Stringers, transom, glass and floor ?'s

[beached1]

I need some input from any hull experts. I have a 20.5' Omega bow rider with a Jacuzzi WJ and a BBC. This hull came with a "goal post" type of stringer settup. 2 Short stringers that connect to a bulkhead and then a single stringer runs to the front. Since the transom has some rot and I don't like the fact that this pile doesn't have full stringers, I'm tearing out the floor and everything. I want to glass in full length stringers and replace the transom and floor. My questions are, 1. what is the best wood to use for stringers? 2. What would you recomend for cloth type and resin?
Thanks in advance,

[77charger]

summer will be here before you know it.as for transoms i dont kno shiet.But would recomend an epoxy type resin as it is more flexible than the standard type.it is more pricey though.

[superdave013]

You should talk to Havasu Barney about it. He seem to have no problem sharing what he has learned about fiberglass tips and tricks. + he is doing a bang up job fixing a bunch of glass on my boat right now.

[ole war horse]

Beached, I did a boat strainger about 5 years ago and so far no problem and I used birch wood and also rough oak is good and glass it all in r-e-a-l good to keep the water out except for the ends and stay back about 2" and this will let the wood "dry" out and not get water traped in. My boat now I am doing the floor and transom and it also has the straingers glassed in except for the ends of about 2" for the water to dry out. Remember, you need air to get under the floor to help keep that space dry and I am also leaving the floor wood open on the under side so it can keep dry and air is all around down there to help..

[beached1]

Thanks SD, I forgot about Barney's glass work. I've reapired a lot of Jet Ski hulls. Just some boat tape, laminating resin, and a weenie roller, and I was wondering if it will be that easy. I 'll post my ?'s on Barney's board.
Thanks guys for your input.

[old rigger]

beached 1,
on the stringers your want to use , kiln dried, clear pine. Birch, oak, will also do fine but the key is kiln dried. Marine plywood on the transom is a must.
The easiest way to set the stringers in place is to build a jig about 10 to 12 feet long that you can clamp them in place with.
Most stringers are 26" in the centers, or 24", so your jig can be a simple as 26"X12' framed box. Made with 2x6's with gussets to hold it square.
Place both stringers at the same time on a bed of wetted out matt. While the stringers are clamped to the jig, weight the whole thing down with what ever you can find to make sure they seat well. After these kick, you can finish glassing them in.
The hardest thing of the whole deal is getting the proper shape to the bottom of the stringer where it mates to the hull. Spend lots of time to make sure this is correct.
[This message has been edited by old rigger (edited February 15, 2002).]
[This message has been edited by old rigger (edited February 15, 2002).]

[beached1]

Thanks Old Rigger, I was hoping you would reply. I would appreciate it if I could e-mail you sometime with any ?s or advice if or when I run into a prob. If that's OK with you, e-mail me at beached1@op6cl.com .
Take care,

[beached1]

OK, Here's where I'm at today.
Tore up about half of the floor today. I hope this sorry assed fiberglass job is form the previous owner and not the boat manufacturer. This isn't even holding on to anyhthing!!
http://www.beached1.homestead.com/files/Shit_4_Stringer.jpg
Here's a look at the rear. Pile of crap
http://www.beached1.homestead.com/files/Shit_4_stringer_2.jpg
Here's a question. Why is this hull a Vee right here behind the intake? The intake is rounded, almost flat. Shouldn't the hull be flat too? It's what they do with PWC's, why would boats be any different?
http://www.beached1.homestead.com/files/Intake_2.jpg
After a couple Tecate's I decided to snap pics of my pump.
http://www.beached1.homestead.com/files/Pump.jpg
Here's the back. Per Jack at MPD's advice, I chucked the bowl up in a lathe and bored this out myself. I took it all the way out and stopped at the Vanes. Then made a stuffer from billet to keep the water tight through the Place diverter adapter.
http://www.beached1.homestead.com/files/Pump2.jpg
Man, I need a bigger garage.
http://www.beached1.homestead.com/files/Garage.jpg
Any advice or tips on my project is appreciated.
Take care,
[This message has been edited by beached1 (edited February 17, 2002).]

[77charger]

Gerrit let me know when you want to sell that atc70

[havasu boat builder]

use marine grade plywood, 1815 or 2415 x glass, and either polyester or preferably vinylester resin..............you must gring thuroughly before doing any glass work(a must).......you can get any of these products at any boat shop.........hbb

[beached1]

77, you should see the the killer steel red wagon with diamond plate that tows behind it for beer runs. It's a gem. I'll prob bring it to OP6III.

[beached1]

havasu boat builder, thanks for the tip. I'll look for the Glass ans resin at a boat shop.

[Kwicherbichen]

Gerrit,
It looks like a lot of work (I hate 4 letter words like that). I don't know if this helps or not, I heard someone (on the boards) once say that you should flare the forward ends of those new stringers. I guess its because you want a slight amount of flex at the forward tips so the stingers dont end up penetrating the hull in rough water. Maybe a pro can chime in on this tip.
On a side note, I have a fully polished WJ in my garage ready to go if you are interested. I was going to take it to another shop and sell it, but if you are interested i can sell it to you. I'd rather help out someone I know if I can.
Brian

[beached1]

Kiwich, Thanks for the offer, but after all the work I did to this one, I wouldn't want to start all over again. If I tear this one up beyond repair, I'll just turn it into a giant Bong. Then I'll glass in a Berk. http://free.***boat.net/ubb/wink.gif

[DEL51]

Use a grinder with a 36 grit sanding disk to remove the glass.Get a protective suit from an auto boby shop, some eye protection,and dust mask.You can get marine grade plywood from home depot,around $70.00 for a 4x8sheet.Make a template for the transom and cut the cloth 3-4 inches larger than the template.Cut the new transom to size of template and taper the perimeter edge.I set the saw to a 45 deg cut.Rough up the original glass where the new stuff will contact.I like the suggestion of the Vinylester resin.Make sure you have some plastic 1 gallon buckets and dish washing rubber gloves, at least 3 pair.Follow the supliers instructions on the hardner to resin ratio, you may have variations in curing time because of weather conditions. Apply the resin to the wood surfaces being glassed,cause some resin will soak into the wood.

[19Kona]

I did the floor in my Kona recently. Used westcoast systems epoxy resin - from west marine (they are usually more expensive) worked really well, and easy to apply, but I have only done one season. I also used marine plywood. Now they have this new stuff - starboard. It is like plywood, but will never rot.

[beached1]

Kona, Where did you find this Starboard? I'd like to see it.

[spectras only]

Beached1, here's the website address ; www.KingStarboard.com (http://www.KingStarboard.com)
[This message has been edited by spectras only (edited February 19, 2002).]