Capping a boat

[ltbaney1]

Not sure if this is the right place or not, but I plan on pulling the haggard ass rub rail off my miller at the end of October and capping and painting the whole deal. Im all good with how to remove the rail and paint the thing, but Im a little hesitant on how to actually cap the thing. Do I just grind the seam open a little bit and pack it full of loose strand glass and resin? Or am I way out in left field in my thinking? Thanks for any and all info.

 

[ductape1000]

This is probably the right place to put this, but it might be a while before it gets seen by the right people. I would just re-post it in the lounge to get it seen sooner. :thumbup:

sent from a van at the waters edge.

 

[SCBLLC]

Get an angle grinder with a 2"-3" 24-36 grid sanding disk. Sand down about 1/8" and about 1" up from the parting line and 1" down from the parting line. If need be use tape to set up the line, this will net you a 2" x1/8" path all the way around the boat. 2" minimum, you can go 3" wide if you want to and have the room for it. Buy some 6 oz cloth (tape, link below) 2" or 3" wide, what ever you did with the sanding disk. get some resin and bond the cloth to the boat, use a cheap paint brush, don't spend $20.00 on acetone to save a $2.00 brush, just toss it in the trash. Work your way around the boat. Get some micro bubbles and mix with resin to make a paste, this will be used for the fairing compound to fill in voids, sand it out to a smooth surface. Micro bubbles are way better that bondo, and by adjusting the MEKP you can make it kick slow or fast, with bondo there is no window of opportunity. Good luck and happy sanding.


Link:...............http://www.fiberglasssite.com/servlet/the-Cloth-Tape-Strips-cln-2"-strips/Categories

 

[Backlash]

SCBLLC summed it up.

If you have the opportunity, you could also consider grinding (Roughing up), the interior surface where the rubrail rivet holes are left. I would then consider adding a layer or two of fiberglass tape around the interior perimeter of the hull on the inside of the area where you are capping. Even though this area will later be glassed from the outside, in my opinion, having an extra layer or two of glass on the inside will give you a little extra security and peace of mind while you are grinding away. In the end, it will only make this area of the hull stronger as you will have extra supporting fiberglass layers on the inside. By "Practicing" laying tape on the inside of the hull, it will give you an opportunity to see how everything works and how fast your resin is going to kick. Consider it a practice run if you will.

Just my .02.

And dont forget your protective equipment too!

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

a lot of ways to cap and different ideas, Just remember that you need to take material off the boat so you can add it back in for strength, a lot of times people will grind a little, put glass on and shape perfectly just to have it crack after you hit the first wake. the wider you go the stronger it will be. good grinding disks will make the job easier and remember that you grind fiberglass at low speeds. 36 grit 9" (green 3M disks are great) disks on a variable speed grinder 1000 to 1500 rpm works good. grind 1 1/2" above and below the center line (don't be affraid to take material off) we used 1" cap tape, fiberglass that comes in a roll like tape. If you can get someone to help you it works well. Once you have the surface preped wet it out with resin and start laying in the tape, start just above the center line and lay the tape down go all the way around. Next start below the line and work the tape up above the line all around, and finally right down the middle all the way around. finish with 3 good resin coats the final one a wax coat and then sand. here are a few pics of the process we did.

 

[Warlock1]

Perfect timing as I have a boat that I need to cap, right after I replace the floors and the stringers...:rolleyes

 

[SPECTRALEN]

Don't get talked into the epoxy.

Polyester resin is what you want, That's what the boat is made from and it cost a whole lot less.

 

[AzGeo]

the 'tabbing' on the inside, so I would build up the thickness and coverage of all the tabbing on the inside of the hull/deck, BEFORE I started working on the outside shape. If a boat was 'tabbed together' expecting to have an outside molding, they would not have worried about 'hull and deck movement' in rough water. I feel that a 'good even 6 or 8 ounces of glass' all around the inside, will only make the 'cap rail seam' more easily smoothed out, one time, without cracks. I never work on the outside 'cosmetic' work of a cap rail until after I am sure the inside 'bulkheads' and 'tabbing' are strong enough to take all the side loads the boat could give it. When the structure is secure, then you can make the outside pretty......

 

[jrork]

the 'tabbing' on the inside, so I would build up the thickness and coverage of all the tabbing on the inside of the hull/deck, BEFORE I started working on the outside shape. If a boat was 'tabbed together' expecting to have an outside molding, they would not have worried about 'hull and deck movement' in rough water. I feel that a 'good even 6 or 8 ounces of glass' all around the inside, will only make the 'cap rail seam' more easily smoothed out, one time, without cracks. I never work on the outside 'cosmetic' work of a cap rail until after I am sure the inside 'bulkheads' and 'tabbing' are strong enough to take all the side loads the boat could give it. When the structure is secure, then you can make the outside pretty......

Good to see you posting George. Happy Thanksgiving


I gotta agree with what George and everybody said. It's not super hard to do but it is labor intensive. I will admit that I'm a epoxy fan but to be honest, if I was to cap another boat I would not use Epoxy. Reason being is due to the length of time it takes to set up and the challenge to keep the epoxy in place on a vertical surface. Might be different in someplace like Arizona but up here in Washington, it's a pain in the butt!..............john

 

[RiverDave]

Don't get talked into the epoxy.

Polyester resin is what you want, That's what the boat is made from and it cost a whole lot less.

That spectra in your signature is bad ass.

RD

 

[28skater]

Good to see you posting George. Happy Thanksgiving


I gotta agree with what George and everybody said. It's not super hard to do but it is labor intensive. I will admit that I'm a epoxy fan but to be honest, if I was to cap another boat I would not use Epoxy. Reason being is due to the length of time it takes to set up and the challenge to keep the epoxy in place on a vertical surface. Might be different in someplace like Arizona but up here in Washington, it's a pain in the butt!..............john

My Skater is made with Epoxy Kevlar so that's the product we have to use to cap mine. The shop that is doing the work is also having a hard time working with epoxy.. But it will be strong!

 

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

I personally use Epoxy for everything considering when you really think about it............ you have a longer pot life which means more work time with less waste , and no stank which is worth the X-tra money alone ,and might i mention that Years ago , when we ( skater ) were in our transistion from AME 4000 to Epoxy my wife would complain that my breath would always smell of resin ( AME 4000 ) untill we started using Epoxy.

 

[jrork]

Hi Artie. No doubt about it, I love epoxy. The only area I had trouble with was the cap job and trying to keep it in place without having to babysit it overnight. This was with the fast hardener and some thickners in it too but with our cold damp weather It was a pain in the butt. With all that said, that boat has zero cracks in the capping after many years of boating. Sadly, that is not the case with some Ive seen.