85 2001 LVL Stringer Project |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Well it has been a while but I am still around. With work and us getting our house ready to sell I have not had time to work on the boat. I tell you, the wife has put me to work around here so we could sell and move. Not able to work on the boat and then moving closer to work and farther from the lake. Some people's Priorities!!!
Anyway Got to get out and take the rest of the floor out. Next on the list is to pull the wires cables out or out of the way. Then the engine cradle pylon. After that it is time to replace the secondaries then the primaries. Here is under the bow with the floor removed. There is a lot or room under there with all of that out!! Now I just have to pull all this out. Replace/ Clean it and put it all back in. That is it!! One other question for you guys. I am about to order my supplies. Is it cheaper to buy fiberglass supplies from US Composites and have it shipped or is there somewhere in the south (Ga, Tn, Al, Ms) that has the materials and the prices? I only ask because of the weight of 10 - 12 gallons of resin and then the foam kits as well. Seams like shipping would kill your wallet!!! |
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TRBenj
Grand Poobah Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21169 |
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Ive still found US Composites to be the cheapest- and thats including shipping to the northeast. Theyre located in FL, so shipping to the south would be even cheaper. |
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horkn
Platinum Member Joined: September-10-2007 Location: Cedarburg, Wi Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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QUOTE...
"The foam under the box was completely soaked. Upon further inspection the hose coming from the drain on the box was broke so any water in the bilge was able to seep under the battery box and it did." yeah, either CC glassed the drain holes closed (like on my 78 martinique) or they simply were not made right and cracked. I like other have had to do an entire floor/ stringer replacement. I think that is one reason used CC's keep their value. Meticulous owners ;) btw, I used the very short pile marine carpeting, and since the restore/ mod work I did to the interior in 02, it has held up VERY well, but I am one of those boat owners that will ot allow shoes in my boat. Only sandals that have been properly risnsed of any sand are allowed in the nautique. Floor/ stringer replacement is a right of passage as an owner of an older nautique. |
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78 martinique- refloored, reinforced, stringers re glassed, re engineered interior
GT40P heads Edelbrock Performer intake acme 4 blade http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/horkn/fish/nautique.jpg |
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Poster112
Senior Member Joined: May-28-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 206 |
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Kris, wherebouts in B'ham are you? I'm on Shades Mtn. in Hoover near Bluff Park and my 85 will be going under the knife this winter. My floor is separated front to back along both sides and I have a few horizontal gel gracks on the lower exterior of both sides, which tells me it needs to be this winter, not next.
I'd love to see yours in person to see what I'm getting into and see how it's braced up underneath. Also, depending on when you order your lumber, glass, resin, and foam, we may be able to split shipping costs by ordering together. Shoot me an email if you are interested or if you'll at least let me take a gander at your nekkid boat my email is poster112@charter.net Chris |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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I live in Hayden currently but we are looking to move around the Gardendale/ Mount Olive area. I work in Vestevia and know your area pretty well. I would agree that you need to do it this winter. The gel cracks are a good indicator that the stringers ore just about gone. My floor was separated from front to back as well. I have the bracing under the boat but it is not sitting on them right now. I took the boat off the stands to get the motor out, having to air down the tires as well. I had to air them back up to pull the boat back around to it's resting place. Now I have got to get the boat leveled back out and put it on the stands. I will be making my order in the next couple of days. Will you be ready to order then? You can come and take a look at the boat if you would like. I sent you an email. Kris |
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Poster112
Senior Member Joined: May-28-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 206 |
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Kris, got your email, but I'm working in South GA this week and cannot send email for some reason.
We go through Hayden on the way to my in-law's house in Guntersville. We may be heading there this weekend. I'll let you know. I am NOT ready to order my supplies yet. I've got too much money tied up with other projects now. Sorry. I'll email you when I get back in town. Thanks. Chris |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Well the boat is ready for the stringers to come out!!! Woo Hoo let the fun and itching begin.
