Blazer VL100 The Forgotten Pocket Bass Boat

[rojoguio]

I'm still around, just working on other people's stuff.

Here I'm pulling the cap back off to finish hull work and add spray in flotation. The filler patch was needed first so now the cap will keep it's shape. It won't see any direct sunlight till all changes are complete and it is ready to go back on. When you use 3 lift points to roll a part in the air they never set down center so I set the cap on the tires with the nylon straps to slide the cap in alignment with the overhead lift. The little bit of dust on the floor allows the cap to slide with 2 fingers, way easier than man handling. I am adding about 10cf more flotation foam to make this boat easy to recover. Insurance will only insure for a 1996 boat, I'm not taking any chances with it sinking. Also if you place your hand out in front of you palm up and curl your fingers back towards you it is the same thing a boat hull wants to do every time you hit a wave. It is called "Spine" or "Hull Spine". Loosing the side console we lost transverse Hull spine and the boat really doesn't have the big stringer system larger boats have to provide longitudinal hull spine. Adding the spray foam along both sides adds dimensional support to the hull adding to the Hull Spine stiffness. Glassing in the cockpit area instead of screwing like it was made will stiffen in both directions.

Pulling Cap Back Off.jpgFlipping Cap Over.jpgDropping Cap on Tire.jpgPatch Keeps Cap Shape.jpg

[paulrodbender]

Looking good.

[Charles Prestridge]

In the 2nd picture, what are the long sheets on the upper part of the wall?

Just curious.

[rojoguio]

That is Clear Heart Poplar 9in Crown Molding & Base Molding. It was carved by Lafayette Wood Works using custom 1850's period knives for a Lawyer who was building a custom 1850's period home here. His office has $30K of Walnut wood work in it and when the painter tried to clear coat the Walnut the job "Blushed", all of it. Needless to say everyone panicked. After the painter contractor told the owner he had no clue how to fix it the project manager told them "He had a Guy". I was called in, mixed a custom concoction to melt the original coating and hold the coating skin open to allow the water to evaporate out before it re-skinned over. As a tip for saving the job they gave me the over-run of wood trim ordered for the house. About $7K's in that picture alone. They also bought me one of the Calcutta reels with the little electric generator as a present. Like everything else around here I still have not installed the wood in my Theater Room much to my Wife's disappointment.

[Charles Prestridge]

I have got to spend a week with you. You are amazing and have so much knowledge and skills.

Finishing projects around the house is one of the most difficult things.

With the price of lumber now, you may need to sell your stash. Then use the fake foam moulding in your theater room.

Heart popular wood is beautiful and has several different color lines.

[rojoguio]

Thank you for the supporting comments. My home is a custom log home, she won't let me squeak by with foam trim. I've already made some Valances for over the windows out of the extra crown and it looks good. I will get to the other some time in the future.

[rojoguio]

Well I was recruited to manage some special projects for one of the largest marine supply warehouses in the country so my project may get pushed back. Anyway we will see I'm looking at 18 months to 2 years, sounds like a prison sentence but not really the owners are wonderful people.

To the project. In the pictures you see the center console I ordered online. It's made by C&M, great people, but in an effort to reduce weight I bought their "Economy" console. I used their C&M electronics boxes exclusively in my T-Tops and never had to apologize for one due to their quality. Top Shelf. The economy box is thinner, has a coreplast reinforcement, generally just lower grade. If you have read this documentary you know how much extra glass has been added so I'm looking to save weight. The existing reinforcement is lacking a bit so I'm dropping a piece of Coosa Bluewater 26 in 1/2in on the backside to "Sandwich" the existing core with something with "Meat". Also pictured is me taking advantage of the center console to install a built in tackle storage. When you can work on the wiring & install thru a opening like this life is much better too. Don't you just love "Built in"! Being a "Crappie" boat, lots of small Jigheads & Plastics are needed on hand. With the floor storage, rod box storage, console storage, bow storage, the back deck storage will be empty.

The console will get everything cut in including the opening in the back also my plans are to install a Hot Foot. So all that work has to be done before gelcoating the console black. The way I made the deck from double glassed 1/2in Coosa 26 the console will be installed with "Thru Bolting" eliminating screws to loosen over time.

Something I want to bring up here is the cost of resin mixing containers. If you drink coffee and brew your own this works well for you. I only put distilled water in my coffee pot so it never has to be cleaned besides making great coffee. A gallon of distilled water is $1. A reasonable sized resin mixing container is $2-3. Now I use the distilled water jugs to mix Everything! Saves on the material costs and your coffee water ends up free.

