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Flite/Liner Bow Wall Cutting?

atc250r

Well-known member
I need to get to the very front of the boat to put the nut on the very front screw that attaches the bow rail and short of cutting the wall out that is in the bow I can't think of any way to do it. I guess this is more looking for suggestions as far as how to finish it off nicely than asking how to get at that unreachable part of the boat. I am thinking of cutting a square large enough to remove the foam piece by piece if need be (its dry so it doesn't really have to come out) but mainly large enough for me to get my upper torso in there to reach the damn screw at the front of the rail. I was thinking I would cover enough of the wall with blue painter's tape to allow me to mark where the opening is, maybe use a rectangular template to mark the tape, and cut the opening with a fine tooth blade on a jig saw. Once the hole is made and the work inside the bow is complete I would get some 1/2" or 3/4" angle aluminum to make the opening look pretty, and finally make a door out of 1/2" ply wrapped with a similar black carpet to the existing one or maybe thin foam and red vinyl like the doors on the storage compartments next to the front seats against the hull. I would use a latch similar to this to keep it closed:

31BrjkWRJZrMKzMYN3P_cJDJ4AzhHUZMWOxdIhDvY3Hk9ZhD9z8Jwuej8Xb7S1ifpJFoXaHootZFTwZHBk9jRb7DfV2d1wbashftXysl_Fq-NiT4S9Vv2eMxKpW9Ai96xzEfLJyVi-UD31HbbcfdfdYha_S7fc59uTAQh2xfaszgs7XNUKsiu3B3X7bT5V2nCbCpZFUXmB06U_4RadBVMrVeYIA18u8txDLPSNRKZ89dB2_DA2Vq6okZRkXMReKBRUJKP1dR6G5HRTk1OuJ6PtwqepeBsNgMiJ3BjnN6DjfnXV-6IDjaKL8


Thoughts or suggestions other than leaving the bow rail off?

:D

John
 
I drilled it to get it apart a few weeks ago when I started the project. I'm pretty sure a rivet would crack the gel. Robbie suggested filling the hole with MarineTex then drilling and installing a wood screw instead of one with a nut. I'm nervous about a wood screw's ability to hold if someone gives a good yank on the rail and when it comes out it might do serious damage to the gel.

John
 
I drilled it to get it apart a few weeks ago when I started the project. I'm pretty sure a rivet would crack the gel. Robbie suggested filling the hole with MarineTex then drilling and installing a wood screw instead of one with a nut. I'm nervous about a wood screw's ability to hold if someone gives a good yank on the rail and when it comes out it might do serious damage to the gel.

John

FYI, from the website for Marine Tex. I think it will hold if the prep work is done right. Then use a stainless steel screw to attach the bow rail.

Marine-Tex is a high strength epoxy putty that hardens like steel and is sandable like wood. Use it to repair holes, cracks, dents, worn out surfaces and damaged substrates on your boat and beyond. This unique putty bonds and fuses fiberglass, plastics, wood, metals, ferro-cement and porcelain. Marine Tex epoxy is impervious to oil, fuel, grease, brine and detergents. Commonly used for minor fiberglass gelcoat repairs, tt is unaffected by temperatures from -60 F to 300 F. It can be sanded, drilled, sawed, threaded and painted. Non-magnetic, non-rusting and non-corrosive.
 
I think I'm gonna go that route at least to get it back together, just gonna be real careful about anyone pulling on the front of the railing. If and when I open the wall up I'll fasten it the way it was from the factory. If I see even a hint of it coming up its getting bolted on.

John
 
John, if its anything like the enchanter, there is very little holding the wall in. It is very easy to cut it out and glass it back in.
Another option is a deck access plate. Cut a hole and use them to cover the hole. Plus side is you would always have access in the future. Also you can install a fender washer to add extra strength to prevent the grab rail getting pulled loose :D
6987-1-lg.jpg
 
It would be nice to cut a hole and put a door for future access and storage. Just not looking forward to hacking all that foam out. Gonna poke around and see if I can find a clean looking hatch type of set up that is already assembled and has a flange to cover the hole. Definitely don't want to start with glassing stuff.
 
My bow hook was pulled out on "W.I." It was a real PITA to get the foam out to repair it so it would not pull right back out again. I spent more time removing the foam that I did on R&I the wall and fixing the "D" ring :brickwall:
 
Lowe's has a similar door which I'm sure you're familiar with with the business that you're in. Its not waterproof but if the door is getting wet up there I've got bigger problems than a wet door. :)

John
 
When I did my Starflight I cut the carpet a couple inches smaller than the intended rectangle then you can wrap the extra carpet around the cut edge for a nice finished look. I made a plywood door and covered it in vinlyl and hinged it on, that was the easy part. The space up there is nice for storing extra life jackets and stuff.
I bet your foam is wet at the bottom of the V, if not it will be. I used a long wood saws-all blade (or bread knife) and a short little shovel, pry bars, all sorts of stuff to chunk up the foam and pull it out. Crappy job but I pulled 90lb of wet and frozen foam out of the bow. Oh and then I was able to fix the bow rail also.
 
I think that's what I'm going to do. I'd be surprised if it were wet, the boat never spent more than a night or two in the water but I guess the water doesn't get in when its sitting still at the dock. Maybe the saw will come out tonight. :devil: good call on wrapping the carpet around, I should have thought of that.

The nice thing is its a lot easier working in the open bow than under the crawl space of a closed one.

John
 
Cabelas and bass pro have several ready made plastic and aluminum hinged hatch/frame inserts you could use. Check them out.
 
Thanks. I'll look into that. I pulled the carpet off tonight. The front seats will block any sort of large door from opening so I may just cut a large piece out and go from there.
 
I think I've found the one. This is available in 13"x24" and comes in BLACK to match the carpet it is getting laid onto:


HAT-1324-2-hatch-sure-seal-on-black-background-500.jpg



HAT-1324-2-hatch-sure-seal-13x24-installed-500.jpg


Going to cut a square out from the top down (only need to cut 3 sides then) that is much larger than the hatch, hack all the foam out, make the cutout for the hatch outside the boat, then reinstall the modified original piece and install carpet. Gonna get started on Friday.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Its funny how one suggestion leads to another and that ends up leading to finding the perfect part to fit the bill. Before stumbling on this one I couldn't find any black plastic ones.

John
 
Thought about that, really could use the storage up there for something light like life jackets. There might be room for a pair of 8's on the sides of the hatch down the road. :D
 
I wouldn't cut it from the top down. You should leave atleast 2" of material at the top to keep everything locked together. If you do cut from the top, there won't be anything holding the top portion from flexing, and it will compromise the structural integrity. If it starts to move, even a little, that door may not operate correctly. My 2 cents:cheers:
 
One large contractor bag of foam is out. There was a little water in there, enough that there was a small puddle against the bottom of the wall.
 
Pretty much done. 3 pretty much full contractor bags handled all of the foam. I would guess under 50lbs for all of it but it was in the worst place to have it on this boat. Cut a nice rectangular hole that will allow me to drop one of those covers in I posted up or maybe I'll just make up a nice door for it and paint it black or carpet it to match the wall. It was dark when I was done so no pics.

Question for those that have done this or something similar. What did you use to get the remains of the foam off the hull? I've gotten about all I can with a spackle knife. should my next tool be a wire hand brush? I just don't want to damage the glass or anything.

Didn't cut all the way to the top but the top was notched in the middle so I couldn't help but have a small section with no support at the top. The door has a frame so it shouldn't be a problem and I'll back it with something before carpeting or installing the door if I go that route:

HAT-1115-2-hatch-sure-seal-open-black-background-500.jpg


John
 
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