Parting out H170 in AZ

[BobbyFunn]

Thank you!

The foam will be sanded down flush to the deck, then the hole saw will drill down to the depth of the luran. A dremel with a router tip will machine out the rest. That leaves a gap for the puck and some adhesive.

The panel and pucks will be flush with the deck.

I probably could just hammer the foam down.

Puck'n a man, the pieces are all back in. Royal Blue Cut-groove Hydroturf is on order.

I used a plunge router bit on a dremel to remove excess foam versus hammering it down. It took a whole tube of PL3X but the pucks were sanded rough, wiped with a damp cloth, buttered up, then spun squooshed into location. They were mostly level when i left them, but the glue does foam up slightly, so since i did not weigh then down they rose up about 1/16 inch.

The next day i cut out the glue around the pucks, and refilled them with epoxy and high-density filler. Did the same to the big panel.

The big panel was glued flat to the foam, and the deck was raised, but still was lower than the factory level by about 1/8 inch. I prepped the area for surgery and then added about 3 layers of cloth to reconnect the deck to the centerboard trunck foot stop.

So solid. Its amazing. I was tip toeing on the big panel and jumping on the centerboard foot rest near the original crack, trying to break the layup.

 

[Hunter216]

So solid. Its amazing.

Well given the amount of time and effort you put in it’s really NOT amazing, you must be very pleased!!

It’s interesting to note the slight expansion of the PL3X and the coverage area ( 8x 4”diam. circles plus the area of your panel per tube )

I’m thinking you will have a faster boat as a result of the increased stiffness, as the entire boat should be more rigid.

 

[BobbyFunn]

The repair of the decking is complete. The hydroturf and 3M90 spray adhesive is ready to go.

The pucks were a pain in the rear to get fared without a belt sander, but with a little help from west system 407 and a disk sander i got close enough.

I layed it it on thick for the big panel that cracked and was replaced. Since i know hydroturf is going over most of this i didnt get picky like i did on the hull or centerboard.

After the faring i applied Total boat 5:1 epoxy without any fillers and got some nasty fish eyes requring me to whip out the disk sander and cut it off. I didnt do any cleaning before since i hadnt seen fish eyes before, when i filled the pucks and panel with epoxy and high-density fillers.

The replacement coat after a mineral spirits and acetone followup didnt didnt do much better. The large panel self leveled perfectly, until it got close to the luran, then fish-eyed. I tried to brush it while it was gelling, but stopped and just took a paper towel and wiped up the epoxy, before it cured. I didnt try to totally remove it, just thin it out over the luran and the exposed luran pucks. There was a thin epoxy seal. The next day, it was not fish-eyed as bad, but between the 120, 220, 320, and 400 wet sand there can't be too much left. The big panel has a nice thick perfectly leveled covering so that is fantastic.

Lesson learned is don't put neat epoxy on luran and dont let the luran dust contaminate other project areas. It's like a silicone virus. Also, there is such a thing as spray on adhesion promoter that id like to see someone try out.

I gave the deck a good bubble bath with a micro-fiber towell and a 3m scrubby pad, followed by a 70% alcohol wipe down to prep for paint.

Paint was Rustleum universal all surface glossy white. Could not find the suggested krylon plastic paint like I've used before. The rustoleum does work for styrene plastic so it should work fine.

It went on really nice. If i had two cans i could have covered the rudder, motor mount and entire cockpit floor. Since I'm covering most of the deck with hydroturf i just needed the faring to blend in in case a seam overlaps a repair. It looks great for a spray can. Thankfully, no fish-eyes. Clearly, there are "adhesion promoters" in this type of paint.

Tbe next job is to lay some cardboard down over the decking and trace the contours. Ill use the same trick vinyl flooring installers use to make a template. The template will then give me something to use for cutting out interesting patterns.

 

[JimInPB]

... Also, there is such a thing as spray on adhesion promoter that id like to see someone try out....

This leaves me curious if clear primer for PVC pipe might be useful for this purpose. If someone had a few scraps of Luran kicking around, it might be worth some experimenting.

That aside, the finished product looks great. Thank you for posting so much useful information & congratulations on your result.

 

[BobbyFunn]

And now for the Hunter 170 pièce de résistance.

Hydroturf cockpit decking.

Just need to apply some adhesive spray. Going to hold off on that until the motor mount and rudder are attached.

I wasnt sure the bottom near the battery mount would match up with port and starboard so that is left long so it can be trimmed up, just before the final adhesive application.

The port side benches make a sound like its sticky and delaminating, so one last messy project is to drill a couple small holes in the benches and do the gorilla glue trick. I have some extra hydroturf so ill try to coordinate the padding over the drill holes.

It would make a huge difference to have padding on the benches. I used to have a camping matt glued on but the seabirds and sunshine took their toll.

 

[BobbyFunn]

Ready to hit the road and get it back at the club.

Its been over 3 years since I rebuilt the trailer so while it was on stands (trailer was on stands so the whole thing wouldnt wobble with sanding and walking on deck) i also popped the hubs and looked around the grease. Looks awesome like i just packed them.

Was able to fit the cockpit floor and 6 seats. With one full sheet of Hydroturf (cut-groove). Im thinking it last 5 years? Not that hard to do.

Didnt make it out this weekend, but next week weather permitting, will hoist sail once again.

 

[Hunter216]

Just for fun I have reposted @Mik the original poster’s photo of his hull for comparison.

Nice work...... time to get out on the water

 

[BobbyFunn]

Totally, repairable.

About $450 in supplies, $300 in tools (if not collected already), and a level of effort of about 20 DIY hours.

Cancer from breathing all the dust and chemicals, priceless

 

[Hunter216]

Totally, repairable.

About $450 in supplies, $300 in tools (if not collected already), and a level of effort of about 20 DIY hours.

