Thread: Sprint boat update - Cap meets hull...

This is a big one. How much taping do you have to do to tie the cap back to the hull?

Originally Posted by Rojo

This is a big one. How much taping do you have to do to tie the cap back to the hull?

Taping? Duct tape? Dono, a couple rolls maybe! just kidding. The top and bottom were just rivetted together. Did have some seal-o-meal stuff like sillycone in them cracks though, but no duct tape that I remember! And the transom had some concrete like stuff holding it solidly together. But for now, the top is a little wider than the bottom from sitting. Pretty much what you told me would happen! I did listen, and tried to support the top good, but I guess not good nuf. And maybe the bottom got squeezed over the year on the stands I had them on. In any case, it's really not much, maybe an inch max, in one spot over the course of each sides edge. And I was able to use screws to get them close. Gonna let the florida sunshine shine down on it, so they melt back together over time. We'll see whilst I work on the wiring, and such. And other projects, but I ain't in a rush, so we'll hope they mate up a little over time, and some hot days!

That’s a lot of work. It’s getting closer to completion. Love the sticker in there.

Usually a "Tape" roll of fiberglass reinforcement, could be woven or chop, that spans the Cap to the Hull in locations in the transom area, Mid-ship, and in the Bow storage areas. The Rolls come in different widths, I bought 4in Chop but cut the 1708 for some jobs (higher quality boat to begin with). Really stiffens the Hull, well taped it can arrest torsional flexing quite a bit to a point. I use wide "Over the Road" 3in wide rachet straps to work a cap so it doesn't get waves from the screws. Several straps are used to a section of the boat at a time. I also use a straight edge as I'm tightening the Cap screws to prevent over tightening a single screw. Using the straight edge I work all the screws in a given area keeping the Cap straight over the Hull while I tighten. Your Rubrail will look very wavy if lite waves are allow to remain as the Rubrail is attached thru the Cap seam and magnifies the Wave even more. If you look over my Blazer post the Hull was not that stiff so I epoxied Mahogany flooring strips to the inside of the Hull at the seam site to straighten the waves out on the top edge of the Hull seam. Good choice on the screws if you riveted back the sides would look like a Roller Coaster.

Once the seam was done on the Blazer since I had too large a gap to ignore in spots I pumped the epoxy in a cartridge, self mixing stuff I think it was called System 10 or something like that, I pumped the entire perimeter to refusal then cleaned up the excess.

The Fast Forwarding is a Riot to watch in the video.

Originally Posted by Rojo

The Fast Forwarding is a Riot to watch in the video.

LOL, like the three stooges, right! lol

Yep I used screws, and strap too. All great advice. If you seen where I cut the live well and bait well off, that's where the deck was split originally, they were half decks kinda (port side, and starboard). So there was no deck between the two center stringers. Well, my replacement deck spans those stringers, so that helps with the stiffening. And the part I cut off the livewell, fits back inside the livewell pretty nice. Just need it glassed back in, and it'll be good. Having that deck split as it was originally added so little to the useful space in the livewell I'm not sure why they even bothered. I like my mods, the lowered floor, and the raised livewell bottom. yay me

So the boats gonna wait while I work on cleaning up the area between the houses here. Ready Stubby for "something". Finalize the trailer, which used to be the back half of stubby. And get a few things ready for sale here. MR Dux's trailer might be sold orr, and heck the MJ might be sold off, dono. The MJ, the Jeep Pickup truck, just does not fit me well (I'm 6'4"). I fit better in XJ's, and I have enough of those to choke a horse (three now).

Originally Posted by Rojo

The Fast Forwarding is a Riot to watch in the video.

I enjoyed the music with it.

I totally get the height issues, once in my C230 I'm good but getting in and out is a trick. With the bad seat bottom and using a seat cover the cover rotates to help me get in and out. Ove of the reasons I made the Blazer a center console was my old Blazer I bent up some seat height extensions because the seats were so low. The little Skeeter seats are much higher off the deck. Skeeter could sell a Ton of those boats if they would bring back a modern version of them.

I get the forced "Yard Sale" as I have to do some of the same here, just deciding which to sell first or list all at the same time? Too much stuff around here. I have more room than you do out in the country a bit but it's growing all around me very fast these last few years.