Halvorsen 25ft 1978

[mally1964]

Hello Raiders, I have recently purchased a Halvorsen 25ft 1978. It's really a restoration boat (bought it for $500dollars lols). It comes with a Perkin 4108 engine, the engine seem pretty good in condition by the physical appearance of it (don't know if it will works when sit back in place), so I will be constantly asking for the pro tips from you all. haha

Here is the photo of the boat

http://postimg.org/image/r9gs8bofd/

Pic for the engine (Any good image upload site please let me know)

http://postimg.org/image/xdkq70ryv/

Here are a few questions I would need more info/tips from the pro

(Electric)

- Is DC to AC (Inverter) safe to be used on solar system? (I have purchased ''24VDC 250W*3 (750W) Solar'' with ''12/24VDC MPPT CC'' to go with a ''12VDC 1000W 240VAC Inverter'' from Ebay for just above $1000)

- Does inverter have built-in fuse?

- Do I need get fuse in between MPPT CC to Inverter or from Inverter to Loads?

(Timber)

- What do you think if I use BB grade Marine Ply to rebuild the Cabin and treat with stain and epoxy resin afterward? (Due to the fact the price for using AA grade is 4times more expensive and I personally believe cabin does not contact water as much as hull. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong because I am more than happy to take advises)

- How adhesive is epoxy resin + fiberglass on timber hull?

- Marine Varnish VS Epoxy Resin, who will win? (Would like to stain cabin after rebuild and then varnish or epoxy resin)

I would like to say hi to everyone as well, just joined the forum not long ago, but have learned a lot from the other posts.

Regards,

Mal

Edited April 9, 2016 by mally1964

[lacala]

Hi, with regards to the ply, I rebuilt my boat using ply coated in resin but resin was put on BEFORE the parts were assembled. Water and moisture will get in anywhere with even the smallest crack. The new cabin top is entirely built this way. See boating section most recent post lacala

[BWV]

H

(Timber)

- What do you think if I use BB grade Marine Ply to rebuild the Cabin and treat with stain and epoxy resin afterward? (Due to the fact the price for using AA grade is 4times more expensive and I personally believe cabin does not contact water as much as hull. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong because I am more than happy to take advises)

- How adhesive is epoxy resin + fiberglass on timber hull?

- Marine Varnish VS Epoxy Resin, who will win? (Would like to stain cabin after rebuild and then varnish or epoxy resin)

I would like to say hi to everyone as well, just joined the forum not long ago, but have learned a lot from the other posts.

Regards,

Mal

I would be using Marine Grade Ply that is stamped BS1080 or better, it's a Lloyds approved boat building ply.

Epoxy + fibreglass mat on timber hull is strong as any boat building material out there and have half the weight of production boat for the same strength. I would be building the cabin out of ply the wetting it out with epoxy to seal the timber and then coating it in epoxy and fibreglass mat and the cabin will last for years to come, the finish you want will depend on how much sanding and filling you want to do. The fibreglass mat will become clear when wetted out with epoxy and stay clear. Don't be stingy with the epoxy as you will have voids in the glass.

Are you familiar the the construction method "cold molding"? If not I suggest you read the relevant parts of the Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction book, that will explain everything you could ever want.

Also DO NOT stain any of the timber or put anything else on it for that matter prior to applying the epoxy and fibreglass.

Just aim to encapsulate all timbers in epoxy. Epoxy if far more durable than varnish. But to get the old ski boat varnish look if that's what your after they have somewhere between 80-90 coats of varnish!

Rushing to write this with 2 screaming kids so if it is some what confusing I apologise in advance.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Whaler 255

[davebrewer]

If it's going to be encapsulated in glass and epoxy then BB orBC external is fine-but don't touch structural.Plenty of composite hulls are built on exterior,so upperworks are fine.Incidentally,BS1088 has been bastardised for years by cheap Asian ply manufacturers to the point where it is meaningless,the last premium light marine I bought had to come up from Adelaide,imported from Holland.You can't beat glass-epoxy for durability but you must use one of the epoxies with a hardener designed for UV exposure such as WEST 207. Normal epoxy will degrade in sunlight very dramatically,and in fact the job should still be varnished for further protection to preserve the epoxy,and recoated as required,at least annually-a little maintenance beats a complete refinish,ask me how I know.There is a third alternative,Deks Olje,an oil finish with which you build up successive coats over maybe a week until the timber is well-sealed-the gloss is very durable and develops a deep warm appearance. It's dead easy to recoat,much simpler than epoxy and/or varnish.I would have a look into this,many small ply boats are completely bright- finished with this system.I avoid clear-finishing epoxied ply these days myself,too much maintenance for me-I either paint or give the epoxy a miss if it's not structurally necessary and use Deks instead.