# The Gheenoe Super 16 that turned into a Classic



## ramabama (May 13, 2015)

For the money its hard to beat a Gheenoe classic in need of a little tlc. Should be a sweet little set-up when finished.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

7/21/2015

I thought to myself, “How do you eat an elephant?” as I entered the second hour of sanding.  The answer, as I’m sure many of you know, is “one bite at a time”.  Little steps add up to big steps.  This project is going to take a whole lot of steps.

I accomplished a couple things tonight.  First, my dad and a buddy came over and helped me lift the boat off of the trailer.  We then laid 2X4’s laid across the trailer bunks and screwed them in so that we’d have a flat, stable place to lay the boat so that I could start sanding off the bottom paint.  We then flipped the boat and laid it on our “saw horses”.

Boat flipped and ready for sanding





The bottom paint had peeled off in patches and the keel (if there is such a thing on a gheenoe) was scratched up, typical of a boat that’s been ridden hard and put up wet.

Hull shot



Shot of the flat spot on the bow



Rough



An example of one of the patches where the bottom paint had peeled off



After about two hours, I called it a night.  I made some progress, but have a whole lot of sanding left to do.  There is something nice about shutting your brain off and going to work with a sander.  The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the night when you can see the work that you’ve gotten done is worth the sweat and time.  



More sanding tonight…


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## Brad2048 (Sep 30, 2014)

Good work so far... Keep it up!


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

7/22/2015

I felt a little like Daniel-son from the Karate Kid last night.  Wax on, wax off (or sand on, sand off).  A truly monotonous task.  I do enjoy the feeling of completely focusing on one task and putting the brain on auto-pilot.  



Random thoughts do occasionally pop into my head during this “decompression time” – last night’s were potential boat names. 

A friend and I were talking about the boat when it’d just been picked up and he said it looked like crap, but would run like a scalded dog.  We’re both fans of the (bad) TV show, “Street Outlaws” and so we’d started calling the boat “Farm Truck”.  On the show, the Farm Truck is an old school pickup truck that looks like a rust bucket, but when you flip up the hood, it’s got more horses than the state of Kentucky.   



The name only works though if the boat remains in its current state…so the Farm Truck is only a placeholder until a new one replaces it.  If a name change or multiple names are good enough for Jay Z and Puff Daddy, it’s good enough for this boat.  Hell, I may just change the name into a symbol…like Prince.



The two that I came up with last night are “The Elephant” or “One Bite at a Time”.  See my previous night’s post for the reasoning.  I’m sure more will come to mind…after all there’s more sanding to do!

So that brings us to where I started last night….

At the beginning of the night…



When I quit 2.5 hours later….







One side is completely done minus the flat spot on the bow.  I ran out of steam and just didn’t have it in me to finish the last part.  I probably have another two hours left with the 80 grit and then I’ll go back over it with 220.  I’m headed out of town for work today so no more work until Sunday afternoon.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

7/25/15

I fished Saturday morning and made it back to the house in time to do a little more work on the boat.  After two hours of sanding, I finally have all of the bottom paint removed.  The 80 grit did a number on the bottom paint.  

Here’s a few shots of the hull after the 80 grit.







When I ran my hand down the front right portion of the hull (front left when it’s flipped), I found a spot where they’d patched the boat with bondo or epoxy.  While most of the spot was smooth, there was a small impression where it should’ve been smooth.  You can see the patch here…



I felt pretty damn proud to be rid of the bottom paint, but there was lots left to do before the transition to the painting phase.  After I’d gone over the hull with 80 grit, I switched to 220 grit and went back over it.  There was noticeable difference in smoothness after I was done.  I called it a night and poured a Blanton’s to celebrate another box checked.

7/26/15

I got up bright and early, pulled the gheenoe out of the garage, and inspected the hull for any noticeable scratches or dings.  After wiping the hull down with acetone, I took a Sharpie and circled the irregular spots so that they’d be easy to find.







I mixed up a batch of filler (sawdust and epoxy) and went back over my circles and applied filler with a plastic putty knife.  Initially, the filler didn’t have the consistency that I wanted, but as the epoxy kicked I was able to maneuver it into the small gouges to get the job done.





Filler applied over the previous patch – I was able to work the filler over the small indention once it hardened a little.



There were several holes in the sides from the drilled out rivets of the Gheenoe logo and also from where they had rod holders and the stick-steering bracket mounted into the side of the hull.



It was recommended that I add a layer of glass to the spot where the keel meets the flat spot on the bow of the boat.  I did just that..
.
First coat of resin (also used a roller to apply)





I checked this morning and both the glass and the filler hardened nicely.  Either tonight or tomorrow, I’ll get to sanding and smoothing everything out.  One day I’ll have this thing ready for primer and paint…

Any recommendations on primer and finish paint?

My research (which consists of searching CG and Microskiff) shows that Interlux Brightside is the way to go for the exterior coat, but in full disclosure, we’ll be using the “roll and tip” method and don’t have access to a quality sprayer.  I welcome any advice that you experienced professionals can offer…


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

8/3/15 Update

After sanding the spots where I’d put filler Thursday night, I inspected the boat again and found a few more nicks and dings.  Amazing what you can see when you pull the boat out of a dimly lit garage and into the sunlight.  I mixed up a second batch and went to filling.  Once the filler hardened, I used 220 grit to smooth them all out.

I woke up Sunday morning thinking I was close to finishing out the sanding phase – I was wrong.  As I sipped my coffee and inspected the hull, I noticed a few pin holes in the patched section on the bow.

Remember this spot….



