Will it ever end ?

[Just_a_Kid]

It seems as if I am grinding and itching and I am still in the same spot as before.....

How even or smoothe does the inner part of the transom have to be for the new transom to bond well to it ? It looks as if the transom was redone or not done well the last go around and left me trying to level out lumps of fiberglass ...

How long would you say you spent grinding away at the hull before considering it ready to glass the stringers and transom back in ?

I am considering using marine plywood when putting this puppy back together despite the $$ that I don't have. My question is do I use this for just the decking and transom or do I also use this for the stringers ? The local lumberyard actually carries this stuff at $73 a sheet of 3/4 .... is this the right thickness for stringers ? Would this be thick enough for the transom or overkill if I were to double up on it ?


Thanks for the help ....

 

[mtnrat]

Re: Will it ever end ?

Whoa dude, please resize the pictures. About 480 pixels is good.
Thanks

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

lol .... was doing that as you probably posted that .

Should fit most monitors now

 

[gcboat]

Re: Will it ever end ?

When laying up a piece of wood to the glass you would like it to be as even as possible with no apparent voids. If you don't think you have a good straight line across the transom just put a good straight edge on it and take a look. You'll be able to see any low spots pretty easily. You didn't mention what you'd be using for bonding material so it's a little difficult to explain the procedure from my pc. On the sanding part you would want to stay with
80# paper, nothing finer. Scuff up both your lumber and exposed transom. Apply your bonding material, clamp tight ( not too tight ) and let it cook. You want just enough pressure on the wood to see the material make a slight ooze from ends. Pretty fine line between squeezing it all out and making a good bond.
No, you don't need to use that high grade lumber for the stringers. Remember that the stringer core - whether it be wood, foam - is there primarily as a mold ( except under the engine ). The actual strength comes from the layers of glass and cloth that goes over it. Take a look through this article : http://transomrepair.com/zk/stringers.shtml

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Will it ever end ?

please go back and edit you pictures, and resize them so we don't have to scan right and left to read them. i have quit reading these as it is a PIA.

 

[watermellonI]

Re: Will it ever end ?

and remember if u use pressure treated to let it dry for a couple of days or you ll have a bonding issue looks real nice so far, hang in there

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

so I didn't have them sized down enough yet .... now they should be the correct size for all monitors ....

Ok .... currently I am using a angle grinder w/ a metal cutting disk which seems to take care of cleaning most everything up thus far but is there a better disk or tool that I should use to level out the surface on the transom skin ?


I have been reading these forums for some time now and don't think I have come accross anything that shows what types of glass should be used on what as a general reccomendation. I plan on using a poly resin and according to the post I will be doing a test since I have not done any glasswork before. I about purchased that exact resin from the lumber store but after reading the post I read carefully on the back .... they said the working time was 10-15 minutes !!!! yikes !

Any suggestions on types and weights and where to use them ?

I just got back from the lumber store and the 3 sheets of marine they said they had actually were mistakenly sold last month for A/C ..... I wish I had that luck ! I did look at some other woods to see what I could use in place of marine but didn't find anything that looked good. Would birch or ash work or do they not generally cary this in an exterior glue ?

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Will it ever end ?

When I did my transom I ground it as smooth as I could bare without going through the outer shell. I use two sheets of 3/4 inch ply that I laminated together using deck screws to clamp them. I had drilled the motor mounts, tie down loops holes, and drain plug hole through everything dry fitted and then when it came time to laminate to the outer shell, I mixed the resin with saw dust from cutting my pieces to make a thicker paste (read on here 4 years ago that sawdust makes a good filler) and just made sure that the paste was laid up in the lower areas of the outer shell a little more thick.

I then just used the motor mount bolts, loop hold down holes and a big bolt through the drain plug as clamps for those sections. Once everything was in place, I tilted my trailer all the way back and stacked big paving stones along the outer edges (on the inside) to give some extra bonding pressure. When it was setup I did two layups of roving (a 2" strip and then a 6" strip) and followed up with heavy cloth (forget the weight). I also made sure that the stringers (stringer in my case) was enforced better against the transom and the floor as well.

Hope this helps some and saves some grinding. I can tell you after 4 years (2 of them sitting outside over 2 winters), it's still rock solid.

 

[mtnrat]

Re: Will it ever end ?

I used these on my angle grinder. 40 grit. Worked pretty well. Others have had success with 36 grit sanding disks. Way faster than a grinding disk for metal.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Will it ever end ?

