Strake rebuild

**thornl01** · 11-24-2009, 09:57 AM

Need some advice on rebuilding / repairing strakes, that in a 4 foot section are high and low ( I mean 1/4 - 3/8"). I have the pad flat length ways & side to side. Strakes have a pretty high spot aprox 3/8" tall @ 2 ft from transom. Both strakes on both sides and hull also.

Boat is only 13ft long, ( High-Tide Boats, BUG-BUSTER) so I think that 4-5 foot from the transom should be enough to blueprint.

Strakes @ transom are really short, ( 1/4" max) so I think that I will need to build this up & align the forward section with these.

What should be the proper sequence of build-up ? ie... which material at what stage >

thanks

**Steve 1** · 11-24-2009, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by thornl01

Need some advice on rebuilding / repairing strakes, that in a 4 foot section are high and low ( I mean 1/4 - 3/8"). I have the pad flat length ways & side to side. Strakes have a pretty high spot aprox 3/8" tall @ 2 ft from transom. Both strakes on both sides and hull also.

Boat is only 13ft long, ( High-Tide Boats, BUG-BUSTER) so I think that 4-5 foot from the transom should be enough to blueprint.

Strakes @ transom are really short, ( 1/4" max) so I think that I will need to build this up & align the forward section with these.

What should be the proper sequence of build-up ? ie... which material at what stage >

thanks

Are they all that way by Design or hooked in the molding operation?

**thornl01** · 11-24-2009, 11:39 AM

Not sure,

Boat has been sitting for a few years,

I have had it upside down in the sun all summer, & now it's under a shed on saw horses for bottom work.

**Jason Johnson** · 11-24-2009, 12:08 PM

Can you put up pictures of the hull, top and bottom, Thanks

**OFFSHORE GINGER** · 11-24-2009, 12:11 PM

thorn101 , just curious have you put a sraight edge on the on the bottom at all ?

**thornl01** · 11-25-2009, 05:29 PM

Yes,

That is where I got the #s from.

The boat is a mess, have lots of grinding & filling.

**OFFSHORE GINGER** · 11-28-2009, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by thornl01

Yes,

That is where I got the #s from.

The boat is a mess, have lots of grinding & filling.

Hey guy , don't be discouraged because you are smarter then a dumb piece of fiberglass and with all the knowledge on this forum we can talk you thru this including myself .

**thornl01** · 12-04-2009, 06:40 PM

Got all the (3 coats) painf off the bottom & are now sanding/ grinding the horrific gell coat.

Have been blocking the pad w/ 6" channnel & 80 grit paper, got it pretty straight , forward & side to side.

The rest of the bottom is a mess. the boat is 13" long & only 38-40 " wide @ transom.

Strakes & rest of bottom outward, are pretty wavey forward to aft.

My plan is to try to grind down part of the high spots & fill the low ones to hopefully end up with a straight line. ( the difference between the low & high spots are as much as 1/4" -3/8"

My question is, to fill these spots, w/ gell coat sanded w/ 36grit, what shoud be my material for filling & leveling, or what shoud be my next step ?

Thanks

**thornl01** · 01-09-2010, 11:37 AM

Here are pics of the bottom
Note Finger under straight edge.
there is a hump here aprox 15" from transom on both sides. I feel that I can fill the low areas fore & aft of this , & the straight edge the rest of the bottom.

My question is what is best to use for filling this low area / and what would be the best to cover the repairs? Epoxy primer ?, slick sand primer ( very high build poly primer) or what.

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**OFFSHORE GINGER** · 01-09-2010, 11:59 AM

thoronlo1, you pics did not come up? Sorry i see them now .

**OFFSHORE GINGER** · 01-09-2010, 12:51 PM

THORNLO1 , the filler i would recomend is Adtech# P-77 filler faring compound which is good above and below the water line there web site is www.adtechplastics.com i have used this filler for years and just about every boat co that i have ever worked for uses it including Skater very easy to sand and can be used on epoxy. I also would recomend glassing over the entire area (surface ) that needs to be filled with 4 0z chesse cloth to help prevent the fill from ever cracking which is a practice that i use when ever i blueprint a bottom and then prime with a high build primer ( Duratech )which also will help you dial the bottom in that much more . Just curious are you planing to use Epoxy or ....... and are you going to shoot the bottom in paint or jell ? I will shoot you a PM .

**tunnels** · 01-10-2010, 04:44 PM

"Are they all that way by Design or hooked in the molding operation?" As stated by Steve 1

Some where not to long ago there was this same discussion and if you check some boats have this moulded in !! so before you start trying to grind off and or fill check ! You could be undoing something that makes the boat go better . As Steve said some boats need rocker in the bottom some need Hook ! Do you understand the differance ?
Its also the location of either one thats important !!could be anything from 1 foot to 3 foot from the transom some where in that area so if you have a bump and its the same both sides of the hull bottom in the same place ! then ask questions and check other boats the same modle . It may have been made that way and is needed to get the hull on the plane quicker and hold it there when at higher speeds . Check and make sure that what you are doing is not going to cause problems for you when it goes back in the water !!

.
When designing , building and the first boat going in the water there little things that are needed to be done to enhance slight problems of any particular hull . Tricks to make it handle , sit and ride better . Some of these things get moulded into the boat when the moulds are made so they are there forever .They can be ever so small and almost look like a defect to some one that dosent know . so check other boats before you get to carried away and end up reintroducing a inherent problem that particular boat has had from its conception .
Smile its all i big learning curve !!

**OFFSHORE GINGER** · 01-10-2010, 05:30 PM

Tunnel's you forgot to mention about all the molds that where built that looked good on paper that subsequently were changed or modified because they did not perform up to the expectations of the builder and i talk with experience in this matter considering that i have spent most of my working experience on high performance boats mostly cats and V's and i got you beat by almost 10 years as far as being in the industry and in some sorts that is why people are having there bottoms blue printed because of poor design .

**tunnels** · 01-10-2010, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by OFFSHORE GINGER

Tunnel's you forgot to mention about all the molds that where built that looked good on paper that subsequently were changed or modified because they did not perform up to the expectations of the builder and i talk with experience in this matter considering that i have spent most of my working experience on high performance boats mostly cats and V's and i got you beat by almost 10 years as far as being in the industry and in some sorts that is why people are having there bottoms blue printed because of poor design .

Yes i to have built and spent half a life time sanding, fairing and countless hours of wetting and drying and sanding with 1200 and 2400 wet and dry sanding Then hanging on the end of a buff to get a gloss that you can see deep into .
Funny ,Yachts are easyer to build ,fair and mould then Power boats .
I spent my time also making and doing repairs on off shore boats as well as F1 tunnels , Its crazy when it comes down to coats of paint and the shine or sanded finish that makes the differance to the handling of a boat at hi speed .
Yachts are another whole new dimension when it comes to being exacting with fairness and hull finish . its all to do with the way water flows around and over things and comes together again that counts ,its how easy a hull moves through the water that wins races as well as team work of the crews plus a whole list of other stuff as well .