I couldn’t help myself so I touched the spot and once I put a slight bit of pressure on it, the spot flexed and my finger poked through.  No bueno.

Here’s the original piece that broke off – there wasn’t much glass, it was less than an 1/8 of an inch thick.



The hole…at the beginning



Well, if you have a weak spot in the hull, may as well remove all of the “thin” areas.

Here’s what it turned into…you can see where there is a little flotation foam in between the hull and the false floor.



We now had a hole in the hull about the circumference of a baseball.  After muttering a few expletives and consulting the information sources that are YouTube, Microskiff, and Custom Gheenoe, we developed a game plan.  

The boat is flipped, so I had to crawl underneath and cut a hole in the false floor to gain access to the inside of the hull.

The beginning of the cut through the false floor.



The access hole…not a sight you want to see on your boat



I didn’t want to glass over the hole without anything providing support from the inside because I felt like the glass would sag in the unsupported area and it would end up looking like the concave spot on the end of a baseball bat.

So…I took a piece of cardboard, cut it a little larger than the hole on the outside of the hull, and wrapped it in wax paper.  I then maneuvered it through the access hole in the false floor and was able to position it so that it covered the hole and also provided support once I stuffed newpaper into the gaps between the false floor and the hull.  Because the spot was mostly flat, the cardboard worked out well.  I then added several layers of glass…





I’m sure that our method was not the professional way, but it got the job done and if it doesn’t, we’ll take it to a professional and let them handle it.

I checked the glass this morning before I left for work and it hardened nicely.  I’ll flip the boat tonight and glass it from the inside.  I’ll also probably add more flotation foam between the false floor and the hull for more support.  There was some foam between the hull and the false floor, but not a whole lot. 

After the glass work was done, we cut out the holes for the Shark Eyes lights.  



The old man admires his work…



View from the front



Two steps forward, one step back…more work tonight.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Good work. I've never seen anyone use saw dust before. 3m Micro balloons are cheap and much easier to sand if you ever have to do that again.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

8/10/15
More progress in the last week.  I patched the hole in the hull from the inside after flipping the boat back over.  Fairly straight forward process and now hard as a rock….probably the strongest section of the boat now.



I decided to hold off on painting the outside of the hull for the time being to work on the inside of the boat.  My reasoning was that I’d hate to have it looking nice only to ding it up with a tool when we were working on the inside.

We took the boat off on Friday and rebuilt the trailer…it was in need of some TLC.  We cut the bunks down and added carpet to them and replaced all of the corroded hardware.  I’m going to add a few rollers to the trailer and they should come in on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Yetis are okay at holding ice, but they make good sawhorses.



Once the trailer was put back together, we moved the boat from our “sawhorses” to the trailer.

After much discussion, we decided to cut out the two storage compartments on either side of the livewell.  One of my biggest gripes about my old gheenoe was having to climb over the bench seats to get to the front or back of the boat so we removed them to provide a walkway.  

Pops came over one afternoon this past week and made quick work of it with his multimaster saw.







We’re going with a high deck on the front that extends back to about 18” from the livewell box.  I spent Friday and Saturday afternoon sanding off gelcoat to prepare for glassing in the supports for the deck.





Our plans have the front of the deck resting on the shelf at the front or tying into it at the same level.  I have some more sanding to do and also need to remove the nose cap.  I’m holding off on removing the rub rails for the moment just because it’s such a pain, but they’ll probably have to come off too.   

The deck will be supported by two beams (the sanded area) running up the boat towards the nose.  I really like what RiverbumCO did with his B52 where he created two boxes out of these supports and filled them with flotation foam and so I’ll probably try to copy his design.  The challenge is that on either side, the potential supports are angled.

The sanded area on either side under the rub rails is what I’m referring to.  



My thinking is that I can measure the angle of this downward slope and then cut a piece of wood that matches the angle and then glass it in.  That would allow the deck to rest on a flat piece on either side, instead of trying to cut the decking material to match the angle.  I’m open to ideas though, especially if they save me time and headaches.

The front deck is going to have at least one hatch for a battery box that fits between the sanded areas.  The only issue is the yet-to-be-answered question of whether the deck will be high enough to fit a battery underneath.  I think it will based on a quick measurement of my truck battery, but will do some more measuring before the deck goes in.

The center box will probably remain in place for storage, but we’ve talked about cutting it out and putting a cooler / grab bar combo in its place.  Most of the trips out of my gheenoe are half-day trips so there isn’t really a need for a big cooler, but I do think it would look pretty sweet based on reading some of the other threads on here.  The preliminary plan is to leave the center box in place and bolt a grab bar to it.

Still no clue what we’re going to do with the back deck – I’m going to let Pops, my in-house engineer, think about it some more.

That’s all I got for now – I still need to decide which material that will be used for the decks, but I need to do some more research.  I’ve built them out of plywood before, but I’m leaning towards a foam core material.  More expensive, but lighter and a longer lifespan.  

Any recommendations?


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## erikb85 (Jun 13, 2014)

Thoughts:

-i did not angle cut the sides of my deck either, and dont think it was necessary. Once you fillet those edges in and glass it it will basically become stone. I built mine with one 300lb friend in mind and theres no doubt he wont flex my deck. It is very sturdy feeling and i like that.

-our gunwhale height is very similar and i dont think ill have any trouble getting a battery and fuel tank as well as a few life jackets and rope under there. Mine is recessed under the deck where i didnt run a full length false floor but thats only an inch or two of usable height.

-i also was hesistant on removing my rub rails but once i did it i bet i didnt spend more than 15 minutes start to finish. Itll look a lot better once i paint those and reinstall. It also makes sanding soooo much easier.

