1975 Skiier Stringer Replacement

Hi everyone.

Had a pretty good day today. I found a great substitute for the front scoop air lines to replace the dryer duct garbage they put in at the factory. Found it on ebay. 3" hose, clear, 15ft. for $37.50 including shipping. I bet I called and visited over a dozen places around here and could not find anything that I wanted.

If anybody wants to see this stuff, I can show you where to find it on ebay.

Got to work tonight but do not have to return to work until monday night so I should be making some major headway this weekend. Will hopefully update you with pictures.

scott

Scott,
I'm pretty familiar with the wire reinforced PVC tubing. It is tough stuff however depending on the wall thickness (there are several) it can have a pretty big bend radius in the larger diameters. You may have to use some elbows.

srbranum wrote: the hardest thing I have come across in this project is trying to work with the fillets at the base of the stringers. I can't seem to get a smooth texture like Okieboarder's job.

Scott,
What did you end up using for filler? Not the wood flour - you're using it for final fairing correct? It's easy to sand but very weak.

Pete,

I don't know if I have screwed something up or not but I was just going by what the manufacturer of my epoxy resin told me to do regarding inbedding the stringers. I mixed a batch of epoxy resin and then added the pine flour to it to make a peanut butter thickness batch and then embedded the stringers in it. As far as it the epoxy/flour formula being weak, I can't say scientifically but I do know that it takes substantial grinding to remove any excess from the floor of the boat. I also spilled some on the smooth concrete floor of my workshop the other day and tried to chisel it up. I got it up but the concrete beneath it came up attached to it.

It's too late now if this is a problem as all the stringers are already in place. I hope this is not the case. I will call the epoxy guy this morning and get his take on it and post what he said.

Thanks,

scott

The company I am using is called RAKA. You can visit their website at www.RAKA.com. I used them on another project with good results.

Maybe I did everything wrong but it's really too late now. The only thing left to do requiring more of the same mixture I have been using is putting the floor down. I would throw the boat in the landfill before redoing what I have already done so it will just have to do I guess.

Hey Bud, don't take the comments personally.

Is there a better way, probably, and I would expect folks to comment to that effect since others log on and use these posts as a reference book.

Is it "all wrong" - no.

The boat will be stronger and safer than was with rotted 35 year old stringers, and 35 year old poly fiberglass technology.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. If you are happy with it, and there is nothing patently unsafe, then that is what's important.

BKH

8122pbrainard wrote: Scott, Brian is absolutely correct that you will end up with a hull that's better and stronger than CC ever produced. Please don't take my comment as criticizing as it wasn't meant to be. I was actually trying to figure out why you were having problems with the filleting. Some types of fillers are easier to work. I checked out www.RAKA.com and they do have the normal types of fillers that other suppliers have. Did you actually talk to RAKA?

Pete/BKH,
Thanks for responding. Sometimes I do not make myself clear via my statements on this forum.

I meant to imply that the reason I was having a problem with the filleting was due to the shape of the tool(a standard stir stick from Lowes). I modified it yesterday to be more in the shape of a spoon and things worked out 100% better. I had no problem embedding the stringers, I am just not very clean in applying the filleting .

Yes, I talk with the owner of RAKA(Larry) about twice a week on the phone. He even comes in on Saturdays and sundays and I talked to him today. He did say that other products like silica(?) are better but more expensive and it puts a lot of stuff in the air, is cleaner and ultimately the best to use. However, he said that for my application, it was not necessary. He told me two stories. He has a customer in California that builds wooden boats exclusively in the $250K-$350k range and only uses pine flour when he builds them and buys it all from RAKA. He said that the wood/flour epoxy mixture actually makes the final application stronger that the wood itself. Finally, he said the best way he can describe my situation was saying that if you went to the store and bought a loaf of bread and drove a truck, you definitely have enough vehicle to get it back to your house. You would not have to borrow a dump truck to pick up the loaf of bread. You could, but it is way more than you need to do the job. The West systems 404 is the Cadillac of fillers but he apparently thinks it is not the only thing that will work.

