RickK's 170 rebuild

[RickK]

I noticed that you didn't have any bleed through... I figured you just ordered the non-perforated stuff.

From the last pic it looks like you pulled much better vacuum too. 25" or so?

I'm trying to figure out why you would use the non-perf'd stuff   You have to get that stuff on so smooth otherwise it leaves wrinkles and the resin pools up in them.

When I cal'd the pump they said to set it at 21 so I did - can't get over that with it set.  I think I was at about 18.  I think I should have put the stem off to the side on that one. I thought at the time that I would get better all around pull if I put it int he middle but with the pleats it got weird - that pic is the redo of the pull down, the first one was fugly and had wrinkles everywhere on one side.  So I let the air back in, readjusted, turned back on the vacuum and we pulled the pleats up so the wrinkles were mostly gone.  Definitely a learning experience.  The sole is next and my buddy is already complaining that "he slept wrong last night", "his back is hurting", "his knees are hurting", .... It's going to be a challenge for sure though both to get it all set up and to keep him motivated.  
This time I think I will put tape all around on the bottom of the tank hatch cutout, pull the protective tape and press visqueen onto it to make a "false bottom". The instead of using the floor and visqueen underneath the entire sole to make the bag I am going to put tape all around the very top outer edge of the sole, around the lip of the bilge access and along the perimeter of the false bottom. This should make a nice seal to pull the cloth over the edges of the hatch holes.  We'll see. I don't need the vacuum for the "flat" cloth, only where it goes over the edges - a lot of work for 20 linear ft.
I'm putting the tape at the edge of the sole, which means I will not have cloth going all the way out but I will be tabbing the sole into the hull sides so I'll get that little bit then.

[gman 82 aquasport]

Looks like you've got a good handle on bagging now I was considering trying a poor mans vac set-up if I can't find a long bed pickup cover cheap enough for my t-top cover....I have an old frig compressor that will work as a vac pump, just add lines and a gauge and, well I'll just see how it turns out....if I have to go this route I was planning on using 1/4 foam as my base as I want the cover to be rather thin as it will be supported all around
Thanks for posting all the pics, it definately makes some pretty parts when finished

[RickK]

Bilge paint is nice and dry this morning - a little cool here, expected maybe it wouldn't cure yet but it did.
I can finally start getting boxes out of my way.     A Johnson pump 1000gph bilge pump with electronic float switch built in.  I have the same switch on both pumps in the 230 and they work great.  I'll wait until it warms up here a little more and then stick the pump down with this DAP product.  We'll see how it works.  I hate how you have to buy a BIG tube of 5200 and then use a small bit of it and then when you go back the tube is hardened - big waste of money.

As a follow up:  The DAP product never cured so I scraped it off and went with 5200. To my surprise the 5200 never cured either    So I went with small screws.  I guess the E-bond won't let anything bite into it and is not porous, which that product needs.  I was surprised with the 5200 though.

[gran398]

Weird about the 5200. It should have cured, even if it didn't adhere, right? Maybe its a bad tube

[Callyb]

I believe to non-perforated is actually for infusion, but all I have personally seen it used for is on ambient layups. It works two fold, one being a smoother finish and it leaves the textured finish for a secondary bond.

[CLM65]

Weird about the 5200. It should have cured, even if it didn't adhere, right? Maybe its a bad tube

I agree, although it is odd that 2 different products didn't cure .  Did they set up (get firm), and just not stick to the epoxy?  Or did they really just stay gooey?

[seabob4]

Keep in mind Rick, "normal" 5200 (what I use) has a spec of 48 hours for tack-free, full cure reached in 7-14 days depending on thickness...

[futch13]

Rick, just take a piece of sandpaper and scuff where you want to mount.  Also wipe area with acetone as there is probably some wax residue on the area.  Maybe? Just a thought.

[RickK]

I let both set for 24 hours and then I gently pulled on it and it came free easily and the stuff was still goopy - didn't leave it for 48 hours.  Now that it is screwed in, with 5200 on the screws, I guess it will eventually harden.

[RickK]

The sole lam was today. All was going good until I realized that I was a yard short on the bagging material.  Luckily I had enough 6mil visqueen left.


The result was a total waste of manpower and money :!:  We spent 2 hours prepping and when the got all the layers done I'm sure the resin was still wet but when we started bagging it took a little longer than I expected due to the big access holes in the sole (tank primarily).  Anyway, the pic above is as far as it went - turned on the vacuum and never got any  :cry:  I think I must have done everything wrong:
I ran short of the yellow tape (this is kick a** tape) so I ordered some "gray" tape and it was like half strength of the yellow - some applications might be good using it but compared to the yellow it sucked. Stuck to my gloves but it didn't seem to have the sealing power I needed. So I think I had more air leaks than seals  :cry:
The good thing is that we rolled out the 1708 nice and flat but the rest of the stuff was a total waste of time and money. No vacuum, no benefit of the bleeder cloth to get rid of the excess resin.  Not sure what I learned here  :|

Here is a pic of the "finished" sole and for the most part it is ok since we did a decent job on the cloth.  You can see a section in the back left where I must have stretched the cloth and it wrinkled back up, so I have to grind that out and patch it.  The rolled edges of the opening, which was why I did this in the first place, came out 50% only because the tape I put in some places held the cloth, not the vacuum.   :x

I'll patch all this and be ready to glue the floor in by end of tomorrow.

[RickK]

So I went out this morning and ground the sole down and I did have to grind out the wrinkles and patch the spots.  Then I started working the hatches and it seems the outcome wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.


The hatches were too big for the holes now which was a good thing.  The main hatch hole the cloth did not roll and stick most of the way around so I ground all that off and the main hatch was still too big.  So I took a belt sander and hit the hole edges since the hatch edge was already flat and it fits real nice now. I have just a little build up on the hatch edge but that is minor and is hardening now.  On the bilge hatch hole the cloth also didn't roll well and I ground a lot of it off and the hole was still too small so a little tweeking and the small hatch fits nice now.  Still have a little build up in the corners that is also hardening now.

[RickK]

Took a second and routed the hose through the supports


I think I will make one more set for the "turn" where the hose will turn up and more than likely back toward the aft, to secure it there too.

[RickK]

Took some of the E-Bond paint and coated the underside of the seat


And the recesses I made for the kill switches, one on each side of the console




Also painted the cable guides

[CLM65]

Looking good, Rick .  It's funny how sometimes you think things are going to come out like crap, but actually come out pretty good.  I can't wait to see what the finished console looks like.  Keep up the great work!

[RickK]

Thanks Craig.
A little more putty on the hatches or receivers and I'm ready to stick this floor down tomorrow - another milestone
The next day it'll be fillets and tape to tie the sole to the hull  8)