-i made a pretty large rear platform area bc i wanted to be able to prop my feet up on it while facing backwards on a cooler rowing down a river. Also want to add a poling platform so i needed plenty of room for foam boxes with some extra stern area open for mounting platform feet. my thought is that if im fishing solo, itll probably be off the stern platform and i want it plenty big to scooch around and feel comfortable. I still have 6' 3" of open floor between decks. Also, the more thats covered with deck is the more hidden storage you are creating. Less clutter equals less tangles and trip hazards.

-if i had it to do over and i lived in/nearer to Florida, i would definitly take advantage of the foam core opportunties. If i ever rebuild mine, itll be from a composite. The cost to get it shipped here is astronomical and i could not find a local dealer anywhere nearby. Even with half inch plywood, the boat is not heavy. Heavier than stock, yes, but i think a little added weight and stiffness will help stability some.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

9/8/15

Well, the month of August was a crazy one for me as I was on the road every week for work and gone three of the four weekends. I’ve been able to get some work done here and there on the boat, but it wasn’t until this weekend that I could take on some of the time-consuming tasks.

I decided to remove the rub rails…didn’t take long.

I’m going with a deck on the back and so to do that, I had to cut out part of the raised seat and parts of the rising supports in the back. This was fairly difficult as they all needed to be the same height to support the deck.

Pops getting his cut on

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After further consideration, we just decided to remove the seat altogether.

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I didn’t like the wings that extended out and they really didn’t serve a purpose anymore, so those went as well.

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I decided to remove the modified center bench and just put a Yeti-type cooler in its place. I’ve got a grab-bar design in mind that will also hold the cooler in place, but that’s an idea for the future. 

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Next up came making the templates for the front deck, bulkheads, and back deck. I’m going with Nidacore as that’s what the local fiberglass place had in stock. I’ve never worked with Nidacore before and it may be an expensive mistake, but I’m going to give it a go instead of using plywood.

Back deck template

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Front deck template

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Back deck out of Nidacore – this was a PITA to cut with scissors (kidding)

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Cut out on the back deck for drainage

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Front deck traced and ready to be cut out

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Front deck

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Next up came making templates for the bulkheads and then cutting them out

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Our final task for yesterday was epoxying in one side of the Nidacore and adding a layer of glass

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The deck will sit an inch higher than the raised spot on the bow, so we had to make two pieces that will sit on the raised spot to get us to the needed height (so that a battery box will fit underneath). We’ll then epoxy these together once they’re done and epoxy them together.

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I checked all of our bulkheads this morning and they hardened nicely. I need to buy more glass before I can do the other side, but it’s coming together nicely. Hopefully my first experience with Nidacore won’t be a regrettable one.

One day this week, we’ll finish the other side of the bulkheads and epoxy them in. Then we can start glassing the front and back deck.[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]


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## erikb85 (Jun 13, 2014)

Bitchin!


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## erikb85 (Jun 13, 2014)

Bitchin!


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

9/17/15

Progress continues on the Super-turned-Classic. You all weren’t kidding when you said Nidacore was labor and time intensive. Just glassing the bulkheads was a two night process, the top one night and then the bottom the next. After they were glassed, we epoxied them in with a tube of epoxy and then the second night, I used the West Systems filler to lock them in place even more.. I still need to add a layer of glass tape to them, but they are solid.



















There were originally some gaps where the bulkhead didn’t touch the floor of the boat, but I mixed some filler to the viscosity of peanut butter and then slapped it in. Once it hardened, the gaps were gone and I feel like I could take a baseball bat to the bulkheads and they wouldn’t move.




























A layer of glass tape over it should improve it aesthetically.

You may have noticed that we epoxied in two pieces of Nidacore / glass to the flat raised area at the bow. We did this to raise the height of the deck to create enough room to store the trolling motor battery in one of the forward hatches. This boat already has a small false floor in the forward part of the boat and so that raised the height of our floor making it impossible for a battery to fit underneath the level of the originally planned deck.

I’ve made three 2.5” pieces of Nidacore sandwiches which will be epoxied, filled, and glassed onto the tops of the bulkheads so that the deck will sit flat. They still need to be trimmed, but these will allow for a consistent deck height and hopefully with that, equal weight distribution on all of the bulkheads.










Meanwhile back at the ranch, Pops has done some good work bringing the motor back to life. After a trip to the mechanic to be serviced, he took on repainting the motor to make it look better.

It went from this…










To this….










To this…










And thanks to these….










To this…



















More work this weekend. Lots more things to check off the list.


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## trekker (Sep 19, 2015)

Good stuff Bro!


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

9/21/15

Pops and I made some more progress this weekend. Friday night I trimmed the support pieces that will rest on top of the bulkheads. They fit nicely after some minor work with the Multi Master tool.

After a morning fishing trip, Pops and I mixed up a batch of epoxy and filler and lathered it on top of the bulkheads. We then laid our support pieces on top and then screwed them down to lock them in place. The screws were temporary and will be removed before the deck is installed.




























We also glassed the top side of the deck. I went with a layer of chop strand mat, a layer of stitch mat, and then another layer of chop strand mat. I’ll probably do the same on the bottom side, but may replace one of the chop strand layers with stitch mat to ensure that it doesn’t flex any. Kinda flying by the seat of my pants at this point as I don’t know what will be enough. There wasn’t any flex in the bulkheads with the same combo, but the deck will be much wider than those.



