I am fixing to start glassing if its not too cold today. This whole thing is really stressing me out and I just hope it works out. Thanks for your help as always.

scott

Hey Scott

I am sure it will be stronger than ever and be just fine. The words you used raised a flag with several people. We just want your boat to be sturdy. It seems you have found out it will be. I think the comments were more to verify that. If the material was substandard and your boat was going to break, you would want to know. It doesn't sound like that is the case, do don't sweat it.
Let's see more pics.

RELAX!!!!
and get some pics!!!
you knoe we like em!!!

Isn't cellulose a sort of 'micro-fiber' version of mil-fiber? I think you're fine.

Sounds like you might have a place in your fillets that you aren't so happy with. It's worth using a sanding disk to smooth any rough spots you have(only guessing here). A rough surface will cause air pockets in the next layer and can lead to harsh language.

Thanks everyone for the encouraging news. I only wish I had the knowledge you guys had so that I could help others. Maybe after this is over, I can help somebody with a similiar project to mine.

On a new note, what do you guys think of this idea before I install it? It is a 3/4" X 2" long piece of copper tubing with a standard drain plug in the end. All the water on each side of the boat beneath the floors will drain to this plug which empties in to the bilge area. I just take this plug out at the end of the day along with its partner on the opposite side and the primary plug in the bottom and hopefully no water will stay near the stringers. The wood shown is only shown to represent the 2" primary stringer on each side:





I plan on a full recap with pictures tonight after working today.

I don't see the point in the plugs. If you get water under the floor, why trap it in all day. Better to let it drain into the bildge, and let the bilge pump get the water out of the boat promptly. My $.02. BKH

Well, after this stringer job, if your bildge get more than a drop or two per minute in the boat, then either you've taken a wake over the bow, in which case the bildge pump needs to do it's work anyway, or there is something leaking badly into your boat. Again, just my $.02. BKH

bkhallpass wrote: Well, after this stringer job, if your bildge get more than a drop or two per minute in the boat, then either you've taken a wake over the bow, in which case the bildge pump needs to do it's work anyway, or there is something leaking badly into your boat. Again, just my $.02. BKH

Come to think of it, we take a week each summer at a local house on the lake. My automatic bilge pump goes on and off all the time, even just sitting at the dock. It's hard to tell if you have a leak somewhere if you are skiing all day because people are in and out of your boat with water going everywhere. I have already boat that 3M 5200 sealant everyone talks about and plan on removing the aluminum rub rail around the boat and sealing the joints but where else should I look for leaks?

Maybe this is a dumb question but here goes...what does the stringer system have to do with the boat leaking somewhere? The water that rotted my stringers did not come from a leak but from umprotected wood, poor workmanship and clogged up holes due to rain and normal skiing activity. No water, in my opinion, came through the bottom or side of the boat.

Only my $.02 cetns worth, what's ya'lls?

Just a few comments about these pictures:

1. Did not take any close pictures as I don't do clean work. I have not had any physical help to date on this project and I hope to fix everything before it's finished.

2. The primaries are glassed but 50% of the secondaries are not, yet.

3. The exhaust pieces on the back still need to be glassed.

4. The bilge area is about 90% sanded but no bilgecoat or resin is down.

5. The bulkhead is not set and neither is the hole drilled out for the electrical, rudder, bilge hose, ect...

6. Some of the boards are set in place for the picture only and some have yet to be made, set and glassed.

7. I ruined my transducer for my humminbird in-dash(you can barely see it on the dash in the hoses picture) so I will be selling the unit on ebay and replacing it with a white one.

8. Yes, I used different kinds of wood for the secondaries. It's a long story.

Lesson's learned so far:

Always wear a mask and eye protection
Don't get in a hurry. Walk away and calm down.
Don't wear any decent clothes during this project.
Anything that looks simple can be the hardest thing you have attempted.
Watch where you sit and step while glassing.
Supplies are real expensive these days.
Saws are sharp and dangerous. When in doubt, do something different.
I am not trying to win a prize, just have a safe and reliable boat.

And finally,

Any questions you have, visit www.correctcraftfan.com for the answers. I would be totally lost with you guys.


Blessings,

scott