Here are a pic as it sits now. Question I have is the pylon mount and where the prop shaft goes through the hull looks like it has been worked on. What do you guys think? I do not have a good picture of the back but it looks a lot like the front. What ever is down there is also chipping up in places. What do you guys think? |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Ask and you shall receive!!! I feel rather blessed, after reading the trouble some have had getting their pylon out. I pulled the bottom bolt out and loosened the bolts on the cradle ind it easily slid out. |
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BuffaloBFN
Grand Poobah Joined: June-24-2007 Location: Gainesville,GA Status: Offline Points: 6094 |
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Looks like you're 'gettin ready for the dance'!
The shaft log area is a common place to find a patch; I haven't seen so many with a patch around the pylon. I would explore those patches to see how well they were done. Unless they were done really well, I'd cut out as much as I could without cutting the hardware out. I used my pylon and cradle as a reference for the stringers. It gets heavy in and out of the boat, but it worked for me. When I put the boat on stands, I leveled the cradle front to back and left to right. That gave me a known place to work back to; first 1 stringer, then the next. I also had to cut out my pylon base. Again, I used the cradle to put it back where it belongs, and the pylon base was the first part to go back before I cut anything else out. If you bolt the pylon back to the cradle before you cut anything else out, it will be a good reference for stringer height and cradle position. There are probably better ways to ensure that it all goes back as it should...I think I liked seeing the real deal in place rather than wonder if I took my measurements right. |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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I was planning on using the cradle to locate the stringers when replacing them but I had not though about using the pylon as well. Good I dea, the more things to keep constant the better likely hood it will go back together correctly!!! Thanks for the tip!!! Kris |
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MADTOWN78
Groupie Joined: July-12-2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 67 |
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The pylon mount and shaft thru hulls on my 78 and my buddies 81 SN have the identical greyish "patch" job. Same goes for the raw water intake thru hull. I mean identical!! Same approximate shape and size.
It makes me think that it is a factory job. |
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livin', lovin', lovin' livin'
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horkn
Platinum Member Joined: September-10-2007 Location: Cedarburg, Wi Status: Offline Points: 1511 |
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I agree. My 78 martinique had the identical greyish material there. I know it is factory. |
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78 martinique- refloored, reinforced, stringers re glassed, re engineered interior
GT40P heads Edelbrock Performer intake acme 4 blade http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/horkn/fish/nautique.jpg |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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That is good to know. I was worried that there has been work done in both areas of my boat. It is working fine it is just reassuring to know that it was done by the factory.
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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The first stringer is out!!! I leveled, and braced the boat back up. Taking BFN's advice I put the cradle and pylon back in to level the boat and for future stringer locating. After all that I pulled the Drivers Side Secondary. It was in good shape for the most part but there is rot there. Once I got it out and looked at the there was hardly any glass past half way up the stringer on the starboard side.
Here is the floor with the stringer out. Here is a shot of the stringer out of the boat. I broke it in the process of getting it out. I used the foot hammer a little too hard. :-) Here is the measurements of the stringer pieces. I am going to clean it up and create one on the computer for future people to have as a reference. |
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BuffaloBFN
Grand Poobah Joined: June-24-2007 Location: Gainesville,GA Status: Offline Points: 6094 |
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Kris, be careful with that foot hammer. The hull glass will flex some under the stringer, and too much force could cause cracking in glass you want to keep.