Yesterday our project was cutting out the holes for the rod holders and installing the PVC tubes. We went with 2” pipe which may be too big, but it’s better to have more room than less, or at least that’s what my line of thinking was.

Initially I wanted the rod holders to be aligned vertically, but we ran into some complications. We’ll be installing a false floor and underneath that a 1” PVC pipe for drainage from the front hatches and so the future height of the false floor made it impossible to install both tubes in that manner. Probably something that we could’ve avoided with better planning, but from past experiences these type of issues always come up. We had to stagger the PVC tubes to ensure that they’d fit above the false floor – it doesn’t look bad, but for someone that likes straight lines and symmetry, it’s an eyesore.










We traced the hole cut outs on a couple of pieces of scrap Nidacore and then cut them to provide supports for the ends of the tubes. We also bought end caps and glued them in to ensure that the two part foam we’ll be pouring in doesn’t seep into the rod holders.










We did have to angle cut the PVC so that it would sit flush on the outside of the bulk head. Tonight I’ll take some 5200 or filler and lather it around the openings to lock them in place. We ran out of pipe for our last rod holder and so the plan for tonight is to get it cut, installed, and then we’ll pour in the flotation foam. Hopefully we’ll be able to push down on the Nidacore supports at the bow as the foam is poured in so that it expands around the PVC tubes and locks them in place. In theory it should work.

Pops in his element










Now that we’ve raised the height of the deck, I’m starting to get worried that the rub rails may not fit back on. I eyeballed it last night and it’s going to be close, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

More work tonight…


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Looking real good TC!

You're stitch glass on the deck. Is that woven or biax? 12oz biax should give you plenty of strength.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Gramps said:


> Looking real good TC!
> 
> You're stitch glass on the deck. Is that woven or biax? 12oz biax should give you plenty of strength.


Gramps - thanks for the response. It's biax. I cut off the excess glass this morning before work and the thing is stiff as a board.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

9/22/15
Last night we poured the last of our two part foam into the openings with the rod tubes. We had about 1/3 of a gallon left and about half of both of the boxes is full.




























Pops picked up some more foam earlier today and we’ll finish both sides tonight.

We also finished glassing the bottom of the front deck. I went with the 3-layer sandwich I did on the top – layer of chop strand mat, layer of stitch mat, and another layer of chop strand. I checked this morning and it hardened nicely – no flex at all. I trimmed the excess glass off before work this morning and laid it in. 










As you can see, it needs to be trimmed a little as it’s rubbing a bit on both sides. Because it’s hitting the sides, it won’t slide forward enough so trimming it down is on the agenda tonight. You can see that it overhangs the bulkhead by a few inches due to not being able to slide forward enough.

I also ran into what could be a major issue…my fear that I wouldn’t have enough room to reattach the rub rails was confirmed. 










The deck sits level on the bulkheads, but one gunwale of the boat is shorter than the other. I need 1 ¼” to reinstall the rubrail. On one side, I’ve got enough room, but on the other I’ve only got ¾” of clearance. I knew the boats weren’t perfect coming out of the mold, but one side is almost half an inch shorter than the other.

I read a previous build where the owner added new glass above the existing sides to build up the height. Seems doable, but also a little scary for someone who’s never tried it before. I guess worst case I could just cut it out if it didn’t set up like I wanted it to.

Another option would be to mount the rub rails on as is even in the areas where they don’t sit as far down as they should. My take is that they’re cosmetic in nature on gheenoes and don’t really provide any extra support as they’re well inside of the widest points of the boat. It may look funny that way though.

I’ve also seen where folks cut up a 1” hose and used that as a rub rail. Others have gone the route of using helicopter tape. I want it to look nice and I’m not sure either of these last two approaches accomplish that.

Any thoughts from the experts?


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## erikb85 (Jun 13, 2014)

Mine was tight going back on. It looks like therell only be 2' section where it wont sit down flush. Just rivet on each side of the notflush part. Itll work out.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

10/6/15

I spent most of last week in Seattle for work, but while I was away Pops cut holes in the bulkhead for the drainage pipe and the pipe that will hold the wiring.










Eventually a false floor will cover these pipes and the void between the existing floor and the new one will be filled with flotation foam to add rigidity.

Friday night I put a layer of glass tape on the areas where the bulkheads met the floor and sanded the sides of the hull in preparation for building up the height of the sides. I also cut the deck down an inch so that I wouldn’t have to try to glass a 90* angle where the deck meets the bulkhead.










On Sunday, I epoxied in the front deck and then used filler to fillet it in.










Round one of filler didn’t have the necessary thickness…we had to use a putty knife to continually work this back into place until it finally kicked. The second batch was thick and did the job.




























The last thing we did was pour flotation foam to lock the PVC pipes in place…we had to put some weight on the ends to hold the pipe in place, but once the foam kicked it did the trick.

Round one










Round two



















More work with filler tonight and maybe even a first attempt at raising the sides with glass tape. One bite at a time.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Good work and decision going with the Nitacore. There are several things to note here on this build, not just for you to keep in the back of your mind, but others looking at your re-build to get ideas of doing the same thing.

So here it goes....

Nitacore is a great alternative to plywood since it is lighter weight. However, it has no structural strength and it's purpose is to be a core or spacer between two opposing forces and in this case, the resin and glass on each side of it acts as the opposing forces. Nitacore is also great to bend before it's glassed on both sides, so it can be used on slight curvatures to core the bottom and sides of the boat to give it strength, before adding stringers and floors. Sure the honeycomb effect does give it some compression strenght, but the fiberglass is the actual strength and tensile strength. So for vertical support and decking purposes, it is important to use stronger glass like 1708, 1808 and 2408 biaxle instead of mat or chop (which helps build thickness but isn't as strong as bi-axle glass). So using mat is ok for vertical strength if it's thick enough. One layer of 1.5oz mat on each side may not be enough.

