Another BFN Rebuild

TRBenj wrote: Right now I am planning the stringer layout in CAD- its probably the most fun Ive had with the tool yet.

I could have drawn that in MS Paint!
(in about 6 months)

Just curious, but why are you running 3 tubes the "long" way and 1 the short way. Are they air/ventilation? Is the big tube for cables which you don't want to bend?

Hollywood wrote: Just curious, but why are you running 3 tubes the "long" way and 1 the short way. Are they air/ventilation? Is the big tube for cables which you don't want to bend?

Correct- the 3 tubes on the left are the vent tubes. The one on the right is for the steering cable, control cables, and wiring harness. I want the least number of bends in the cable conduit- Im less concerned with the vent tubes. If I could have fit all the tubes on the right, life would have been easier- but I want the battery box pretty close to centered for weight distribution and access reasons. Pushing the vent tube outlets as far towards the bow as I can has them exiting pretty close to a straight shot from holes in the deck, so minimal 3" hose lengths between them.

Hollywood wrote: The airbox is definitely usable space. I have a small amplifier sitting flat on our 88 SN. Leave room for a heater core, etc.?

No plans right now for future growth, but Ive laid it out such the vent tubes are as far forward as possible, and the conduit tube is as far towards the rear as I can go without interfering with the kick plate panel.

The boat needs some SKI NAUTIQUE decals, for sure.

Phil, How did you get the kick panel area foamed like that ? Did you form it in wood, pour the foam and then strip the wood ?

Will you then glass over it all ?

Thanks for the information

How bad was the ply in the transom?

Otherwise...

And braver than I!

BuffaloBFN wrote: How bad was the ply in the transom?

It wasnt crumbling, but definitely wet. That center piece was a bear to remove! The angle iron lifting ring mount was a tad questionable looking, so all the wood had to go. The front lifting ring mount still looks great so we havent touched it- but now Im thinking it might be a good idea to get every single last piece of wood out of the boat. Thoughts?

I hear you loud and clear, BJ! Id like to see all the gel in the bilge and transom go as well- just trying to figure out what is justified vs. overkill. Maybe Ive got a bit more grinding left to do... just when I finally stopped itching!

Roge' Captain, I chose to get all the gel off. I can say overkill is when you see the ground through the hole. I have also learned when you think you are through grinding....your not!
bj

Very easy to sit here Tim, warm and not itching and never having done this but personally if you have to question it you'll have to do it just to get it out of your head. Maybe someday you'll want to hang it from the rings and then you will not have to worry. I know, get your Dad to do it

Tim I can take some pictures of my SN front keel mount, I thought it would be toast as my boat had been used in the sea but was still in good shape only surface rust, I think it’s a judgement call as to how wet it was when you took the foam out around it on your BFN.

TRBenj wrote:     There were several hundred pounds of wet foam in the front of the boat.

Interesting that the wet foam was toward the front of the boat. My boat seems to sit "stern high" in the water when empty, almost to the point of almost having the rear chines slightly above the water line. Maybe thats just the way Southwind's sit in the water, but, I am now wondering if it could be due to the wet foam being toward the front??.

Also, Tim, I see you took out both stringers at the same time. I had read before that some people note that their hulls "distort" in shape when they take both stringers out at the same time. Did you notice that, or did you take precautions to keep that from happening?

Eric, good deal! The more I think about it, the nicer it would be to have the cradle in hand before we start rebuilding- so I may have you ship them to me if thats OK. Thanks again, by the way.

Gary, I hear you- but the thing is that the front lifting ring doesnt look to be mounted to any wood, and the metal thats bedded into the hull looks great. Theres no question its solid. There is a hump behind the bow eye that Im guessing has wood in it though... but Im not 100% sure. I think Ill snap a picture to see what everyone thinks. The foam closest to the floor was relatively dry, Roger- so thats another clue that we may be OK. Of course, the transom wood was wet, and there was no foam to blame for that!

Greg, I may spend a little more time with the grinder today and get the remaining gel off- at least that in the keel. Your rudder port was mounted on a wood base, wasnt it? We had our port apart this past summer to re-seal and Dad swears ours is all glass. With all the 5200 we used putting it back together, Im dreading taking it apart again. Maybe Ill grind a bit to see if I hit any wood.

David, the boat sat ass-high in the water last summer- lots of light under the platform, which you can see in my first post on this thread. Allegedly the BFN was born from the Southwind hull, so Im not sure yours should be much different. The front part of the v-hull is obviously the lowest part of the boat, so it collected the most water. Like I mentioned previously, the most obvious contributors were the failed battery box drains and air vent hoses.

Mike and David- you caught us... we decided not to take any precautions to brace the hull with the stringers removed. We've kept it on the trailer and keep wheeling it in and out of the garage to do the grinding. I have to say that the hull remainded very rigid, right up until we removed the glass that had been used to attach the stringers and ribs. Now it will oilcan slightly underfoot when working inside. Im not too worried about the v-hull flexing front to back, though, and the trailer supports are pretty wide, so side to side flexing shouldnt be much of a factor either. We'll find out if we made the right call once we get it back on the water!

Mike, the secondary stringers are out of my '67 and the primaries are still in... the hull doesnt noticeably flex when walking in it. The hull didnt flex a bit on my Tique when I had the stringers out (I didnt support that either), so Im inclined to say that the older, smaller boats dont need the extra support. The narrow beam and thick layup allows the hull to maintain its shape, even with the stringers out.

i would bet CC doesnt lay the hull in a jig when they set the stringers and probably do close to the same as weve seen on many rebuilds, you are starting fresh again and everthing is custom to its final resting place, such as the engine and cradle...the boat isnt aligning it, you are. i really dont think it is a big concern, but obviously you do want some support under there as a good starting point