I'm keeping it forever! :)

If it wasn't bonded before, it is now with all the skanks I've had down there.

The top pic looks like a vag!!

you can't include gas and oil change costs as invested money into the boat you know!!!!!

Would you like to see her twin ? :lolhit:

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/...p/100_0629.jpg

i believe a beck is the same as a fat fingered deck,LOL

if you've had a chick with a vag that big I feel sorry for you!

Apparently the same thing as a "wench you need to replace."

Nope! Only counting the cost of the boat new, the 525 upgrade, the xr/Imco shorty, Zeiger steering, BBlades prop, SS raw water pump, sea strainer, steering reservoir, grab handles, some hull reinforcing for the extra power, exhaust tip relocating, chartplotter, pitot, and more. :) It's worth every penny when I'm driving it because I can only think of one thing better in life than driving my boat!

Sonic is glassed everywhere the innerliner doesn't interfere, then the innerliner is glassed in also so I am sure that helps strength. Every place I can see is glassed. It is surprising how many boats are not, even some big names with big prices, but they seem to hold up well enough.

He probably got the ones I already worked over.:whistle:

Gotta love a guy that holds a high opinion of his equipment and ability. You know what they say about opinions though. lol

I believe this is your opinion, based on my facts. :D

Gotta love a guy who is positively sure of his equipment/ability.

Why do my sponsons suddenly feel turned inside out and hangin' like this........:p;);)

Well you posted your girls insides, I'd never go there! Lol

Probably gonna need to get those lifted and pulled tight.

I didn't mind if you guys looked but y'all pulled a train on her . :party-smiley-004:

At the end of the day we're men (animals) can't help it. Lol

Your gals sisters are what inspired me to go buy another boat, although I remember the sponsons being a little tighter,

Oopppss double post

How'd all this chit get started just from talk of something being screwed together? Must have been the post about the sisters.

And you watched it happen!

We all have one thing on the mind at all times.....well maybe 2..

24 superboats are not glass bonded... through bolts in the front where there is access... I don't know of any failures. And they get beat on.

My boat [ 1990 Mirage ] was bonded with methacrylate [ http://www.adhesive.com/type-methacrylate ], screwed every 6" with the rubrail and glassed inside at the seam with cloth . Boat is 24 yrs old, had taken a beating at numerous poker runs and still feels solid as a brick. It also has an inner liner as well. I've replaced the transom and stringers even though the transom wasn't saturated with water or mushy but had the engines out after hitting an underwater log tearing the leg so I've decided to make the boat last without any issue popping up later. Here'rs some pics how I did the transom. Holes were drilled larger where the existing ones are on the hull and filled with resin to avoid water seepage into the wood itself. I've also let the drain plug area void of wood.

http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/inner%20transom
http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/new%2520transom.jpg

The way I view it, the epoxies available today are often stronger than materials they are bonding. Once setup bolting it would make little difference in strength, plus it limits your rub rail choices. In my case the holes are all ready there, so I'll need to fill all of those in if I decide not to use bolts again.

I saw no signs of flex from this bolting method used and would probably be best to leave it alone. However the boat I'm working on has tons of cabin space that was never finished. So popping it apart would allow easy access inside, and the option to flip her over for a fresh bottom job. But it's gonna take some serious drinking to start prying apart a 22yr old boat...

My 77 pantera 24-7 is glassed together at the seam.

hey thats my wife you are talking about! lol

Fountain are bonded, bolted, the stinger is through bolted about every 6-8'' Going to bond portions of it before it goes back together I think


John jr

I could be way off on my thinking, but it seems to me, the longer the boat, the more this may be an issue. A 24FT boat, isnt subjected to the same hull stresses, a 40ft boat is.

When you get into these 40ft boats, in rough waters, many times the nose of the boat is impacting wave #2, while the mid section is unsupported, and the stern may still be on wave #1. Take a yard stick. Grab it on both ends, and watch how easy it bends. Then, cut the yardstick down to 1ft long, and see how much harder it is to bend.

This is why, when you go look at some of these old offshore boats, the main area you'll find stress cracking, is near and around the boat, midship. Most likely, near the faring/windscreen. Well at least the ones that been run in big water. Boating on a river or small inland lake, you may never see these issues.

I am a believer in, as length and weight go up, so must the quality and strength of the hull! Probably why the old 41 Apaches and other big raceboats, had so many bulkheads and massive stringer configurations. Did Team Apache glue the decks on the hull and throw in some wood screws and go racing?

Good point mild. My boat being older does not have any stress cracks but, has spent most of its life on lake st clair which gets nasty mixed chop but rarely over 4's.

If you enjoy stress cracking, you might want to look into a different manufacturer. Maybe you can rotozip your glassed deck joint, and put a line of aerospace elmers glue along the seam. I personally wish my boat had more ''wavieness" to the deck and hullsides. It really gives you that classic offshore earl sheib look.

I've already drawn up plans for next winters storage. Going to run random logs perpendicular to the length ( small in back, huge one in the middle and really small in front) so throughout the winter I can roll it back in forth (ramming it with a snowplow) to achieve the hook in the hull and hopefully stress crack the chit out of it. Give it that "classic" but still hot rodish look.

Why not just save all that work and get a Cig?

Now you went and done it . :eekdrop:

What's a "snowplow"? Let me guess, more of your equipment that you're so proud of

Never thought of that. You always have the best advice. Thanks man.

Lol. No, I can't say I'm proud to have owned a snowplow, espeacially after this long drawn out winter! I need sun and skanks!!!!

You guys are gonna wake the kraken [ATTACH=CONFIG]520482[/ATTACH]