barrelroll
New member
I've been slowly plugging away at the C-disaster and need to update my build thread. I have a question that's probably better asked not buried in a build thread. There's 2 questions at the end.
My '82 had wooden strakes/ ribs on the bottom. They were in rough shape and the port side outer was missing about 3/4 of it and possibly the cause of weird handling and not hitting max rpm when I sea trialed. I pulled them off and drilled the screw holes from the bottom up through the floor using a screw sized drill bit to mark the location. On the top side I drilled 1/2" holes down through the core stopping when I hit the bottom fiberglass. About half the holes were moist though not soaking wet with firm non mushy shavings, the other half were dry. Drilling out 2" from the wet holes the shavings were still moist and solid. The wet and dry spots are random and not isolated to 1 area. I didn't hit anywhere that appeared to be rotten. I've drilled a 2 1/2" hole saw into the core at 2 of the holes and it doesn't appear either have delaminated. I believe the strakes are why these areas are wet.
So far I've pulled the transom core and all of the aft 4' of bottom core, I had about 2 square feet of delamination and rot from some non beded holes in the rear deck though the majority was still solid, dry and probably didn't need to be pulled. I feel like a I did a lot of unnecessary work though didn't realize I was doing it till I was too far in and committed.
The boat was a California boat it's whole life till roughly 2 years ago. Judging by the bottom it wasn't stored in the water in California. I'm not sure if it spent 1 or 2 winters in Alaska though it spent last summer in the water. I believe it hasn't gone through many freeze thaw cycles since it's come up here and didn't see winter for it's first 38 or so years. It's been in my dry heated shop for a month drying out.
2 questions.
Bottom stakes/ ribs: Do i need to put them back on? Will not putting them back on effect handling? If I do need to reinstall them what type of wood were they from the factory? I have uhmw strakes on my tolman so that's an option as well.
Bottom core: What would you do with it? Leave it and fill the exploration holes with thickened epoxy? Pull the inside layer of glass/ resin exposing the core, let it dry for 2 weeks and reglass? Completely redo it from bow to stern? Right now there's no interior or bulkhead so access is great.
We aren't keeping this boat long term and I don't want to screw the next owner. I plan on listing it as water ready for a lot more than project boat pricing when I get my tolman finished and we go to sell it.
What would you do if this fine C-disaster was yours?
My '82 had wooden strakes/ ribs on the bottom. They were in rough shape and the port side outer was missing about 3/4 of it and possibly the cause of weird handling and not hitting max rpm when I sea trialed. I pulled them off and drilled the screw holes from the bottom up through the floor using a screw sized drill bit to mark the location. On the top side I drilled 1/2" holes down through the core stopping when I hit the bottom fiberglass. About half the holes were moist though not soaking wet with firm non mushy shavings, the other half were dry. Drilling out 2" from the wet holes the shavings were still moist and solid. The wet and dry spots are random and not isolated to 1 area. I didn't hit anywhere that appeared to be rotten. I've drilled a 2 1/2" hole saw into the core at 2 of the holes and it doesn't appear either have delaminated. I believe the strakes are why these areas are wet.
So far I've pulled the transom core and all of the aft 4' of bottom core, I had about 2 square feet of delamination and rot from some non beded holes in the rear deck though the majority was still solid, dry and probably didn't need to be pulled. I feel like a I did a lot of unnecessary work though didn't realize I was doing it till I was too far in and committed.
The boat was a California boat it's whole life till roughly 2 years ago. Judging by the bottom it wasn't stored in the water in California. I'm not sure if it spent 1 or 2 winters in Alaska though it spent last summer in the water. I believe it hasn't gone through many freeze thaw cycles since it's come up here and didn't see winter for it's first 38 or so years. It's been in my dry heated shop for a month drying out.
2 questions.
Bottom stakes/ ribs: Do i need to put them back on? Will not putting them back on effect handling? If I do need to reinstall them what type of wood were they from the factory? I have uhmw strakes on my tolman so that's an option as well.
Bottom core: What would you do with it? Leave it and fill the exploration holes with thickened epoxy? Pull the inside layer of glass/ resin exposing the core, let it dry for 2 weeks and reglass? Completely redo it from bow to stern? Right now there's no interior or bulkhead so access is great.
We aren't keeping this boat long term and I don't want to screw the next owner. I plan on listing it as water ready for a lot more than project boat pricing when I get my tolman finished and we go to sell it.
What would you do if this fine C-disaster was yours?