Cancer from breathing all the dust and chemicals, priceless

I would have challenged the “totally repairable” part of your statement based on when I saw the OP’s photos.

However seeing what you accomplished I’m now a true believer!

 

[BobbyFunn]

I would have challenged the “totally repairable” part of your statement based on when I saw the OP’s photos.

However seeing what you accomplished I’m now a true believer!

Should still walk away from such garbage unless one is retired, unemployed or bored, looking for challenge. The chemicals cost isnt that bad, its the time it takes.

I would only do that repair again for a free boat on a working trailer(check), and hardware and boat pieces look great(check). Of course, expect the rudder and motor mount to also be trashed.

Definately fix one already owned or help the club save one, otherwise curb it and be out $2-3K for another turnkey replacement.

 

[Hunter216]

Didnt make it out this weekend, but next week weather permitting, will hoist sail once again.

Just curious if you have relaunched and how your finding your “new and improved 170”?

 

[BobbyFunn]

Just curious if you have relaunched and how your finding your “new and improved 170”?

Got it out last weekend. It was magnificent. It was too windy to use the motor but the battery and motor was attached.

Wind was blowing about 10 mph. I had a reefed main and full jib. Went by myself since its pretty hot now and it was going to take longer to step the mast. While on a reach im pretty sure i got up on plane.

Also saw a manatee drift under the boat while it was docked.

Allready for this weekend.

Its been sitting out in the sun all week so if there are any changes i report back.

 

[Hunter216]

Nice to hear that your back out there and all your improvements are paying off.
Do you think you would have planed in those conditions before? I’m guessing the improvements in increase in hull stiffness and tiller response has made a difference.
Also looks like Mother Nature was interested by having the manatee check your boat out!

 

[BobbyFunn]

Do you think you would have planed in those conditions before? I’m guessing the improvements in increase in hull stiffness and tiller response has made a difference.

I dont have any way to verify the stiffness is better on the hull, resulting in easier planing. If it helps that ill take it.

A more likely explanation is getting out more often and pushing the comfort level and building confidence with singlehanding.

A year ago i would not have gone by myself, and when learning to singlehand, would not have had the jib up in 10 mph winds. The jib is tbe source of speed on this boat.

It looked like there was a storm over ft myers and there was a rainbow around the sun as low level clouds advanced towards us. I went out around 1030 and was back in by 1215. When the wind drops in the middle of the afternoon...its time to seek shelter fast. You can see before the weak storm how there were some good puffs that might have lifted me out of tbe hole.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

@BobbyFunn
Got a chuckle about ducking out for the weather. Enjoying your excitement and experience. Thank you for sharing with the rest of us
Dave

 

[Hunter216]

A more likely explanation is getting out more often and pushing the comfort level and building confidence with singlehanding.

That has been my experience as well with a lot of things. I tend to start cautiously and build from there. Wise move to trust your gut and call it a day as the wind graph took quite a sharp upward spike! What’s that saying “discretion better part of honour”
Sorry that should have been valour not honour

I would be interested in your experience with your hydro turf. I’m finding the seating surfaces on the 216 to be sort of slippery and a bit hard on the butt. I don’t have any first hand experience with the product so if you describe things like
- comfort level compared to Luran seat
- does it retain any water, how fast would it dry after rain etc.
- if you change your mind and take it off can you go back to shiny Luran look?

 

[BobbyFunn]

The hydroturf is sticking well and looks great. It can be pulled off, but it will need to hit with 220 and up to reclaim the shine. The 3M 90 contact spray dries to solid and the adhesive is distributed in an acetone solution so it will bite the luran.

The hydroturf will absorb water, like cotten cargo pants/shorts. You wouldnt be able to wipe it dry. I never go out with cotton shorts so im ok with the wet bench after a rain.

I was at the club today and got out for a couple hours. It was nice to have the cushioning and the grip on the deck is nice.

There is bad news to report. Almost every turf section is causing enough expansion of the Luran to buckle it up off the core. Im thinking the blue color is making the luran underneath expand more than the uncovered parts. No cracks, but definatly more delamination due to the color change.

Ill have to bring it back and reconnect the luran, but not for a while. When i do ill spray paint the foam white.

It was barely windy enough to make going out worthwhile. This gave me a chance to try out the 55lbs thrust motor for about 5 minutes. The motor mount held up great. No new cracks or changes with the epoxy and glass

 

[Hunter216]

Thanks for answering my questions.

The hydroturf doesn't sound like a solution for me if it retains water. Lots of birds seem to use our boat for target practice on their flybys so I usually have to wipe things down before sailing and we have been getting much more frequent rainfall for the last several years (record high water in Lake Ontario this year). The primary reason I would do it at all would be for increased comfort and sitting in soggy shorts doesn't seem to fit that bill

Sorry to hear about the delam thing.

 

[JimInPB]

The hydroturf is sticking well and looks great. It can be pulled off, but it will need to hit with 220 and up to reclaim the shine. The 3M 90 contact spray dries to solid and the adhesive is distributed in an acetone solution so it will bite the luran....

My experience with 3M spray adhesive is that almost no solvent will touch it, except for turpentine. Acetone did not work for me when I tried to remove the adhesive. I am not sure that the spray adhesive I had was #90, but I think it was. This is going back many years, so my memory is a bit foggy.

 

[BobbyFunn]

My experience with 3M spray adhesive is that almost no solvent will touch it, except for turpentine.

Similar experience here. I used to have velcro glued to camping mats and the other velcro glued to the benches. It was 3M "45".
That stuff will soften with lots of mineral spirits and some elbow grease and plastic scrapers. I got the bench back to a polish once when the 3m45 broke down in the hot sun. 3M90 is designed for high heat applications, so it might be more difficult.