The Pikers Pit

I see quite a few people online use the west systems stuff for fixing up boats. are there any cheaper alternatives. going to replace a transom for start of syndicate. I need to do it cheaply, but safely.

Blimey Andrew you know safety never came cheap.

Try some of the commercial suppliers in Portsmouth ot Poole, tell them exactly what you want to do and all the materials you wish to bond, presumably your going to bolt and glass it?
You will need around 12" of (bare material) overlap each side of the join, two different mats and it will be a two stage process.
Checkout Hull Truth for the options.

Ive never done a transom but have installed deck mounts for tee tops and fly bridges but I never scrimped on cost.

Remember if the transom fails someone can get killed (see previous post of mine) and you could be held negligent.

I wouldnt say skimp but certainly reasonable for a good coverage with some to spare.

any ideas on this.

waterpoofing the transom wood first whats cheapest with large volume.

its the cost of the resin im worried about more for first soaking and waterproofing the wood, then laying the fibreglass on it before bonding it to the hull.

Andrew Croft wrote: ↑Thu Oct 05 2017 11:29 -

any ideas on this.

waterpoofing the transom wood first whats cheapest with large volume.

its the cost of the resin im worried about more for first soaking and waterproofing the wood, then laying the fibreglass on it before bonding it to the hull.

Ive used resin to waterproof wood and to glue up hardwood laminates, its a serious job but once completed its can be forgotten for ten to fifteen years atleast.
For your transom I wouldn't soak it in resin before you begin the reconstruction, a thorough soaking during the lay-up is what you need, especially the cut ends.
Go steady after the initial brush over because resin doesn't soak into wood like blotting paper, it just enters the surface layers 1/4" or so before it reaches saturation point thereafter any more applications just run off.
Use two types of matt, the heavy duty cross strand first followed by rolled matt after.
If your using bolts or screws firstly ensure they are all stainless steel, then drill the holes and run the fixing down the holes to ensure you have no problems, soak the holes before the final tightening and a dab over the heads to finish.
Try and source your materials through a commercial boat builder because it will be much cheaper and they will be able to guide you through the various stages required.
There is also some high tech material now being used in boat construction, foam boards you can bend that will not break and fibres of all kinds.

If your REALLY serious I have some big boat builders with a few miles of me and Id be willing to make an approach on your behalf?

Thanks mike. Good shout on going to a builder for materials ill be thinking of that when i get my a**e in gear and may take you up on the offer

Andrew - over the last 2 summers I've practically rebuilt much of the mid-ship inner skin of my new boat, and reinforced the outer hull from the inside. All this has been wet lay up with polyester and glass. I buy my 2-part polyester and glass mat from a trade wholesaler. I pay around £40 for 5kg of resin, and £5 for the hardner. You need a vapour mask and gloves when working with it. You do not want it on your skin or in the lungs! All surfaces need to be taken back down to the original glass as the polyester will not laminate well to paint or epoxy based gel coats. Everything must be bone dry - no water anywhere. Wipe everything down with acetone to ensure it's all clean before laying up. Don't scrimp on preparation. When laying up use a natural bristle brush and clean it in a jar of acetone. An ali resin roller is useful for larger surfaces too. There's loads on youtube to show you how to go on.

Been watching so many youtube videos on it. so many different opinions and methods. I seen one bloke cut the transom shape then used pl glue ? (was a bit like silicone caulk gun, but not silicone obvisouly) to bond the two bits of ply together and then he resined the plywood, didnt seem right

Best thing to do is put some photos up of the area you need to work on then we can help you out better. A mate of mine spent a couple of hours with me showing me the ropes. Most of that time was showing me how to prepare the area, get rid of all dust for best lamination, and how to tear the mat and stagger the layers to get a good strength transition. It's a messy material to work with due to the chemicals, vapours and dust when sanding. However, you'll not find a more forgiving material - if you balls it up you just grind it back out and do it again.

Hi Andrew
Check out this guys work.

https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-fo ... deo-4.html


You have to take your hat off to these guys.

Here lad, phone them or better still go in explain what your thinking of doing and they will sort you out. I'll give you a hand but it's really not that difficult

http://www.allscotltd.co.uk/

andrew_nagel wrote: ↑Sat Oct 07 2017 12:51 -

Best thing to do is put some photos up of the area you need to work on then we can help you out better. A mate of mine spent a couple of hours with me showing me the ropes. Most of that time was showing me how to prepare the area, get rid of all dust for best lamination, and how to tear the mat and stagger the layers to get a good strength transition. It's a messy material to work with due to the chemicals, vapours and dust when sanding. However, you'll not find a more forgiving material - if you balls it up you just grind it back out and do it again.

Boats on the island the now, coming off in a few days

DavyMc wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11 2017 09:30 -

Here lad, phone them or better still go in explain what your thinking of doing and they will sort you out. I'll give you a hand but it's really not that difficult

http://www.allscotltd.co.uk/

looks just the ticket

message me what you need doing mate im a fibreglass engineer ;)

Brilliant!

This is what forums should really be about.

Help, advice, guidance and links.