Fiberglass mat has a low puncture strength and a low tensile strength, especially when used with normal polyester resins. Going to vinylester or epoxy resins helps with the tensile strength. But having only one layer of 1.5oz mat on both sides of a deck with polyester resin may not support a 200lb person standing on it over a period of time or a few years, not to mention the sides on the deck being glue using putty (cavicel or something like that) to the sides (inside freeboard) of the hull with no deck support on the sides of the hull where the deck would be bonded to.

Speaking of putty glueing the parts together and to the hull. The nylon core of the Nitacore has no real rigidity to putty directly to. I think it's a good idea to putty it down using pressure like you did until the putty kicks. However, it is imperative to tab it in using biaxle strips and resin afterwards, like 1708 5-6" strips, along "*each*" seam. THAT, will lock it into place. I'm afraid the putty alone might delaminate under stress from the hull. Also at this point, if everything remains the same on this build, I would seriously recommend spending a few extra bucks and tab the top of the deck seams to the top of the sides of the hull and over and down on the front bulkhead. Then adding a layer of 1708 bi-axle over the whole deck. I would also install your cockpit floor using the same method but adding some small stringers first.

Finally, in referring to Gheenoes, those boats are spray chop built hulls and parts and not really designed to hold up to serious hull stress, punctures and years of uv aging. So if you really want some real strenght but still keeping it light when starting a Gheenoe re-build, then cut out all the parts and bulkheads. Next, grind off all the interior gelcoat, down to "green glass." Then add a layer or 1708 bi-axle using at least vinylester resin if not spending the money and going with a 2 part epoxy resin. Then build it back up from there. You can even core the bottom of the hull using 1/4 to 3/8" Nitacore to give it extra rigidity, if you will be running in a lot of big choppy water with big power (over 20hp).

Also be careful about getting too "Foam Happy" with 2 part 2-4lb pour foam. If those cavities are not completely closed off, made air tight and sealed using fiberglass and resin to lock out ANY moister, not to mention, water itself, then that foam will suck up water over time like a sponge and hold it in, not letting it dry out or escaping, since the foam is open cell foam, allowing water to be absorbed over time. The results will be a boat that becomes heavy and sluggish and the foam will end up acting like concrete instead of floatation.

Good luck with the rest of your build! 

Ted


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Backwater said:


> Good work and decision going with the Nitacore. There are several things to note here on this build, not just for you to keep in the back of your mind, but others looking at your re-build to get ideas of doing the same thing.
> 
> So here it goes....
> 
> ...


Ted: great information - thank you for taking the time to write all of that down. It's information I wish I would've found earlier in the process. I've learned some of what you mentioned through trial and error and through reading countless other build threads. I plan to do everything you said although I've struggled to write it down as eloquently as you did. 

One question: could you explain what you mean by "tabbing" something in? 

I'm assuming that means laying a strip of glass on every connection point where the deck either meets a bulkhead or the sides of the boat? I did that to the connection points between the bulkheads and the floor and also to the bulkheads and the sides after they were epoxied in. I plan to do that to the areas where the new deck touches the existing hull and new bulkheads.

Interesting idea about the small stringers under the false floor - may have to try that. Thanks again for your wisdom.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

tcaseycook said:


> Ted: great information - thank you for taking the time to write all of that down. It's information I wish I would've found earlier in the process. I've learned some of what you mentioned through trial and error and through reading countless other build threads. I plan to do everything you said although I've struggled to write it down as eloquently as you did.
> 
> One question: could you explain what you mean by "tabbing" something in?
> 
> ...



Thanks for your comments. So yes, when tabbing, I am referring to running a 5" wide strip along the entire length of each seam where one part meets the other. For example, you stand a bulkhead wall crossways on top of the bottom of the hull from one freeboard side to the other (like the one at the back of your front deck). So you glass a strip 5" strip of 1708 bi-axle tape from a roll (which is basically the same material as the cloth only cut 5" wide) down the length of each sem along the hull bottom and hull sides and on both sides of the bulkhead wall. So basically 2.5" of the 5" wide tape will be glassed to the bulkhead wall and the other side would be glassed to the hull (tape running lengthwise). Do the same for your stringers as well.

Ted


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Ted - why so heavy with 1708? Seems like DB1200 type tape would be fine and use less epoxy?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Gramps said:


> Ted - why so heavy with 1708? Seems like DB1200 type tape would be fine and use less epoxy?


Strength! That's where "shear" strength is needed most! It also creates an additional sub stringer at the same time for additional support.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Well.... How's it going with the build up? Any updates?


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Backwater said:


> Well.... How's it going with the build up? Any updates?


This has been a crazy 5 weeks of travel - Asheville, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Atlanta - which hasn't left much time for work on the boat. The deck is tabbed in and filler has been laid and sanded on the sides of the deck. Tonight I'll start the process of raising the height of the sides with glass and hope to get one side of the back deck glassed.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

10/20/15

Short and sweet update – I’ve glassed both sides of the back deck, but am holding off on the installation until later in the project. 










I think it’d be easier to install the bilge pump prior to the deck going on and I still have to close off the areas in the back where there is exposed foam. You can see the exposed foam on the insides of the old bench seat in this picture. 



















You may have also noticed that I cut out the back of the bench seat that held the gas tank in place. I did this so that the gas tank could be moved forward – the gas tank in its previous location didn’t give me enough room to mount the bilge pump.

