C'pete -
after exhaustive research has come up with a true
low maintenance varnish job we can all transpire to
C'pete -
after exhaustive research has come up with a true
low maintenance varnish job we can all transpire to
I've got an eye for a pretty boat. This beauty takes port installation up a notch
Looks like two frogs mating!
So, Mike, you detest frogs...
Ebb,
Here's some pictures of the gap between the cabin top and liner. Is it close to what you found on 338? You said you shimmed it out about even then filled it in. What was the proceedure? Unthickened followed by your favorite blend of thickeners? How'd you sand or grind in the gap? We're on the edge of something really big here.
Tony, there are photos posted in Ebb's photo gallery that show how he handled them on 338 . . .
Tony, Your photos show your liner very phat in places and in others pretty much like 338s, about 1/8" thick. In ebb's gallery there is a befor and after of the port forward deadlight. Pg 5 - #65, and after, Pg 9 - #125. The second shot shows that I filled the space a little too wide in the vertical/up part of the hole.
What I did was play with shims and squeeze clamps until I thought I had a pretty even space all around. Adjusted it, and decided that 1/2" was the spacing, outside to inside. With the deadlights out you can eyeball the liner by sticking yer head half out to see if your tweeking of the liner is correct.
What you are looking for is consistency. What ever it is, say, 1/2" , or 5/8". or 7/16" it should be the same outside to inside ALL AROUND.
It's obvious with your eccentric liner that your space will change but the finished thickness after you've filled will be the same everywhere. This is VERY important if you are using the original fastening method for the lights. Because of the squeezability of the original vs the 'rigid' nature of the filled sides you may have to find new length fastenings.
You show a couple of photos where both the liner and the cabin side is floppiest, right there in the middle. I would take my clue from the top horizontal as a start, because you will not be able to move the liner much up there and the cabin not atall. So starting at the top on both sides of the boat start jamming in, taking out, shims and use the squeeze clamps to bend other parts of the liner to a smaller space. Just see what you get. The closeness of the center section between the deadlights I don't think means too much. You want to get this area to be like the rest. My liner was bendable. And when all shimmed and spaced I thought it looked much more fair, really. And now filled it really does look good. Except for the booboo Bill took a photo of!
You have to grind out ALL remains of silicone. Use a dremel tool and get it clean. Edjucate one of your fingers to feel for rubber, it must all be destroyed! Take a piece of 1/4" plywood (3/16" phillipine doorskin is perfect) and make a small paddle onto which carpet tape a piece of clothbacked (the majenta stuff) 36 grit sandpaper. Do NOT use sandpaper, which will tear apart. And sand the hell out of the inside of both the cabinside and the liner. Scuff it up real good. After you know what your spacing is going to be, take all spacers out, and jam the liner open where you have to to work on it.
Get 20' of grey polyethylene foam 'backer rod'. It comes in 3/8 and 1/2" diameter. You can get it where concrete is sold. It's dirt cheap and epoxy won't stick to it. I pushed it in to the space about 2 1/2 to 3". You are creating a backer dam for the epoxy/cabosil gel between the liner and cabin, so you don't endlessly pump in expensive gel. Creating a WATERPROOF inner frame thru which fastenings* will go. You probably don't have to go so deep. I used 2 oz syringes to squirt the gel in. Maybe a pastry chef's squeeze bag will work too. You are giving the side of the cabin a bone structure, and it comes out STRONG.
The trick for me was to reset all the spacers (you can see in #125 I trusted my 'eye' and got too casual) and just tack the cabin/liner into its new form. let it set and come back later to do the whole shebang without the shims and clamps in yer face.
You must wet (prime) the inside surfaces with plain epoxy. I just jammed a wet bristle brush, not dripping, into the space and then squirted a pad of gel in right after. My tacs held and when I came back next day I took time to prewet the inside: acid brushes, pieces of cardboard. A putty knife with cotton bent over it held in hand for both getting juice in the narrow space and to soak the runs up. Moist, if it's too wet the gel will fall out! And had a good ole grouvy time squirting gel. My gel mix is like soft peaks in eggwhites. when you stop mixing and lift the paddle the shape doesn't move in the bucket. But you want it soft enough to load the syringe (messy) and get it out the nozzle. J u s t enough cabosil.
[I use a 100% solids no blush laminating epoxy with a slow hardner that you can work down to 40 degrees. Doing this filling is kind of pains taking. Vere sensitive to pain. I like to stop and come back later. Lunch, sleep, vacation. If you used a blush epoxy in the method described you could not dewax the surface in the groove. Why would you want to wet down your work anyway? Don't buy junk epoxy systems no matter how expensive they are. My brand is (Premium Marine) TAP Plastics, because they're right down the street. Never had a problem with the stuff. They ship but don't know nutting 'bout that. Best of luck.]
*Original deadlights do not have the fastenings go thru the laminate - they clamp around the hole and essentially 'float' there along with the glass.
Last edited by ebb; 02-10-2005 at 06:58 AM.
FYI - there are 22 fasteners in each window frame
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