Author Topic: Floor and transom project (Read 8422 times)

wiliermdb · « **on:** August 18, 2013, 06:21:00 PM »

Started the project today. Removed all the seats, flotation boxes and have motor ready to remove. Took the insert out of the aluminum rub rail and found termites crawling around in there. Crazy. None in the boat so far.

I ended up using a flat bladed shovel to remove the foam flotation. Worked like a charm. One side popped out in one piece.

http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/mdbreecher/slideshow/

wiliermdb · « **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2013, 08:08:54 AM »

Day 2. Got the rub rail and the motor removed before heading off to work. Should have the cap removed by Thursday. After removing the 60 plus screws for the rub rail I see there are about as many screws holding the cap to the hull.

DanR · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2013, 04:08:36 PM »

Fun job. I have done it to every boat I have owned

.

wiliermdb · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2013, 07:28:49 PM »

Not too bad so far. Splitting the hull was a bit easier than I expected. I have all the screws out and it is moving freely. I need to cut the single layer of mat under the splash well that attaches it to the transom and remove the brass drain tube for the splash well and then a couple of fiberglass straps that hold the fuel tank frame to the underside of the bow.

I think while I'm doing all of this I will replace the single stringer just so I know it's done. Hope to have the cap off by Thursday and be able to start tearing out the floor and transom. I would like to have it finished for the first weekend in September.

wiliermdb · « **Reply #4 on:** August 25, 2013, 12:19:23 PM »

Day 3: Got the wife and oldest boy out this morning after I lifted the cap off the hull to help pull the trailer out from under the cap. Lowered the cap down on a couple of sawhorses and a heavy duty table. Went way better than I was expecting.

Started removing the wet, rotted and termite infested transom. Found a great accessory kit for a saws-all that has a 2, 4, 6 inch wide scraper blades and a 4 inch heavy steel bristle brush. After prying away about 75% of the transom I used the 4" scraper to shave the transom and man did it do a quick and easy job. Kind of like using a veggie peeler. Had the transom cleaned off and ready for sanding in about 25 minutes.

Need to remove the seat mounts and floor after lunch.

Check out the progress at my photobucket album.

http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/mdbreecher/slideshow/

Hyperacme · « **Reply #5 on:** August 25, 2013, 12:25:26 PM »

You should be done with the nasty part in no time ...
Glassin' the fun part !
Love the picture with you holding the saws-all ...

dorelse · « **Reply #6 on:** August 25, 2013, 01:08:43 PM »

Quote from: Hyperacme on August 25, 2013, 12:25:26 PM

You should be done with the nasty part in no time ...
Glassin' the fun part !
Love the picture with you holding the saws-all ...

Keep up the good work!

wiliermdb · « **Reply #7 on:** August 25, 2013, 06:45:52 PM »

Wrapped up the day around 5 PM. Attempted to go mow the front yard, got the edging done, started the rider and here came the rain. Had not rained a drop all day until then.

Added a few new pics to the bucket. Have everything removed from the tank back. My stringer looks pretty rough in areas and is rotted in the rear. I will be replacing that as well. I had a ton of termites in the transom wood. There is some really bad glass work in this boat. The roven over the stringer has bubbles and pockets everywhere and there are a ton of holes where it is glassed to the hull. I pressure washed the hull out. It looks nice.

I will work a couple of evenings this week to remove the tank, tank shelf and the rest of the floor. I hate all the wasted space under the tank. I could store the ski ropes and bumpers under there with room left over. I'll start grinding and sanding next week. I'm going out of town to do a bike (bicycle) ride with my brother in Austin on a Formula One rack track. See how many miles I can knock out in the three hour time period. Should be able to knock out 45 - 55 with the few hills on there.

My seven year old wanted to take a couple of pictures of me with the saws-all.

http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/mdbreecher/slideshow/

Hyperacme · « **Reply #8 on:** August 25, 2013, 07:13:32 PM »

Seen that before ...
Were hull drain holes 2 inches above hull ?

Rosscoe · « **Reply #9 on:** August 25, 2013, 08:10:51 PM »

Kicking butt!

Have you taken any precautions to keep the hull in the same shape as when the deck came off?
Not as big of a deal of you're not removing the floor but you are.

Termites in a transom? I'm glad we don't have those buggers up here in Mn

wiliermdb · « **Reply #10 on:** August 26, 2013, 07:54:41 AM »

I took measurements when I popped the cap off at the rub rail area and again where the floor was. Took them again after removing the floor and they are still the same. It sits on a trailer with four boards and is still sitting flat on the boards the full length. It hasn't budged a bit.

Rosscoe · « **Reply #11 on:** August 26, 2013, 08:04:39 AM »

That is good. It would be a real bummer to try to put the cap on and find the hull had spread.

catchnedge · « **Reply #12 on:** August 26, 2013, 08:14:46 AM »

Wow, doing an amazing job... keep up the good work. Love the pic of the top deck hanging under the carport!

I want to see it in person next time you bring it back to Lake Austin!

Mark

wiliermdb · « **Reply #13 on:** September 05, 2013, 08:14:50 AM »

Finished the removal yesterday after work. Had to remove the foot rest (as I call it) board, fuel tank shelf and the remaining floor under there. I did find some manufacturers marks on the underside of the fuel tank shelf for the plywood. I emailed the Lane lumber company located in Oregon and already received a reply.