My plan is to close off the insides of the old bench seat with nidacore and then glass in a crossmember for additional support. The crossmember would be far enough forward so that the gas tank would not be in contact with the bilge pump.

Update on raising the sides: I bought a sheet of cheap plexiglass from Home Depot and ripped it into 6” strips on the table saw. I then wrapped it in wax paper and using some leftover trim for additional support, have it clamped on the sides. I intended to start glassing up the sides of the front last night, but ran out of time. There’s always tonight…


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

eeeeeek! Grinding glass without sleeves or a bunny suit! That is a tough sob right there.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Gramps said:


> eeeeeek! Grinding glass without sleeves or a bunny suit! That is a tough sob right there.


I think Roger Alan Wade said it best, "If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough." 

In his defense it was only a 12" X 12" area where he was grinding off gelcoat...


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Pull the foam up from the floor and glass those tubes in place. A single layer of chopped matt will work fine. Wet it out on cardboard and then lay it over.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

10/21/15

Part 1 of raising the sides is complete. May have been overkill, but we glassed in four 6" strips of 6oz glass tape on the inside of both sides. Checked it this morning and it set up nicely...went back with some epoxy / 403 filler and spread it out on the outside where the old glass met the new glass. I’ll sand the outside until it’s smooth after work and then put a layer or two of 12 oz tape on the outside.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

10/26/15

It was a productive weekend of working on the Gheenoe. I got home Friday from a work trip to St. Augustine and laid a layer of 12 oz glass on the outside of the newly raised sides. We also made the inside bulkheads that the back deck will rest on out of nidacore and glassed one side. In addition to helping support the back deck, they’ll also cover the areas of exposed foam where the bench seat used to be. The last thing we did on Friday was cut ¼” plywood in the dimensions of the back deck. The plywood will be epoxied in underneath the nidacore deck. I plan to install either a casting platform or a poling platform on the back at some point and wanted to be able to screw it in; the plywood (which now has been epoxied and glassed) will allow me to do that. It adds weight, but such is life.

Saturday morning Pops and I trimmed the areas that we’d built up with glass tape on the front sides. Fairly easy process – we took pieces of crown molding that I had laying around and clamped them on either end of the new glass making sure to line up the existing sides. After drawing a line, we busted out the jig saw and went to cutting. Our first lines were high, but with some sanding we were able to get the right taper.




























Prior to one more lick with the sander










Once the sides were cut down, we had to see if the rubrails would fit. We decided to mock up everything else as well…




























Sunday morning I epoxied and filled in the bulkheads that will rest under the back deck. I also added a layer of 12 oz glass tape to the areas where the bulkhead meets the floor and the transom.



















The boat will have a false floor, but because it will be raised because of the drain and electrical pipes, we had to make a piece that covers the area where the floor ends to prevent water from getting into the foam. After three template, we finally got it done.










This piece will be glassed on both sides and then filled / glassed into place. We’ll cut it down once the false floor is installed so that they are the same height.

That’s where we stand at the moment…hopefully more progress in the next few nights. The checklist is still long, but it’s shorter than it was a month ago.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Gramps said the 1st thing I thought of when I saw the updated pics! Ouch! Too much itchin! 

Great idea tho with raising the freeboard sides up front to be straight and level. I thinks it's a much better look. I would also consider doing the back just like that, from about midship to the transom to give it a more uniform look.

Lookin real good!!!


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

11/2/15

Another productive weekend of work. Pops and I made a template of the false floor, cut it out, and glassed one side on Friday night and the other on Saturday morning.

Cutting it out










Prior to glass - the right side was better than the left, but nothing a little filler and glass tape can’t fix










Prior to filler – you can see that we had a fairly big gap to fill on the front left side of the floor.



















After filler










We epoxied in the back deck and cut out the opening for the hatches on both the front and back decks. If I’d planned this out better, I would’ve designed the front bulkheads differently with more room for storage, but such is life. We’ll still have room for a trolling motor battery and safety equipment, but it’s a long, narrow storage area.

I still need to connect the back deck to the sides of the boat with filler and glass tape, but that’s a project for another day. Also need to do the same to the false floor.

Front hatch cut out










A shot with the both hatches laid in










Front view 










Side view










We also cut a hole in the front deck that runs down into the forward hatch. We then epoxied / filled in a PVC pipe in the front of the deck for the trolling motor and Sharkeyes wires. The pipe will be raised slightly off the deck (and covered by the nose cap) in an effort to prevent water from getting in. We repeated the process on the back deck for the stern light.

You can barely see the trolling motor wire coming out of the front pipe in this photo.










We’re still a few weekends of work from being able to paint, but it’s coming together.

This project has made me realize just how talented some of the other posters are on here. I’ve learned quite a bit on this build, but still see the glaring imperfections in our work. This isn’t going to be a Rembrandt, but I’m still pretty proud of it.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

11/23/15

We’re getting close! Most of the things I’ve gotten done in the last three weeks weren’t update worthy, but I put a big dent in the list this weekend.

Based on recommendations, we raised the sides in the back while tabbing in the back deck. Same process as before and pretty dang easy once you’ve done it before. I didn’t get any “before” pics this time, but here’s the “after”.



















I’d originally planned to make a piece that covered the front of the back bench, but scrapped that plan and instead made a piece of trim to cover where the plywood / nidacore meets the bench. We screwed it in to the plywood and countersunk the screws so that I can come back and cover them with filler before paint. I’ll use filler in the gap between the bench and the trim to tie it all together. In this picture you can also see where we’ve cut out for the switch box.










