help me fix my boat

[pina boy]

here i am back again i have taken apart the whole boat the top and everything is off. i have stripped all the wood and foam out. the only thing left is the bottom of the boat. now i'm ready to start rebuilding!!!!!
this is my frist time to totaly rebuild from the hull up floors, stringer and everything. i took one stringer out and i lost the measurments on it, it is 8ft long and 3/4 thick but i don't know the width of the stringer. everything was rotten and i had to dig it out. i was able to get some good peices that were 5 inches in width and some of the peices were 3 & 4 inches wide.
my question is how do i figure out the correct width of my stringer do i need to remove the other stringer (it seems to be fine), but how else will know the correct width?
my other question is do i need to cure the pylwood with epoxy resin before i fiberglass, or is there really any need to put anything on the pylwood before fiberglassing?

help me save my boat and keep me sane

 

[Mark42]

Re: epoxy resin on pylwood or not????

Re: epoxy resin on pylwood or not????

here i am back again i have taken apart the whole boat the top and everything is off. i have stripped all the wood and foam out. the only thing left is the bottom of the boat. now i'm ready to start rebuilding!!!!!
this is my frist time to totaly rebuild from the hull up floors, stringer and everything. i took one stringer out and i lost the measurments on it, it is 8ft long and 3/4 thick but i don't know the width of the stringer. everything was rotten and i had to dig it out. i was able to get some good peices that were 5 inches in width and some of the peices were 3 & 4 inches wide.
my question is how do i figure out the correct width of my stringer do i need to remove the other stringer (it seems to be fine), but how else will know the correct width?
my other question is do i need to cure the pylwood with epoxy resin before i fiberglass, or is there really any need to put anything on the pylwood before fiberglassing?

help me save my boat and keep my sane

I have seen members have stringers completely turn to mush. To get the measurements, they pull a string along from transom to bow, and then take vertical measurements every 6" or foot and then transfer the measurements to the plywood and cut a new piece.

No, there is no need to pre-coat the plywood before glassing.

 

[pina boy]

Re: help me fix my boat

the pylwood i'm using is exteior pylwood not marine plywood. i'm on a very tight budget. the wife is already mad at project. is it ok not to pre coat

 

[proshadetree]

Re: help me fix my boat

If you dont coat bottom and then top after glassed in you are only going to have a few years before it rots back out.

 

[Mark42]

Re: help me fix my boat

the pylwood i'm using is exteior pylwood not marine plywood. i'm on a very tight budget. the wife is already mad at project. is it ok not to pre coat

That wood will work great. Your boat was probably not built with marine grade plywood to begin with. Apply glass around the entire stringer, so its all sealed up, then glass it down to the hull or attach using a construction adhesive like P1.

 

[Mark42]

Re: help me fix my boat

If you dont coat bottom and then top after glassed in you are only going to have a few years before it rots back out.

I read this a few times, and still not sure I understand about coating the bottom and top after glassing in. Can you clarify for me? Thanks!

 

[proshadetree]

Re: help me fix my boat

Seal the bottom of the ply with a coat of resin or epoxy take your choice.That helps prevent moisture form entering from that side if you get water in there and it the gets hot and starts to evaporate collecting on the lower side of plywood.I like to then get mine tabed in.then glass in to seal the top..Or to say simple seal both sides then water has a harder time getting to it.This is floor.Stringers can be glassed at time installed.

 

[Mark42]

Re: help me fix my boat

Ok, now I got ya. I thought you were talking stingers.

 

[pina boy]

Re: help me fix my boat

it's me again, i took the other stringer out in one whole peice.
i'm going to fiberglass it this week.what i'm wanting to know is do i need to sand the place where the stringers are going to be conected to the hull all the way down to the hull or do i need to leave a lip on each side where the stringer sets for fiberglass to attach or what. please let me know what wolud be the best way to do this job and keep my stringers strong.

 

[danond]

Re: help me fix my boat

You have to start from scratch. Use a grinder with a flapping wheel and clean the old stringer bedding area down to the hull so its flat and clean. Wipe it down with a strong cleaner. No grease, no oils. Use thinner, acetone, etc. Something that fully evaporates and is dangerous to breathe is a good measure.

Next mix up some "peanut butter" (thickened resin/epoxy/polyester or construction adhesive) and apply it to both the bottom of the stringer board and the hull, then set the new stringer down in it.

After that, create a "fillet" joint between the 90 degree angle (where the stringer meets the hull) to reduce the 90 degree angle to something less (fiberglass doesn't like to turn corners).

Now brush a 2ft section of stringer with epoxy/resin until it's completely coated, along with about 3-4 inches on each side of the hull.

Lay 2ft of fiberglass down (biaxial or "1708" works great for this) and stick it down to the stringer and hull.

Brush more epoxy/resin on top of the glass. It's OK to put it on thick. If you have enough, the glass will become somewhat transparent. This is called being fully "wet out". Be patient, resin can take a few minutes to soak in. Temp and what resin you're using can affect this, too.

As you're brushing it on and waiting for it to soak up the resin, use a bondo spreader, fiberglass roller, scraper or whatever you desire to work out the bubbles. Keep doing this until it starts to cure. Apply more epoxy/resin to any areas that are light.

Once that strip starts to cure or at least gets sticky, repeat on the next section of the stringer, overlapping the fiberglass sections by 3-4 inches. If you are using polyester resin, definitely lay down 2 layers of 1708 on everything. If you're using epoxy, one layer should work fine if you're on a budget. Epoxy resin can get expensive but that stuff's strong as steel.

You can lay the glass down in larger sections (larger than 2-3ft) but since this is your first time around I recommend starting small and working your way up to bigger layups.

Good luck.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: help me fix my boat

I'm not the pro here but everything mentioned here is pretty much what I have done and would suggest