Custom 1965 Correct Craft Mustang build

Hussler wrote: So with douglas fir you give it the cpes treatment before you glass it? EDIT: I dont see anything about CPES being bondable to fiberglass epoxy

Jim,
CPES is basically a solvent reduced epoxy. The reduction is to lower the viscosity so it soaks into the wood. Once the solvents in it flash off, it becomes an epoxy primer. Fantastic for continuing with a epoxy/glass layup or even great as a primer for paint. It's even used to prevent "grain suck back" on bright finishes (varnish on wood).

Ok so sorry for flopping back and forth but I found this supplier that can ship a 4x8 coosa for 40 bucks and a half inch board is only 280 and will ship regular ups ground. http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/caulking-adhesives/2,659.html
Looks like these guys can supply me with everything

TRBenj wrote: Pete, I wont name names, but the person in question has performed more stringer jobs than just about anyone I know. They've used the full range of materials (poly, epoxy, wood- both treated and untreated- composites, you name it) and said they got positive results with good longetivity (many years) out of the treated wood stringered boats. Like I said, I have no experience with it myself, but the source of the information was pretty reliable!

This got me thinking, if you have pressure treated completely encased in fiberglass cloth and resin, is it that big of a deal if it delaminates in some areas? I mean, its not going to flake off, it will have the strength of the weave over it and the resin will be embedded in the wood fibres. The frame of the boat will just then be held in suspension, worse case scenario of course.

The couple boats I've worked on did not have the stringers bedded to the hull and in many areas the glass wasn't adhered to the wood. It seems the wood provided the rigidity, but the glass held it in place without bonding. I don't think the wood was treated with anything, not even resin, just dropped in the boat and glassed in. Where would the failure be using PT if the framing is wrapped well enough? On the 60's boats, they seemed to do a great job fiberglassing everything in and there was no movement of the wood or the glass coming apart. Does the glass really need to be bonded to the wood? It wasn't from the factory. I know the way we did our Mustang, (everything was bonded), it will never be disassembled as easily as it was with the original stringers.

I don’t know who Tim is talking about but I have used plenty of pressure treated wood in boats with poly resins, vinyl resins, and with epoxy. And I would do it again if they hadn’t invented coosa. I am just not a guy that can be trusted to seal every screw hole, thru bolt, and other point of egress. You can’t use treated wood right off the pile, it has to be suitably aged , preferably in sunlight. I also tend to mechanically score it but I have seen no evidence that once aged (which you also need to do before staining it ) that you will have a bonding problem. Tige was using treated wood fully wrapped in glass for stringers well into the late 90’s and while those boats are no correctcrafts they aren’t falling apart en mass either.

I dont think so, you can do a factory level job with wood and foam much quicker. The avaliablity problems with coosa can also add months to a project.

If you looking for a classic "parade" boat - used occasionally and religiously treated well both on and off the water I see no reason to go with coosa.

If you simply can't be bothered to take exceptional care of your toys it is a pretty good way to go.

I personally get my boat wet, a lot.. it is not that I like to ski in the rain mind you.. but if it is raining it might be calm. If I am at a party on the lake and a storm comes up I am not the guy that goes running to the boat to cover it or to head home. Every now and then if it catches on fire I even dump all the ballast sacks in the bilge on purpose.

That being said my biggest issue with having to repeat floor/stringer jobs over the years was in boats that saw a lot of not only water but also significant pounding in the waves. Everything loosens up over time water gets in and then pretty soon you have a solid boat everywhere except where you need to attach the seats, or any other hardware on the floor.

I'm the same Joe. I know my '63 isn't kept up as well as I should, but that boat has been used really hard over the years, out in the rain a lot, wet from skiing for days on end, you name it. Plus, I've had it out in some serious rough water so what Bruce is saying certainly applied, it's gone through serious pounding at times. I think the stringers are still solid, but haven't looked that closely either. If I have to replace stringers in a boat I'd seriously look at coosa because I know my own habits.

I wonder a bit about 40 or so years from now. If you have a 40 year old boat that needs new stringers, do you put 30 year stringers in on the assumption that will be the end, or do you assume that with good care there will be '60's and '70's CC's on the water in the year 2050? Will the glass last that long?

PAPA wrote: Jim, just read your thread and congrats on the new boat purchase. I like the ideas you have for your boat, sounds like it would look really sharp. With the 351 weighing more than the original motor seems like coosa woild be a nice choice for the stringers since you would be saving some weight. If the cost isn't out of line for you it appears it would be a perfect fit for this build. Good luck and have some fun with it.

Thanks! I'm very excited.

Glad I have a good month to make this decision.

Something I keep seeing about Coosa is adding aluminum or some type of spreader to the engine mounts, on this site and others. What property is the Coosa lacking where it isnt as load being/torsional load bearing?

Its not that I am not willing to spend the extra on my boat, its just I want to feel the bang for buck factor. There has been many times with my Jeep where I wished I spent money elsewhere. If I can get Doug fir to last 40 years, wont it be my sons/grandsons problem by then anyways??

Well I'm going to visit my friends 61 skier and evalute how much Coosa I would need. If I can keep stringer materials cost under 700, I'll probably go that route. I mean, its a little boat, shouldn't take much.

Joe, how many sheets do you think went into just your stringers?

Also, The very most important key to achieving maximum bond with either resin.   Is reducing the moisture content in the hull before attepting any lay-up.
Whenever you pass by a marina and see large boats with large tents over them, that is what's going on. They are drying out the fiberglass before barrier coating.
Same principle with interior lay-up.
Large boats spend 24/7 in the water, so does your ski boat on the trailer with wet foam.
Moisture content will appear in your fresh lay-up as milky looking. Thus reducing the integrity of the bond itself.

Non originals:

Platform
Garden hose fitting
Ski ring on rear deck
Tri-tone Tape
Old Trick Ski on dash
Gauges
Steering wheel
Ski Mirror

We have seen worse, so you're not doing too bad.

Not me,I'm looking foward to getting rid of mine!

JoeinNY wrote: I don’t know who Tim is talking about but I have used plenty of pressure treated wood in boats

Joe, I was recalling one of our conversations where you basically told me everything that you posted. I know you put those camp boats through some serious environments over many years!

I definitely agree that a coosa build isnt for everyone, nor every build. Its definitely more expensive, time consuming and process heavy. Ive got a budget boat planned with wood... but the keepers get the coosa (like the BFN). Toheejizown.

I'm glad that the dash isn't original, because I've already planned to get rid of all that ****! Black plastics gauges and steering wheel REALLY?

I inspected my friends American skier. Decided I'm going to make front and rear benches, full width. The dash is going to get a new fascia layover. Probably ply wrapped in red vinyl. Maybe a dash pad too. (I'm thinking 60's century style.) Probably going to get that 5 piece Faria gauge set, white with stainless rings. I have access to some really nice chris craft style pull switches for lights. I'd like to do a glove box in the dash but nobody has a glove box with a nice stainless facia :(. Might have to rummage through a couple marinas. I dont want any ******* plastic on this thing!!!

In the american skier it looks like dimensional 2x6's for stringers, are the originals made out of doug fir? Even his exposed stringers dont have any rot in them, the far port and starboard ones. Not sure what you would call them. He found his boat in a dump with water steering wheel high in it.

Also, what have you guys done to hide a sound system? I dont want any ricer style speaker system showing, but I want it to sound nice.

I have cheap plastic home speakers way up under the front deck, a 20 dollar amp/equalizer glued behind port dash with patch cables running to the ski pocket for a walkman.