30 Repco - My next project

[tuna_fan]

My buddy has a side door on his boat View attachment 131601

Nice... thats what i want to do...but I dont have the freeboard to be able to NOT break the wash rail. So I will need to reinforce the heck out of both sides of the door, and run those into and additional stringer. I can see in my mind how I want to do it... but i don't have the math to back it up and make sure im not completely breaking the back of the boat. Thinking with enough fiberglass and structural support, it should work.

started glassing the stringers last night:

 

[DiriZo]

You first!
I would prefer the door over the gin pole... so I am weighing options. From a time standpoint,, I think they would both take me the same amount of time, door maybe a little longer. My concern is "breaking" the boat. I have no experience to calculate the loads and/or engineer the door so the boat doesn't want to fold up. So I would kind of be holding my breath and winging it. I would need to break the wash rail and have a true door...so obviously would need to reinforce around the door and carry the loads with extra stringers and stiffeners below the deck. So... I am a little worried at attempting it and creating more work if it fails. Gin pole would be a safer bet...

something like this...but a bit wider

View attachment 131566

This might be a terrible idea, but just throwing it out, if the concern is weakening the hull by putting the door above the deck could you put the door below the rest of the deck and have that local are of the deck slope aggressively toward the door so any water that comes in goes right back out? It would mean more work on the deck profile but if you could continue the rail maybe you could safe the work with the extra stringers. The caveat being to keep the bottom of the door above the water level so as not to spoil flow lines. Would love to hear from some of the experienced hands on what the down side of this would be.

 

[tuna_fan]

Finished up the last of the "parts" to build the stringers and support grid... next step, trim, sand and start installing.

 

[tuna_fan]

Got a couple stringers bedded in .. hull and deck from Advance Coating in Westminster MA… $170 for 5 gallons ! Also these silicon spatulas and bamboo spatulas at Dollar Tree are a wicked deal…

 

[PatriciaLynn]

Nice!

 

[tuna_fan]

Using way more hull and deck than expected. Can’t say enough about Advance Coatings in Westminster, MA for fiberglass supplies , resin , glass etc. Talk to Annie , she will hook you up !! Advance Coatings

 

[tuna_fan]

This roller is awesome … heavy and I can mount on a stick to help reach. Much faster than cheapo ones .
Got the forward stringers bedded , and started glassing the sheets of foam for the deck.
I’ll try and glass up one deck panel every 3-4 days, one side at a time, one sheet at a time. Couple hours here and there … slowly progressing.

 

[jweir]

Slow and steady….nice clean work

 

[tuna_fan]

So this is weird.... came out this morning and seeing brown un-cured spots on this sheet...
I'm using GP poly laminating resin, manufactured in Feb2021, from Advanced Coatings. It has been stored in my barn, never hot. I have mixed it before use.

Wondering if the resin is old? Is there a wrong MEK to use for this (aren't they all the same?) ? I hot coated the foam before lamination... the brown spots arent thirsty areas, just uncured and soft.

 

[Genius]

laminated last night?

 

[tuna_fan]

laminated last night?

yes - around 11pm

should i toss it in the sun and see what happens?

 

[harpoon83]

It wouldn't hurt. If it doesnt kick in the warm sun then go to plan B

 

[Genius]

I agree. I've had some weird shit happen on rainy humid days. I try not to do it anymore.

 

[tuna_fan]

Ugg - I dont like plan B. I have about 25 gal of this stuff left right now.....

 

[harpoon83]

Ugg - I dont like plan B. I have about 25 gal of this stuff left right now.....

Could be anything not necessarily the resin. Any chance that some sort of contaminant got on the core?

 

[tuna_fan]

Could be anything not necessarily the resin. Any chance that some sort of contaminant got on the core?

Good thought - I guess so... I swept it and blew it off with compressed air. Maybe I will give it a quick sand before trying again...
The hot coat seamed fine - but i only gave it about 1 hr to cure before lamination... but these areas are def not thirsty, just uncured.

 

[Brooksie]

Did you use the same mixing diligence as always? Paint a little hardener on them b/4 you put them out in the sun.

 

[xbskt]

Hope all goes well but the resin is almost a year and a half old so it is considered old. My go to expert says after a year it starts getting wierd and can be sketchy.
No expert here but I wpuld start using that stuff up if it is ok because my understanding is that there is a clock.
Good luck.

 

[tuna_fan]

Hope all goes well but the resin is almost a year and a half old so it is considered old. My go to expert says after a year it starts getting wierd and can be sketchy.
No expert here but I wpuld start using that stuff up if it is ok because my understanding is that there is a clock.
Good luck.

Yes - I knew I was getting up there on the clock... shit....

 

[MikesMarine22]

Sometimes just patience works for me. Let it sit longer and sometimes a fan blowing over it works.