zodiac MkII reglueing tubes

bigscott · 24 October 2010, 16:20

Hi everyone.

I was caught out in some pretty rough weather a few weeks a go and the boat took a huge battering from the waves.

The pounding proved to much for the transom and one of the tubes seperated. the transom also looks a bit unhealthy but I really dont want to get rid of the boat as it has served me well.

Do you guys reckon its worth getting repaired or maybe doing it myslef? theres also a tear in the floor which will need patching.

Any advice much appreiciated

spartacus · 24 October 2010, 19:10

Hi Scott

Plenty life left in the old girl yet. Transom has started to delaminate, so personally I'd replace. Marine ply can be glued together with epoxy resin then half a dozen coats of varnish on exterior surface - she'll be as good as new. Use the the old transom as a template, and transfer the identification plate, engine mounting plate, towing eyes, etc. Work in a warm, dry atmosphere. Low temperatures and moisture isn't good.

Regards the boat material, more than likely it's PVC. Preparation is everything. Once you've removed the transom, thoroughly remove any old glue using sandpaper or Dremel tool. Dry PVC and then degrease using MEK. Full details here. Use Polymarine 2-part adhesive. Sure there is an earlier post on here - have a look. Work in sections (don't do the whole thing in one afternoon), starting with the keel. Take your time and it will come together. Have a few G-clamps (and wooden curved battons) to hold the boat material to the transom. Inflate the boat to operating pressure before undertaking this procedure.
Details here: http://www.allinflatables.com/support/pvc.html

bigscott · 24 October 2010, 19:35

Hi Spartacus

Fantastic answer . I never thought of replacing the transom but it does make sense as its in bad shape. I'll spend a few days working out the costs of materials but it sounds like the way to go

Could I possibly glue/resin the old transom, reinforce it and then glue the tubes back on?

Thanks again

thornbackflound · 24 October 2010, 20:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigscott

Hi everyone.

I was caught out in some pretty rough weather a few weeks a go and the boat took a huge battering from the waves.

The pounding proved to much for the transom and one of the tubes seperated. the transom also looks a bit unhealthy but I really dont want to get rid of the boat as it has served me well.

Do you guys reckon its worth getting repaired or maybe doing it myslef? theres also a tear in the floor which will need patching.

Any advice much appreiciated

I was caught out in some pretty rough weather,blinking hell that must of been some bad weather to do that?hope you do get it sorted,must of been perished to begin with in those areas?

spartacus · 24 October 2010, 20:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigscott

Could I possibly glue/resin the old transom, reinforce it and then glue the tubes back on?

You could - but the damage is done Even if you managed to dry the transom out, getting the glue between the sheets of ply will be nigh impossible. Replace is my advice.

bigscott · 24 October 2010, 20:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by thornbackflound

I was caught out in some pretty rough weather,blinking hell that must of been some bad weather to do that?hope you do get it sorted,must of been perished to begin with in those areas?

Yeah judging by the transom I reckon you right mate , the rough sea just put the nail in the coffin.

I do remember looking down at the floor and seeing it all pulled out of shape then looking back at the transom and thinking "Oh sh**" I still had 2 miles to go no matter which way I went. When I slowed down water started pouring in so I kept at a steady pace and headed for shelter. the fact that she got me back to the harbour makes me not want to give up on her.

mgalvez · 25 October 2010, 04:38

Just did this on my MkII. Your transom wood looks like it needs to be replaced. Its not that difficult job. You just have to be patient. Mine came out looking like new.

bigscott · 25 October 2010, 18:58

Right I had another look today and the transom is a goner for sure. Im going to remove the transom tomorrow if I get a chance.

Any tips on how to loosen the other tube? do I just slide a scraper underneath and gently prize it off ? sorry if that sounds like a daft question

Mgalvez- what thickness ply did you opt for ? did you glue 2 bits together if so what glue?

thornbackflound · 25 October 2010, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigscott

Hi everyone.

I was caught out in some pretty rough weather a few weeks a go and the boat took a huge battering from the waves.

The pounding proved to much for the transom and one of the tubes seperated. the transom also looks a bit unhealthy but I really dont want to get rid of the boat as it has served me well.

Do you guys reckon its worth getting repaired or maybe doing it myslef? theres also a tear in the floor which will need patching.

Any advice much appreiciated

Did nt have to re glue the tubes,but transom was in a bit of a state only in places tho so dug out the rotton and wood filled it,glass resined it ,then resined two cut templates of hardboard to it then resined over them and painted them with marine paint,not been in the water yet with her ,but seems well sound to take my 20hp mariner,yours does look like more work tho,but if you love the boat gotta be worth it,it got you back in as you say,some pics of my renvation project GOOD LUCK WITH YOURS,,,,,,,Thorny

mgalvez · 25 October 2010, 21:17

I luckily did not have to remake my transom. I was able to clean mine up and reuse it. The glue to use is two part sta-bond for PVC. Mix it properly and make sure you get all the stuff you need. Its all in the prep. Use MEK and follow these directions.

http://www.nrsweb.com/repair/stabond.asp

Cutting a piece of marine ply that's already the proper thickness sounds like the easiest way to do it.

kelson · 26 October 2010, 03:58

I vote for the following set of directions because they stress the environmental conditions in your workspace. For strong bonds you need to avoid humid conditions. The two part glue is hygroscopic. Strong long term bonds are the goal. Most rafters know to haul their boats away from the water to make permanent repairs. NRS doesn't mention that in their directions. I really think the environmental conditions and mek prep make a big difference in bond strength and longevity.
http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/INFO/INFOGLUE.html

kelson · 26 October 2010, 04:09

Here is a link that does have some relevant posts regarding transom repair. It might be helpful. You do want to be methodical and work in sections. Mgalvez is most certainly right that you can do a great job if you care to spend the time. I certainly had fun regluing my mk2 futura.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread....ight=nobrainsd

You may find it difficult to find marine ply as thick as your transom. It is not hard to laminate layers together.

bigscott · 26 October 2010, 20:27

great link Kelson, I skimmed thru it just now and its packed with info

My plan of action at the moment is to make a new transom and then possibly take the boat to a pro to reglue the tubes. I have limited space and we are about to go into winter so the back garden will be no good as a workshop

will get some pics up as soon as I start

Cheers for all the sound advice!!!!!

Peter_C · 27 October 2010, 19:12

Anyone who can make a transom can reglue the tubes. I would put making the transom a much harder level than gluing the tubes. You will need to replace the PVC fabric that is black strips. You can see in the photo it is worn out and coming apart.

If you do plan to pay someone to reglue the boat, I would get a price first. Take the boat with you. I had to reglue every glued seam on my boat and it took more labor than the boat was worth. Since I did it myself it was free labor.

Sometimes a new/used boat is a better deal...

mgalvez · 28 October 2010, 16:18

Peter C is right on. If you aren't handy or don't own the tools to do a job like this, it will probably be better to buy a new boat. You will need a scroll saw or something like that to cut out a new transom, claps to laminate two pieces, knowledge of how to use resin, respirator etc etc etc. If you don't need it in a rush and have time, then it can be a fun project and if done right, the boat will be better than new.