1977 Searay 240 rebuild

Well that was fun.
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The glass up the stringer was thick enough that I had no idea it was full of red dust and toothpicks.
 
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Survey says all new plywood for 2017, parallel line development (and tracing) here we come. This should give me a chance to install stringers that don't scare me. Also yesterdays tear out under the sink and cuddy cushions was a 110kg dump run of ply, glass, dirt and wet foam (Just to let those following the towing thread know I did it in a half ton but I took it slow;).
 
There are always pros and cons with regards to the use of foam. However - in my opinion - and even if you decide to not use foam - providing each and every closed compartment with some way for water to drain/escape (which the original manufacturer obviously didn't do) is first and foremost in preventing ANY significant water accumulation and the subsequent rot issues.

Adding closed-cell foam provides some minor structural support, pretty good sound deadening and - most important as far as I'm concerned - if I ever do tag a deadhead at speed and get holed, all that hard work I put into my boat won't go straight to the bottom.... That's the main reason I decided to put flotation foam back into my project Double Eagle.
 
I would say exactly the above, right down to the brand! I put foam back in my DE in case of deadheads.

I guess I might also add that tearing out wet foam on one side of my DE (and dry on the other) left me with the belief that

A) I'm not a huge fan of foam up against exposed wood surfaces, which is just how they did things back then
B) these days you can easily get a couple of gallons of epoxy and make sure every surface is very protected
C) the side of my boat where nobody had made stupid decisions about how to install stuff later, like drilling holes in the cockpit floor to pull heater hose through, was dry. It had maybe absorbed a tiny bit of moisture over 35 years - there was a little bit of dampness below decks - but very little, simply because the integrity of the compartment was quite good. The stringers were dry as a bone.

I think a well-designed glass boat with modern, encapsulate-every-chip-of-wood epoxy construction, would have to outperform my boat, which was used as a work boat on the Sunshine Coast for most of its life, and still only got really wet when they decided to play stupid plumbing tricks.

I'm currently high on cough syrup so this could be getting a bit rambly but the point I was trying to make is that I think the big issue with foam isn't foam, it's construction technique.
 
Gathering components and making plans I now have a 315 liter fuel tank which will let me install a 44"x26"x16" fishwell between the stringers. I could have fit over 450L in the existing tank space but how often am I going to need more than 250 miles worth of range. And I can always toss a bladder in the fish well if needed.
 
gunnerlove said:
Gathering components and making plans I now have a 315 liter fuel tank which will let me install a 44"x26"x16" fishwell between the stringers. I could have fit over 450L in the existing tank space but how often am I going to need more than 250 miles worth of range. And I can always toss a bladder in the fish well if needed.
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Plenty of fuel imo.
 
Wood will eventually rot even if it stays bone dry. It's organic and will therefore break down no matter what. That's why, you buy a 25 year plus old boat with glass over wood construction, be ready to do the above.
 
gunnerlove said:
Gathering components and making plans I now have a 315 liter fuel tank which will let me install a 44"x26"x16" fishwell between the stringers. I could have fit over 450L in the existing tank space but how often am I going to need more than 250 miles worth of range. And I can always toss a bladder in the fish well if needed.
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If your fuel tank is in good shape I would leave it--However if you need a new one I would go bigger but you will need to analyze your current and expected types of fishing. Day tripping is one thing but if like me you want to do 3 and 4 day trips it is such a blessing not to rely on remote marina's for gas--no water to worry about-open times-high prices etc. Never had any experience with bladders other than aircraft but I suppose that is a viable option --Are they expensive? Love your article by the way!
 
The other tank is in really good shape but is 74" long and a poor use of space which is why there is a 315L tank in my basement. Bladders range from $2-5 a Liter depending on brand. I have used them in the military and am still amazed by the abuse I have watched them survive.
 
Military specifically air is my experience with bladders and the military ones never seemed to have a problem. Typical 3 day trip to Winter Harbour or Nootka ranges from 220 to 270 litres driving a 300 yammi on a 24ft podded Orca. I strive for minimum miles using anchorages close to fishing. Thought that might give you something to think on.
 
I though hard on cutting back on the tank size but knowing I can throw a transit tank in the fish well or pod made it easier. As far as abuse I was thinking more like army guys pushing full bladders out of HLVWs (shoulder height drop) or me suntanning on a diesel filled water bed while waiting for range control.
 
IMG_20170321_100537171.jpg I got tired of walking on the hull and rolling my ankles. So in went the cuddy floor this morning. Epoxied the underside and skarfed the stringer blanks together yesterday.
 
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