21’ SE (commercial) partial deck replacement

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MickeyB

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New to this site, tons of great posts, knowledge and info. I’m a noobie to deck Replacement work and fiberglass work, but have started a project on my 1991 SE CC (it’s a barebones commercial hull - repowered in 2017 with a 175 Yamaha) to partially Replace deck due to soft spots and water seepage on seams from PO fuel tank replacement. I’ve been reviewing posts and am on a bit of info overload at this point, but I’m learning.

time to share some pics and ask some questions to get moving. I’ve completed initial removal/demo to good wood and reviewed post “21SE rehab “ from 2011 - very similar yet more extensive project .

good news - PO replaced fuel tank circa 2013 so NO leaking tank Or fuel, and
demo reveals all foam is bone dry! what I found was some rotted deck core and the port inside stringer (located next to fuel tank) rotted. So I think I’ve gotten to it before significant rot took place. Other stringers are solid.
m
now I’m figuring out how to repair one bad section of the rotted stringer and how to replace Decking I’ve removed.

Here are photos of demo and what I found:A3749D76-C9FF-4E13-BE10-89D4E93F599B.jpeg19557F8F-3A11-4450-A317-DAA5F07D7C2A.jpegA3749D76-C9FF-4E13-BE10-89D4E93F599B.jpeg707BA5C0-8A31-435C-ACB0-A2B42A4B3F6D.jpegC616B450-8E61-4295-9A71-B7827EEC5D93.jpeg46EA57BC-E628-4F67-B2E1-FC83CD400AF0.jpeg5A6384E0-1984-4EE2-8CC4-06E3B9EB9017.jpegBA045E8F-D20A-4960-A177-307C01BAB59C.jpeg
 
initial questions I have include:

1. Proper way to “tab” new decking to side after removing remaining 2” of old deck which I will cut/sand off.

2. hoping to not have to remove tank to repair rotted stringer - can I scab in new wood and laminate/fiberglass in place ?

3. for aft and forward sections can I just glass new deck to old or should some type of support / ledger be put in place first for support ? I’m thinking so. I would laminate all wood used for support.

4. regarding flotation foam - I want to replace what was removed. What type? How ? Where to get it ? Any specific issues to be aware of?

btw I plan to use marine plywood - BS 1088 ? Standard. It’s not cheap but I want to get it done right.

Any and all input in welcome. As stated this Is a first for me so I may gave some dummy questions or thoughts !
 
Or - possibly - use one of those "pourable" transom compounds like arjay or nida core.
Those are designed to be cast in large volumes, will not heat up to the point of melting or cracking anything, incredibly strong and lightweight if done correctly.
Worth consideration.

As far as foam - I wouldn't overthink it, any polyurethane foam mix would be fine for this small amount you are missing.

It's incredible, by the way, to see all this dry foam in a 30yo hull!

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Thanks for the responses.
I was hoping to avoid having to pull tank. It was hard enough removing good wood to clean it up, but understood.

swatski i appreciate the suggested alternative. I’ll do such research on that approach.

👍
 
Thanks for the responses.
I was hoping to avoid having to pull tank. It was hard enough removing good wood to clean it up, but understood.

swatski i appreciate the suggested alternative. I’ll do such research on that approach.

👍
It was years ago that I used it to fix one of my old boats - which needed a transom rebuild. I used carbone-core (arjay?), made with ceramic microspheres or something like that. Not the transom compound made with recycled fiberglass shreds.
The stuff flows smooth, to the point that everything needs to be dammed/sealed around really well.
Strength wise - it is crazy strong. It is lightweight when cured, and supposedly 12-fold stronger that plywood, but I feel that could be an understatement. I put a sledge hammer to one of small pucks I poured on a side, couldn't even dent it.

Being able to pour it can be a huge advantage, but need to make sure, when you pour it, the "cast" of the stringer is good and would not burst at seams and leak - could create a mess.

