85 2001 LVL Stringer Project

Mcmaster does have 3 & 1/2" ID flex in several styles

TRBenj wrote: 8122pbrainard wrote: Mcmaster does have 3 & 1/2" ID flex in several styles Yes, but the end pieces that attach to the deck are 3". I got all of my 2.5" PVC from Mcmaster though.

Then pop rivet short lengths of 3" (3.042" ID) pvc pipe to the deck flanges as "bushings"?

8122pbrainard wrote: TRBenj wrote: 8122pbrainard wrote: Mcmaster does have 3 & 1/2" ID flex in several styles Yes, but the end pieces that attach to the deck are 3". I got all of my 2.5" PVC from Mcmaster though. Then pop rivet short lengths of 3" (3.042" ID) pvc pipe to the deck flanges as "bushings"?

You could... but those plastic deck flanges are pretty light weight. Pop riveting PVC to them up under the deck wouldnt be much fun- and it would make them pretty hard to remove without ruining them.

I like that ball valve and the bulkhead fitting- those should seal nicely. We couldnt find anything with a long enough fitting on the bilge side, since our bulkead was 3/4" thick. I also wasnt crazy about leaving a hose clamp under the floor where it couldnt be inspected, tightened or replaced. A more positive connection (like glued PVC) might be better, but then again, it will probably work fine for a looong time.

Pretty slick!

Tim, you have decaff in your future if you're gonna stress over a hose clamp under the floor.

Kris,
Looking good! Maybe it will see some water soon?

BTW, did you forget the CPES on that bulkhead? Maybe it's just the picture?

Hey everyone, well I have been busy and have gotten quite a bit done on the boat over the past couple of weeks.

I have the front bulkhead completely installed covered with CPES and sealed up with several layers of glass. I also laid a few layers of glass in the hull to level up the bottom of the bilge from the battery box drain to the pylon mount. I did not like the way water could get trapped forward of the pylon so I brought it up as much as I could to hopefully allow the water to flow back to the bilge pump and drain.

I also have all of my vents, cable tube and batter box installed glued up and sealed into the bulkhead, all with 5200 on both sides.





I have about 90% of my foam poured. I still have to fill in some low spots and form up the Air Box and pour it. I am thinking I am just going to form the front and sides with some left over 3/4" Ply that I have seal it up with CPES and just leave it in the boat and glass over it. That way I will have blocking there for mounting anything I would like to in the future.



Lastly I have all of my floor bracing cut, CPESed and the rear pieces laminated together with a piece of mat. I have started getting the floor in the back of the boat all leveled up and the foam cut out for the braces. I am cutting the foam a little big so I have some wiggle room for the wood and I am going to pour epoxy all the way around the braces. That way they have a nice 1/16" - 1/8" coating of epoxy all the way around and no water will be able to get to them.

** Note: If you are doing this I found that a router makes quick work of this job. It makes a huge mess but I cut out the foam for a 5'6" 2X4 in the same time it took me to chisel out a space for a 3" X 12" X 3/4" brace by hand.**





My boat did not have the 2X4 running parallel to the stringers from the factory. But after looking at other boat builds I thought I would add it for extra support for the floor. The 2X4 is 1 piece and I routed out the areas where the braces cross it so the front 2 floor brace and the 2X4 will all be connected.

I am shooting to be laying glass on the floor this weekend so lots of work will be done this week trying to get all this foam poured and shaped.

wow, looking good. I am probably going to be tackling this same project this fall/winter. I am dreading it.

Oh and one more thing, if you use SS wood screws on your project get extras because they are soft!!! Even with pre drilled holes I still broke 3 screws and stripped 2 more. That is out of 22 screws used in the boat total. That was with me drilling a pilot and counter sinking. Running the screw down to check fitment. Pulling the screw out filling the hole with epoxy laying the thickened epoxy to the joint and screw it all back together.

Woo Hoo, The Floor is finally in and complete!! Let me tell you, I am so glad to have made it to this point and to finally start seeing some light at the end of the tunnel!!

I was in the boat working yesterday and the wind blew just right and I caught the smell of the vinyl seats and I was picturing myself getting the boat ready for a day on the lake. I am so looking forward to having this project finished and taking it out for a day of fun!

Back to the floor. This is the layup I used on the floor.

Mat (Top Finished layer)
Biax (Mat side up)
Mat
Cloth
Mat (Bottom, On top of foam)

This layup sucked up a ton of epoxy and under the bow was such a pain!! It is done now though. Woo Hoo!!

All the Glass for the back sides of the boat.


All the Glass for the front and under the bow.


The Front floor all finished.


The back floor all finished


Next on the agenda finishing up the rear lift block and getting it installed then smoothing out the bilge area and getting ready for bilge koat.

So this weekend I went through and sanded down all the wood and fiberglass on the Transom and the block for the rudder. Then put on a few layers of various types of glass over them to seal it all up from that bad water.



I also test fit my engine cradle in the front to make sure everything was going to fit right. I had to do a little sanding up front on the sides of the stringers to get everything to fit. Which makes me feel good because I allowed for 3/16" to 1/4" of glass on each side of the cradle when I was setting my stringers. So I know I have a good amount of glass that is going to keep the new stringers dry!!

So since I knew the cradle fit I wanted to seal up the exposed edges of the front ply that went over the bilge area. So I filleted the area where the ply connected with the stringer then laid strips of cloth over it. I also covered the exposed edges with a layer of cloth as well.



So now with the exception of the rear cross member that goes between the mains all the glass work on the boat is complete. I am working on flattening out the bilge area, cleaning up all the epoxy runs and getting it ready for paint. Here I am using a Belt sander, an inline sander and a random orbit palm sander. It is coming along but it is a slow process!! Once I get the bilge area cleaned up I will go back and put in the brace, clean that up and paint everything.

On another note what do your guys recommend for the bilge? I have read about bilgekoat and awlgrip and a few others but I am still undecided. Any suggestions?

akabulla wrote: Looking really good! I liked the bilgekoat. I tried to spray it on at first but you could see EVERY imperfection in the glass work so then I went back and painted it on with a brush and it came out looking much smoother!

How has it stood up for you so far? Have you seen any yellowing or discoloration? Does it hold up well to small oil, or other fluid spills?

I used white bilgekote and am basically happy with it. It has worn off in a few places, and I might not choose white again.

Joey, check general discussion; trying to get in touch with you.

I used gray bilgekote in my Tique, which turned out great. I tried white bilgekote on our BFN and it was a disaster... it never set up. When I called Interlux, they told me it was incompatible with epoxy (the note is buried in the datasheet) and it needs a primer over it first for it to stick. With that much work, I doubt Ill ever use it again. We ended up using tinted epoxy resin in the bilge, which worked alright- but next time I think Ill gelcoat it instead.

Big Pappa wrote: I have thought about gelcoat as well. Do you have to sand it down and polish it to get a smooth finish though?

For a mirror finish, yes... for a matte finish (like from the factory), no.