Plastic Hunter Crack Repair

[Rictifyit]

Here are a few more pics of recent repair activity! You have to use barbels, and free weights for something!
Thanks to whomever commented on how to inject 5200, and how it's important to make the nozzle the exact size as the drilled hole to avoid spilling out. Also, to not push in to hard, because you can't force it in if it's right up against the foam. The 5200 10 oz. tube is not well made. There is a lot of waste that backs up around the caulk gun plunger. I'd say 2 ounces were what I had to knife out after I was done injecting. Not sure how I'll remedy that, or if it's possible. Acetone cleans up Fast cure 5200 well, but it does eat away at the deck plastic a bit. Part of the game I guess. I used some crappy Duct Tape to contain the 5200, so when I applied weights, it wouldn't gush back out the hole. Use something else! Crappy Duct tape adheres to the Luran like crazy, and is a bitch to get off once done. Think I'll try packing tape today??? I chose 5200 for the Luran/Foam adhesive because there are so many voids, I didn't want MA to leak into them. We'll see how it goes when I start knitting back the cracks with MA.
So far, where I enjected 5200 under the deck to get rid of the bouncys, it seems fine. I think the fast cure product is right for this. I'm impatient. The bounces are not a huge priority, but when you've got a $28.00 tube of5200 that starts curing as soon as you open it, you don't want to waste it. The bounces come last, after I've used it at the priority spots. Had to order another tube, and hope to use it up today. Thanks again for your suggestions!

 

[Rictifyit]

The mast tabernacle does double duty of holding the centerboard up. Even as you drive over bumps on the local roads. Its easily over 150lbs of force pulling the tabernacle sideways. The two front screws are keeping the tabernacle from rolling off while you have the mast suspended for the road trips.View attachment 178549

BTW, Can you send me a good picture of how you have the Centerboard rigged? I'm not sure the previous owner had it rigged correctly, and want to make sure it's right when I get it done. He used a very long bungie cord, and had it knotted up to take up the slack in it when it had become old, and stretchy. It all has to be redone, and I want it ship shape.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

MA is a term I do not use as most refer it to Plexisus. Using 5200 is not recommended and holding power of 5200 to any type of plastic is not the best to use on. I suggest which was done is to emerse the fiberglass in Plexisus.
I was trained by the man himself who started this process only to experiement further advising Hunter.

 

[Rictifyit]

MA is a term I do not use as most refer it to Plexisus. Using 5200 is not recommended and holding power of 5200 to any type of plastic is not the best to use on. I suggest which was done is to emerse the fiberglass in Plexisus.
I was trained by the man himself who started this process only to experiement further advising Hunter.

I get it! I'm sure your method would work the best !

 

[BobbyFunn]

@BobbyFunn I remember this comment about the mast hardware doing double duty to hold up the centerboard. The image of it bouncing along on a road trip emphasizes the need for this thing to be solid. I'm wondering if it would be wise to find a way to secure it better for a trip.
Here's some pics of how I repaired the mast hardware. @Hunter216 was correct. It's plywood below it, and it was like a sponge!
Before I installed the Oak piece ( replacement for the 5/8" rotten plywood), I soaked the substrate plywood with a 2 part epoxy wood hardener called Rot Terminator. When I screwed down the Oak, a good part of the epoxy was displaced around the Oak because I purposely cut it a bit smaller than the original plywood. The Rot Terminator is low viscosity, and cures slowly on purpose so it is absorbed into questionable wood. I had let the substrate plywood dry for a few days first, filled the holes with toothpicks, and covered up the PVC support with duct tape so the epoxy wouldn't spill into the void ( which I found about 2 cups of water in when I unearthed all of this). The Oak is permanent now, and today I plan to fill up the voids around it with fast cure 5200. We'll see how that all works out when I start filling the cracks with MA later this week. So far, so good! Thanks to all for you helpful suggestions, reminders, and comments! You have made this more fun than I ever expected! Ric

That looks nice! Wood us wider than i thought. Making a Google sketchup of the 170 and am trying to incorporate that kind of info

I have a 4" bow roller tied to my trailor. The centerboad rests on it after the boat is centered. While road tripping i put tension on the line so its just touching the roller. When just resting the line is slack.

