Transom replacement- need glassing advice (caution - fun inside)

[JASinIL2006]

Normally, mat side goes down to help bind the cloth to the surface you're glassing. I used 1708 for tabbing. CSM just doesn't have strength, so it doesn't help much to tab with it.

 

[AShipShow]

Yep, use 1708 for pretty much anything structural, CSM should only be used for waterproofing or giving a smooth top layer over 1708.

 

[hanslanda]

Had a pretty busy beginning to this summer so i'm a little behind schedule. In fact i have about 3 weeks before the shelf life of my vinylester is junk so ill be getting going this and next week here.

Wanted to share some pictures of the bilge fun i have NOT been having. The center of the bilge area of this boat was built like ****. The center of the bilge was resin just pooled with zero fiberglass in it. Thus it cracked. It cracked all the way to the keel, as i would expect it to- bearing loads with no supporting glass in the resin.

The transom was a SINGLE layer of woven fiberglass, stretched to both sides of the boat. All the fillers used were glass mat, and in a lot of cases, just resin.

I will be home brewing my own transom here. There will likely be a few layers of 1708, followed up by a layer of woven. Fillers will likely be strategically placed layers of 1708 coupled with some peanut butter and csm.

Wood is in and the 2 pieces are cut. 3/4" Miranti

 

[hanslanda]

Small update 7/25


Transom is glued and screwed. Stringer foam is on its way. Deck wood is on its way. Today i'm rebuilding the stringers with 1708, as well as resin and csm coating the transom. Given some good curing tonight ill mount up the transom tomorrow. Should be foam filling stringers mid week, and decking late next week.

 

[gm280]

Isn't it amazing to see how the "factory" actually made these boats.The more you cut into one, the less you think of the manufacturer's efforts. I guess they slap them together and let the buyer deal with it all later on down the road. Sad, but so many do things that way...

Once you rebuild this back, it will be so much solider then original, and you will be proud of it knowing it! JMHO

 

[hanslanda]

9/2/2020 UPDATE

Some work was slightly halted due to some pretty crazy weather we've been having. I have finished capping off all the tops to the stringers. I have my new pass-through's PB into place. I only need to finish the two mid sections that go over the pass-through's and the stringers are done with fiberglass. Transom is cut and sealed. I only need to grind up some of the edges and mount/tab it.

QUESTIONSS for deck

Does this get coated in CSM after its tabbed in? Just the top or both top and bottom? What do you recommend for wood thickness? If i do even a single layer of CSM over my entire deck i imagine that will eat GALLONS of resin all on its own... so should i just use poly for that instead of vinyl?

Cheers!

 

[sphelps]

I would put a layer of csm /poly on the bottom side of the deck ply before installing . Then tab into the sides with 1708 .
Youcould get away with just a couple layers of csm on the topside if you want . Or use the 1708 ..

 

[hanslanda]

I would put a layer of csm /poly on the bottom side of the deck ply before installing . Then tab into the sides with 1708 .
Youcould get away with just a couple layers of csm on the topside if you want . Or use the 1708 ..

So you recommend at minimum sealing the bottom with poly, but prefer to use at least one layer of csm over the bottom?

What would be the preference for topside? 1708 is better on resin anyways.

 

[sphelps]

Yes poly alone will just crack . The 1708 will leave the weave pattern that’s all . Some like it to add texture for non slip..
‘Totally up to you really

 

[hanslanda]

Yes poly alone will just crack . The 1708 will leave the weave pattern that’s all . Some like it to add texture for non slip..
‘Totally up to you really

Roger that. I have no issue using 1708 as it uses much less resin anyways. Just to be clear. One layer of 1708 on the bottom and say maybe 2 layers of 1708 up top? Or one 1708 and one csm layer up top?

 

[sphelps]

1 csm on the bottom to seal it up then one 1708 on top . Look at it . If you don’t like the texture you could add a layer of csm over that to smooth it out .
‘Or for the topside install a layer of csm first then the 1708 with the csm side facing up .. Wet on wet layup ...

