pulling the cap.

[prolinews]

I bought a 202 dominator bass boat last week that is great shape................except a termite infestation. The transom is gone and the 2 outside stringers mush the only solid wood in the boat is the center stringer. For days I have crawled in it looked at stared at and the best way to fix it is to pull the cap. I don't have any idea on the best method. I have a chain hoist that I can lift one end or the other.Or I can round up 5 or 6 of my buddies and lift it off. The boat cap has the usual compartments and livewell molded in. once the cap is off should I lay it upside down or try to keep it braced up in a normal posistion to keep it from warping or cracking? Also looking at going back all composite any thoughts?

 

[redfury]

Re: pulling the cap.

If you seal the stringers properly and build them to where the fiberglass is the strength, then your core doesn't matter. Wood, foam, cardboard. If you were to use the core for the strength of the stringer and just encapsulate in CSM ( chopped strand mat fiberglass ), then the stringer core strength is to be considered. Personally, composite boards are just to much extra weight for the supposed 'advantage'.

As far as your cap goes, that's up to you. Depending on how your hull is designed, you could just loosen the cap and slide it forward with 2x4 supports between it and the hull. I pulled mine off completely and have it on a home built support system with pulleys. I can take it off and test fit it all I want the way I have it, and it has served me well enough.

 

[prolinews]

Re: pulling the cap.

Yours turned out great. I do believe I'm going to build a pulley system like yours. As far as the composites I've been looking at coosa blue for the transom and floor suppose to be lighter and stronger. The boat is 900lbs now and I definetly don't want to ad any weight. Its a light lay up boat from the factory a bullet copy, the only foam that is in the boat is in the back 2 12in x12in blocks weight capacity is 600lbs people and gear.