Flatback Fireboat Rebuild

[seabob4]

Sorry Craig, I've only had 1 boat here with a Porta bracket, and since it was already installed, I didn't pay much attention to it...

[CLM65]

No problem Bob!

[Capt Matt]

A porta bracket comes with backing plates just no nuts, washers and bolts
Keep in mind the where the deck hits the transom in correspondence to where the lower bolts need to go for optimum performance of the bracket.
Mine is mounted so it's parallel at running height and water pick ups are just underwater when all the way up at idle.
When ordering your bracket they will ask you for transom measurements
Capt Matt

[OldSkool67]

Man you are hauling the mail on your rebuild. I can not believe how much you have completed already. Looks good too, thinking about sandbagging a little so I can steal some ideas  

[CLM65]

Thanks Ryan, steal away!  That's how I got most of my ideas!

[Callyb]

I think that is how most of us get our ideas!      

[RickK]

Yup, if not here, somewhere else  

[Callyb]

Craig, how are those doors coming along? Did ya get them figured out?

[RickK]

Did you get the foaming done?

[CLM65]

Craig, how are those doors coming along? Did ya get them figured out?

Sorry I haven't posted pics or an update on the doors.  I'll try to do so tonight, but in short they didn't turn out quite as bad as I was expecting, but they are definitely not perfect.  Hopefully they are salvagable....

[CLM65]

Did you get the foaming done?

Not exactly.  I spent Friday making a run to FGCI in St. Pete to pick up enough Nidacore to finish my deck, as well as a few other supplies.  I also picked up a 1/2 gallon 2# foam kit for the center stringer forward of the fuel tank (will not be supporting the deck, so I opted for the less-dense foam (my stringers are not as beefy as yours)).  I did pour that Friday afternoon.  Then Saturday was soccer day with the kids, and Sunday was a birthday party in Spring Hill.  Just not enough time in the week, especially with it getting dark so early.

[Callyb]

Sorry I haven't posted pics or an update on the doors.  I'll try to do so tonight, but in short they didn't turn out quite as bad as I was expecting, but they are definitely not perfect.  Hopefully they are salvagable....

I'm sure they are.  My livewell shell didn't exactly meet my expectations, but a little elbow grease and all is right in the world. I hope you post pics, but then again I have said I would post pics and not gotten  around to it also.  

[CLM65]

Sorry I haven't posted pics or an update on the doors.  I'll try to do so tonight, but in short they didn't turn out quite as bad as I was expecting, but they are definitely not perfect.  Hopefully they are salvagable....

I'm sure they are.  My livewell shell didn't exactly meet my expectations, but a little elbow grease and all is right in the world. I hope you post pics, but then again I have said I would post pics and not gotten  around to it also.  

Ok, so here are some pics of the doors.  If you recall, I made a 2-sided form, so two symmetric doors were made before I broke down the mold and got a look at the product.  I did try to use air to pop them out of the mold without disassembling it, but due to no taper and more stickiness on the bondo than expected, that wasn't happening.

After waxing, spraying PVA, and then gel coat, my initial plan was to lay in 3/4 oz mat, 1708, 1/2" nidacore, fill the gap around the edges of the nidacore with thickened resin, then a layer of 1708, and fold the mat and first layer of 1708 over the nidacore and second layer of 1708, all before the resin kicked.  This was fairly challenging and I feared that I might end up with voids along the front edges.  So the second side I just made a "shell" with the gel coat, 3/4 oz mat, and 1708.  I still need to level the inside surface, glue in the nidacore, and add a layer of 1708.

Here is the first door.  I tapped lightly along the edges and it sounds solid, so hopefully no voids.


And here is the second


Notice the crappy edges.  I think this is called "alligatoring"


I believe that is due to the gel coat on the edges being too thin.  I used brushable gel coat, but I couldn't get it to hang on the vertical surfaces of the mold very well.  Ended up doing a couple of coats, but obviously not enough.  I'm hoping this is repairable.

[CLM65]

Here are the back sides of the doors




And here's the front sides of them together.  The curved top is pretty subtle - this is really the only way to see it.

[RickK]

Not bad Craig. Look very solid.  
Is it what you wanted?