Console1.jpgConsole2.jpgConsole3.jpgConsole4.jpgCoreplast Reinforcement.jpgCoosa Backup to Coreplast.jpgCoosa Epoxied in Place.jpgHalf Inch Coosa 26 Backing.jpgWater Jugs.jpgCut Water Jug.jpg

[paulrodbender]

Nice jugs......

Best of luck on your adventure but now we have to wait possibly two years to see this project complete.

[rojoguio]

No I'm working on it now, just can't camp out on the project. Posts will follow, other work is already completed, just waiting to post.

[rojoguio]

Happy to see this day. I'm tired of cold showers. The original gas tank platform was a piece of 3/8in plywood. No glass, no paint, no nothing but 4 screws. I made this platform from 1/2in Coosa 26 & 1708 on both sides. It was epoxied in place before glassing in. The rough edges will be ground down so no splinters later after top coating.

The aft Transom boxes originally were rotten luan, just enough to support the chop glass. They were filled with flotation and so will these replacements. It looks like they also were meant to give the transom some support but I doubt they provided much. I fabricated the boxes out of 1/4 Coosa pegged together with small brads. You can see the stages of progress in the photos. To get the chop to turn the tight corners I first radiused the corners with a rubber sanding block and 80 grit paper. Then using a 8in wide roll of chop tape I tore the glass into pieces so it would lay first. Then mixed some resin and rolled to wet every hard surface first allowing it to get tacky before laying on the torn glass pieces. You overlap at 90 degree and 45 degree angles till 2 layers of reinforcement is applied. I have a few small air bubbles but this is still 10 times better than what I cut out. The original boxes overlapped the transom core about 5 inches, I eliminated the overlap creating the 2 pockets on each side of the transom supports. The livewell pump will be installed on one side and the livewell drain on the other.

Holes will be cut in the top to pour in flotation foam then glassed over sealing the boxes up.

Glassed Tank Support.jpgFab Transom Boxes 1.jpgFab Transom Boxes 2.jpgFab Transom Boxes 3.jpgFab Transom Boxes 4.jpg

[rojoguio]

Bilge Gelcoated to match boat. Dura-tec High Gloss Additive was included again in the bilge. This eliminates the need for wax, something that turns black and moldy over time. Also the bilge will always wash up clean.

Bilge2.jpg

[paulrodbender]

Good info on the corners and I'm always learning something. I'll make sure I print that out for future use. Thank you sir and bilge looks good and clean....

[rojoguio]

Today I table sawed 1x2x8 mahogany strips into 2 sizes, thicker for the straight run and thinner to make the radius.

After putting the cap on a few boats to get it back together I realized all the boats were much quieter in a chop (or worse). Some type of reinforcement was always used on the seams. Stress really works on a seam with movement, even a little. This mahogany is 100+ years old flooring, left in an abandon warehouse a friend of mine bought. Besides being too tough to rot, even when used year after year as tomato stakes. It's so hard you have to pre-drill all your screw holes or the screw will twist the head off.

Here on the inside of the hull rim is old wax, dirt, and other stuff that will reduce the epoxy lamination strength so it was washed with acetone first. Next cut with the course surfacer pad to give a tooth. Finally the mahogany is epoxied on. The epoxy mix is 404 High Density filler (Milled Fibers) to give some integrity to the glue then 406 Silica was added to thicken to "Peanut Butter" consistency. The reinforcements were "Buttered" on the backsides then clamped in place to cure. What is remarkable is how much spine is added to the gunnel with such a small amount of wood. If the reinforcement was just screwed in place you don't get the same benefit. Pictures show progress. A real pain is policing up the excess epoxy. It just keeps oozing out from the old screw holes. The clamps had to be placed where they missed a old hole.

Course Scotchbrite wheel.jpgEpoxy Materials Used.jpgMahogany Strips After Tablesaw.jpgMahogany Strip Epoxied.jpgMahogany Strip Epoxied 2.jpg

[Charles Prestridge]

You are continually amazing me, with your knowledge and experience.

Thanks for sharing. I hope you get to use this little boat for many years.

You need to retire from all your other work projects, finish this boat, and get on the water.

Hopefully, this storm does not bring enough water to cause too much flooding in your area.

[rojoguio]

Well I made a mistake overlapping the 1708 like I did on both sides of the cockpit deck. The crown had to be ground out exposing some pinholes the gelcoat didn't fill. Also the cockpit deck was a bit wavy and although Seadek will be the final finish I just couldn't bring myself to ignore the pinholes. Later in the finish work those pesky pinholes will cause grief, especially "Fish-eye".

