baby needs a new pair of shoes

Hi Everyone,

My UHMW shoe was looking pretty bad so I pulled it off this afternoon and I need to replace it. Unfortunately the boat is kept in an unheated shop during the winter and suffers from the climate extremes and expand/contract problems with the plastic. I am thinking of epoxying some 1/4 fir marine ply on top of the Meranti bottom and then doing a couple layers of Coat it that is recommended by Don Hill's website. I have also been looking at Crown Plastic's "Durasurf" UHMW that can be applied with marine grade epoxy. Has anyone used either of these products?  Obviously the "Coat it" is less expensive but I am worried that it will not be bomber enough for fast and rocky rivers. The Middle Fork is darned tough on boat bottoms. I don't really want to go back to the standard UHMW sheets but they are pretty bullet proof. Any and all help is sincerely appreciated. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Kurt Selisch on April 26, 2012 at 6:52pm

Here are some more pics. Not sure how to upload the pictures better? Anyway....the bottom looks pretty good after taking the shoe off, just a little residual sand. I was worried about dry rot issues. I did not epoxy coat the bottom, just 5 coats of spar varnish.

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Permalink Reply by mlwebb on April 26, 2012 at 7:37pm

Well, I think you have a couple options:

1: The 1/4 fir sacrificial shoe (the Dave Z method), where you just screw or nail the well oiled fir to the bottom, so you can replace it when you need to. 

2. epoxy a layer of fiberglass to the bottom, and then a couple coats of Coat-It (what I did), or add some graphite powder to a couple coats of epoxy (after the fiberglass).

3. Or the "Durasurf" - I don't know anything about this option, other than it was more expensive.

The subject has been discussed at some length in past threads, so spend an evening with the archives :)

Michael

Permalink Reply by Terry E Walsh on April 26, 2012 at 8:35pm
20 oz, cloth will be good for 15 years and u don't have to worry about the climate fluctuation! It's a easy task.
Permalink Reply by Adam "Dutch" Gottschling on April 26, 2012 at 9:33pm

There's a prime example on UHMW failure. That stuff just doesn't work in our climate. 

I've done two permanent shoes on boats with the 20 oz. cloth and epoxy, finished with graphite. I think it's the way to go.  They last pretty long bouncing down the rivers.Make sure you take that varnish off before you do anything. 

If your constantly beating your bottom up, a removable shoe may be something to play around with. 

Permalink Reply by Kurt Selisch on April 27, 2012 at 7:08am

Michael, Terry, & Dutch...thank you for the thoughts and comments! The 20 oz glass with Coat it finish sounds good. I have never done fiberglass work before so it will be an adventure. On West Marine website I found 20 oz cloth called Woven Roving. Is this what I need? I also did a search and found www.fibreglast.com that has woven roving with better pricing. They also have kevlar cloth which might be kind of cool, but it is about twice the cost of the woven roving. Is there a better source for 20 oz cloth that you guys know about? Placed an order for System Three Silver Tip Marine Epoxy this morning, now just have to find the right cloth. Thanks again!

Permalink Reply by Lawrence E. Long on April 27, 2012 at 8:18am

Kurt: My fiberglass experience is somewhat limited to drift boats and canoes.  I would look for standard fiberglass  in regular weave or in biaxial.  The biaxial  has strands at 45 deg,  fits well around curves- like going up from the bottom to the side,underneath the chine.  Woven roving or chopped strand is generally used to make fiberglass boats and requires lots of resin.  My 20' center console has 7 layers of  standard cloth and woven roving. Call Raka - I think they sell cloth as well as resin.  As to the other coatings I can't help. Our DB has Rhino Lining over the FG.

Good Luck

Permalink Reply by Kurt Selisch on April 27, 2012 at 9:59am

Thanks so much Lawrence for the heads up on Woven Roving. I called RAKA and they were very helpful, had biaxial cloth on sale and I also purchased a gallon of spar varnish as well to refinish the boat when the new bottom is on. RAKA has great service and great prices!!! I guess I had better get to work sanding the old varnish off the bottom so it's ready for glass and graphite!! Thanks again everyone. This is a wonderful website made up of folks with lots of knowledge, experience, and passion. Pretty cool....

Permalink Reply by Jack Rose on April 27, 2012 at 9:53pm

Kurt, I'm at the same place you are, and did a pretty thorough search, here, as well as starting a thread on the topic, and settled on Randy Dersham's (and others) recommendation of using 20 oz tri-axial with graphite.  I also bought mine from RAKA.  They were quite helpful.

Jack

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