Project - Aquasport 246CCP, 1979, Captain Koz II

[jdupree]

Great work Koz I know that the stringers in the CCP'S are massive, but that close up just shows how massive they really are

Looks like the rough part is close to being over   Good job and keep the pictures coming

[kaptainkoz]

     Captain Bob.... I read your email before my morning cup of coffee and almost shorted out! Thanks for the detailed explaination. I got 113.75 for "Z" and I timed it by 18 ft, coming a few feet short of the bow to compensate for the reduction in volume at the bow. I got 14.21 cubic feet. With both stringers at 4 lb foam at 58 lbs a cu ft boyancy, this adds 1,648 lbs of bouyancy. I will add additional foam to the bilge as well as to the floor on the port and starbord of the stringers. My local composite shop has a 5 gal size which will give me about 25 cu ft of foam which should just about do it. Thanks again Bob!

[Capt. Bob]

My pleasure Koz.  

I've always been impressed by the size of the CCP stringers. What were your four original measurements on the inside and do I see a wood strip sandwiched in part of the stringer?

Thanks and good luck.

[kaptainkoz]

I dont get the wood. Its sections as well and not one piece and it was barely glassed in. Im guessing a screw backing of some sort. its too loosely glassed in to be structural. I dont intend on doing much about it.

I had 4.5, 16, 12, 13 inches at the section right under where the fuel line sits. My local guy has a 5 gallon quantity of 4 lb which should do 25 cu ft. Thats 12.5 cu ft a stringer so im hoping that will do it. Its about $425 which is about $45 more than ordering it (product and shipping) which I can live with.

To be truthful, I didnt take into account the cost of the foam or the recommended set off temp of 75 degrees plus. That gives me a few weeks at best here on Long Island. This made me think about and alter the rebuild schedule. The transom is definitely still first in line, but I think I will repair and foam the stringers asap and then wrap the boat up for the winter. I cant lay the floor until I cast my two in floor hatches (front bin in the bow and livewell/bilge) and figure out the stern bait station as that will determine where the floor meets the stern area. So after tarping the boat, I will hibernate the winter in the garage to create and cast a few molds (stern bait station, 2 in floor hatches, jockey seat) and repair the gas tank cover with Sea Cast self leveling mix. On the tank cover, I may have to move the access cover to the fuel lines, so I want to glass a recess for the pie plate so it is flush. I will also have to have the gas tank builders move the fuel intake, vent and sending unit to a different location as well. One thing effects another...

Jdupree... Thanks buddy. Its coming along. Its alot of work but I cannot imagine how proud I will be to take her out and say yup... I did this!

[gran398]

You have a great build coming along here, and as most, a lot of things happening at once.

Good thinking on the transom first....you'll lock-in/solidify the hull. Then if temps permit, pour the closed cell foam on the stringers.

If you get that far before cold weather sets in...wrap the stringers over with a double layer of 20 mil plastic, and let that part of the build ride until spring...you have strengthened the hull yet again.

You can work on the other stuff in the garage over the winter

[kaptainkoz]

ugggh.... FINALLY got all the foam out of both stringers. I am aching. This just flat out sucked. Basically a full day a stringer to get the foam out. 9 large garbage bags of foam. Starbord stringer is ready for rebuild while I ran out of daylight for the port stringer but there is just a few crumbs left in the corners. The best tool award goes to a fence installation tamping bar. It is solid steel, weights alot, had a chisel end on one side and a blunt end on the other. Fit in the foam pour holes and because of its weight, didnt take any effort at all to cut through the foam. Basically I would keep working it in one of the holes left and right, up and down and eventually I was able to pry a big chunks into the free space started at the middle cut. Still plain sucked though.

I had to make one more cut out near the bow. Darn, i was hoping to get away with 2 cuts but these 3 arent bad. Turns out the plywood does go the full length of the stringer so im going to have to assume its for rigidity. Im going to add a plywood bulkhead to the inside of the large cut anyway just to put my stamp on adding a touch more strength. Also, Im fairly certain that if I go with 1/2 ply for the floors that I will add another bulkhead/crossbrace or 2 under the coffin box where the longest span is. In addition. I will be adding 2 more bulkheads/crossbraces under the mounts for the console to give the screws something to bite into. I think I will not have an issue.

