Just ripped the floor up.

V

Vic

Junior Member
Bit the bullet today and cut the floor up. :P The stringers and the ribs are all gone. So I cut the tops off of all of it with a recepricating saw. Dug out all the old wood. Why would anybody build a boat with a fishbox under a deck that drains to a sealed compartment. just like the fuel tank compartment. Getting ready for the seacast, everywhere. then 2# por foam in all compartments. Wish I could get these pictures to paste on here.
 
WOW ... SOUNDS LIKE THE VOLUME OF ROTTED WOOD HAS MULTIPLIED. :(

Vic - how many cubic inches of rotten wood do you plan on replacing with seacast??

And how much will that amount of seacast cost??
 
I figured 3000 cubic inches. Thats three 5 gallon pails. They said 1000 ci per 5gallon kit. Three will be about $550.00. Plus some woven roven, mekp, resin. I really wanted to do the pour foam in all the cavities, but I gotta have fishin money. She will be solid though.
 
Thanks MJ, When we mix up the seacast stuff I gonna take abunch of new ones showing us doing it. That should be very good for a lot of people too see. Already got three guys who want to help with the pour. One of them is a local V20 owner. I should have that stuff begining of next week. We are planning to pour the following weekend. weather permiting. This guy has a great idea for a freshwater washdown system that will hold about 7 gallons below deck. built from 4" pvc pipe. He's an Irigation guy and did it to his boat. I cant wait.
 
VIC - just saw the pics and it looks like you are doin a right thorough job. :) While you are waiting for the seacast to arrive you should use the time to make sure you get as much of the wood out as you can - because the seacast will not bond to wood. Maybe use a long sawzall blade to scrape the insides of the glass - just be carefull you don't poke a hole thru the bottom. The cleaner the glass surfaces are - the better your seacast bond will be. Think of it like it was under a magnifying glass. When you are satisfied that the wood is gone - clean the surfaces with rags wet with acetone.
 
ONE MORE FOR VIC

Hey Vic, I was thinkin about your project and I was wonderin how your hull is gonna be supported when you pour the seacast??

Now that you have gutted the bulkheads and stringers, and removed the floor, the hull is able to bend and flex.
For instance, if your hull is sitting on a roller trailer, there is likely to be be an impression or bend where the rollers are contacting the hull.

Whatever shape the hull has assumed, that shape will become permanent once the seacast is set.

I would think the very best way to preserve the proper hull shape would be to remove the engine, and float the boat in calm water for your seacast pour.

What do you think??
 
Sk, I have thought about that and we have been checking the hull by trying to flex it and cant get it to move more than an eigth of an inch. Thats with 270lbs on each side. doesnt seem like much movement. My trailer has 4 carpeted bunks that I made last year, out of 8/4 cypress, 2 on the stringers and two short ones on the outside chines back at the transom. I do plan to brace up the sides at the bulk head for good measure.
 
If you have nice straight bunks directly underneath the stringers, that is a helluva lot better than the hull resting on sets of rollers. When I was lookin at old v20s with jaysea, we saw one with rotten stringers on a roller trailer, and if you looked carefully you could actually see the hull deformed as the hull sagged around the rollers. Also, your full transom should help prevent outward bowing of the sides that removing the floor might otherwise allow. Just make sure your lines stay true and you should be ok. Don't want to throw a hook into that sweet hull.
The other thing to watch out for is "twist". About the best way to describe this is to think of a shoebox. Take off the top and see how easy it twists. The box top is like your floor. Of course, you still have your foredeck and cuddy bulkhead as well as your full transom to stop twist, but even a little twist is a bad thing on a high speed boat. If you put a jack in a stern corner you will see that you can lift that corner in isolation - that is "twist". Best to be sure you are straight and level BEFORE you pour, because when that seacast is set - that hull is gonna be rock solid. ;D
 
Sk, Thanks. I am gonna be perfectly level. And I really cant wait to drive this boat with a rock solid hull. It performed well last year. But it did have some rattle to it. Here on the gulf coast we have a lot of afternoon chop, and its always when your in a hurry to get somewhere. It'll be fun getting on top of it, with no worries.
 
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