John's 1973 19-6 Rebuild

[Mwar410]

I think I used a chisel to get that bonding putty off, It wasn’t bad if I remember correctly.

[Fishmore2013]

I just finished 1973 rebuild
Stringers transom deck I live in Connecticut
Email me if you have questions
Having motor mounted this week
Jon

[RickK]

Here is a link to a thread where the member compared different methods and grinding wheels https://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=15284.msg149476#msg149476

[wingnut]

Power planer works great on the stringer leveling putty if you have one, just be careful not to hit the stringers when you get the height most of the way taken down.

[John G]

I'm going to attack that putty on the stringers tonight with whatever tools I have in the shop and see what happens.  I also need to cut out the rotted tank coffin bottom.  The new tank search is not going very well.  I've got a few prices that range from $500 to $850 plus freight.  It seems even by reducing the gallons from 50 to 35 the cost is pretty much close to the same.  Being in the fabrication/installation business myself I do understand why, but I really don't want to spend that much on a fuel tank.  I don't plan on keeping this boat more than a few years before I upgrade, so I'm trying to keep the costs down as much as possible with still doing what needs to be done.

A question came up about the new tank being USCG certified.   Thoughts?

[umecheme]

I feel your pain on the tank.  I did the same search and for the long skinny tank I would need in my 19-1 without re-doing the stringers, the amount of welding needed kept the cost up around $800+ Freight.  Everyone on here will cringe, and maybe I will too later on, but I'm sticking with a 28 gallon under console tank (what the boat originally came with), and I'm going to install a smaller auxiliary tank (I'm not sure where) to try to get me up to 35 ish gallons.  I can buy a brand new 28 gallon above deck tank for $250.  I'll lose the space under the console, but the boat is a blank canvas, so I've got ideas for storage in other locations.  The other nice thing is not going under the deck, I can keep the deck almost completely sealed.  The only holes will be the conduit for the fuel, wires, and controls.

[John G]

I've spent a few hours today digging out foam from the stringers.  It's surprisingly dry except for the bottom 1/2" that is against the hull.  It smells like rotten eggs and fuel.  Aside from the factory rectangles and where I've cut with a sawzall, you can see where somebody cut a hatch in the deck and went right into the cross piece between the stringers. The question is - do I need to keep that part that goes across between the 2 stringers and also the lower section in the bilge area? I found some wood in the bottom of the cross piece and I think the only way to get it out is to remove all the glass, which I'm fine with, but does it need to go back in?  I'm also wondering if it would be easier to just to take a sawzall and cut the top and one entire side of a stringer out and then just glass everthing back in.  This digging out through holes takes forever!

[RickK]

So if I understand the question, you want to cut out the cross stringer (entire or just the rear side of the cross member?) and the lower portion that spans the two lower inner stringers? I don't see any reason why not.  You'll lose some of the enclosure of the bulkhead stringer, so you'll have to add that back in.

[John G]

So if I understand the question, you want to cut out the cross stringer (entire or just the rear side of the cross member?) and the lower portion that spans the two lower inner stringers? I don't see any reason why not.  You'll lose some of the enclosure of the bulkhead stringer, so you'll have to add that back in.

Yeah, I wasn't very clear on what I was saying.    Basically I'm wondering what I can take out and leave out.  I'd rather not waste time digging out foam where parts can or will be cut out later.

[McAllgeyver]

Cut it out! That stringer support in the transom was for an inboard if im not mistaken.  Think the same mold was used for both inboard and outboard.  Cut out all the middle section(bulkhead) and low stringers, and then just continue the left and right stringers to transom.
I cut the engine supports out and finished/fixed stringers on my 19-6

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Mine had no cross supports in it, just the two main stringers. Though I did add a bunch of bulkheads for the floor to sit on. For the stringers, I would be hesitant to cut the sides off too. Most just open up the tops, dig the foam out and then glass them back up.

[RickK]

If you look at the entire boat: hull, stringers glassed to hull, liner all glassed and cored and then the liner bonded to the top of the stringers and transom and liner screwed to the hull sides at the top - all together it was a strong boat - all together. You must think of this as you rebuild it. Stringers alone will not make the boat strong, not the transom either, not the deck.... If you rebuild everything strong and then connect them all together, you'll have a strong new boat.

[John G]

Here's where I am so far.  All the foam is removed up to the casting deck and I just need to go in with a shop vac and scraper to suck out all the small bits here and there.  I filled 4 contractor size bags of foam.  Luckily the foam up front was not wet, but the bottom inch of foam from the tank all the way to the transom was soaked.  It smelled like rotten eggs and fuel.  The wood stove was cranked all weekend and I had fans blowing inside the stringers to dry things out.  Next step is to cut back the stringers for the transom work, dig out that soft glass & wood along the center of the hull and then grind the rest of the deck putty off the stringers.

I ended up finding a 30 gallon aluminum tank from RDS Aluminum for $386 shipped, so that's my plan for the tank.  I ran around last summer with (2) 6 gallon cans on the back, so putting a 30 gallon back in will be more than enough for me since we don't go far.  The boat is kept on a mooring and the fuel dock is pretty far away, so I typically drag cans of fuel out on a dingy with me anyway.