just a transom repair. As much as I would like to start in on the deck, I'm thinking that I should repair the cap before I move on.

I'm still a little concerned with the 2 1/2 gals. of resin I have. I called the manufacturer. It sounds like the heat is really testing the shelf life. They suggested that I take the top of off the drum and stir it really well and then store in smaller containers, preferably somewhere cooler. He said that I may have a "Jelly fish" forming in the middle. The concern there would be that I'm not getting enough bonding agent in my pour. He also said that I could thin with Styrene, up to 10%. Where do you get styrene? I'm going to need another 5 gals. before I'm done, so I may just order that now, and use the thicker stuff for my PB to fillet the deck and bond to the stringers.

 

[Robert D]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Oh wow....I didn't realize you were talking about the straight resin starting to solidify! Better keep it cool, that's for sure.

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Yes indeed. These temps are unusually high for this time of year, even for Texas. I work in a detached garage. I can heat it up in the winter, but cooling is another story. I?ll see what I have when I get home. If the resin I have is toast, I?ll go ahead and order the next 5 gals. There?s plenty to be done while I wait for that to arrive. Maybe I can have them send it in metal cans next time. I can keep the cans inside the house, but those plastic tubs just don?t contain the smell.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Try putting some plastic over the top of the bucket before you put the lid on. that should help seal the odor in.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Sorry I haven't chimed in more, been a bit busy....your glass job looks great...keep up the work, you'll be there in no time.

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Thanks Cadwelder!

Hey Wood, I?ll give that a try. I think I?ll also double bag it in garbage bags and keep it in a back closet. The smell was pretty strong when it was delivered in the sealed bucket, in packing peanuts, in a sealed cardboard box.

I went ahead and ordered another 5 gals. of resin (I?m going to need it anyway) and 10 more yards of csm. I also ordered a pint of styrene to thin what I have a little. While I?m waiting for that to arrive, I can fix the cap, cut the deck and start on the console supports.

Here?s a picture of where I cut the cap.

I?ve measured out 4 inches on each side of the cut. There?s a ? plywood support that runs under the cap. I can screw a metal brace across the gap from underneath to line it all up while I glass it back together. I plan on grinding a tapper towards the cut, and then using a layer of csm, two layers of 1708, and another layer of csm. Then make a paste of waxed resin and micro balloons to smooth out and sand. I don?t think it needs that much strength, but it?s about a ?? thick at the top, and I need to build it up. I?ll also remove the snaps that are in the way. Does 4? seem far enough out? That?s an 8? patch for a ? inch gap.

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Good news! I pulled the top off of the tub with the ?thicker? resin. No Jellyfish! And it?s no thicker than it was before! I gave it a good stir before I put the top back on. I used it to start re-joining the cap. It seemed to wet out the glass just fine.

I couldn?t hold the cap in place and screw the supports in at the same time, so I ended up using clamps on the inside of the cap. I can go back and add the braces later. After the first part sets up, I can go back and cover the small area left under the clamps. I used a belt sander with 40 grit to remove the surface to be glassed. It only took about 10 minutes. It wasn?t as thick as I thought. You can see where I actually got in to the wood underneath.

At this point there is one layer of csm, and one strip of 1708 over the cut on each side. I wanted to see how thick it would be before continuing.

I think another layer of csm over this should be plenty. It?s not a lot of glass, but when I brace the plywood underneath, it should be as strong as before.