96 RN Superjet Defoam project...FINALLY

[wademcgee]

Hope some of you get a little info out of this. Gurus let me know if you see anything I really screwed the pooch on. Been working too much and had no time to post.

This is WAB's old ski. Bad @ss carbon fiber all through the motor compartment, whoever did it did an incredible job. They didn't, however, do a very good job with the tray. The foot holds were just riveted in with some silicone. Cracks all over the place and water pouring in from all angles. The ski always felt heavy, but when I defoamed it, I pulled a whopping 65 pounds of wet foam out of it.

Anyways, first pictures are where I made my cuts and the ski defoamed. Just gotta dig, cut, grab, cuss, and repeat.

 

[wademcgee]

Drain Plugs

Next, after getting everything cleaned, I found some nice pvc plugs from McMaster Carr and tapped the bottom most part of the chines and installed some drain plugs.

 

[wademcgee]

I then made a call to Sergio at XFT and had him mold some of his new footholds for my shoe size...show those in a bit.

Glassed in the bold line inside and under the outside. Then went to work securing the dual cooling lines and buttoning everything up with 5200.

Then I actuall flipped the ski. Powder coated the intake grate, ride plate, and replaced the wear ring on my pump, as well as the worn shaft and mid shaft. Gotta have a good wear ring around the new shinny Hooker prop...

Smoothed out the bottom of the hull as much as I could. Glassed in the big gashes and shot it with Marine Epoxy in flat black. Should help and looked chill.

Had a little old nose damage that finally got smoothed out and painted as well.

Replaced the steering cable while I was in there.

After all that, flipped the ski back over and filled the entire bottom of the ski with 1.6lb dupont waterproof styrofoam. Then sealed the sections together with 5200. Just added the styrofoam up to the deck/bond line. The very bottom of the chines where they form the "V" were left hollow. That way, any water that gets in will have a straight path out the back drain holes. Plus the blue foam can't retain water.

 

[wademcgee]

Then I had to decide what to fill the deck back in with. I've seen people do it all kinds of ways, as well as reusing the stock glass...which I think is crap in the deck area. I had planned on using 3/16" fiberglass plate but it was so darn heavy.

I eventually settled on a product that I use at work, called DiBond. It is basically aluminum clad PVC panel, 1/8" thick. Very rigid, water proof, and can actually be contoured...super strong though.

I'm lucky to have a waterjet here at the shop, so I measured what I needed and cut it on the Calypso.

Slapped the panel into place and this allowed me to extend the deck 75% or more into the gunwhale areas, where it never had support before, and capping the blue foam. This would also serve as a barrier when I refoam the top section. Glued this panel into place with 5200 and moved on.

 

[wademcgee]

About this time I got my foot holds in from Sergio. Great job bro, they look amazing. Lived up to everything that I had heard.

Mocked up the location and riveted into place. They come pre-turfed which is both good and bad. Good because turfing footholds sucks, bad because fiberglass and turf don't mix.

Got the footholds in place, riveted and super glassed all around. Probably more glass than needed but I want it strong.

That is where I am now. Some smoothing to do and turf work.

More pics to follow.

Let me know what you guys think!!!

 

[redsxr800]

looks sweet. like the tray plate

 

[wademcgee]

Thanks, have more pics up in a bit. The footholds are looking so sweet!!!

 

[wademcgee]

Ok, just waiting on one more chunk of turf to show up in the mail. Everything else is buckled down. I'll post final pics.

 

[WAB]

when I defoamed it, I pulled a whopping 65 pounds of wet foam out of it.

Holy Hell! mfg:
For the record, I had nothing to do with the old footholds or installation on this ski! This will feel like a lightweight hull now compared to what you were used to lugging around.

Looking good!

 

[oxnard111]

so all the pretty work to leave the front dash???

 

[brentR]

so did you 2-part foam ontop of the polystyrene... around the footholds?

 

[wademcgee]

Stock dash was done with red carbon fiber two owners ago.

Yes, from my deck plate up I back filled with 2part 2lb dupont foam.

What should I have done to the dash...shag carpet and disco lights???

 

[oxnard111]

Stock dash was done with red carbon fiber two owners ago.

Yes, from my deck plate up I back filled with 2part 2lb dupont foam.

What should I have done to the dash...shag carpet and disco lights???

haha... shag for sure...

no i just meant that you didn't match the turf. thats all.

 

[wademcgee]

Gotcha. I thought about ripping that turf off but in all honesty...I didn't know if I would have enough to recover it!!! Plus I didn't even want to think about popping the hood open yet.

Should be completely done this week.

 

[wademcgee]

Finally done.

Oh yeah...Oxnard111...I remember why I left the front now. Totally spaced. I used a 650sx NOS turf pad for the middle. Matches right up!!!

Sergio, thanks again. Pics and a finish shot.

The ski actually cranked as well!!!

 

[wademcgee]

Alright, didn't get a whole lot of action with this thread...hopefully someone got some use out of it. I do have a quick update though.

First, I am a pretty meticulous person. Engineer by trade and try to do detailed stuff that I don't have to redo later.

With that being said. I nailed the guts of this tray down...I mean hard. I literally used two full tubes (Chaulk gun size!!!) of 5200 from McMaster in this area. I could fill it with water and not a drip would come out with the plulgs in.

After not even 2 minutes of riding, much lake repair for the missing water lines, and back to the trailer. I drained about 6-8 cups of water out of the bottom section.

Thank GOD I put the drains in...

I have no idea where it came from though...

 

[brett]

now i know how want to do it when the time comes-seams so stupid to replace foam with the same crap that holds water. awsome work

 

[wademcgee]

It was a lot of work, but man think about it. had I did it the normal way and it filled up the first ride out...

I would have went postal on this ski and filled it full of 9mm sized holes!!!