1988 Supra Mariah: Floor and Stringer Restoration and more...

I finally got all of the foam out and the portside stringers out. I'm still working on the measuring and cutting the portside main longitudinal stringer. I left in the starboard side for reference. Once I sure it up, I'll mirror cut out the remainder of the stringers and mirror over. I forgot the thickness of the floors. Were they 3/8?...1/2? Still no luck with the rudder. I've pushed it back up and even sanded the upper shaft where there was a possibility of "mushrooming" and sprayed a ton of WD40.

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Floors are 1/2" Just started cutting mine tonight. They'll get one layer of 1.5 oz mat on the bottom, and two layers of 1708 on top. Don't be afraid to cut the entire lip of the floor off, it'll be easier to work with and set your floor as close to the side as possible. I kept mine for a while for reference, but then completely removed the remaining lip. Looks way cleaner and it will all be uniform when done. Marl it accordingly, however you prefer. You can still see where it was even once its all removed and sanded/ground flush, so no worries there. Boat looks good! You're making quick progress.

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Floors are 1/2" Just started putting mine tonight.

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Thanks man! Can't wait to see the update!

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Originally Posted by suprasaltareaud

I've just repaired a soft spot. Fortunately underneath is still dry with not much rot. Think I will be attacking full cap off repair in my winter (6 months). Will follow with great anticipation.

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I'm jealous. I wish I could get away with that.

Flips, you didn't happen to take a measurement of the placement of the two rectanglur holes cut in the floor where the cables and wire harness pass through, did you? I can't seem to find that dimension in my notes. I have pictures but want to be more accurate. I'm going to make a trip to measure my top deck this weekend, but thought you may have an answer.

How's your boat coming along? Im excited to see your progress, seems you've been moving quickly. I'm def Interested to see another restored Mariah!

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Flips, you didn't happen to take a measurement of the placement of the two rectanglur holes cut in the floor where the cables and wire harness pass through, did you? I can't seem to find that dimension in my notes. I have pictures but want to be more accurate. I'm going to make a trip to measure my top deck this weekend, but thought you may have an answer.

How's your boat coming along? Im excited to see your progress, seems you've been moving quickly. I'm def Interested to see another restored Mariah!

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I actually didn't take dimensions for that. I do know the width of it was just wide enough to have the the wire housing (pipe) to pass though. I just remember it was tight. The location on the floor is right where the built in cooler is and just inside of the longitudinal stringer. I will be working on it tomorrow so I'll see if there are any other references.


As far as progress on the boat, I have changed directions as far as material. Although I already bought the lumber, I decided to go with wood free stringers. I will be using a mix of 2" thick Nida Core, 3/4" divinycell, and various density foams blocks (I have access to scrap between 2lb and 30lb) for the bulkheads.

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Originally Posted by flipz96

I actually didn't take dimensions for that. I do know the width of it was just wide enough to have the the wire housing (pipe) to pass though. I just remember it was tight. The location on the floor is right where the built in cooler is and just inside of the longitudinal stringer. I will be working on it tomorrow so I'll see if there are any other references.


As far as progress on the boat, I have changed directions as far as material. Although I already bought the lumber, I decided to go with wood free stringers. I will be using a mix of 2" thick Nida Core, 3/4" divinycell, and various density foams blocks (I have access to scrap between 2lb and 30lb) for the bulkheads.

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I am very interested to see how that turns out! If I had access to those materials I would give them a try as well. Maybe on the next project. Yeah if you think of it, let me know on those dimensions. I have a bunch of pictures so I remember the size, just want to double check locations.

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

I am very interested to see how that turns out! If I had access to those materials I would give them a try as well. Maybe on the next project. Yeah if you think of it, let me know on those dimensions. I have a bunch of pictures so I remember the size, just want to double check locations.

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From where the deck meets the hull at the bow, the center of the cooler splace is about 63".



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Awesome man, thank you!

