Double Eagle 185 Build

[Rayvon]

I agree with "Brando"and "daddystoy",once your gutting it go all the way,stringers,transom,rewire,if you plan on keeping it for years.I personally wouldn't go composite,just too pricey.Done right wood will last a life time,Put a layer of glass mat on the stringers after fitting and before installing including the limber/weep holes and they should never get wet again once sealed.Epoxy is a good way to seal against water intrusion,but pricey for the whole job,polyester is fine for 90 % of the job.My 2 cents.

 

[Oscar162]

I agree with "Brando"and "daddystoy",once your gutting it go all the way,stringers,transom,rewire,if you plan on keeping it for years.I personally wouldn't go composite,just too pricey.Done right wood will last a life time,Put a layer of glass mat on the stringers after fitting and before installing including the drain/weep holes and they should never get wet again once sealed.Epoxy is a good way to seal against water intrusion,but pricey for the whole job,polyester is fine for 90 % of the job.My 2 cents.

I Agree… now’s the time to get it rite. I’ve been doing lots of research, and getting some good direction from the resto crowd. Al at Dryland Marine ( Sechelt) has 34 yrs experience and is happy to share… no need to reinvent things when there’s guys like Al that have done similar projects for decades. Just like everything… lots of opinions. Looking at vinylester ( hybrid poly/ epoxy resin) as an option… Please continue to share your 2 bits!

 

[Brando]

Vinyl is a great option but has a shorter shelf life so plan accordingly. To be clear I was only talking about using epoxy for back filling the bolt holes after oversizing it would be nice to use it throughout to avoid the styrene smell in a small space but definitely not necessary. Keep the progress pics coming.

 

[Oscar162]

Rest of the floor/foam out, blocked, leveled, supported… on to the transom.

 

[salmonkiller01]

Looks good, amazing how solid your stringers look Transom replacement is a good call.

 

[Rayvon]

Good call on levelling the boat,it makes everything easier.

 

[Oscar162]

Cleaned out all of the rotten transom ply… got a bit too aggressive w/ a very well bonded piece and made myself some more work . Now prepping surface for new layers of ply.

I know each layer gets covered and progressively tabbed 2” to hull sides w/1708… just seeing what combo & number of layers others have used to build up to an appropriate thickness to handle a pod and power. Haven’t settled on power yet… likely 150/kicker. So far thinking 5/8 + 1/2+1/2+1/2 w/ 17”8 between all layers and surface of last layer. Should end up abt 2 3/4 all things considered. Make sense? Have a pm sent to Brando… just seeing what others have done… cheers

 

[salmonkiller01]

Cleaned out all of the rotten transom ply… got a bit too aggressive w/ a very well bonded piece and made myself some more work . Now prepping surface for new layers of ply.

I know each layer gets covered and progressively tabbed 2” to hull sides w/1708… just seeing what combo & number of layers others have used to build up to an appropriate thickness to handle a pod and power. Haven’t settled on power yet… likely 150/kicker. So far thinking 5/8 + 1/2+1/2+1/2 w/ 17”8 between all layers and surface of last layer. Should end up abt 2 3/4 all things considered. Make sense? Have a pm sent to Brando… just seeing what others have done… cheers

2 layers of 3/4 is lots. The load is spread right across the transom on a bracketed boat. The original would have been 2 layers of 3/4 inch and all the load on the keyhole in a much smaller surface area.
Picture in your head the force it takes to push lift the boat by the leg and how much area the pressure is distributed
The key to your transom is bonding to hull skin on the transom and how the transom is tied to the hull sides

 

[Sttr]

5/8 + 1/2 + 1/2 + 1/2 , that’s as many layers as on my commander, Looks like there’s some room to scale back a bit.

Love the effort, keep posting pics!

 

[Brando]

My Hourston was a factory pod/omc drive and is about 2.5” overall thickness.

 

[Oscar162]

First layer new transom in today… cut some 2x the profile of the transom and thru bolted w/ ready rod. Applied thickened resin, over flood coat, with a notched trowel and squeezed. Confident it’s a good bond . Next I’ll tab into sides w/ 1708 before a couple more layers of same… progressively tabbing further.

 

[baddogg]

You work fast. Be done in no time.

 

[Oscar162]

Last layer transom ply in and glassed… all 3 layers tabbed into hull. Bouncing in/out between ext. transom prep and stringers now… transom is approx. 2 1/2” and solid.

 

[Brando]

Last layer transom ply in and glassed… all 3 layers tabbed into hull. Bouncing in/out between ext. transom prep and stringers now… transom is approx. 2 1/2” and solid.

Nice work your moving along quick looks solid and well thought out. What kind of resin did you end up using?

 

[Oscar162]

Nice work you’re moving along quick looks solid and well thought out. What kind of resin did you end up using?

Thx for that. Polyester laminating resin… will top it with something waxed when it’s done to harden things up… likely gelcoat interior. Undecided if hull will be painted or gelcoated.

 

[Rayvon]

All looks good,good call keeping the plywood away from your garboard drain.

 

[Oscar162]

Secondary stringers were a little damp, but came out good enough to use as a template. These 40 yr old mains are way too good to replace - visually inspected, tapped, moisture meter… confident they are good. Found some clear KD fir to sister in back of mains and replace secondary’s.

 

[Oscar162]

Mains sistered, 2ndaries in… and all bedded in thickened resin. Definitely helped having the hull level both front to back / side to side.

 

[Brando]

Well…

 

[Oscar162]

Well…

Just working on bulkheads after 2x layers of tabbing on stringers. Lots of unrewarding work… doesn’t look any different at the end of each day! Learning lots… mostly small batches of resin/ glass is best. Took the day off to have a look at nauseatingly expensive power options at the boat show…. On a train home now with my tail tucked, bulkhead glassing later this aft.