Mike's 77 22-2 Rebuild

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Got it. A pry bar and a little sweat and it finally gave in. Now to just get the stringer tops cleaned off the rest of the way.

[theFunsmith]

Looking good. I picked up a 7-9” angle grinder when I was about where you are now. And it has been the best money I’ve spent on tools so far. I bought a pile of coarse sanding discs and an adaptor/backing unit and it’s been my go-to heavy glass removal instrument for the entirety of the project. It made quick work of the thickened epoxy on the tops of my stringers.

[RickK]

Yup, harbor freight is the place to buy one. Look for a 7" flap sanding wheel in 24 grit - that will make short work out of most anything.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

For sure on the grinder. I actually got one and a new flap disk before I bought the boat because I knew I would need it!

So tonight's progress consisted of cutting the top off of the port stringer to inspect the foam. It is 99% dry! The only damp part looks to be where the stringers step up by the front where there was a little crack. And even that looks relatively new as the cabin covered most of it. I covered it with some plastic drop cloths weighed down with bricks while I figure out what to do next.

There are a bunch of voids where they got lazy or cheap (or both) at the factory and didn't fill them up completely. Is there anything wrong with getting a few quarts of 2 part foam and filling them the rest of the way up beforeI glass them back over?

[mshugg]

There are a bunch of voids where they got lazy or cheap (or both) at the factory and didn't fill them up completely. Is there anything wrong with getting a few quarts of 2 part foam and filling them the rest of the way up beforeI glass them back over?

Not a thing wrong with useing foam to refill the voids in the stringers.  Generally, you want to use  4 lb density foam for structural applications like inside the stringers.  You can use 2 lb foam for other areas, like if you’re foaming in the cavities outside of the stringers.

[RickK]

I think I would pressure wash the inside of the hull so you can get a real good look at the bond of the stringers. I agree on the foam and that you should use 4 lb.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Well, slight change of plan. Turns out that tiny crack on the top of the stringer managed to let in a decent amount of water that was all settled in the bottom. Since I hope to keep this for the long haul I spent a good chunk of the weekend digging it all out. Better to just do it once. Tomorrow I'll swing by FGCI and pick up some 4 lb foam and fill them back up. Anyone know offhand how much I'll need? 2 gallons enough?



I also did a little shopping. I got about half a roll of 1708 and hit up marine surplus for some coosa. They had a  great price on it and not a lot left so I wanted to grab it before it was gone. Got an inch and a half sheet for the transom and 5 sheets for the floor.

[RickK]

You will be happy you did that. Keep the shape of the stringers intact though. For your stringers one 2 part gallon kit is more than enough (that's a gal of part A and gal of Part B). I still have maybe a third of a gal of each left - if you want it.  May not quite be enough though.
Take a real good look at the inside of the stringers and make sure the bond to the hull is good. Some people have tabbed the inside to the hull with laid some 1708.  Have you decided if you are going to use epoxy, vinylester or poly? This might be a good time to choose epoxy for it's strength, at least for this part.
Looks good though.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Cool, that'll save me a few bucks. I will start with one and give you a shout it it's not enough. The inside of the stringers looked really good as well as the outside glass. I was planning to re-tab the outsides of them anyways just for extra piece of mind. While I was as at marine surplus I grabbed a 6" roll of 1700 for like $20. They had a pallet of it and I figured it couldn't hurt.

I'm planning to use epoxy for anything under the sole like you did. I picked up a gallon kit the other day to get started. First of many I'm sure. I was planning to do any new lams with poly and anything that gets stuck to old glass with epoxy.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Got the stringers refoamed all the way tonight. I started with two 2 gallon kits yesterday and ended up having to get three more kits today to finish them! A few bucks I didn't plan to spend today but it will be nice to know it's done right when I button it all back up.

 I have about a gallon total leftover that I will use when I tab the back foot or so back on after doing the transom.

[RickK]

That's amazing - as I said, I did all mine with one kit. Wonder what the difference in the materials are.

EDIT:  I looked back through my build and I never mentioned how much I used, but I did use 2 lb foam, because I didn't need the structural help that 4lb would give, on my home-made stringers.  It looks like I used at least 2 kits - I was getting 4 linear feet per a 2qt mix (1 qt of A and B) in the aft and 6 ft as the stringers shrunk in height. I think I used a gallon kit per stringer plus had enough left over for the bulkheads.

If you're using 4lb then that would explain the extra needed. Sorry for the confusion and misleading you.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Ahh, gotcha, that makes more sense. I was cautiously optimistic that I would be able to get by with less but I had a feeling it wouldn't. Oh well, done now and they are solid and I'll hopefully never have to worry about them again.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Grind grind grind. Spent a good chunk of the last few days grinding down the stringers, hull, and sides so I can get a fresh layer of glass down to work off of. Just a few small spots where there were bubbles. Otherwise everything looks good. Got the stringers sealed back up and will hopefully get the rest done this week.

I also removed the emblem off the side. The one on the starboard side is broken so I am gonna try to make a mold of the good one and see how that goes. Had my helper with me to take care of the mixing.

[Tampa Bay Mike]

Also, what does everyone do with the center stringer? I am sure it is wet as well so I want to get it out. Can it just be cut down and filled with foam and glassed over or does it provide any real structural support? I've seen some use pvc pipe as well. Any real pros or cons to that?

[chris0614]

I’m curious to see how the mold will work out, that’s a cool idea. What will the emblem be made of?