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Its been awhile since I have posted anything going on here but, I just got done foaming a 1958 Skagit Express.
Some times when I explain how I do things, I tend to forget some of the details and the importance of them.
One Big one is if your doing anything structural on your boat, like gutting it and a build back up, I feel its really important to make sure you have the stern setting up off the floor on blocks and then a block up under the keel just before she turns up to the bow.
If your doing anything on a trailer you really have to watch it for any twisting or any cupping under the hull. Make sure she is resting in a natural position.
What I do on a trailer or even on boat dollys is I take a spinning laser and setup on the transom. Level it with the transom or take dead on measurements from port and starboard chine edges to make sure your dead on. Then shoot down the keel to get my center line.
From that point, I use that spinning horizontal line to measure up and down from.
I flip it to Vertical and then make my measurements port and starboard.
This way I know for sure how it seems that Every boat that comes out of the mold is off by at least 1/2" Minimum. Never have found one dead on.
I have seen some of the Bell Boys off by at least 1" too ;-)
Anyway, I do this to get the floor down on any cross frames. Skagits use the fiberglass stringers and I have found some of those that need shimming by at least 3/4" from port to starboard in the cabin area.
The spinning laser will help you do what I call a dead nut measurement when your replacing stringers on some of the other boats that had the wooden stringers. Dorsetts used MDO plywood for there stringers !!
Most all of your boats, you can determine the height of at least one of the stringers and for the most part the keel stringer.
Some of the Bell Boys did use (19ft and up for sure) used Half Rounds as there stringers on the hull but did Cross frames to support the flooring.
Again, with the spinning laser, you can must measure down from your laser line to know what Flat or level is going to be.
Another thing I don't think I explained very well is the importance of having a Large amount of what I call, Blow holes when foaming.
We did Blow one deck up off the stringers and it was a Awful mess to clean up as we use the closed cell Adhesive foam by Fiberlay.
I will use simple green concentrate and just pour that into a bucket with a big scrub brush and scrub down the whole hull that us under the flooring. That way once you put your floor down, you know the foam is going to stick to everything.
I will attach some photos of the process that I use and I use a hole saw to drill out the holes every 16" apart up between each stringer.
After you pour a few holes, you might find that 16oz is quit enough. If you get too much in one hole, she will blow out that and work her way forward.
Some times if I get too much in, I will put a cover board down to help force it up hill to the next hole.
Almost forgot, You need to jack the boat way up in the front so the foam will run back to the stern in each hole. Just keep moving up. No voids this way.
Anyway, this has been the best way I have found to install the flotation foam.
Almost forgot. That bucket of what I drilled out for each hole, those will go back into the foaming holes.
I use a Japanese flat saw that I lay down on the deck and saw up the foam that blew out of the holes.
Once get those plugs going back in, I will show you the process I use. Once those are glassed into the holes, I think lay down some 6oz fiberglass cloth that covers the floor.
Helmar
Some times when I explain how I do things, I tend to forget some of the details and the importance of them.
One Big one is if your doing anything structural on your boat, like gutting it and a build back up, I feel its really important to make sure you have the stern setting up off the floor on blocks and then a block up under the keel just before she turns up to the bow.
If your doing anything on a trailer you really have to watch it for any twisting or any cupping under the hull. Make sure she is resting in a natural position.
What I do on a trailer or even on boat dollys is I take a spinning laser and setup on the transom. Level it with the transom or take dead on measurements from port and starboard chine edges to make sure your dead on. Then shoot down the keel to get my center line.
From that point, I use that spinning horizontal line to measure up and down from.
I flip it to Vertical and then make my measurements port and starboard.
This way I know for sure how it seems that Every boat that comes out of the mold is off by at least 1/2" Minimum. Never have found one dead on.
I have seen some of the Bell Boys off by at least 1" too ;-)
Anyway, I do this to get the floor down on any cross frames. Skagits use the fiberglass stringers and I have found some of those that need shimming by at least 3/4" from port to starboard in the cabin area.
The spinning laser will help you do what I call a dead nut measurement when your replacing stringers on some of the other boats that had the wooden stringers. Dorsetts used MDO plywood for there stringers !!
Most all of your boats, you can determine the height of at least one of the stringers and for the most part the keel stringer.
Some of the Bell Boys did use (19ft and up for sure) used Half Rounds as there stringers on the hull but did Cross frames to support the flooring.
Again, with the spinning laser, you can must measure down from your laser line to know what Flat or level is going to be.
Another thing I don't think I explained very well is the importance of having a Large amount of what I call, Blow holes when foaming.
We did Blow one deck up off the stringers and it was a Awful mess to clean up as we use the closed cell Adhesive foam by Fiberlay.
I will use simple green concentrate and just pour that into a bucket with a big scrub brush and scrub down the whole hull that us under the flooring. That way once you put your floor down, you know the foam is going to stick to everything.
I will attach some photos of the process that I use and I use a hole saw to drill out the holes every 16" apart up between each stringer.
After you pour a few holes, you might find that 16oz is quit enough. If you get too much in one hole, she will blow out that and work her way forward.
Some times if I get too much in, I will put a cover board down to help force it up hill to the next hole.
Almost forgot, You need to jack the boat way up in the front so the foam will run back to the stern in each hole. Just keep moving up. No voids this way.
Anyway, this has been the best way I have found to install the flotation foam.
Almost forgot. That bucket of what I drilled out for each hole, those will go back into the foaming holes.
I use a Japanese flat saw that I lay down on the deck and saw up the foam that blew out of the holes.
Once get those plugs going back in, I will show you the process I use. Once those are glassed into the holes, I think lay down some 6oz fiberglass cloth that covers the floor.
Helmar
I am old school. Each one of these old girls I do, I treat them as if they were Mine.
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