The Sea Class 17 build as requested

T

Tony H

Well-known member
Good evening everyone,
Many have asked to see details of the Sea Class 17 as we build it and we have begun the process. First we will start with the Hull and Grid. The Grid is part of the Floatation system that makes TDB second to none. There is very little foam under the floor and what is completely sealed inside the grid system that makes up the bow and transom floatation along with the strength that makes the boat so dang strong and why its been a favorite for decades.
This first photo is of the Hull after 3 coats of wax. Both the Hull and Grid received the same amount of wax.
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Next we spray them up with 20mil of Gelcoat. Sorry these are a little dark.
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Grid
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Next we cut and place CSM strategically on the hull and Grid and prepare to wet it out and create the first skin layer of glass.
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Now the wet out. Note that the hull has a dark stripe down the middle of the hull. This is where we overlap the glass and create twice the thickness in the wear area along the keel. The Hull will receive 39oz of glass total and 36.5oz of that will be Biaxial for extreme strength.
The Grid. Or backbone of the boat.
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The Hull note dark stripe in the second photo.
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Things will get boring for a couple days as we finish the laminate on the hull and Grid. Then we will move the Deck in and repeat the same process. Once the Hull and grid are complete we will show you how the grid is installed and foam is installed to create the super structure of the hull. We already have a liner complete and waiting. If the weather cooperates we should have all parts completed by the end of this coming week and then the real fun begins.


And as a bit of information we have contacted the Maine company that has sewn all the TDB blinds and are going through negotiations now to hire them to continue to sew the blinds for The TDB and all our other boats as well.
Stay tuned. We will update as they are available.
 
Tony looks good, I always wondered what the inside of the 17 classic looked like. All the TDB sure are nice boats
 
Tony~

Great work! I really enjoy watching the step-by-step process. You clearly depict both the well-thought-out design and the care and craftmanship you bring to it.

All the best,

SJS
 
Fred, the Classic 17 is not the same as the Sea Class. The classic was all wood interior glassed over. And as much as I hate to say it we are learning of more and more deterioration to those early classic model boats. It wasn't until the fire era that things changed to composites. The early TDB classic line is a 25year boat for sure and time has proven that. But the Sea Class models will easily surpass that if taken care of due to the construction process which is what we are showing you now.


Thanks for the comments guys and stay tuned as we make it a little more interesting as we start the process of putting it together once all parts are laid up. Tomorrow we will be laying up the final 2 layers of glass on the grid and the hull. Then it gets interesting as we install the grid and show exactly what makes these boats so durable. Using a 1 piece grid system that supports the interior liner makes these boats super super strong and giving them ample room for storage etc yet still fully meeting USCG standards by leaps and bounds.
 
And we now have a layer of 1808 Biaxial on the Hull. Doesn't look like much but the proof is in the photo's. Nice clean and near perfect wet out of the glass. This is very important. It keeps weight down and provides the best strength in the finished product. access resin becomes hot and can cause brittleness in the finished product. The first shot is the wife finishing up the sides with the raw glass. Still alittle boring I know. But the fun stuffs coming soon. Heading back to lay up the grid right after a late lunch. More to come. If the winter storm isn't to bad and I don't have to move 12" of snow from the home and the shop tomorrow we will have the hull final layer done and be ready to install the grid by Friday. A little more exciting.


Again note the overlapping down the keel and along the chine. This overlapping is completely down the chines and from bow to transom.
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Phil, we start with a layer of 1.5oz CSM then the current layer is 1808 Biaxial. Its 18oz of cloth with a 3/4" oz mat on the back. We will then add another layer of the same. Giving us a total of 39oz total and double that in the important areas. The key is we use our hands and squeegees to finish the glass and remove all the extra to provide a nice clean layup.


We did get the grid finished today as well but I didn't get any photo's. We are getting pounded by snow right now and through the night but tomorrow I hope to finish the glass on the hull and remove the grid from the mold. Will try to get some photos and maybe even a video of the grid being popped from the mold. Then Thursday we can install the transom board and glass that in place and Friday we can fit the grid and possibly install it as well. Gonna get the go pro out and charge the batteries and see what I can drum up with that as well.
We should have the Sea Class 17 ready for ordering just as projected the end of Feb.
 
