4 more questions :)

[Windtherapy]

1. I have to change out my entire rub rail. PO must have really smashed it all somehow so anyway, I assume the white plastic piece gets screwed onto the hull (haven't taken mine off yet) so when one goes to screw the new one back on, should he use butyl tape around each screw or some other type of sealant or is this not needed?

2. What is the best thing you have found for taking off old sticker glue? I pulled off all the PO's stickers and decals etc. and now have to get all the glue off. Goof Off is worthless. I told my wife if I could invent a product that you spray on and it just falls off I wouold be a multi-millionaire.

3. Hatch boards. I am getting ready to order acrylic tinted hatch boards from D&R Marine at a toon of $275 + shipping. Ouch but hopefully they will last me a minimum of 5 years. I thought I had found a place online for cheaper but they are all about the same. I think having the extra light over solid teak boards would be nice. Any thoughts?

4. I was going to install a Thetford 550msd Porta-potti which has the deck pump out ability which my boat has already and the vent line however, the 550msd is 16 1/2 inched tall but does have a 5.3 gallon holding tank. On the 1985 O'Day under the existing head, there is a fiberglass piece molded into the boat that is another 6" tall so that would be a totall of a 22 1/2" high head. My wife being only 5' tall would need a ladder to get up there and if I was at rest and had any beers in me, I might fall off myself. I would just make a step but it would be too tight with the bi-fold door and I am sure always in the way. Has anybody figured out a way to do this if they tore out the current sanitation system and went with a porta-potti? I could go with the smaller unit whcih only has a 2.6 gallon holding tank but that is too small even though I have free pump outs I don't want to HAVE to pump out every weekend.

 

[DHaranSailor]

1. I would use a silicone sealant in the holes as I was putting it back on.

2. I have removed a few sets of those stickers and Goo Gone has always worked for me. If you are careful you can use a heat gun to help loosen it, but be careful as it can damage the fiberglass/gel coat if you let it sit on one place to long.

3. All personal preference. Do they have any shades on them? I use below decks as my escape from the sun if it starts getting to me and so does my wife.

4. Nothing to add on this one.

 

[Ward H]

Wind,
I replaced the entire rub rail 2 yrs ago. My biggest mistake was leaving it curled up in the box Rudy mailed it in. It took forever for it to straiten out. I had to screw down to an old dock at the marina and let it sit in the sun for a week to get it somewhat straight.
I was told it was much easier to fill the holes and drill new when installing the new rub rail so I filled the old holes with West 610 Epoxy in a caulk gun. It doesn't run and filled them well.
Then I pulled each hull deck joint screw, coated them with 4200 and tightened them. Several were loose. If I did it again I would use 5200 since that should be a once in a life time job.
Between work and weather I couldn't find a warm day to install the new rub rail but a lot of guys have.
That did solve a lot of leaks I had.


I've been thinking about getting only the top acrylic hatch board and using it only when I need light. Interested in hearing what you think about them.

I've read on here somewhere that there is a flappy type thing, like a flappy paint remover, that is good for removing labels while damaging gelcoat.

I can't help with the porta potty. Ours is small so the tank is light enough to carry easily. I just put it in the cockpit let the pump out guy know when it needs to be emptied.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

3. Hatch boards. I am getting ready to order acrylic tinted hatch boards from D&R Marine at a toon of $275 + shipping. Ouch but hopefully they will last me a minimum of 5 years. I thought I had found a place online for cheaper but they are all about the same. I think having the extra light over solid teak boards would be nice. Any thoughts?

Clear acrylic hatch boards are an excellent source of light. Ours are 15 years old and still look like new. Every few years I buff them with the Makita 9227C and Meguiar's Clear Plastic Cleaner #17 and then polish with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #10. These are usually in shade from the overhanging dodger and show no UV crazing to date so hopefully they'll last forever or even longer.

If you're handy with woodworking, you could make your own boards for about half that much. Acrylic is a nice material to work with using carbide.

In addition to hatch boards, I've mounted snaps around the companionway entrance and have three flaps for when the hatch boards are stowed:

- one is opaque for privacy in marinas.

- one has clear vinyl for full visibility at anchor.

- one has a bug screen for lots of fresh air and keeps the little buggers out.

 

[kdssail]

The latest SAIL magazine has an article on boat name removal.... Oven cleaner...he said it worked really good.
My 26has frosted acrilic(sp) hatch boards. In s Carolina and in sun 24/7. For my time ..6years and they work and last great.

 

[Chief RA]

Hatch boards made of acrylic or lexan can be made at your local Glazier (glass) shop. Just take your old ones and tell them what you want them to make for you.
Chief

 

[Hydro Therapy]

I just got done detailing a 24 foot boat. The owner wanted all of the striping, logo and decals removed. I used a heat gun to remove them. Once removed I used acetone along with a razor blade and towel to remove the gue. Not a fun job but it works.

 

[Brian S]

Goof Off Professional has worked for me. Actually, the best is probably gasoline. Of course, even though it worked the best for taking paint, stickum, etc. off, Granddad taught me it was not a good idea in the long run...

Don't use silicone for ANYTHING on a fiberglass boat. Ok, well, maybe Dow Corning 795 for fixed port lights, and for things like plastic Beckson deck plates that specify silicone. One that silicone crap contaminates a surface, nothing sticks there again, even more silicone.

The hatch boards on my little 192, which I believe are original, are dark and opaque. No light comes through. So, before you order from Rudy, be sure he's not giving you opaque ones if you want translucent to let light in. You could make your own with nice teak or sapele plywood, varnished up nice. If you're into that kind of thing...

 

[Indysailor]

I used to pump out my porta potty and found that due to the design, I couldn't fully empty it. The tube in the drain on mine, which is designed for either pumping out or carrying out, leaves about an inch of waste in the tank. That seemed like a lot to leave behind so I switched back to manually draining it. We are lucky, there is a drain to the septic tank outside the bath house at our club right near the docks, so aside from the short carry it's actually more convenient than taking time to go to the pump out station at the other side of the marina.

 

[Windtherapy]

Thanks everybody. I got the olld decals off with no problem at all and used carb cleaner to take off the glue and it worked great. I then compounded the boat and you can see where the decals were--just made the FG darker so.....wet sanding the entire thing is next with 800 to 1500 and then compound again, Finesse and Collinite wax. Took 10 days off of work to do that, replace the entire sanitation system and many, many other things. No launch for me this year but next year it will be early.

 

[Brian S]

Good luck with the gelcoat where the decals were. It's raised up because the decals protected the gelcoat, and it didn't wear the same as the adjacent, unprotected gelcoat. So where the decals were is proud of the rest. Eventually, I think most people just accept it and let it go

Thanks everybody. I got the olld decals off with no problem at all and used carb cleaner to take off the glue and it worked great. I then compounded the boat and you can see where the decals were--just made the FG darker so.....wet sanding the entire thing is next with 800 to 1500 and then compound again, Finesse and Collinite wax. Took 10 days off of work to do that, replace the entire sanitation system and many, many other things. No launch for me this year but next year it will be early.