I used a combo of a sawzall, a metal cutting grinding wheel, and a 4.5" diamond blade to cut the stringers out at their base. There were places that I wished I had a 7" grinder because of the steeper hull angle, but I was still able to get them out without too much frustration. |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Yea I was watching it pretty close. I already had the long piece out and was just trying to get the rest out. I had cut most of it and was just trying to break the parts I could not get to easily. I am using a sawsall and 4.5" grinder as well. The grinder cuts through like butta!!! |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Hey all I have not fell off of the planet, I am in our new house and have the boat sitting patiently in the garage. I finally have all of my honey do's completed for now and it is time to get back to work on the boat. Since it has just been sitting for over a year now I guess it is about time. :-) Anyway I just made my order from US Composites, I ordered everything I think I am going to need except the Foam. I figured I would order that once I got a little closer so it would not be taking up a bunch of space in my garage. The materials should be her early next week. I will have to adjust my hull supports to work with a level Floor. They were built to hold my floor level with a gravel drive below, now they dont work with concrete. I guess that is not to bad of a problem to have. I should be able to get to work on glassing the first stringer in once taht is done. Then it is off to the races, I figure it will probably take about 2 months or so get get it all done. (Reading between the lines... Probably more like 3 months)
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85jws
Groupie Joined: October-05-2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 53 |
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Kris,
I will be following your thread as I too have an 85 and will be doing some floor work next winter. I have a soft spot under the observers seat and am a little scared at what I may get into. I am in Moody, AL. Did you move to Gardendale area? Which lake do you go to? jay |
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Jay
Current 2000 Air Nautique Old 1985 Ski Nautique |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Yea we are in Gardendale now. We usually go up to Smith Lake. We like it up there, it is somewhat close and the water is always clean. |
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BuffaloBFN
Grand Poobah Joined: June-24-2007 Location: Gainesville,GA Status: Offline Points: 6094 |
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Howdy Kris!
Don't you hate it when life gets in the way? I was most fortunate with an understanding wife and not having major changes going on...now she's got me busy! LOL |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Well I have finally gotten back to work on the boat. Yeaaa!! This past weekend I got the boat back on the newly reworked braces so she is good and level and stable. I then got the stringers out and finished cutting the bracing cutouts on them. I then sanded them down good so everything was smooth and nice and clean. Then laminated both sides of all the pieces with mat and epoxy. Finally yesterday I pulled the pieces out and gave them a good soap and water scrubbing to knock the dust off from where I cut the edges off and sanded them smooth and make sure they were ready to be laminated together. I plan on putting them together tonight with a layer of mat and epoxy between each piece.
I do have a question on that though, Do I put down a layer of epoxy, lay on the mat, wet it out, then put some more on the other piece for good measure, then sandwich it all together and weight it down to hold it together good? Is that all there is to it? Here are all the pieces to the Drivers side Secondary laid out after getting a good scrub down. Here I stacked them up like they will be laminated. Here is a shot of my materials. I had a truck toolbox sitting in my garage and that turned out to be the perfect place to put all my glass materials. |
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critter
Platinum Member Joined: January-11-2008 Location: New Hill, NC Status: Offline Points: 1227 |
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Kris,
Looks like you are ready to go. "Do I put down a layer of epoxy, lay on the mat, wet it out, then put some more on the other piece for good measure, then sandwich it all together and weight it down to hold it together good? Is that all there is to it?" Sounds like you have a plan. This will mate the materials together nicely. |
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1980 Ski Nautique
1966 Barracuda |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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The stringer is in. I was real busy running around this weekend so I did not get a chance to work on the boat. I came home today though and vacuumed out the fiberglass dust from the grinding I did on it last week. Then I laid in the 2 layers of mat and sat in the secondary. I finally feel like I am making progress. This one stringer has been over a year in the making. The next 3 should hopefully go pretty quick. I still have to do the filling and strips up the side but I have it bedded!! :-)
Here is the stringer being laminated together. Here it is in the boat. Finally!!! Woo Hoo!! |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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What's up guys!! It has been looks like almost a year since my last post on this project. It feels like it has been going on for years.... Oh, wait..
