Trojan Boat Forum

made a template of the next wall and got the plywood cut. next step, more veneer!

yorklyn wrote:Harris,
is the plate at the base against the hull or is it against the outer "skin" of the arch and encapsulated with fiberglass?
Thanks

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well, it was nine years ago, in my pre-digital camera days and I honestly don't recall.

it is either glassed in

or

uses the same fasteners that attach the arch to the boat.

or both.

the aluminum tubes had to be custom bent by the metal shop to fit the contour of the inside leading and trailing edges of the arch.

The metal shop had to have the arch on site to accomplish this.

prior to Hurricane Charley the arch would "dance" while in rough seas.

her dancing days are over. That arch is now as solid as a brick wall.

hope this helps

RWS

As i only have seven more months to get this thing together I decided to simply replace the rotted wood in the arch and add some additional fiberglass to help stiffen it up alittle. I would love to have done what Harris did with his but since I'm hoping to get a hardtop down the road I decided to keep it simple for now.
not done with it yet but at least im plodding along!

the addition of the tubes would not be expensive, but would be time consuming.

It would do a lot, especially for the stability sideways - port to starboard.

That's where mine would "dance" in rough water.

Your arch is already off with the rot removed..........


just sayin....



RWS

I am intrigued by the woodwork going on inside the cabin.

Would make a big difference for RWS if I killed off some of that Burgundy, Pink and well the grey is not too bad.....

RWS

had the same Burgundy and pink under the PO's vinyl job. I stripped it all the way down. I'm not done with the two veneered panels yet (still need varnish) but they made a total transformation to the overall feel of the interior. We previously had vinyl everywhere, it was a bit too much.
as for the arch , trojan just has wood strips that run the perimeter of the arch. these were just adhered, not fiberglassed in. im adding 4 layers of glass to these creating a fiberglass "L" in an attempt to stiffen them up (almost like using a piece of angle) . I also purchase 1 1/4 oak dowel rods from HD and ripped them in half on the table saw. im thinking of running two per side (much like your aluminum bars) up the two sides of the arch and then glassing over them to add some more rigidity . I'm hesitant to do this until the arch is bolted in place as i dont want to "lock" it into a shape that wont bolt up correctly. I really dont feel like wrestling the thing into place for a dry fit but im afraid of creating a problem if I dont. I personally think it is a really bad design for an arch because the part that fastens it to the hull is only about 1/2 inch thick and other than using metal like you did, there is not a really good way to strengthen it much more at the connection point.

Todd,

I do not believe it is the connection point.

It's more about the 90 degree angles at port/starboard.

strengthening those points will make all the difference.

for me the aluminum tubes were a way to quickly, easily and permanently address the damage to the arch done by Hurricane Charley.

The winds hit her from FWD-AFT then after the eye from AFT-FWD.

Had the winds been from the sides, that arch would have been gone.

RWS

Hurricane Charley

Cat 4

Friday August 13, 2004

damage pix

The entire arch was barely holding on and required additional support with crossed 2x4's to keep it from collapsing when removal began

Wow! I cant believe the fiberglass skin actually tore! (must be the lack of wood in those express boats!! LOL ) I can understand why you went with the metal.
I don't particularly care for those little "triangles" . my arch has some stress cracks along the edge of the triangle where it attaches . not real sturdy attachment. looks like yours started to tear at that point . Thanks for the pics!

Well since I've been documenting my entire restoration I also reluctantly feel the need to document my own stupidity remind everyone about being safe when working on their boats as well! I am typing this with only my right hand since my left arm is in a sling right now. on Tuesday i was rushing to get my new interior panel up. I have been in such a rush to keep this project moving forward that I had left the two helm seat bases partially blocking the door from the cockpit to the cabin (i had put them in the boat a month ago when i was worried about my shop flooding. ) i was bringing the panel into the cabin walking backwards like i had many times before while fitting it . since the seat bases were there i had to squeeze by them. unfortunately my first foot into the cabin missed the top step and the next thing i knew i was falling backwards into the boat. I tried to grab something on my way back but couldnt. the foot that missed the step went towards the aft cabin and the other stayed up top. luckily once my legs could no longer articulate my body stopped in mid fall but my left arm kept going back and ripped two muscles in my shoulder. to ad to my stupidity I continued working, got the panel glued on, spent 3hrs working on the arch and then removed all the supports holding the panel up since the epoxy set up. it was at this point that my shoulder was totally swollen to the point i could no longer move my arm. went to ER on wed and they told me i ripped two muscles in my shoulder and to keep it immobilized for one to two weeks!

There are a few morals to this story:
1: hit the lottery and buy a brand new boat and full time mechanic!
2: if you cant pull off #1 then always be safe , keep your work place uncluttered and give yourself more than 5 yrs to complete your renovation so your not rushing to get her in the water!

Todd, sorry to hear that, you've been making unbelievable progress. I've been nursing a shoulder and arm injury all summer but not as bad as yours. I slipped going into the cabin in April, managed to get my hand on the grab rail on the door. My cat like reflexes saved me from the fall to but my right arm took all my weight. I've been going to PT for months and I'm sure they'll want you to do the same.

You have a ton of hard work behind you which is obviously good. I'm sure you can get back to doing the cabin work soon and get back in shape when the engines come back. The sling is good in a way because it will force you not to do anything. I know I overdid it because I was trying to get the boat commissioned. Keep us posted...


Bob

DAMN it men !

Is this a dangerous lifestyle, or are we all just getting too damned old?

I popped a muscle in my arm installing the genny in 2003.

now one side is different than the other.

I suppose we'd all better start wearing life jackets, even at the dock as we're liable to fall into the water anytime.

RWS

RWS wrote:DAMN it men !

Is this a dangerous lifestyle, or are we all just getting too damned old?

I popped a muscle in my arm installing the genny in 2003.

now one side is different than the other.

I suppose we'd all better start wearing life jackets, even at the dock as we're liable to fall into the water anytime.

RWS

Watch that 'old' comment, some of us on here represent that fact, you know like Prowlersfish!

working with only one are sucks, but i have a deadline to meet! drilled out the new plywood in the arch mounting holes and filled with structural epoxy . started my headliner, made 2 templates (screwed the first one up and ruined a $42 sheet of formica, this is not a one person project and certainly not a one armed one person project but im a hardhead and very stubborn! ) used spray adhesive to glue the new headliner to the formica. added a few extra plywood battens to the original headliner frame and adhered velcro to the battens as well as the back of the panel. installed the valance over the port holes so i can continue with the next headliner panel as soon as i can move my arm again!