The centerboad line is about 3/8". When it was a 2:1 purchase it still got stretched and ruined with road trips without some support underneath.

 

[Rictifyit]

Thanks! I'll make sure it's supported for the road. There is nothing underneath it, so maybe I'll add a roller there. Just finished heating, and folding back the Luran around the mast hardware. Hope the heat didn't make it brittle??? Guess we'll know someday..

 

[Shorefun]

Acetone is not recommended as a cleaner for Luran in the documentation. Something about altering the structure of the Luran. Humm, Isnt acetone used in some of the normal fiberglass adhesives?

I used the alcohol you find in the paint isle.

 

[Rictifyit]

Ha! Not surprised. Acetone definitely alters the surface of it. At this point, I've used Acetone, Lacquer thinner, Orange hand cleaner, Scotch brite, and Magic Eraser! This boat has some funky, and dirty, waxy covering to it. Lacquer thinner cuts through it to leave a nice white plastic, but it's really too strong. I used it to clean the Luran before treating the cracks, but it etches the plastic a little. Acetone is similar, etches it, but leaves it shiny. To get the duct tape adhesive off, I found that a scotch brite pad with orange hand cleaner works well Acetone doesn't cut it. Soft Scrub works well to clean off the dirty waxy stuff, and seems to be the least toxic, so that's what I'll probably clean up with when I'm finished abusing it, and want to make it pretty. I'm sure I've screwed up the surface of this boat somehow. I've done things to it that I would cringe at if it was new, and expensive. On a more positive note, I got the first coat of MA on the cracks today! That stuff is really stinky, and looks like snot! I found some that goes "off" slowly, about 25 minutes, which is good for me because I move slow. I'm gonna get this thin in the water before Memorial Day!

 

[BobbyFunn]

BTW, Can you send me a good picture of how you have the Centerboard rigged? I'm not sure the previous owner had it rigged correctly, and want to make sure it's right when I get it done. He used a very long bungie cord, and had it knotted up to take up the slack in it when it had become old, and stretchy. It all has to be redone, and I want it ship shape.

Hunter 170...Anything to beware of?

That core belongs in a museum. If you still have it suggest a closeup be added to the hunter 170 download page or you add this project to the 170 customization page. I'm fairly new to this site & I still don't know my way around all that well. If you would like to give me a link to those...

forums.sailboatowners.com

 

[BobbyFunn]

Acetone will liquify luran. Keep it away.
Mineral spirits like paint thiner and lighter fluid, gasoline will clean nicely.

No fume Easy off oven cleaner will strip everything off luran leaving a nice pure luran surface.

When you are tired of paying money for 5200 try loctite pl3x.

 

[Rictifyit]

@BobbyFunn Thanks for the link to the page with rigging on it!
I'll add No fume Easy Off to my next grocery order. No fumes sounds good! Acetone works well to get rid of 5200, but that's about it.
My Love affair with Fast Cure 5200 is now over. It's fine stuff, but I'm tired of picking it, and razoring it out of the cracks. I spent a couple hours yesterday doing that, prepping before I applied the MA. 2nd coat today! That stuff shrinks a lot! And yes, I'm tired of paying $28 for a 10 oz tube ( I used two of them) so if I need it again, I'll consider the Loctite pl3x.
Here's a couple pics of the Mast hardware platform. It all folded back into place with heat, and is really solid now.

 

[Rictifyit]

Well, I'm done slopping on the second coat of MA to all 25 problem areas. Now what? Once the first coat was cured, it felt like it would load up sandpaper quick! I'll let the second coat cure out for a day, and then I need to sand all this snot. Anyone have a good idea on how to render this down without wasting a box of sandpaper?
Also, I'm planning on brushing on Interlux Brightside Polyurethane white. I have some that I use for my wooden boat, and figure I'll have it do double duty. I know there has been mention of Krylon spray, but I'm good with a brush. Any objections to that? I know the color match will be off, but at least it won't look like snot. I'm still having fun!