I used something similar but mine was just a backing pad with metal soft disks, the ones that look like a wood sanding disk but are more sturdy and have a hole in the middle. Just like the Abrasive Metal Sanding Disks on this page http://www.centurydrill.com/abrasive.html

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

wow .... I guess the work goes much quicker when you are using the correct tools !!

I just had stopped at the lumberyard today and was trying to find something better and found the item you listed pictures of. I am so glad I did because I am cruzin on getting that transom down to a smooth skin and ready to put something back together.

Question for those of you who maybe know. I picked up some hardener so I can test out some resin that I have been kicking around for about 4 years and it was kicked around by somebody previously for who knows how long.
Is there a shelf-life on poly resin ? When I test it am I testing just strength to make sure it is still good ?

Thanks for the help !

 

[TriadSteeler]

Re: Will it ever end ?

wow .... I guess the work goes much quicker when you are using the correct tools !!

I just had stopped at the lumberyard today and was trying to find something better and found the item you listed pictures of. I am so glad I did because I am cruzin on getting that transom down to a smooth skin and ready to put something back together.

Question for those of you who maybe know. I picked up some hardener so I can test out some resin that I have been kicking around for about 4 years and it was kicked around by somebody previously for who knows how long.
Is there a shelf-life on poly resin ? When I test it am I testing just strength to make sure it is still good ?

Thanks for the help !

I'm not sure about the shelf life, but normally what you test is the gel time. You want to get a good feel for how much hardener to add to provide you with adequate layup time.

When I started, I was using the graduated mixing cups and counting drops of resin (I added about half-2/3 the normal amount to retard gel time when I was working on the transom.

That lasted about 30 minutes. I just didn't have the time for it. You'll get a feel for it really quick. I just started dumping some resin in the cup squeezing some hardener in by spraying it in a circle. I'd count the circles, then stir it up real good.

You may waste a pot or 2 of resin, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick.

Make sure you always have a gallon of resin in reserve if you have any doubts that you don't have enough. Running out in the middle of laying up mat on the transom would not be fun.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Will it ever end ?

from what I understand, less hardener weakens the bond. Might be wrong and hopefully someone chimes in that knows better.

When I did mine, I mixed enough to work with and when it looked like I couldn't soak the cloth enough with what I had left, I looked for spots I didn't soak enough. Always had the hardener, mixing cups, resin and brushes right behind me so I could just keep working along without too much wait time. Finished glassing the whole transom in probably an hour or so. I also didn't do one layer, wait, then the next, etc. I started with the first mat strip, soaked it, laid on the next, soaked if necessary, etc, until all layers were on. Worked in manageable sections. Not sure if that's the correct way, but it certainly made it easy and made sure all layers bonded to each other without any prep in between.

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

Ok so I figured I would post some updated pictures after grinding for several more hours...

So besides the transom how close to the fiberglass do I need to grind ? I cleaned up all the paint that was around the transom and ground down fairly close to the fiberglass ... but I guess I am unsure of how much more I may need to grind. Does it affect the bond if I don't go all the way to the fiberglass around the transom area ?

 

[Tufan]

Re: Will it ever end ?

two sheet of that thickness I'd go for.

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

two sheet of that thickness I'd go for.

? guess I don't follow ....

 

[mtnrat]

Re: Will it ever end ?

I ground out everything right to the original hull material. Mine had been repaired once before so It was not too difficult to figure out what was original and what was not. The bottom line is that you should grind out everything that looks suspect. As in weak layers, air entrapment, and mat or cloth not fully wet out. I really wanted to lighten the load so to speak so everything that wasn't from the original layup was out.

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

I guess I am thinking I have ground down enough .... I don't know if you can tell by the pictures .... but I am not sure.

I am down to what I think is close to the original but there is a layer of resin and that is what I am not sure if I need to grind off or not. If it is a solid layer of resin would you say I can glass over it and it will have a good bond ? Or do I need to grind this layer of resin off down to where I can see fiberglass fibers from the hull exposed ?

 

[mtnrat]

Re: Will it ever end ?

If it is solid you will get a good bond. If you are using epoxy you will get a great bond. Your pics look like you are there or very close IMHO.

 

[Just_a_Kid]

Re: Will it ever end ?

I never thought I would say this .... but I ground right through the hull !!

This is right at the front of the boat where the end of a stringer is going to be and right where the decking will meet the hull. I am really discouraged now as I don't know how bad this damage is. Do I just need to build up the fiberglass in that spot ?

Guess I thought there was more there and got the wrong angle on the grinder and bada-bing I went through !