73 19-6 little by little

[MarshMarlowe196]

Hmmm...  none of mine look like that.  I wonder what that little notch is in the middle for?  Sternlight maybe?  I'll see what I can do about tracing them, been busy with the boat lately... bottom has been officially painted.  Looks fantastic!  Pics will be posted soon...

[luv2flycessna]

Badonsport is one or two of your rod holders like this? in your pics they don’t appear to be just wondering also could you trace them out possibly and email me them if you took a pic of them with something I could use for reference I could blow up your pic to the right size to trace them? I would really appreciate it.  So next on the list of things to do repair or replace the old tank lid, the accessory lid (that runs down from the console to the transom) My questions are should I go with a composite material or marine plywood? If I go with marine plywood what is the best prep to insure the plywood is sealed? Glass both sides of the board? And is 1/2 inch good enough? I think it will have to be because I only have about 3/4 of an inch to work with? Any suggestions would be appreciated

The rod holder's  I had on my '74 19-6 looked like that and the other end was opposite with 2 slots and 1 hole, was for the rods, butt end in the hole and tip in the grooves, if that helps any. I took mine out for as putting rods there we were always tripping over them.

[flkeysaqua]

Thanks guys yes very helpful cessna how did you reinforce the gunnel once you removed the holders? because my boat is missing 3 of the four and when I hit a big enough wave you can see the whole gunnel shake and you can actually hear it

[flkeysaqua]

So now I know what you mean Cessna almost broke my damn toe on the brand new rod holders I just made but the gunnels are much stiffer now went out yesterday blowing 10 to 15 knots really tested them at WOT  :bounce:






Made them out of cypress came out alright FYI the rod holders are not the same size or dimensions

Secondly today I put the boat on blocks to do the much loved bottom paint :twisted:


On the new trailer the night before


I still have not decided on bottom paint or gelcoat price wise what is the most economical way to go and how long do I have to wait for gelcoat to set before a get her wet?






My questions are how well should I sand the remaining bottom (the parts you can't see) and what grit sand paper should I use so the  bottom paint doesn't so the swirl marks oh and how many coats of bottom paint?  

I know with gelcoat I'd have to sand the whole damn thing with 220 or so but the hardest part is done, but my main concern with gelcoating the bottom is even the it will never stay in the water more than a day and night at the max over time it will still get that grungy look to it CAN I REMOVE THAT without recoating? And a quick comparison on the price difference Any help would be appreciated

P.S. I HAVE ONE MORE WEEKEND TILL I HAVE A WEEK OFF TO GO FISHING WITH THIS BOAT TALK ABOUT TIMING

[REELCLIMAX]

Sand it until it is very chalky and try not to have any gloss left. I use 80 grit on all the boats I do. West Marine brand paints hold up well and if you cant get that I would go with a brand called pettite. 8) u need two coats of bottom paint. Will take a gallon for your boat. Also ur paint needs to be ablative since the boat will be put in and out.

[MarshMarlowe196]

Sand it until it is very chalky and try not to have any gloss left. I use 80 grit on all the boats I do. West Marine brand paints hold up well and if you cant get that I would go with a brand called pettite. 8) u need two coats of bottom paint. Will take a gallon for your boat. Also ur paint needs to be ablative since the boat will be put in and out.

Yep Yep.

80Grit is what I used on mine, and a gallon is more than enough.  That's the beauty of going with bottom paint over gelcoat-  the prep work is not nearly as involved.  On some of the thicker areas of bottom paint, I actually used 45Grit to knock it down, then went back over it with 80Grit.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't he be going with a hard paint over ablative if he's trailering the boat?

Flkeys-  its' almost as if we both have the same project-  I just got done rebuilding my trailer and repainting the bottom.  Your pics sure do look familiar  :) .  Is that bowrail original?  Mine was different.  I've since taken mine off in favor of a trolling motor, and the fact that IMHO, bowrails are practically useless...

Oh yeah-  Rodholders look grrreat like frosted flakes.

[flkeysaqua]

Thank you guys for the help and compliments, there is no glossy paint left on the bottom its really old, reason for sanding through the bottom paint in the front it was really bad and you would notice it when it was on the trailer there are a few spots on the boat that need to be filled before I repaint the bottom. And I have to either reinforce the bow towards the bottom looks like its been ran aground a few to many times.

Question can I just fill it with fiberglass bondo or do I have to grind it out and reglass it?

[slvrlng]

My hull has the same issues except most of them seem to be on the upper surfaces. Were the rubbed areas visible before you stripped them? Which method did you use to get your boat off of the trailer?
I really like your rod holders and being made out of cypress they should last a long time. FCI has a clear epoxy for cypress that has UV protectants in it.