A recommendation, since I am fighting with this today: When you install your main center stringers, be sure to bolt the ski pylon back in with the bottom 2 bolts. Use the side attachment points of the pylon to clamp your stringers to while they cure to the hull. I measured twice or more, but my stringers are a little out of square in that area and I'll have to do some massaging with the torch to get the bracket squared up with the stringers. Other than that, the stringers on my boat are fine. I would just pay attention to the area where the pylon bolts up to save some hassle down the road when re-installing it.

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Awesome man, thank you!

A recommendation, since I am fighting with this today: When you install your main center stringers, be sure to bolt the ski pylon back in with the bottom 2 bolts. Use the side attachment points of the pylon to clamp your stringers to while they cure to the hull. I measured twice or more, but my stringers are a little out of square in that area and I'll have to do some massaging with the torch to get the bracket squared up with the stringers. Other than that, the stringers on my boat are fine. I would just pay attention to the area where the pylon bolts up to save some hassle down the road when re-installing it.

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When I bought my boat, the pylon was already removed. I think the only critical area is the motor well. Let me know if you run into anything else. Thanks man!

Progress has been pretty slow, but I'm getting there. I am using high density tooling board (30lb foam) for the motor well area and the nida core for the rest of the main longitudinals. I have them embedded into the hull using spraycore 2000. I still have to work on the outside stringers and bulkheads. I am still hesitant to remove the starboard stringers until I have the portside completely done. I should be ready for glass by next weekend.

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Progress has been pretty slow, but I'm getting there. I am using high density tooling board (30lb foam) for the motor well area and the nida core for the rest of the main longitudinals. I have them embedded into the hull using spraycore 2000. I still have to work on the outside stringers and bulkheads. I am still hesitant to remove the starboard stringers until I have the portside completely done. I should be ready for glass by next weekend.

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Looks good man, you're making quick progress. I bet that's way easier to handle instead of using 2x12s. Humping that stuff around by myself definitely slowed things down. I wouldn't be worried about taking the other stringers out, the boat will barely move as long as your trailer is decent. Mine didn't move at all, I kept a pretty good eye on it and I straight up gutted my boat

That foam is interesting and it seems like you know what you're doing. How does it compare in cost to wood?

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Originally Posted by wotan2525

That foam is interesting and it seems like you know what you're doing. How does it compare in cost to wood?

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Its pretty expensive material. About $1K for a sheet of 3'x7'x 6". Luckily, I was able to get my hands on some scrap. Otherwise, I would have used wood.

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The compression strength is considerably higher than wood. Douglas Fir for example is about 400 psi. This high density foam tooling board is 2,185 psi @ 75° and 1,384 psi @ 160°.

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Looks good man, you're making quick progress. I bet that's way easier to handle instead of using 2x12s. Humping that stuff around by myself definitely slowed things down. I wouldn't be worried about taking the other stringers out, the boat will barely move as long as your trailer is decent. Mine didn't move at all, I kept a pretty good eye on it and I straight up gutted my boat

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Its ALOT easier to move around. I'm not too worried about things moving around. I'm more concerned with losing true height and forward/aft locations for the engine well. Once I finalize all the bulkheads and longitudinals, I'll excavate the starboard side and floor tab lip.

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Originally Posted by flipz96

Its pretty expensive material. About $1K for a sheet of 3'x7'x 6".

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OUCH! That's insane.....

What is it usually used for? Not a lot of room for eff-ups with that kind of price.

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Originally Posted by wotan2525

OUCH! That's insane.....

What is it usually used for? Not a lot of room for eff-ups with that kind of price.

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My company provides fiberglass tooling (plugs, molds, temp molds, and glass masters) for most of the major boat manufacturers. Size, complexity, and time would determine what material we use. Larger plug like hulls and decks, we use EPS, styroshield, glass, and spraycore. We would use that tooling board for block layouts that get cut on a 5 Axis CNC router.

Had a little time after work to cut out the starboard outer stringers and part of the starboard main longitudinal.

