Another hull question, how flat is flat?

[BenKeith]

When trying to flatten the hull, getting high and low spots out, what is considered good enough? Are a few .010" - .015" low spots about 4" - 6" in diameter close enough.

I'm Sanding and leveling the hull on my Stratos bass boat. This is proving to be a very difficult task due to it's design. It starts off in front as a deep V and the widens to not such a deep V in the rear. Doing this, there are not truely level flat panels to sand because of a constant twist from front to back, making my custome made three inch wide, two foot long billet sanding board useless. I finally found that if I take a three foot aluminum straight edge and drag sideways down the hull, it will leave gray marks on the high spots. Using a short board, I then work on the high spot and drag again. I have it so most of the hull will leave gray, but there are a couple of spots that are still .010 - .015" low. I have sanded my butt off every afternoon for a week. Is this close enough or do I need to fill them in and sand some more?

Looking down it, it looks clean and slick as a baby's butt.

[ShipBear]

What can YOU live with..?? Take your time, do it right..
I would go the extra mile.. May not make any difference.. BUT...
Primer should fill that in.. Easier to do..

Later Larry

Try to get as close to perfection as you can, in anything you do..
And you'l never go wrong..!!

[BenKeith]

Hey Shipbear

What kind of primer? How long will it last? This is not something I plan to do again anytime soon.

I've been filling in with clear gel coat but that stuff has to cure overnight each time before I can sand it. I'm hoping to bond this thing back together this weekend. Two of the low spots were actually only .005" and one ( that I'm not even sure is going to be in the running surface) close to .010".

I normally agree with perfection being the only way to go but, because of the way this hull is built, that's hard to obtain. I can't just sand it flat like most hulls becasue of that stupid twist it makes going from deep to shallow. Even using this short board, I have to be extremely carefull that the corner/edge doesn't cut in and leave some nice deep lines. Done had to fill and work several of them out. That's why I'm ready to settle for close enough, what ever that is.

[Techno]

I think I'm going to have some low spots too. I haven't sanded the clear coat yet but how ever flat it is, is how it's going to stay.
It's better than it was.
But good enough is when all the guide coat is off.

Just a thought, can't you drag the block diagonal in short strokes downward? Block sanding should be done on the diagonal to the length of the board anyway.

My board is around 3.5-4 long. jointed a 2x4 flat and cut 2 notches in the ends, wedges hold the paper in.
Pushing a block of this size around is not only fun but really shows the high/low spots. For the clear coat a new one is being made around 6 feet or more.

[Charlie M]

.010 to .015 are you really checking the straightness with a feller guage? All you really have to worry about is the part of the boat that is in the water at almost full speed.