1988 Comp TS6M Stringer Rebuild

[N3X]

Hi Guys,

since we're near the end of our rebuild I want to share our progress with you.

As I told in another thread we bought the boat without checking in here first, so we had no clue to look for rotten stringers. Price was ok for European circumstances even for the rotten stringers we found inside.

Our supra still in the backyard of the seller.
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Testdrive in autumn - Rhine River - 60°F and windy - not so comfortable
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In the days after our purchase we checked the stringers. We lifted the floorboards. Everything below was either sooted or layered with mould.
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[N3X]

The stringers were so rotten we could take some of them out without tools.
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Some of the previous owners must have tried to repair the stringers without a rebuild.
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Below drivers seat everything was pulverized.
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[N3X]

Next up: lifting out the engine
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Then we took the cap off.
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Left was only the mess we had to churn through...
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[N3X]

From the phase of cleaning out the rotten stringers not much is captured. Only the last stage with sanding the scraps of the old stringers. You can see snow in the back, not the best climate for working.
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We made our stringer structure from 2.3 inch spruce wood. All cuts were made on a CNC machine so we had very little tolerance and everything was a tight fit from the start. We lowered the structure into the hull and took measures.
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[N3X]

Next we phased the structure where need be and made another test followed by some more adjustments to the structure so that the clearance would be more even throughout the hull.
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After that we treated all parts with a resin based sealing so it would be more waterresistant.
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Finished structure before glassing.
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[N3X]

We glued the structure to the hull with construction glue that expands a little bit so we get an even bond.
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On to the part where I think we made the most mistakes and our work doesn't seem very professional.
We glassed every part until a height of about 4 inch.
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After glassing we covered the whole stucture with pigmented resin to ensure waterresistance.
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[N3X]

Engine was put back into place. But not before we had to saw a cutout into our engine bracket. We had a wrong measure on the height of the engine mounting points. Cutout was made and reglassed.
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The boat was then transferred to my parents house because the workshop we were using was to be demolished to make room for a new house.
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What have we done since then? Engine wires are fully connected and test run was successful. Insert the rivets to connect both hull parts is a discussion i opened another thread for.
Next on our schedule is putting in a new floor and seating so we can put it in the water. This year we will ride it "as is" - like a rat. If it satisfies our demands we will haul it to the paint shop over the next winter.

[wotan2525]

I like how you pre-assembled the stringers as a unit, that's really clever! I know that spruce probably isn't the best material to use but I do appreciate the fact that you did this yourself, on a budget, with the supplies available for you.

It's certainly WORLDS better than the rotten stringers and I'm sure you'll get many years of enjoyment out of it! Congrats!

[daniel.j.grossheim]

Impressive work so far! I will be following along on this one.


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