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Originally Posted by flipz96

Had a little time after work to cut out the starboard outer stringers and part of the starboard main longitudinal.

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Coming along quickly! Seems like your boat is in a lot better shape than mine, mine was just plain old nasty inside and under the floor. It was wet everywhere, I would even have to stop cutting the stringers so I didn't get electrocuted because water was flowing out of the stringers that badly. Then I would have to vacuum it all up and start over. The stringers that my exhaust tubes went through didn't even exist anymore, just a little bit of the fiberglass shell was left.

Any chance you'll vacuum bag your boat since you probably have the resources? I know I sure as hell would have if I could have.

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Coming along quickly! Seems like your boat is in a lot better shape than mine, mine was just plain old nasty inside and under the floor. It was wet everywhere, I would even have to stop cutting the stringers so I didn't get electrocuted because water was flowing out of the stringers that badly. Then I would have to vacuum it all up and start over. The stringers that my exhaust tubes went through didn't even exist anymore, just a little bit of the fiberglass shell was left.

Any chance you'll vacuum bag your boat since you probably have the resources? I know I sure as hell would have if I could have.

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It was pretty muddy when I first started. Once I realized that I was removing all the stringers, I drilled holes in them to let dry out a little. I also threw the debris from sanding the foam blocks and saw dust to soak up any remainder. It was still a little wet in there...just not as bad.

I probably wont vacuum bag the stringers. I might however vacuum bag the floors. The Airex T90 I have access to is 3/4" thick. So I'll have to offset my stringer height to accommodate that. I'm still deciding what I'm going to use for the floor. It would be nice to have wood free stringers and floors but its really not necessary. The more I think about it, it really just needs to be properly encapsulated (as you are doing) to get the job done. Using all this lightweight material is going to require me to buy more ballast since I don't have the weight of the wood and soaked foam.

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Originally Posted by flipz96

Using all this lightweight material is going to require me to buy more ballast since I don't have the weight of the wood and soaked foam.

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Your rebuild is definitely setting the bar higher. I'm looking forward to watching.

Have you thought of creating some tank spaces for under-floor ballast? Seems like you've got better supplies than those of us who had to settle for wooden stringers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYJ85CEc2Sw

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Originally Posted by Salty87

Your rebuild is definitely setting the bar higher. I'm looking forward to watching.

Have you thought of creating some tank spaces for under-floor ballast? Seems like you've got better supplies than those of us who had to settle for wooden stringers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYJ85CEc2Sw

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Now that is cool. That's a great idea for filling your ballast! Simple and genius

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Originally Posted by Salty87

Your rebuild is definitely setting the bar higher. I'm looking forward to watching.

Have you thought of creating some tank spaces for under-floor ballast? Seems like you've got better supplies than those of us who had to settle for wooden stringers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYJ85CEc2Sw

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That is a good idea. I'm am very hesitant to cut those big inlets in the transom and the ones on the sheer. I also have a really short freeboard and there wouldn't be room for a swim platform on my boat using that system. There actually isn't much usable space under the deck. The only place I can get a bag underneath would be in the bow and built in cooler area.

I chopped 1.5 oz on both sides of a test panel of Airex T90. Its pretty strong and light. I was thinking about vacuum bagging, but it would be a lot faster to chop.
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I also removed my swim platform to get access to the transom boards. I plan on moving the outer brackets closer to make room for an actuator for a surf tab.

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I had one dull sounding spot on the portside outboard bottom corner. I am replacing them with 2" Coosa board and cut it to shape. I made them a little bigger to accommodate the moving of the swim platform brackets. All others were solid. I am going to go ahead and replace the starboard side even it was solid. I am keeping the top ones original. I have still have quite a bit of grinding to do before the mount and glass these in.

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Looks good man, your boat is definitely leaps and bounds cleaner and drier than mine! Are you replacing the center of the transom or no?

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Looks good man, your boat is definitely leaps and bounds cleaner and drier than mine! Are you replacing the center of the transom or no?