I’m going to mount rod holders on the sides, but needed something to mount them to. Pops had an old oak shelf at his house and so we trimmed it to our dimensions using the table saw. We epoxied them to the sides and added filler around the edges. A little sanding and then a layer of glass tonight and they should be good to go.




























I’ve got a few more places that need filler and sanding, specifically the gap between the trim and the back deck, but we’re close to the painting phase. That’s all for now…


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

It really looks good and your coming alone great with it. Interesting about the oak panals you will be using to mount your rod holders. If anything, they will help stiffen up the sides, especially if you tab in the sides of the board to the inside freeboard and the bottom of the board to the deck, before you glass it all in.

I like how the rear side extensions look. They came out nicely and you will be glad you did. I think it helps with looks and keeps it drier in the rear.

I'm curious, I assuming you glassed the "bottom/underside" of all the decks before you glass in the top side of the decks???


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Backwater said:


> It really looks good and your coming alone great with it. Interesting about the oak panals you will be using to mount your rod holders. If anything, they will help stiffen up the sides, especially if you tab in the sides of the board to the inside freeboard and the bottom of the board to the deck, before you glass it all in.
> 
> I like how the rear side extensions look. They came out nicely and you will be glad you did. I think it helps with looks and keeps it drier in the rear.
> 
> I'm curious, I assuming you glassed the "bottom/underside" of all the decks before you glass in the top side of the decks???


Yes, the decks and false floor have multiple layers of structural glass on both sides. They have all been tabbed in as well. I tabbed in and glassed the oak panels last night and hit them with the sander this morning. I've got some more sanding to do in other areas, but everything on my pre-paint checklist has been completed. I think after an afternoon of sanding I'll have it ready for primer.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

tcaseycook said:


> Yes, the decks and false floor have multiple layers of structural glass on both sides. They have all been tabbed in as well. I tabbed in and glassed the oak panels last night and hit them with the sander this morning. I've got some more sanding to do in other areas, but everything on my pre-paint checklist has been completed. I think after an afternoon of sanding I'll have it ready for primer.


Shew ~wipes my brow~ I was sweatin it there for a lil while! LOL

Great Job! Looking forward to seeing it progress!


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

12/7/15

We’ve painted the inside of the boat. Two coats of Rustoleum Topside Primer and three coats of Rustoleum Topside in Sand Beige. In the final coat we added the non-skid material.























































I’ve added webbing to the inside as well, but didn’t snap any photos. The boat has been flipped and now I’m focusing on preparing the outside of the hull for primer and paint. We’re getting close…almost looks like a boat again!


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## Squirm88 (Jul 16, 2012)

Looks great. You've come a long way. Will you be using the Rustoleum Topside paint on the hull as well?


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks for the kind words. I'm going with AwlGrip Primer and Topcoat on the outside. I put the first coat of primer on last night and am pretty pleased with it. The two-part dries pretty quickly and was easy to roll and tip.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

12/17/15

The boat has been primed and sanded and is now at the paint shop waiting to be sprayed.

















The nose cap was damaged by the previous owner as it was missing a chunk out of the very front. I glassed over the damaged area, sanded, and then painted it black to match the rub rails. Pardon the hoarder-like garage…my wife is ready for this project to be finished so that order can be restored to the space.










I also got the grab bar / cooler holder back from the fabrication shop. I took in a photo and they replicated it...the shelf on the back will give me somewhere to mount my GPS.



















Now it’s hurry up and wait…I should have it back early next week so I can then begin installing everything.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

1/4/16

I have a bag of mulch for sale. I'll tell you the "why" a little bit later, but first, let me give you an update on the boat.

The boat sat at the painter's shop for two weeks, the first week because I didn't order enough of the spray hardener, the second because of bad painting weather. When I went to pick it up, I was informed that the thinning solution that I purchased was for "brushing" and not “spraying” and that "there were a few runs". The results were as expected. The bottom of the hull turned out nice, but the sides had a few less-than-desirable areas.

I brought the boat home and after staring at it for two rainy days, got worked up enough that I decided I was going to sand the sides and roll and tip them. Luckily, I still had enough paint, hardener and thinner to do it. The roll and tip job turned out nicely.




























I also decided during this time that I didn't like how the webbing had turned out and so I repainted the inside. Long story short, the boat now has five layers of topside on it.










So that brings us to this weekend, we finally had forecasts with less than a 50% chance of rain and I just knew that I could get everything rigged and installed this weekend. I pictured tailing redfish off the bow and heard screaming drag as I looked at the almost-finished-project.

Saturday, we wired the bilge pump, the Shark Eyes, the stern light, and the trolling motor. We installed the battery tray in the front hatch and the hatches themselves. The rod holders went in as did the rubber grommets over the rod tubes. The switch plate went in and we even got the grab bar in by the end of the day.



















And then Sunday happened. The only things remaining to be reinstalled were the jack plate / motor, and the rub rails and nose cap. We took on the jack plate first.

Mounting it was a cinch. The bolts went through just as they were supposed to and the nuts did their job as well. Well, they did until brown liquid started coming through the bolt holes when it was being tightened down. Then we heard a pop. When the transom compressed because of the lack of good wood, it pulled away from the area connecting the bulkhead to the transom and instantly cracked.

I thought to myself, "That's strange, this has been stored inside since I bought it. Water shouldn't be coming out of those holes."

So we got out a wire hanger and started poking around. The hanger went in like a knife through butter.