The sharpie line is where the cap meets the deck so while so exposed, the gray areas that will be carpeted again, I will pattern. Before I set the cap back on that carpet will be installed as well as the replacement carpet for the cap verticals. The deck was skimmed with a heavy hand in multiple directions to fill all pinholes before VE Priming. All skimming filler will be DA sanded 80 grit to level. My supplier was continually out of black finish gelcoat so I broke down and ordered 2 gallons online so I could get back to work. By gelcoating the deck when I tape the deck and cap back together I will only have to re-gelcoat the seam. Gelcoating the entire inside of a boat with a gravity feed gun is difficult to get right. Fairing out and gelcoating the seam only much easier for me.

Originally the cap is just screw to the deck, poorly at best. By taping the two together additional spine in the hull will be created.

Cockpit Prepped for Skimming.jpgCockpit Skimmed.jpg

[rojoguio]

Couple of directions at once now. The skimming was 80 grit DA sanded till nothing but paper thin filler in spots. The rest of the boat was masked off but the Cockpit Deck. Duratec's VE primer was sprayed on, 3 coats, to build a great substrate for gelcoat adhesion. You really want to leave the VE primer after sanding with 180 to 320 grit. I prefer 180 grit scratches for gelcoat application since it is going to be cut & polished anyway. 180 grit leaves a deeper tooth for the gelcoat to grip to. How often does just the gelcoat release and peel. Poor adhesion. The thin black color contrasting paint is Guidecoat. It reveals imperfections so they can be sanded out but you stop sanding once pure white shows. Maximum millage of VE primer is left this way. After all the prep the gelcoat was applied. First 2 coats gelcoat only thinned with MEK then 4 coats gelcoat mixed with Duratec's High Gloss Additive was applied. You want to un-mask as soon as you can, the masking tape will not pull through cured gelcoat of any millage. I had some tape left on the deck after the job was done, a trick is to use a razor scraper, slide it under the glue side of the tape then fold the tape at the line breaking the gelcoat to the line in the process.

Deck Sanded After Skimming.jpgDeck VE Primed.jpgDeck Sprayed W Guidecoat.jpgDeck 6 Coats Gelcoat.jpg

So the old piece of Champion skin I used to fill in the Cockpit side of the Gunnel where the original console was needed more work. The bottom line was very wavy, some waves are unavoidable since I would have had to cut twice as big a hole to straighten that side out perfectly. Since I plan on vertical rod holders on the Stbd side mounted over Seadek I'm banking on the Seadek to hide my laziness. Here is the reason I don't throw any Coosa Bluewater 26 away. I'm using a piece of scrap Coosa and epoxy to straighten out the thin bottom edge. Spray foam will be applied on the hidden side before lowering the cap on for the last time stiffening out what's left. I went to rotate the last picture but you loose too much of the corrected line's view.

Filler Patch.jpgStraightening Filler Patch Edge.jpgCorrected Edge Line.jpg

[paulrodbender]

We are getting there.........

[KYRANGERMAN]

I could read your posts and look at your pictures of your restorations all day long. You are amazing sir.

[rojoguio]

Bud, Thank you. Today I realized another issue concerning flotation that was removed for built in battery boxes, & storage. I always had a plan to add flotation, spraying it in, but where to locate it and how much. A vessel has three centers; Longitudinal, Transverse, & Vertical. If I locate the flotation in the wrong place it can make the boat float deeper taking on water, due to too much lift in the wrong place. I will try to explain the wheres & whys & actual displacement weight. Displacement = Uplift. A gallon of fresh water is 8.33lbs. A gallon of water is 231 cubic inches. So all the volumes has to be calculated and converted to gallons. Also the Longitudinal balance is calculated from the transom. Positive numbers for weights forward the transom, negative numbers aft of the transom. Weight x Distance = Moment. This is all calculated in Moments. The goal is that the boat is retrievable even with a punch through.

[jhndrtxn]

Managed to get the gelcoat sprayed today. It needs cut & polish. I had the black start spitting on the first run, curing in the gun super quick. Had to wash the gun between fill ups to maintain production.

Attachment 410356Attachment 410357

How did you tape off the areas for your two tone?, did you do both colors at the same time? My boat will either need a new gelcoat or paint, my metal fleck is already showing i am trying to learn as much as i can before i remove the first screw to start its rebuild.