The final product, done right, is UNBELIEVABLE; it will fuse with the rest of the stringer system into a unibody-like structure, and it will sound like a solid cast, almost like a bell, when hit with a hammer.

A small experimental pour on a side, before the big job, may not be a bad idea to get a feel for it.
 
Swatski thanks for the additional info.

of course fuel tank is full, so if I go the pull it out route I need to figure out what to transfer the 75 gals into. Steel drum? or plastic if right kind.

doing some other prep work and pondering options (I’m good at that ...😉)
 
That’s what I’m thinking. Does anyone know if there are any issues with running gas in car engine if it has Yamaha ring free additive in it ???
 
That’s what I’m thinking. Does anyone know if there are any issues with running gas in car engine if it has Yamaha ring free additive in it ???
Zero issues, many use Yamaha ring free is inboards, 4 strokes, i use it in my other yammie, 1.8 N/A.

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Is it looks like ring free is similar to Techron used in chevron gasoline for cars. Using removed fuel (with ring free additive ) from boat tank in car would appear to be acceptable.
any other opinions or thoughts ?
 
today I removed the last edge pieces of deck abuting the sidewall. The decking plywood ended around 3/8” from wall and the gap was hard glass that only went down a 1/4“ or do - you could place fingertips up into it from underneath.

a dummy question now. Is this what is referred to as “tabbing”?

second ? If so, when i replace deck and leave a gap is this gap filled with peanut butter or some type of “rope” glass that gets soaked in resin Before I glass over it.
may not be using correct terms ..... 🙄

I want to get same bond as original construction - that stuff was hard ! Before and after pics
 

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Question about tabbing deck to hull sidewall -
when i replace deck and leave a gap at sidewall is this gap filled with peanut butter or some type of “rope” glass that gets soaked in resin Before I glass over it With mat / cloth?
 
Question about tabbing deck to hull sidewall -
when i replace deck and leave a gap at sidewall is this gap filled with peanut butter or some type of “rope” glass that gets soaked in resin Before I glass over it With mat / cloth?
I'm not an expert but did some glass work here and there.
The one thing to keep in mind is, polyester does not bind chemically to cured polyester, or anything else, other than fresh/not fully cured polyester. So, if you plan of using that, you would need to ascertain good mechanical bond. Preferably, use epoxy and I would go with the best quality.

The decking/floor contributes massively to overall structural rigidity of these boats.
The "3-piece" construction is one of their best design features, and for me - it was one of the main reasons I was interested and purchased one.

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how difficult was it to remove the last part? was it attached/bonded to the sidewalls? Looks like it came off clean. Thumbs up for taking it on your own.
It was binded to sidewall. I used a 4 1/2“ angle grinder with cutting wheel to cut off down to about 1/4” - VERY careful to not touch sidewall. Then a 24 grit resin coated sanding disc and rubber backing plate to grind remaining lip off hull.
 
Swatski - oh boy that gives me pause. I was all geared up to use polyester resin. I’ll need to rethink that ....

I was thinking I would sand all existing deck edges to wood and rough sand hull and bottom to glass in new stringer and decking - maybe not, hmmm

I’ll do some more prep work today.


Any other thoughts ? sucks being a novice on diy project
 
This is the stringer I’m replacing - need to connect it to hull bottom and existing good ends (not fully cleaned up yet, that’s today’s work).

going with west systems epoxy resin to Tab to hull bottom
 

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Aluminum Fuel tank is out and clean.
coal tar expoxy best to coat it ? This stuff
 

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Swatski - oh boy that gives me pause. I was all geared up to use polyester resin. I’ll need to rethink that ....

I was thinking I would sand all existing deck edges to wood and rough sand hull and bottom to glass in new stringer and decking - maybe not, hmmm

I’ll do some more prep work today.


Any other thoughts ? sucks being a novice on diy project
The way you cleaned everything up gives great access and multiple options, patching the stringer w/ply and poly would be strait forward. Tying the new deck to the gunnels is trickier in these boats, but scoring/coarse sanding may be enough to provide mechanical bond for tabbing with poly.

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