In addition, I noticed a bit of flex to the massive gunwales, I am thinking about adding a bulkhead/brace that would go up the hull behind the gunwale and come down under the floor and attach to the outside of the stringer. I would be able to access it to tab it by removing the rod holder insert and woprk through there. I may cut a blank out of carboard just to see how it would fit. More to come on that.


3rd cut


2nd cut


1st cut




starbord stringer


another shot 2nd and 3rd cuts

[kaptainkoz]

Im not sure if this makes it any clearer, but here are the 3 areas I am thinking of adding bulkhead/bracing to. I would use a layer or 2 of 3/4 marine ply glassed

[gran398]

Good deal.

No fun tearing her out. But, in the end,  you'll  know what you have.

Great work

[kaptainkoz]

Finished up the stringers. Then I started working on the edge of the floor, cutting the top layer back to its final length and prying out the rest of the core. I wish I could cut the top layer back further but I am fearful of not having enough exisitng top layer to glass to so thats as far as I am going to cut back. It has left me with a bit of a pocket which could be 1 to 2 inches in some spots. This further answers the question of going with 1/2 inch ply as I want to slide the floor sections right into the pocket. I do not want to wrap the new glass up the sides as I dont want to fair out corners. I want to glass just to the flat of the top layer. Being it was all parquet, it left me with various depths of where the old floor sections were, so I will fill them with a West Systems 404 peanut butter to insure no voids.

I will use a 2 pronged BBQ fork and map out the exact cavity depth of the floor. One tine in the gap and the other tine on top, marking with a sharpie where the depth is.

I then hosed and vaccummed everything up and put all the pieces back in the hull for another day. I should be ordering materials in the next two weeks consisting of fiberglass, resin, foam and seacast, etc to get the stringers and transom completed.

[RickK]

At least go 5/8".

[gran398]

You are getting a nice clean job Koz

Will you be putting a crown on the deck?

A slight crown is a plus, gets  the water away from the console quickly and straight to the stern.

[kaptainkoz]

Rick, I'm going to stick with the 1/2 inch so it fits back in that pocket. If I go any thicker I will have to cut back the top layer of the existing floor and lose my intended tabbing area.  I am going to add some cross supports under the coffin box area, otherwise the other areas aren't that wide where the 1/2 will flex.
Gran, I doubt it. I think its a bit complicated in that I want to "v groove" the boards together (similar to a tongue and grove but just a big V) and the only place you could get a bit of a hump is the front half of the boat. The back half has the tank tub and transom. I'm not so worried about run off as the trailer pitch will take care of water. Also, where it sits in my driveway is pitched to port anyway.  Going with pin straight or a hit of a bow maybe. Have to see how the material is when I get it.

[Capt. Bob]

Koz,
Thanks for sending me the diagonal measurement of your stringer. As I stated, I wanted to recheck the volume in an effort to give you a better feel for the 25 cf the 5 gal. can would give you.
This method is similar to the first in that you average the perimeter in calculating the volume but is more accurate in that a triangle with three known sides has but one volume unlike a four sided figure that can be "reshaped" so the volume will vary.

You now have the inside of your stringer divided into two triangles. One is: A=16" B= 4.5" C= 19.75" The other is: A=12" B=13" C=19.75". Once again, add the perimeter of the first triangle and divide the sum by 2 (call it Z). Then again subtract each side from Z.
(Z-A=D, Z-B=E, Z-C=F) and get your three new numbers (D,E and F). Now you multiply your three new numbers and Z,  (D x E x F x Z).
Lastly take the square root of that product and you'll have the area of the triangle one. Repeat for the other triangle and add both together and you have the total surface area. Again multiply by the length you need and you have your total volume.

I think you'll find you are just under the 25cf of the 5 gal. pail of foam. Again, you may need more or you may use less. The volume doesn't change that much using this method (it is however more accurate) so hopefully one bucket will do the job.

Good luck.

[kaptainkoz]

Thank you Again Capt Bob. I surely was not looking forward to buying more than the 5 gal bucket. I should be back to work on the CCP in about 2 weeks

[kaptainkoz]

I like the second method better as I got 12.23 cu ft for an 18 ft run which is much closer to half of 25 cu ft that the 5 gal bucket of foam is supposed to produce. Brilliant to see it as two triangles. Hidden in plain site, i would have never seen that until you pointed it out. I enjoy problem solving the obvious. Thanks again for laying out the math.