The original plywood used in my CVX was a fir marine grade plywood. Marine glue and some mild treating is why it lasted so many years even with a shoddy glassing job. Found that interesting.

I plan to start sanding the areas that need to be prepped for future glassing. Hope to get that done this weekend and maybe a couple of evenings next week. After that will be cutting the new floor and transom pieces. Once that's done I'll sit down and figure out what glassing supplies I need and place the order.

wiliermdb · « **Reply #14 on:** September 08, 2013, 08:22:32 PM »

Made some good progress this weekend. http://s1349.photobucket.com/user/mdbreecher/slideshow/

Removed the fuel tank shelf last Wednesday after work and this weekend I removed the bowl area for the bilge pump (which was on heck of a job), the floor that was under the tank and the stringer. The bilge bowl was two layers of woven roven and about a quart of resin. It took about 45 minutes to get it out.

This stringer was a bit of a chore as well. They rolled woven roven from the floor and about 3/4 the way up the stringer. They capped it with a single layer of chopped strand. It was buckled nearly the entire length of the stringer. I was able to pry about 3 feet of it up with a pry bar and then broke out the trusty saws-all and just ran the blade along the side of the stringer from front to back on both sides. From there I was able to remove the top layer of glass and then pry the roven away from the sides of the stringer. Once that was done I had to section the stringer into 3 foot sections and with a couple of shots with a 8 lb. hammer the pieces broke free. They bedded the stringer to the hull with resin paste. My stringer was about 50% rotten and had live termites crawling around.

After a good vacuuming I hit the inside of the hull with the pressure washer and got it nice and clean. I like washing it out after each step. It keeps me much cleaner and less debris moving around with the power tools running. I tell you guys, those scraper blades that fit into the saws-all are a time saver. Anywhere something was tabbed in, it will remove the tabbing like fileting a fish with an electric knife. It just rides on top of the hull surface and the tabbing just comes right off. Saves a bunch of sanding/grinding time. I hit the area with some 60 grit and was done in about one minute per tab area. Beats the heck out of grinding all that stuff down.

Next weekend will be the sanding/grinding chore. Smooth out the area for the stringer, clean up the transom area and where the seat boxes go. I hope to get that job done next weekend and then start getting ready to cut and fit the stringer, transom and floor wood.

dgmeyer · « **Reply #15 on:** September 08, 2013, 10:56:15 PM »

I'm reading this about the hull changing shape and getting nervous since I am in the middle of this too. I measured cross members before I pulled the deck off so I think I will be safe width wise. I screwed those in while I have been working on the boat. I didn't think there would be too much chance the boat would sag from bow to stern because of the Vee shape. Am I right? The back of the boat is sitting on 8' bunks. The bow eye is cinched up against the winch stand roller. And then I jammed a board across the trailer under the keel about 3' back from the bow. I was also able to take my stringers out intact to make new ones and the new ones fit right in without gaps. I'm about ready to put the pourable flotation in and put the floor down. I'm wondering if I shouldn't have a test fitting putting the cap back on before I put the floor down. I'm having nightmares of that top not going back on after all of the time, energy, and money I put into this. I think I might be the slowest guy on the planet since I spent a lot of time this summer getting this far I will say that when I had everything out of the hull it was very floppy.

MarkS · « **Reply #16 on:** September 09, 2013, 04:28:45 AM »

Great progress (on both boats!). Keep up the good work guys.

Don I wouldn't worry too much about the sides bowing out a little. I went to great lengths to prevent this from happening, with bracing under the hull, cross braces, etc.. They (the hull sides) still were a little wider than the cap when I went to reinstall it! I found (with a little advise from others) that the walls of the hull are pretty flexible, you can literally push them in when fitting the cap back down onto the hull. Think of over-stuffing a shoe box, then using your fingers to push the sides in a little at a time as you go along putting the lid back on. - Same principal, just a little larger scale.

dgmeyer · « **Reply #17 on:** September 09, 2013, 07:55:26 AM »

Mark,

Thanks for commenting. I'm not worried about the sides too much because, as you say, the sides are very flexible and I took the precaution of making those 2 x 2 cross braces that you see in the photo. I'm more worried about drooping from front to back (i.e. bow to stern). Have you ever heard of the hull drooping lengthwise because of lack of support? I would think the trailer bunks and the nose resting on the winch stand would prevent that not to mention the vee of the hull. It would be sort of like a banana bending backwards if that makes any sense. It also seems like a 16' hull would be less likely to do this than a longer, heavier one.

Don

Hyperacme · « **Reply #18 on:** September 09, 2013, 07:56:07 AM »

" Think of over-stuffing a shoe box, then using your fingers to push the sides in a little at a time as you go along putting the lid back on. - Same principal, just a little larger scale "

I didn't do my floor, just transom ... and had to do what Mark wrote ...

thedeuceman · « **Reply #19 on:** September 09, 2013, 08:19:41 AM »

When I did the GT-150 it got slightly long bow to stern, had to work it to get it together.
I used foam tape for pickup toppers and had to use KY to get it to slide together.