And that's when I realized that the transom was rotten. The transom I'd banged on so many times that seemed hard, isn't that hard. Well, the fiberglass on either side of the wood is, but the wood, ain't really wood anymore. It's become mulch. 

Imagine a sandwich. The bread is the tastiest bread ever, but the stuff on the inside of the sandwich is rotten. It still won't be a pleasurable dining experience.

The problem that would've been easy to fix in July, isn't so easy to fix right now. The back deck and bulkheads are now in and the amount of work room is drastically decreased. There's also that minor detail of wanting to damage as little of the "finished" areas as possible, while still fixing the problem.

After a few expletives and a little pouting, Pops and I began operating on the sick patient. We pulled out the multi-master and cut a small square. Rotten wood confirmed.










The square became a rectangle...










And this is how I left it last night…










Hopefully, after some deep thinking, we'll come up with a solution which doesn't include completely cutting out the back deck and bulkheads.

Such has been the story of this boat. Two steps forward, one back.

Oh, about that mulch…it’s free to a good home. Pick up in Tallahassee, FL.


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## Squirm88 (Jul 16, 2012)

Boat looks great. Terrible timing on finding the transom was rotten.


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

That hurt me all the way up here in Charleston. I hope you can find a way to save all the work you've done. I'd call every shop from NC to Cuba for advice.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

mtoddsolomon said:


> That hurt me all the way up here in Charleston. I hope you can find a way to save all the work you've done. I'd call every shop from NC to Cuba for advice.


Thanks, Todd. I wish I'd done a better job inspecting the transom at the front end of the project, but the repair shouldn't be as hard as I originally thought. I've removed most of the inner skin in the areas where I can get to it (ie not behind the bulkheads) and have spent the last two nights pulling rotten wood out. It's a little bit trickier in the areas behind the bulkheads where I have to try and loosen the rotten wood with a screwdriver / chisel and then use a coat hanger to pull it out, but it's getting there.

The plan now is to use Coosa so that I'll never have to do this again. I should be able to fit it in the gap on the sides where the inner skin is still in place and work it down. It'll be time consuming, but then again, what hasn't been time consuming with this project?!

I saw a variation of the Edison quote on here earlier that was basically, "We don't learn much from our successes, but we do from our failures." Luckily (or unluckily, I suppose), this project has presented me with several learning opportunities.


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

2/20/16


Well, it’s been a month and a half since my last update. A combination of work, family, and life have caused delays in the process, but I’ve been able to bite off little chunks here and there.


The new transom is in and was redone using marine plywood. I’d initially wanted to use a composite material, but acquiring the material was a challenge and I wasn’t even sure that I could get it to fit. I had a little less than a ½” gap to slide the new piece in and after adding glass to a ½” piece of composite, I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t fit. With a limited work schedule, I ultimately chose to go with the easiest option available.


It was a much more complicated process than initially thought because the back of the transom is not flat. Had it been flat, I could’ve inserted my new piece of wood and epoxied / glassed it in. Instead, there’s a section in the center of the transom (about the dimensions of the Mini-Jacker) that juts out. I cut a piece of ½” marine plywood that fit the transom perfectly, but in the jut-out, there remained a gap of about 1/3”. My solution was to hammer in a new piece of wood in that gap, clamp it to the ½” piece and then run bolts through my jack plate mounts to tighten everything down. In the remaining small gaps, I poured thickened epoxy in until there were no voids. It hardened nicely and feels solid. Probably not the way the experts would have done it, but the MacGyver way seemed like the only option.


The following weekend was spent glassing the new inside skin onto the new transom. The process went smoothly, although it is a pain to cut your glass exactly the right size…would’ve been much easier had I not had a back deck to contend with. But as my college baseball coach once said, “The athlete makes the adjustment…”


This weekend, Pops and I put another coat of AwlGrip on the outside of the hull and painted the bare glass on the new transom. Sunday was spent re-installing the rub rails, nose cap, bilge pump, running lights, etc. We even hung the motor…I felt like a proud dad when it was all done.


Here she is…


The gas tank fits underneath the back deck, but we had it out to fire the motor and run it on the muffs.







































































It’s been 7 months since I started this project and I still haven’t put it in the water yet, but both Pops and I are pretty pleased how it turned out. I’m ready to get it in the water and see what it’ll do!

I ordered the trolling motor mount today and will be selling the Evinrude soon. It’s a long shaft and I’ve been eyeing several used short shaft outboards on Craigslist. Boats are always an ongoing project, but I’m glad to finally have one that is actually usable again.


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

She turned out awesome! Nice work!


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

nice job - congrats!


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## eagle24 (Jan 4, 2016)

Great Job!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

tcaseycook said:


> 2/20/16
> 
> 
> 
> ...



THAR IT IS!!!!! LOL 

Now THAT is a Gheenoe fishin machine, *right thar!!! *


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## islandguides (Feb 8, 2016)

came out super nice!


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## Catmandew (Feb 18, 2016)

That turned out Real Nice!. I like the solid interior better than the webbing. It looks more finished, even when not completely faired out.

CMD


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## Lonecraft (Feb 21, 2016)

Beautiful. Is that the "Light Blue"?


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## tcaseycook (Jun 28, 2012)

Lonecraft said:


> Beautiful. Is that the "Light Blue"?


It's AwlGrip "Seafoam" - the can is labeled "H4256".


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## Lonecraft (Feb 21, 2016)

tcaseycook said:


> It's AwlGrip "Seafoam" - the can is labeled "H4256".


Amazing how different the cards can be from pictures or in person. I "thought" I had decided against Seafoam, but it keeps pulling me back. Love the color combo.


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