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Thanks! I'm not replacing the center one. Its pretty solid. The starboard transom board was actually solid but I decided to stay symmetrical. It was dry as I expected when removed. I had some good progress today and will continue tomorrow. I'll post some pictures tomorrow night!

It just goes to show that there's not just one way to rebuild these boats. I know when I started I was concerned about doing something "wrong." I learned as I dug in that it's not hard to do it better than the manufacturer did in the 80s.

I forgot to mention, I am using a mix of 1.5 oz csm, 1708, 3400, and 3610. Most it is scrap from previous projects. The resin will be using for this is a vinyl ester.

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I drilled holes in the coosa board and resin coated it.

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I created the "peanut butter" (resin, cut up csm, and cabosil) and used it to smooth out the transom before putting the 1.5 oz csm, then the coosa boards in place.

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Usually a big c clamp is used to apply pressure which I didn't have access to. I just used screws with washers and drilled from the swim platform holes to draw it back to the transom.

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I simply used duck tape to cap off the nida core stinger tops. Any extra resin I have from a batch, I pour on the outside of the stringers to help create a natural fillet. I create it anyways using the "peanut butter", but every little bit helps.
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I finally removed the forward keel stringer. Since I couldn't get all the way down with the diamond cutter. I found it easier to cut it down the middle with the diamond to peel back the glass on each side and cut what you can then cut the wood. Getting most of the wood out will give you room to take the diamond cutter close to the hull then pry the rest of the wood out. As I got closer to the bow the wood was good so I left the top part attached. Everything will be fully encapsulated so it should be fine.

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I packed several layers of 1.5 csm in the keel and topped it with a thick layer of 3610. I will pack this with spray core and foam core which will all be sanded smooth, then add another layer of 3610. I do plan on leaving the bow area open to be able to stuff a ballast bag up there. I will put a bulkhead on the fwd side of the cooler area with limber hole to allow any water to drain into the bilge. There will be a flat area where I can place a removable cooler. The built in was made of a plastic which is really discolored and is beyond cleaning.

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I got the outer stringers sanded down using an orbital sander to get most of it out, then followed with a belt sander. I used 1.5 oz csm over the outer stringer area to even out the surface. I will use foam core on the outer stringers. which I still need to cut to shape. The first layer of csm was used to cover the stringers that I have so far. I plan on pulling a layer of travira on the top only which is would allow the glass to hold screws. I final layer will be 3610 which is an overkill, but is better than an underkill.

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What is coosa board?

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Originally Posted by leetudor

What is coosa board?

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Its an alternative to wood. Its basically foam reinforced with glass strands.

http://coosacomposites.com/products/...uewater-panels

Looks like a product that was made by Penske Composites that Tige used in their boats.

Looking good man. I did the same thing on the transom, used screws and fender washers to suck the new pieces tight to the back. Are you going to use the OEM speedometers? I decided to not use mine since they require drilling so many holes in the transom for mounting the pickups and pass-thru fittings for the tube. I am trying to drill as few holes as possible in the boat to prevent rot. I'll probably pick up some GPS speedometers (probably just one) this summer or in the fall after I use the boat and see what I like.

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Originally Posted by lmnelson86

Looking good man. I did the same thing on the transom, used screws and fender washers to suck the new pieces tight to the back. Are you going to use the OEM speedometers?.

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As of right now, I plan on using them. I bought new gauges and hoses and I plan on redoing the dash.

So...I decided to remove the nub of wood that I initially left in the bow keel. I just didn't sit well with me after all I'm doing to remove all wood from this boat. I did the same as the lower. Several layers of csm, layer of 3610, spraycore, and another layer of 3610. It should be stronger than before. I am also going to leave that area open to make room for ballast underneath instead of on the bow seats.

http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/w...pscb39ef34.jpg

I was lucky enough to grab scraps of Prisma Preforms from a 50+' project we are working on. These are basically closed cell 2lb foam wrapped in in 24 oz glass.

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