Did not have too many before pictures.

After drying out the cylinders, rebuilding the starter, checking the fuel pump, emptying the filters/separators and taking a BA wrench to the flywheel I was able to crank the motor. Used a fresh gas source (small aux tank). Next step after starting and running for over a week was to build the engine stand.

Has held up fine for over 6 months. Wheels on the buttom make moving it around a non-issue.

Took a circular saw to the floor and found what I thought I would find. 25 year old foam saturated to the hilt. Also alot of canal/lake mud from Katrina had found its way into the hull. Removed it all with a shovel and scraper. Killed the termites. The stringers were completely shot and then I moved onto the transom.

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I could not raise the cap on the boat because I would not have anywhere to store it, much less lift it. But I was able to get to the bare hull here too. To get at the transom I cut away the cap on both sides of the boat near the transom. I will just glass it back together after I am done.

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Used a hammer, chisel and flatbar to get to the outer skin. Used grinder to smooth edges to hull.

Used slow hardener and thin epoxy from US Composites (would give me about 45 minutes working time). Used (3) 1/2 birch plywood sheets, followed by a 3/4 sheet of oak. Probably major overkill but I am adding a engine bracket due to the transformation from cutout to full transom.

1) I mixed up the epoxy with chopped strand glass and coated the outer skin.

2) Placed the pre-coated plywood onto the outer skin. Followed with 1.5 oz mat.

3) Repeated number 2 for the rest of the plywood layers.

4) Screwed the entire assemply together from both the outer skin and from the oak (last sheet) in (so two directions) to remove voids. Probably 30 screws or so.

5) I then filled the edges with chopped strand/carbosil mixture.

6) Ontop of the last sheet (oak) I cover with 1.5oz mat / cloth /1.5 oz mat. And then tabbed to the hull with 1708 6" Biaxial tape. Like I said, probably overkill but what the heck. It doesn't add much weight to the boat.

MORE TO COME

Straightened out the hull and reinforced the hull/transom joint by glassing in a T/P 1X6 (yes T/P was dried out in the garage for over 8 weeks before glassing). Notice where I cut the cap for ability to slip the transom pieces in.

After grinding the stringers down. I will replace them one by one. So I removed the port #1 stringer first and so on. Before grinding and cutting out the stringers I took measurements as best as I could. They were pretty rotted out. Just in case I added a 1/2" to the height and figured I could grind out the excess after placing the frames in. I used two laminated 1/2 birch plys (mat inbetween and on the outsides)((using again the slow set epoxy)). For the frames I used 1X6 T/P that had dried in the garage for over 8 weeks during the summer. Again during laminated I screw the pieces together with 1" screws. The joints between the two ply layers were staggered. The original stringers were single ply.

Here is little man with the stringer on the ground.

I made up a peanut butter consistent mixture of medium set epoxy/hardener with carbosil and chopped glass to set the stringer in. I then screwed the frames into the stringers and placed braces wedging the bottoms of the stringers into the hull. I also placed 5 gallon buckets of water on top of the stringers for weight pushing down. Because of the cap being in place I had to glass in the full frames before placing the stringers in.

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I glassed the port transom cap piece back in. I used mat encapsulated 1/2 birch as a backer and was able to straighten out the cap by screwing the cap down onto the ply. The ply was previously glassed and screwed into the existing cap piece.

***Note: All screws were removed after curing and the holes were filled with carbosil thickened epoxy. Everything will faired out with epoxy and microballoons before painting.

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Still need to be ground flat with frames and have the edges routed. Also need to add two more layers of Woven roven and 1708 12"tape. Frames were bedded with epoxy/cabosil paste. Seated frames level with all four stringers (meaning I placed a 4' level port to starboard to check gaps. I then screwed the frames down in the the paste. I was actually only off by 1/8" (down at the side) on one frame. All others were true.

Ground port stringers down with 4.5" grinder. Used a level from frame to frame to guide me. Will glass this area when glassing the top of the stringers.

Shelter I made to keep the sun out and hull dry. With a couple of electric space heaters I am able to set epoxy all winter long (well at least what we call winter in the south).

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I am slowly tackling this area in between other projects. I will channel the water to the hull with halved 6' PVC glassed in. I need to do this because I removed the cuddy liner and need to channel the water straight into the bilge, but I also want to have airflow from the transom to the bow in the bilge.

Framed and ready for glassing/shaping

One more coat of epoxy and fuel tank will be ready for glass treatment. Sanded Tank, Power washed, etched with primer, epoxy coated, epoxy coated, mat, 6' tape on the bottom edges.

Repairing gouge from underneath with alternating layers of mat/cloth/mat. Ready to fair

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Okay, I know a few steps have been skipped but I have not found the other pictures yet. I have rewired, plumbed, sanded, sanded, sanded, and painted (2 part - Perfection). I will write more info in time...........................

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