Great thread to show your progress and build of this boat. Have a question for you. I am going to ripping up the deck and replacing the foam underneath and keep reading about the issues with moisture and not totally sealing the foam in. What kind of foam are you using and have you experienced any condensation or issues with absorption with it being completely sealed off? Thanks.
 
Jason, Not to get off topic, but the short of it is if the compartment is sealed its sealed. We use only USCG certified floatation foam which should absorb less than 2 percent moisture. However if a seal is broken and water is forced into it then all bets are off as it will absorb water over time because the water cannot escape and is forced into the foam. Don't drill means no problems. Once you drill a hole in a sealed chamber your warranty is gone and all bets are off. TDB's have been being used now for over 20 years and the ones starting to show signs of damage are the old style that had wood in them and were a different construction process than the newer Sea Class versions that have sealed chambers. If you must mount something glue something onto the area you intend to mount it and them mount to that area, do not drill holes through fiberglass if you don't have too. We plan to mount a external piece to the hull for transducer mounting just for this very reason. No holes means a happy boat with a long life.
 
I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there that have simply used 5200 to glue a piece of starboard to the hull for screwing into for mounting things like the transducer. I haven't had any issues having the board bond to the hulls of glass or aluminum using the 5200.
 
Today we put the final layer of glass on the hull and popped the grid from the mold. You can now see the grid as it will go into the hull be glued in using Plexus Marine adhesives and then foam filled. The mold is also shown just for fun. I did take a video today with the gopro and will look at it and see how it ended up. Hard to man a camera and play in resin. :tu
Everything starts coming together next week. We should have the hull done and ready for the liner while we build the deck.

all of the raised areas of the grid will be filled with Floatation foam.

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Yet more progress, Here is the grid system. You can clearly see where all the floatation foam goes now and it starts to make sense. Both rear pods are filled along with the bilge area and then all the grid raised areas are filled this is what supports the interior liner and creates strength to the hull. Then the bow chamber is filled as well. Just returned from trimming the grid to fit Monday we install the transom and then we glue the grid in place, foam and pop the hull from the mold and onto the dolly she goes.
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Note that the raised lip down the center and around the outside edges is removed. the grid is glued directly to the hull with a smooth transition. We will then fiberglass tape the whole seam after its glued.
Monday the Grid mold is returned to its resting place for now and the deck comes into the back shop.
 
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Tony~

Great work!

I can really appreciate how your floatation chambers stop below the decks so you have access to hardware, wiring, etc. Is the foam 2 lbs/sq ft ?

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve, well sort of, the bow eye and rear transom eyes are a problem as they were incased and un reachable But we are fixing that with the bow eye for sure. And may redesign where the rear eyes or steps go hopefully to prevent that problem later. yes the floatation foam is 2lb USCG approved foam.
Glad your enjoying the built. A little boring I bet as you get left hanging but this is REAL TIME status updates. LOL You are watching us build the first one right along with us as we build it. We did run into a few hick ups with the sea class 14 we just finished but nothing serious just simple things like wiring. So we are going to rectify that right away and make it much simpler with the 17 and the future 14 builds. The simple things are what makes money. Wiring is important and needs easy access for repair and replacement parts and nothing like not being able to rewire something later because the wires are all buried and un reachable etc. So that has taken top priority. I am sure we will do something and then think of an easier way but so far so good. Moving right along.
 
The bow eye core and transom core is in. Next we finish fit the Grid and fill with foam. Once that is complete a boat will be born as we can then pop it from the mold and move it to the dolly. Note we use overkill in both places with glass and overlapping it. This will only add a few lbs of weight but lots of extra strength and support of the core. A tid bit of info that tells how great Coosa is. It doesn't even need to be glassed over once its bonded to the hull However since the Grid is a full liner that will be adhered directly to the transom core we felt a layer of 1808 over the transom will only give more structural strength to the bond of the grid to the transom.
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Next step we finish fit the Grid, Glue it in place, fill it with foam and then we can finally pop the boat from the mold and put it onto the dolly. The reason the hull is not popped before the grid is in place and foamed is so there no way possible to deform the hull during the build and once the grid is in place and foamed the structure is complete for the hull and will create the platform for the liner to rest on.
Now if the weather would just give us a break we could move a little quicker.
 
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Tony,
are you possibly considering building some of these sea class boats out west, possibly in Washington at Mike's?
 
They will not be built out west but I hope Mike plans to sell them. If not we will find another dealer for them out west.
 
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