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One of the parts of the Saratogan restoration I never got around to is the transom door or gate. It's a two part door and the lower section was missing. Some years back, Bruce Bridwell stopped by the shop and said it would be easy to fabricate a new door. Since I'm in the process of final paint on the hull I couldn't put off the transom door anymore.
I actually started the door a few years ago. I made the beginnings of a plug for the top of the bottom door. Started with two strips of fiberglass cut in an arc and glassed together in an "L" shape. Then added a bunch of Bondo to fair it out. That was as far as I got in 2004.
The other day I started with the curved lower part of the transom door. Looked around the shop for a piece of laminate to clamp against the hull, but couldn't find any that was stiff enough and had the smooth side on the correct side of the curve. Finally used some cork flooring that I gave a few coats of mold release wax to and then clamped it to the transom with some sticks pushing against the wall. That was the easy part. Glassed it with two 8 oz mat and two 4 oz cloth. Thin, but stiff enough to hold the curve and easy to work with for other fabrication steps.
I then dug out the plug I started years earlier, cut it to length and added some small wood blocks to fit the transom frame stops. The real work in this fabrication was mixing about 20 batches of bondo to fair this part out. It has several compound curves. I'd trowel on some bondo, let it kick, then rough sand it and then check it in three planes on the transom with a batten.
Normally one would make a male plug, a female mold and then make the part from the female mold. To save time since this is a one-off part, I used the mold as the part. Sort of backwards and required more fairing, but saved an extra step or two.
I then final sanded the plug and gave it a coat of black lacquer to seal the pores. Two coats of mold release wax and I was ready to make the part. The initial layup was two 8 oz mat and two 4oz cloth. This made a part about .10" thick, enough to hold its shape for further work.
I then trimmed both parts and set them in the door frame. Because the lost door was cut from the transom and was almost 3/4" thick in places the door stops were in the wrong place. For fitting and glueing, I added some small wood blocks to hold the pieces in place for glueing. To save time, I screwed and glued the two parts together. This required fairing with Bondo, but was a lot easier than trying to butt the two together.
After the epoxy kicked, I rough faired the two with bondo. I then layed up more fiberglass to add strength to the door. I then fit the door in the transom and proceeded to trim it to fit. I then faired the outer skin of the door with bondo and added some more glass to the inside edges. Decided to add a drip lip to the upper edge. This will keep water from dripping on the deck and will also allow the upper door to hold the lower door closed.
Finally today, I added the hinges and the final fit of both upped and lower doors. Was it easy? No. Was it hard? No. Mostly time consuming. About 8 hours in in so far.....
Tomorrow, I'll prime the door and in a day or so, paint the final top coat. Still looking for a latch to hold the thing closed.
Working with fiberglass, I'm always amazed how strong the stuff is and how fun and easy it is to create some complex compound curved parts.
McSkagit
P.S. Bondo here means 3M Premium Marine Filler which is made with vinylester resin, talc and micro glass bubbles. The best I've used and I've tried them all......
I actually started the door a few years ago. I made the beginnings of a plug for the top of the bottom door. Started with two strips of fiberglass cut in an arc and glassed together in an "L" shape. Then added a bunch of Bondo to fair it out. That was as far as I got in 2004.
The other day I started with the curved lower part of the transom door. Looked around the shop for a piece of laminate to clamp against the hull, but couldn't find any that was stiff enough and had the smooth side on the correct side of the curve. Finally used some cork flooring that I gave a few coats of mold release wax to and then clamped it to the transom with some sticks pushing against the wall. That was the easy part. Glassed it with two 8 oz mat and two 4 oz cloth. Thin, but stiff enough to hold the curve and easy to work with for other fabrication steps.
I then dug out the plug I started years earlier, cut it to length and added some small wood blocks to fit the transom frame stops. The real work in this fabrication was mixing about 20 batches of bondo to fair this part out. It has several compound curves. I'd trowel on some bondo, let it kick, then rough sand it and then check it in three planes on the transom with a batten.
Normally one would make a male plug, a female mold and then make the part from the female mold. To save time since this is a one-off part, I used the mold as the part. Sort of backwards and required more fairing, but saved an extra step or two.
I then final sanded the plug and gave it a coat of black lacquer to seal the pores. Two coats of mold release wax and I was ready to make the part. The initial layup was two 8 oz mat and two 4oz cloth. This made a part about .10" thick, enough to hold its shape for further work.
I then trimmed both parts and set them in the door frame. Because the lost door was cut from the transom and was almost 3/4" thick in places the door stops were in the wrong place. For fitting and glueing, I added some small wood blocks to hold the pieces in place for glueing. To save time, I screwed and glued the two parts together. This required fairing with Bondo, but was a lot easier than trying to butt the two together.
After the epoxy kicked, I rough faired the two with bondo. I then layed up more fiberglass to add strength to the door. I then fit the door in the transom and proceeded to trim it to fit. I then faired the outer skin of the door with bondo and added some more glass to the inside edges. Decided to add a drip lip to the upper edge. This will keep water from dripping on the deck and will also allow the upper door to hold the lower door closed.
Finally today, I added the hinges and the final fit of both upped and lower doors. Was it easy? No. Was it hard? No. Mostly time consuming. About 8 hours in in so far.....
Tomorrow, I'll prime the door and in a day or so, paint the final top coat. Still looking for a latch to hold the thing closed.
Working with fiberglass, I'm always amazed how strong the stuff is and how fun and easy it is to create some complex compound curved parts.
McSkagit
P.S. Bondo here means 3M Premium Marine Filler which is made with vinylester resin, talc and micro glass bubbles. The best I've used and I've tried them all......
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