Anyway I have both the secondaries in now and the drivers side Primary is out. It was a bit of a pain to get out but it is done!! I was shocked to see how many places there were from the factory, that water could potentially get to the wood. Even though I should not be by now, I still was. Needless to say this will not be a problem with the stringers I am putting in!! I am heading out to pick up the LVL for my main stringers. I am going to give it a go it is a little thicker than what was in there 1.75" vs 1.5". Everything should fit back in without too much fuss. I figure as long as I keep my cradle as the baseline and work off of it everything else should fall into place. Now all that is left to do is do it!! I will post some updated pictures soon. Kris |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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I forgot to tell you why I have not been working on the boat. I decided to take time and get myself back in shape and hopefully prevent some health problems that run in my family. So I got to work starting at 238# with about 27% bodyfat and am currently am around 190 and about 10% BodyFat. It has been a lot of work and I still have a little bit more that I want to loose it has been so worth it just by the way I feel and the energy that I now have!!
So working out and I also got my Personal Trainer Certification so I can help others do the same as I have, is what has kept me from getting done with the boat. I guess this has been kind of an A.D.D.project for me. I get started working on it and Oooo something shiny, then I am off for a while then back on it for a bit then get distracted again!! LOL Hopefully this time I am on it until I finish!! |
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Hollywood
Moderator Group Joined: February-04-2004 Location: Twin Lakes, WI Status: Offline Points: 13513 |
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Good for you!
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storm34
Grand Poobah Joined: November-03-2008 Location: Dexter Iowa Status: Offline Points: 4492 |
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welcome back! Keep us updated!
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bkhallpass
Grand Poobah Joined: March-29-2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4723 |
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Since you have already set your secondary stringer, and since you are using a thicker board for the primaries, be sure there is enough room for the muffler before you bed that stringer down. BKH
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Livin' the Dream
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8122pbrainard
Grand Poobah Joined: September-14-2006 Location: Three Lakes Wi. Status: Offline Points: 41045 |
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Kris,
It's great you're getting back on the boat project. Keep us informed on how the LVL goes. To my knowledge you're the first to use it here. I really feel it's a great alternate to finding Doug Fir and I know it will be a excellent material. |
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Big Pappa
Senior Member Joined: March-08-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 322 |
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Updated Pictures for you all.
This is the Passenger side Secondary all fiberglassed in. Bedded with 2 layers of mat and glassed in with 2", then 4" woven glass on opposite 45 deg angles then 8" woven glass all the way up the side and at least 4" on the hull. Same side just the rear of the secondary This is the Drivers side hull after the Main was cut out. Here is the Fiberglass off of the Main. It took about 5 minutes to pop this off as it was hardly holding on to the wood. Here is the Main Stringer laying next to the lvl. If you look close you can see I have traced it out already. Old Stringer on top of the LVL Old stringer on top of LVL Thickness comparison. Main on top 1.5" LVL on bottom 1.75". I did measure and I have 5.5" between the main and the secondary stringer now and the muffler with carpet is 5" so I should have room. I will just have to make sure and maintain that 5.25" when I install the main. A couple of notes about the lvl. There are lap joints that will have to be filled on the outside to keep air bubbles out when you fiberglass it in. I plan to fillet the joint then lay a layer of mat over the whole thing before installing so I have a good even surface to bond to when I install it in the boat. One other thing is the laps on the interior of the boards. I plan to take a needle and injecting some resin in these holes to fill the void and make sure it is solid all the way through. Any ideas on good ways to do this effectively? Thinning the epoxy resin maybe? All in all I think this is going to be a good option I am going to take extra precaution as I go with this and make sure these are installed the best I can. I have some CPES that should be here later in the week so I will be able to coat this baby good then putting a layer of glass on then glassing it in the boat. Hopefully It should never be touched by water. It is very strong even laterally, these are 13' sticks and they do not bend and bounce with you pick up and carry them like other 2X material I have dealt with does. As far as weight It may be a little heavier than stock I am not sure yet once I get it cut out and pretty close to install shape I plan to put it on the scale and see what it weighs for comparison. There is a varnish like coating (Glue?) that is on the sides that I am going to sand off before I cover it with cpes so I can be sure I get good penetration. That is about it for now, more to come soon. Kris |
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