Thread: 1996 Blazer VL100 Restoration to Crappie Chaser

I originally was going to install a PVC rigging tube and had cut a hole for a 3in PVC pipe flange. The PVC was really adding weight unnecessarily. After thumbing through one of the warehouse's catalogs I remembered the TH Marine Rigging Tubes. So after ordering and receiving the Rigging Tube Kit I quickly realized the errors of my ways.

This post addresses the correction I had to do so the kit could be installed. I should say here that since the flotation is missing in the original location (the void directly under the console) I am spraying flotation under the livewell / fuel tank area to make up for it. I need the rigging tube to provide access from the void to the bilge.

As you can see in the pictures once again I'm using a saved holesaw disc to correct my mistake. It is the same one that came out of that spot to start with. Looking at it I realized it could use offsetting on the re-installation to better position the tube exit in the bulkhead. By screwing the disc to a block and clamping the block in the drill press it was easy to cut the filler piece. After cutting I buttered with thickened West Systems Epoxy and installed it. A bit of excess Epoxy squeezed out, that was skimmed flat with a bondo spreader.




All this time I have been repairing cracks in the Cap. I plan to post the Cap progress up once it is in Prime.

3 solid 5/8in Coosa 26 transverse bulkheads and a double glassed 1/2in Cossa 26 deck was installed. These pictures here can help to understand why. If you turn your palm face up and curl your fingers in this is what your boat hull tries to do on impact of bow waves. The more the hull curls the more energy is absorbed into the hull instead of passing under (energy travels in a straight line). The backs of front decks on some very name brand boats crack at the back of the front deck because the energy is absorbed into the hull and the trailing edge of the front deck, where the vertical transverse bulkhead is, creates a compression point on each side of the boat. Also torsional stress is applied whenever the wave is not hit perfectly straight on.

By laminating the bulkheads in this little project boat, laminating the decking, and epoxying the deck, stringers, bulkheads, etc together the hull will not allow torsional stress to be absorbed. Even the fuel tank deck is laminated on both sides and epoxied and glassed in place. I will have a weak spot behind the deck where it ends but by laminating the Cap to the deck and adding the mahogany stripping where the Cap screws to the Hull, I won't have enough horsepower to flex the hull enough to affect where any give might be experienced.