v king floor,core,transom

[roycesrolls]

i recently bought a v king that looks very weathered. but i wanted a project. so here it goes. it needs a floor a core and a transom and paint. i have fiberglass experience as ive restored two flats boats. building transoms floors and decks. im not a newbie but not a pro. should i use wood or foam? some say wood cuz i actually need a little weight. but i like the foam idea. i wanna use polyester and bi axial. any hint tips would be very helpful. thankyou

[XstreamVking]

Just re built mine. Used coosa for floor and transom. Foam for core on bottom. 1508 bi-axial and vinylester resin.. Holding up good so far.. Search for re builds in the fiberglass threads....

[roycesrolls]

thanks. are there any pros and cons on using wood vs foam? besides the obvious rotting. as in performance issues?

[samari]

As a novice I would say wood or composite is personal preference as long as everything is sealed. I did my viper core and transom in wood but I'm going to use composites for my vking.

[roycesrolls]

Im just trying to strategize where i will need the weight and strength the most to make the hull perform well. Im fine with either material.

[Riverman]

Wood is easier to use but it is more important to encapsulate it properly. Just be careful not to add too much weight or the boat WILL NOT perform. Build it like it was built initially, using the same thickness core, transom and floor. Use biax or stitchmat on the inside with one layer of mat over that to ensure it is waterproof.

[roycesrolls]

Thanks , ive been reading all of the previous recores and im wondering how nessecary it is to vac bag the core? I would rather not if i dont have to. Im trying to keep this on the cheap. Thanks

[Riverman]

Bagging the core is a good place to spend time and money. If there is not an intimate bond between the core and the hull skin there is no strength and therefore no point to recoring. The core can be weighed down but this could distort the hull.

It's not that hard or expensive to bag the core. If you have a large compressor you can use a venturi generator or if not you can borrow/buy a vacuum pump.

[roycesrolls]

Im gonna build a jig for the boat while it is under construction because hull distortion is a bigger fear of mine than adding a little extra weight. But whatever has to be done has to be done.. Also while i have everything completely ripped apart ive read a couple things about smoothing out the splashwell. Is that something i should bother with an what is the purpose? The boat is not going to be an extreme setup but i do want things right. Thanks for the ideas and opinions so far

[samari]

I turned a old small contractors compressor into a vacuume pump for mine and it worked fine for $25. Removing the splashwell makes it easier to replace the transom, and it's easier to just put the flat deck on than trying to reinstall the splashwel.

[roycesrolls]

I was gonna just pull the cap off. Is that a bad ideA?

[roycesrolls]

Bumping my last question

[samari]

I kept my cap on.
Pulling it off will make the transom and under the bow easier to get to but then you have to get the cap back on.

[XstreamVking]

Not a bad idea... But fairly difficult w/o tearing something up .And you still have to get in some tight spaces to glass it back together... I did my V-King w/o removing the cap. When doing the job of removal and prep, It sucked bad under the bow, didn't matter in the middle, and only sucked a little in the transom area. Putting it all back together wasn't bad at all..I replaced the splashwell for additional fuel tank capacity, and liked the flat back more than the well. No mounting bolts showing etc. The only thing I might do differently would be to make a raised transom motor mount area to mount the motor higher, but flat to the transom w/o plates and all. These boats do not need bow lift from set back... Oh yea, by pulling the deck off the hull it will distort more, and that fact in itself scared me enough to endure the deck staying on....

[roycesrolls]

Hmmm i never looked to see if the cap was glassed on.. I just figured it was screwed together like most production boats nowadays.. But thanks for the answers.. The boat is in really rough shape so it needs alot of work. Pulling the cap is gonna make sense i guess. As long as the boats in a good jig it shouldnt be too much of an issue..