'89 Comp stringer project A to V (Not quite to Z)

[drize]

I am the proud original owner of this 1989 TS6M Comp. After patching a couple of floor spots and frequent visits to this form, I decided to take on the stringer project. Many thanks to all of the members who have posted to this site. The information I found here was invaluable and inspirational. I hope I can be of some help in return.
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Here are some of the starting condition issues.14397143981439914400

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My baby's new home for a while. 144011440214403

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It all starts with the first screw.144041440514406

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Remove seats and windshield. Don't forget the screws behind the carpet. 144071440814409

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Lifting the lid using 2 chain falls from Harbor Freight attached to the floor joists.144101441114412

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Lots of factory silicone1441414415

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The stringers are in pretty good shape but the floor/deck is toast, especially under the drivers seat.14419144201442114422

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I used an air powered cut-off tool from Harbor Freight to cut through the fiberglass along the edges of the floor. I also used it to cut out the old stringers. Probably the best $8.00 I have spent.1442314424

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Time for foam removal. The foam holds water as you can see here, especially in the 'doghouse'. I decided not to replace it.
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[drize]

I used my cut-off tool to cut out the stringer. I drove an eyelet into the stringer and attached it to the chainfall. It was heave but came out in one piece. The stringer was in pretty good shape but it is too late for second thoughts.
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[drize]

There is a lot of discussion on what to use as replacement material. I decided to go with Sitka Spruce from a special lumber store in Charlotte MI. It is Very Expensive but I love the straight grain and no knots.
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Grinding out the area for the new stringer creats a lot of dust. Do not under estimate, dust gets everywhere. I rented this Milwaukee grinder but ended up buying a DeWalt variable speed polisher/grinder. Doing one stringer at a time allows for better alignment and clamping.
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[drize]

I used a compass as a scribe, a hand plane, and a belt sander to form the shape of the stringer.
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Everything gets soaked in CPES. The CPES will eat through the red Solo cups eventually as I found out.
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I added drain holes since I am not replacing foam. I tacked in the stringers using PL adhesive with 1/8th inch shims and clamped into place. I was a bit too agressive with the adhesive and had to remove the excess.
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Although the factory sandwiched 2x's together for the motor box, I decided to use a solid piece of stock for mine. I had to measure the angle and sand off the excess.
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[inair]

Wow, you are moving fast and your work looks first class. At this rate you'll be back in the water before fall.

[drize]

Time for the fiberglass process. I used West Systems microfiber filler material and US Composits epoxy to make the 'peanut butter.' I decided on the 1708 glass mat also from US Composits.
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The factory notched in the cross members and that seems to be the point where the stringers start to rot. I decided not not to nothch and added extra cross members. I measured, cut, rounded and dry fit them into place. It was also helpful to label them. Everything gets soaked in CPES.
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The cross members also get the fiberglass treatment before attaching.
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Cross members are sanded and glassed into place using PL adhesive.
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One of my modifications was to reinforce the driver seat area and eliminate the foot well. I also eliminated the 'doghouse' and moved the bilge pump forward to the lower area. I also decided to paint the hull with epoxy garage paint although I think I will not use the flakes on the next one.
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I had to roll the boat out, lift the motor with the chain falls, then roll here back in, to get the motor in. It fit pretty well.
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One of the sweet tips I learned from this forum was to use frezer bags and label everything. This really helped when putting her back together.The 3M 5200 is some good stuff.
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Motor alignment was easier than I thought.

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[92SupraComp]

Why so many air pockets? Where ever the fiberglass is white, there is no epoxy... When doing glass work, always use more than enough.... Hope it holds strong

[lively]

^ now why you wanna go crash on this guys build like that . I mean are you a union fiberglass man ? It looks good and will deff hold stronger than mine http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/11/uqypehy2.jpg but then again I just painted poly everywhere anyways


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[michael hunter]

You are really making me look bad I started months before you and am still barely half way done.
Great work I will incorporate some of your Ideas into my build. Why the PL adhesive I was going to use epoxy?

[bens250ex]

That's a clean job you have done! That pl adhesive is a mess I used it on mine but not sure I would use it again

[Ptownkid]

I'm pretty sure he's not posting and doing this in real time guys...these seem like a historical documentation.

Either way, good work. Some air packets will not be the end of the world as long as the wood is sealed in. Besides, he CPESed everything anyway.

Why am I posting...back to working on the boat.

[wotan2525]

Looking really good! This should now become a go-to-thread to people who are thinking of tackling this project.

Where are you as far as time/money goes?

[drize]

Thanks for the comments guys. I started this project 1 1/2 years ago but decided to post after completion. My job has me traveling through the week and family oblighations on the weekend made this repair a slow process. I will have more to show in the next few days. As far as the air pockets, I think you will see that the ligher areas are from sanding the surface to prep for paint and not from lack of epoxy. That being said, there are areas, especially around the motor box, that could have been done better.

[michael hunter]

I feel better it looked like superman was doing the job. It takes time to do that kind of work especially when you cant stay with it .

[drize]

Here are a few of the errors I made. I decided to replace the 1/2" factory flooring with 3/4" marine plywood. In doing so, I reduced the stringer height by
1/4". This exposed the ski pylon bracket above the top of the stringer. I used a press to flatten out the bottom flange so the bracket would fit under the floor.
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Another error is when fitting the floor, I cut out a square under the motor box. The floor is actually angled toward the front so I had to create an insert. Once again, more CPES.
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Top of floor gets glassed in. I did not allow for the thickness of the carpet when fitting in the inspection cover over the prop shaft. I had to trim the width then re-attach the carpet.
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Next project was the motor box cover. The factory used butt joints and staples. Mine came out as more of a lap joint for a larger surface area for gluing.It was easier to cut the large angle by clamping 2 boards together and using a hand saw. A belt sander was used for fine tuning the edges.
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With the excepion of replacing starters, this boat has been pretty trouble free over the last 25 years. For better access to the starter in the future, I decided to use hinges to mount the motor box. This way I can lift the motor box and box frame out of the way.
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Lid comes back down and ratchet straps help to fit. Most of the prior holes lined up perfectly except for the front quarter. I am still baffled by this.
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I took measurements of the stripe before removal. A heat gun, acetone, and a little elbow grease did the trick. I like the clean look of the boat without the stripe that I may not put it back on.
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[michael hunter]

Make sure all the rivets are gone when I put my top deck on for a fitting I got hung up by a rivet that was only exposed on the inside of the top deck. Where did you get the blue carpet?

[drize]

Thanks Michael for the tip. I did actually have a couple of rivets that that were hidden.

I believe I purchased the carpet through ebay. It was a 20 oz rubber backed that matched the original pretty well. I can't remember the company, maybe Great Lakes Skipper, but I was happy with the service.

[lively]

3M removal wheel for the stripe , that stuff stinks


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[mlaosa]

Man I sure appreciate the details of your resto. I'm fixing to have to do my '91 conbrio. Not looking forward to it. But your thread as well as several others I've read sure will help. Thanks a bunch!!

[deaber142]

Just started my project a couple days ago. love your pictures and info. Thanks

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[Stebo166]

Hello, I know this is a old thread but I was wondering do you have a parts and material list you used? mostly lumber count and size and quantity of the resin?
Beautiful boat btw!!