[RickK]

My 170 had the same problem.  I was told the following procedure by a professional glass guy and it worked perfectly for me.
Grind into the gashes and grind the hull down along the sides of the gashes the thickness of the new glass layers that you'll be putting on it.  Mine was a deep gash caused by abuse from the previous owner and also from bouncing around on my trailer. It had a lot of black in it that had to come out.
Take some fiberglass cloth and tear it apart in small strips leaving a bunch of jagged edges on both long sides. Then tear some wider pieces too.  These rough edges will be important as you're re-glassing it - you lay the small pieces along the edge of the gash overlapping the rough edges across the gash like interlacing your fingers.  This will make the transition across the round part of the prow easy and give you many surfaces to bond to.  Mix up some Cabosil and resin to the consistancy of peanut butter (same as the bondo you're talking about but you control the mix).
So to start (and you do this all at one time), add the hardener to the cabosil mix and the resin and start to build it up with the resin/cabosil mix and round it off.  While that is still wet start laying in the small pieces of glass wetting them down as you go and then lay in the bigger pieces over them.  Roll out everything and let it cure.
Bad part of this for me was I was working upside down and when I was done I think I had more glass stuck to my gloves then I had on the boat.  Was walking around like I was holding pom-poms
Grind it down and finish it the way you had in mind and you're set - mine is still holding strong.

[MarshMarlowe196]

...there are a few spots on the boat that need to be filled before I repaint the bottom. And I have to either reinforce the bow towards the bottom looks like its been ran aground a few to many times.

Question can I just fill it with fiberglass bondo or do I have to grind it out and reglass it?

RickK's method is probably the RIGHT way to fill in the scratches/gouges, but I really don't think that's necessary to just fill in imperfections.  I just used the fiberglass bondo on the entire hull.  The glass used in these hulls is very thick, and unless it's really jeopardizing the structural integrity of the hull (a BIG gouge), then you should be alright just filling them in w/ bondo glass.  My hull was COVERED in scratches, chips, and gouges ( a lot of them from the old roller trailer ) and it would have been a load of work to glass over each individual imperfection... It was a load of work as it was just to fill in the imperfections with glass bondo and smooth them out.  Another thing to consider- working underneath your boat with a sander, no matter how light the sander is you're using, is a LOT of stress on your upper body holding that sander against gravity and applying the pressure needed.  I think my pecs and arms are a little more defined now    .  If the area toward the bow is looking bad, I would definitely repair that correctly w/ fiberglass.  

Which method did you use to get your boat off of the trailer?

I asked the same question in this thread viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3799 and got some helpful responses.

[RebelYell]

Question can I just fill it with fiberglass bondo or do I have to grind it out and reglass it?

Two years ago I had the same problem on my 200 Osprey.

I just sanded the keel clean, wiped down with acetone and built it back up with.............drum roll please..........Marine Tex !!!!

I took about three applications to do the buildup and used a cardboard cutout to shape the keel. Sanded in between applications and allowed to fully harden. Then I painted over it with regular old Krylon spray paint. Of course I taped off the repair area before spraying and painted it Midnite Blue which was close to the existing bottom paint.

That Marine Tex is very hard if properly applied. I have picked up some gouges since then ( from my trusty / rusty trailer ) and its funny; the gouges go right thru paint and gelcoat but get very shallow when they pass over the Marine Tex.

I am seriously thinking of getting a keel guard after I finish bottom painting here in a couple of months. Seems like I always find myself beaching my boat here on the lakes in Central Florida and over in Tampa. Keel guards are a nice thing to have, and I am always surprised to see that not many people use them...

 8)

[RickK]

RickK's method is probably the RIGHT way to fill in the scratches/gouges, but I really don't think that's necessary to just fill in imperfections.

I would do the bondo thing too if it were just imperfections, to even heavy duty scratches.  The gouge in mine was deep enough to go through the keel letting water into the boat.  Years of beaching it and even trying to beach it on oyster bars it looked like  :cheese:

Good to go now, doesn't take on a drop that I can see.

[LilRichard]

I highly recommend following Rick's procedure, or similar.  Those are deep gouges, not just cosmetic.  The keel on these boats is a major point of stress, don't screw around with it.  Seriously, it'll take MAYBE 8 hours of work to do right, why second guess it?

And about Marine Tex - yes, it is good stuff and has it's place as a hardy filler, but it does not belong in high stress situations because it does not have structural strength when put under flexing loads.  If so, hulls would just be made of Epoxy with no glass material!

[MarshMarlowe196]

Sorry-  I didn't see that there were pictures posted earlier (big-brother software).  I would definitely go with RickK's method to repair that keel damage.

[flkeysaqua]

Thank you all for the help and compliments on the holders I really appreciate all the support.  With glass what would you recomend? Some tri with matte ? And do any of you have a keel guard or no any pros and cons to them? Thinking of putting one on for those trips to the islands.