We decided to take the Sea Class to another level in the finish of the hull. There is no reason to have a dull finish on the hull of a boat. It actually drags and will cause poor performance and lower fuel economy so we fixed that issue
What your about to see is what hard work and dedication can do to bring life back to something that has been left out to rott in the weather. Also take note that this is what happens to gelcoat if left unprotected for long periods of time.
Never fear as it can be saved just as we saved these molds. Elbow grease and lots of water and sand paper.
Its been almost a year since we started this build, thru many months of searching and trying to locate lost or missing molds I can say we have accomplished that along with a new manufacturing facility as well with 5 buildings to work in and ample room for expansion. We started building duck boats in a 1 car garage 10 years ago and today we have a 15 acre facility with 5 buildings including a office that will include 2 overnight rooms for customers to stay in for free. Fully furnished with garden tub, kitchen and a great view outside. Just our way of saying thanks.
AND WALLA!
Finish sanding
Drying the mold
Ready for mold sealer and wax!
And the deck
As promised here are some photos of the mold refinishing we have gotten done.
2 days of hard manual labor but were just days away from spraying the Gelcoat fellas. Some pics from As they were when we got them to as they are now!
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And now we will jump ahead a few months. We then waxed and sprayed the gel coat and laid up the hull and deck.
Then we realized we were missing some molds and another 3 months and we were able to locate them and go get them. So next was to prep wax and lay up the most important part of TDB the foam chamber molds and structural grid system.
So we now will move directly to the next step The liner, grid system and foam chambers.
This is the liner Note the sides of the liner which end up being the shelves inside the boat we will be creating floatation under them as well the whole length of the shelf aprox.
It has been laid up with 2 4oz layers of CSM followed by a layer of 24oz biaxial and then a divinecel core placed on the floor embedded into another layer of 4oz csm as shown here and covered with 24oz biaxial cloth.
Next is the transom, we cut a full transom out of Coosa bluewater 26, beveled the edges and bedded it into 2 layers of 4oz CSM and allowed it to dry and them covered it in a layer of 24oz biaxial and this is what it looks like.
Then we test fit the front foam chamber to see how it fit. This piece on the early TDB's the top was cut off and there was no way to access the front bow eye. We wont be cutting the top out but rather cutting 2 4" holes one in the top and one in the face. We will insert a tube that runs to where the bow eye is and then pour full of foam and remove the tube and then glass the top hole closed and install a round storage hatch for small storage and future access to the bow eye if ever needed.
And finally the grid system that is the backbone of the whole build. This is the grid system in the hull. Note that the grid system is hollow and will be filled with floatation foam as will the square areas. The liner is glued on top of this section and there is NO way water can get into this area without someone drilling a hole into the floor or a rupture of the hull itself.
Tomorrow we plan to glue in all the foam chambers and grid system and remove the hull from the mold and start installing hardware so we can foam everything. I know TDB claimed 3pt floatation but actually its more like 6pt. LOL there is foam everywhere in this boat and yet its no where that water can get to it. Is on the sides midship bow and stern. Quite and amazing design Christian and gang came up with along with the help of the Clark Brother.
Stay tuned as we hope to have this boat finished by the end of next week. And for those interested in pricing watch the website for it to be posted as soon as we are finished with the boat.
I hope you enjoyed the photos and steps we have taken so far.
What your about to see is what hard work and dedication can do to bring life back to something that has been left out to rott in the weather. Also take note that this is what happens to gelcoat if left unprotected for long periods of time.
Never fear as it can be saved just as we saved these molds. Elbow grease and lots of water and sand paper.
Its been almost a year since we started this build, thru many months of searching and trying to locate lost or missing molds I can say we have accomplished that along with a new manufacturing facility as well with 5 buildings to work in and ample room for expansion. We started building duck boats in a 1 car garage 10 years ago and today we have a 15 acre facility with 5 buildings including a office that will include 2 overnight rooms for customers to stay in for free. Fully furnished with garden tub, kitchen and a great view outside. Just our way of saying thanks.
AND WALLA!
Finish sanding
Drying the mold
Ready for mold sealer and wax!
And the deck
As promised here are some photos of the mold refinishing we have gotten done.
2 days of hard manual labor but were just days away from spraying the Gelcoat fellas. Some pics from As they were when we got them to as they are now!
And now we will jump ahead a few months. We then waxed and sprayed the gel coat and laid up the hull and deck.
Then we realized we were missing some molds and another 3 months and we were able to locate them and go get them. So next was to prep wax and lay up the most important part of TDB the foam chamber molds and structural grid system.
So we now will move directly to the next step The liner, grid system and foam chambers.
This is the liner Note the sides of the liner which end up being the shelves inside the boat we will be creating floatation under them as well the whole length of the shelf aprox.
It has been laid up with 2 4oz layers of CSM followed by a layer of 24oz biaxial and then a divinecel core placed on the floor embedded into another layer of 4oz csm as shown here and covered with 24oz biaxial cloth.
Next is the transom, we cut a full transom out of Coosa bluewater 26, beveled the edges and bedded it into 2 layers of 4oz CSM and allowed it to dry and them covered it in a layer of 24oz biaxial and this is what it looks like.
Then we test fit the front foam chamber to see how it fit. This piece on the early TDB's the top was cut off and there was no way to access the front bow eye. We wont be cutting the top out but rather cutting 2 4" holes one in the top and one in the face. We will insert a tube that runs to where the bow eye is and then pour full of foam and remove the tube and then glass the top hole closed and install a round storage hatch for small storage and future access to the bow eye if ever needed.
And finally the grid system that is the backbone of the whole build. This is the grid system in the hull. Note that the grid system is hollow and will be filled with floatation foam as will the square areas. The liner is glued on top of this section and there is NO way water can get into this area without someone drilling a hole into the floor or a rupture of the hull itself.
Tomorrow we plan to glue in all the foam chambers and grid system and remove the hull from the mold and start installing hardware so we can foam everything. I know TDB claimed 3pt floatation but actually its more like 6pt. LOL there is foam everywhere in this boat and yet its no where that water can get to it. Is on the sides midship bow and stern. Quite and amazing design Christian and gang came up with along with the help of the Clark Brother.
Stay tuned as we hope to have this boat finished by the end of next week. And for those interested in pricing watch the website for it to be posted as soon as we are finished with the boat.
I hope you enjoyed the photos and steps we have taken so far.
