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I want some estimates on how much epoxy and cloth I might need for my project. I'm replacing engine stringers in this boat pictured below. Assuming the worst, I might as well just epoxy and cloth the whole floor of the engine room; the engine, outdrive, and gas tank are coming out anyway.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...73/Baja2FW.jpg
-What wood would you use to replace the stringers? Dried pine? a couple strips of 1" ply glued together?
-How many layers of cloth to make the stringers strong enough?
-What kind of cloth? Matting? Weave?
-How much epoxy and what kind would you use?
-Any other tips you can think of?
Before you all jump on me :) ... I appreciate the concerns about "you're in for more work than you planned" or maybe "hope you know your floors might be bad." Thank you, but I've already investigated that. I just need the replace motor stringers, no other part of the floor is affected :)
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Ply wood. I used resin and some mat to bond the two. Lay them flat on the drive or in the garage, and the screw them together. Put something under them to catch the extra resin. Take a 1/2" rounding over bit in a router to take that 90 off it, glass will roll over it better. Get some cabasil to set the stringers in with (fine powder mixed with resin, make a thick paste). 1.5 oz mat then put some 18 oz bi directional over that, better to do it all at once. Then if you want cover the whole thing with some cloth to make it perty, yes perty. Piece of cake. Make sure you grind all the surface area that will be getting the new glass, like 24 or 36 grit. That is not a fun looking task you have ahead of you. Oh yea when done spray with gel and webbing solution, even pertier, yes pertier.
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I was thinking of just hacking the tops off the glass that is currently on the stringers and lifting out the old and setting in the new. I can lay the new in with epoxy all around, maybe with some 1/2" cross-drilled holes to get more adhesion to the epoxy. Good idea or bad? Should I just hack down to the lowest level and start over?
I have all kinds of ideas, but since I've never done it I have no clue if they're good ideas :)
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.........Since you are going to use epoxy........Google " West Systems Epoxy ", call their tech line.....and they will walk you through it..........
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Great. Do you think they'll hold my hand, too?
Just kidding. Lotsa help is what I need. ;)
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Get a copy of the West Marine guide book. There is a good section about stringers, including your idea about leaving the glass in place. By the way you are in for a HUGE amount of work. I'm just redoing the top layer of cloth in my hydro and my whole body aches. I'll have 200-300 hours in it by the time I'm done. Make sure you scuff up any new resin you lay down if it hardens before the next coat or it won't stick. You will need 3-4 coats to fill the weave of the cloth and get it smooth. Don't ask me how I know this.
DJ
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Well, the good news is that its a sealed deck and there is no rot ahead of the stringers. Its not like I have to pull the floor up and replace everything, its just the motor stringers.... for now :)
Do you perchance know the name of that book? I went to west marine's website and the descriptions of the books I found didn't seem to fit what you're describing.
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well, this is what i would do if it was my boat, let me first say that i have been building boats for many years, this is what to do, you need to take out the whole stringer, and all the old glass holding it down now, grind it all down to the bottom, and at the transom, cutting it out is not that bad, if you have a cut off saw, just go along all edges the conect to the stringer, and cut through, but be careful not to go to deep,you dont want to go through the bottom, once that is done, grind all cut areas flat. install new stringers, be sure they are cut to form the bottom of the boat contour, once you make sure they are stright, you can use a stuff called bondo glass, put a thin coat of that on the bottom of the new stringers and set them in, making sure that you are even, then take some tape, and put a few peices on the top back and front of stringer to hold on place, let set for about 1 hour, then you can start to glass them in, and i would also suggest that since they are only 1/4 stringers, that you use a good glass to first bound stringers, the go over the whole engine compartment witha cloth, they like sayed before, gel coat it, to make it look better, but it will also be easier to clean!:D
