Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:26 pm
Andy,
Good stuff, keep it coming! I have a mid cabin which does have the wood/fiberglass stringers. I think one simple area of neglect over the years has been the short fiberglass tubes that were installed through the stringer limber holes.
They were obviously caulked at the factory but over the years the caulk has pulled away and left a void. The two right below the intake strainers are the most vulnerable since there's always some rain water in the bilge from the intake and bilge blower vents. That's the low point when the boat is in the water.
I removed mine, cleaned up the area and reinstalled the tubes. I might remove them again in a few weeks when the boat comes out, let it sit all winter and then epoxy underneath in the spring. It's probably overkill but I want the boat to last another 25 years.
The other area of concern has been the joint connections which you mentioned. I didn't know that was gelcoat/fiberglass coating though so maybe this isn't an issue if the area is still waterproof.
There are some 9m boats around still, I've seen them on ebay from time to time. I'm not crazy about I/O's myself but a lot of boat for the money.
Bob
Good stuff, keep it coming! I have a mid cabin which does have the wood/fiberglass stringers. I think one simple area of neglect over the years has been the short fiberglass tubes that were installed through the stringer limber holes.
They were obviously caulked at the factory but over the years the caulk has pulled away and left a void. The two right below the intake strainers are the most vulnerable since there's always some rain water in the bilge from the intake and bilge blower vents. That's the low point when the boat is in the water.
I removed mine, cleaned up the area and reinstalled the tubes. I might remove them again in a few weeks when the boat comes out, let it sit all winter and then epoxy underneath in the spring. It's probably overkill but I want the boat to last another 25 years.
The other area of concern has been the joint connections which you mentioned. I didn't know that was gelcoat/fiberglass coating though so maybe this isn't an issue if the area is still waterproof.
There are some 9m boats around still, I've seen them on ebay from time to time. I'm not crazy about I/O's myself but a lot of boat for the money.
Bob