 

[hanslanda]

1 csm on the bottom to seal it up then one 1708 on top . Look at it . If you don’t like the texture you could add a layer of csm over that to smooth it out .
‘Or for the topside install a layer of csm first then the 1708 with the csm side facing up .. Wet on wet layup ...

On my 17' boat, how much resin would you approximate that to be? I've been using vinyl-ester for the transom and stringer area. I feel like ill go to poly or isophthalic for this since its flat out cheaper. I'm about 5 gallons of vinyl in, having wasted around a gallon on the stringers using only CSM. Resin is and continues to be the largest cost of this project.

 

[sphelps]

Just guessing and because you need to bed in around the edges with pb at least 3 gallons or so . The pb will burn the resin up quite a bit . That’s just a guess ..

 

[hanslanda]

Just guessing and because you need to bed in around the edges with pb at least 3 gallons or so . The pb will burn the resin up quite a bit . That’s just a guess ..

Thanks sphelps! I'll order up a 4 gallon pack since its the same price as buying 3 individual gallons.

 

[BruceShark]

Looking good so far! Subscribed to keep up with your progress!

 

[hanslanda]

Made some more progress gents! This one made me pretty proud. I am in maybe the last good month of Wisconsin weather so i'm pushing to get what i can done. This created one problem for me; due to a supplier issue i was forced to use a different resin than i have for most of the work. I had to switch to a local supplier (due to availability) using polyester resin.

I made up a thick peanut butter with about 32oz of resin, spread it over the transom surface and boat hull where it mounts and sandwiched them together. Once i mounted the 2x4's and clamped it, a good deal of peanut butter came out from the sides indicating it was relatively flush and there were no voids. Used another 16oz to filet the edges around the transom to prep for tabbing.

Potentially critical question asked potentially far too late. I just did this layup 45 minutes ago... was styrene wax required for this thick a layup? All i used was mekp @ 1.5%. From what i was reading you dont need it for thicker layups (for which i would consider peanut butter to be) so i concluded not needed. Was i wrong and if i was what are my immediate steps?

Vinylester didn't care. It cured hard as a rock with nothing.

 

[hanslanda]

Well good news. This morning the peanut butter seemed to have cured quite well. I also have a 80 degree day today should help finish it off.

I used 1.5% mekp with this poly. It was a middle ground for what this was rated too. I have to mention it does not exotherm like vinyl does. When i mix up some vinyl i do it at 1.25% and within an hour its gel at least already. Yesterday i checked the poly after 4 hours and it was cool to the touch and still pretty liquid. It must have really kicked overnight though. Only a minor Tack to the very top and i have to tab over this anyways still.

 

[hanslanda]

Looking good so far! Subscribed to keep up with your progress!

Very good sir! I took a peak at your thread and you have your work cut out for you! If you have any questions prevalent to just starting out please ask! There have been a lot of lessons learned here in this thread ESPECIALLY if you're new to fiberglassing. I've done things wrong and had to redo them and iv'e flat out bought the wrong things in some cases increasing my overall project cost.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

You can use the surfacing wax on the final layup to help it cure.....that is if you are not painting it or gel coating it. If you use surfacing wax and you intend to add another layup, gelcoat, or paint, then the wax must be removed. In general, surfacing wax is not used in fiberglass layups. The place I bought my resin only gives it to you if you ask for it, and never adds it in the resin or gelcoat they sell.

 

[hanslanda]

You can use the surfacing wax on the final layup to help it cure.....that is if you are not painting it or gel coating it. If you use surfacing wax and you intend to add another layup, gelcoat, or paint, then the wax must be removed. In general, surfacing wax is not used in fiberglass layups. The place I bought my resin only gives it to you if you ask for it, and never adds it in the resin or gelcoat they sell.

Thank you. Most of this will be covered by a single part epoxy bilge paint (Total Bilge).