 

[BobbyFunn]

@BobbyFunn Thanks for the link to the page with rigging on it!
I'll add No fume Easy Off to my next grocery order. No fumes sounds good! Acetone works well to get rid of 5200, but that's about it.
My Love affair with Fast Cure 5200 is now over. It's fine stuff, but I'm tired of picking it, and razoring it out of the cracks. I spent a couple hours yesterday doing that, prepping before I applied the MA. 2nd coat today! That stuff shrinks a lot! And yes, I'm tired of paying $28 for a 10 oz tube ( I used two of them) so if I need it again, I'll consider the Loctite pl3x.
Here's a couple pics of the Mast hardware platform. It all folded back into place with heat, and is really solid now.

Using heat to pull back the luran is novel. I cant imagine it can ever be faired but you seem happy with the results. Its a Frankenboat for sure.

Youll be sailing in no time

 

[Rictifyit]

Haha! Frankenboat ! I probably do need a name for it, since I pulled off the name that came with it. Ill make a plea to King Neptune, and see what he thinks. That's a fine picture! Frankenboat,,,, I think it will stick!

 

[BobbyFunn]

Kraken? That would be my boat name, but my hull doesn't suffer from the cracks that plague the ACP. I havent seen those long cracks that come out of nowhere.

 

[Rictifyit]

Kraken, thats a good one too. Egg Shell, Crackhead, Soda Cracker... I'm sticking with Frankenboat.
I'm looking further into what paint to use. Looks like Krylon for plastic is the consensus, although did I see you used Rustoleum Plastic Primer ?? Is it a primer, or a cover coat? That was from a 2018 Post from you. What's your topside paint choice now?

 

[Shorefun]

The paint does not like to stick to the MA. I would test it before trying. I sprayed some and it parted like it is silicon or sharpie.

I have done some automotive painting in restoring a 31 Model A Ford. I had a panel I use sharpie on and went to put 2 part primer on it. Primer just split over it and would not stick. Later when having some house renovations done there were some sharpie marks on the wall, well latex won't stick either.

I sanded and used automotive wax remover and could not get the paint to stick to the MA.

 

[BobbyFunn]

plastic needs something called an "adhesion promoter". The plastic paints have it already. Rustoleum makes a roll on plastic primer, that contains that too. The base is acetone. The primer disolves your boat to make surface any rustoleum paint can stick to.

I dont think i would use on deck, but my roll on job on the lower half looks fantastic after 5 years or so. It will scuff if scraped.

I really like krylon and rustoleum spray for the upper half. With a 300 grit sanding it looks pretty good after 3-4 coats. About 5-6 cans and the whole top is covered. One hour later and no sanding, peel tape iff and its over.

Thats crazy about painting over MA.

Adhesion Promoter

 

[Rictifyit]

@Shorefun Well, that's not encouraging! What paint are you referring to? The Krylon? What paint doesn't stick??? Man, I sympathize with you over getting paint to stick. I ran a little body shop in 1983, and the only thing I learned about paint is that it's a problem. Had fun restoring a couple old cars though. That was when you could still use Black Lacquer, and rug it out to a nice shine. Not sure that's an option anymore.
I'm getting closer to paint, so I need to make a decision. I put the last coat (#3) of MA on today to fill in a few gaps, and finish it off. 10 cartridges went quite a way!
Silicone (fish eyes) on old paint can be a terrible thing. I still have a gallon of Wax remover left over from car painting days.
Maybe I won't paint it at all? @BobbyFunn called my boat a Frankenboat, so the yellow scars kind of fit. Is there any real reason, other than cosmetic, that one needs to paint MA at all? Have a great weekend! Is it Friday?

 

[Rictifyit]

@BobbyFunn I saw on the tech sheet for that Rustoleum primer that it had acetone in it. That's probably key because it gets into the Luran. I get it now. Use the rustoleum as the primer, and the acetone gets into the luran to make the primer stick. Makes sense that after that, anything will stick to the primer. Thanks! Think I'll search for some Plastic ready Krylon. Sounds like you've had good luck with that.
I won't use it on the deck, as you have eluded to. I want to find some sort of non-skid paint for that if possible. Never again am I going to peel up adhesive backed non-skid like I did when I started this project. Apparently, there's a product that has some sort of rubber granules, not sand, in it. total Boat, or Jamestown makes it??? I'll have to figure it out later. Another day for that. Thanks for the tips! ADHESION PROMOTER!!!