Chances are, this boat will get some heavy use and possible abuse at the hands of my 14 year old son and his friends. Therefore, the three objectives for our sole repair are:
Nice and stiff
Not too heavy
Not too exotic / expensive
This eliminates the possibility of a foam core structure for cost and abuse reasons.
Things quickly got narrowed down to a thinnish wood ply encapsulated in glass set in epoxy.
The Goldie Locks solution is 3/8 Fir ply.
Quarter inch is too flimsy and anything over 3/8 ths starts to get heavy.
We fitted the sole which is just shy of 4x8 feet. So the ply dimensions are perfect.
Just a little trimming was needed.
After the sole was cut to fit, we drilled in holes that will allow us to add pour foam at a later date. The foam will support the sole, add the missing flotation and stiffen everything up.
Next we added three cross braces to the underside of the sole in areas of most likely traffic. The hull will eventually get one and possible two cross wise bench seats so bracing was placed elsewhere.
We fastened the treated 1 x 2.5 inch treated braces with Titebond 3 and stainless steel screws.
The original design included a recessed channel to allow the well at the bow to drain to the stern. We plugged the well drain and abandoned the channel idea as un-needed. We will be using the well for extras PFDS and line. We will sponge it out when needed.
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Here is the fitted sole. Next up is glassing the underside then reinstallation with tabbing all the way around.
The well area in the foreground will become a recessed sump for a bilge pump. |
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| Here is the underside of the sole. Today we glassed it. The cross braces are visible. |
