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92 Skier KiwiGrip project


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Just got the thing up and running and now I'm taking it apart again.  After two days of drying out the carpet was still saturated.  I started pulling it up and found some serious nastiness underneath.  I'm going to try and emulate what I saw another member from this gruop do to his (94 Echelon, I believe?) with the KiwiGrip followed by the knock off foam flooring.

I have on the way: 

  • 1 gallon grey KiwiGrip with roller, plus I bought another 9" roller
  • Marine degreaser - same brand they use in their videos (CRC MK2832 Spray Away All Purpose Cleaner)
  • couple scrub brushes

So far, 80 grit on the palm orbital sander keeps gumming up pretty quickly, and i've already scraped.  I'll likely pick up some 60 and finish with 80-120.  Also, the directions say to de-wax if you're applying to 'fresh polyester fiberglass'.  Given the age of this boat and the sanding/degreasing, I'm going to proceed as though this is not a concern.  http://www.pyiinc.com/downloads/kiwigrip/kiwigrip-instruction-booklet.pdf

As for that last picture, my assumption is that the reddish texture on the right side is old adhesive.  I'm planning to sand it down to what it looks like on the left.  That leaves me with a mostly smooth surface minus a few fibers and pinholes (which the paint should cover).  Feel free to pipe in if that sounds wrong.

1 - bare boat.jpg

2 - old carpet.jpg

3 - sanding depth.jpg

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formulaben

Just make sure you get it really clean, meaning if you use any acetone for cleanup, let it dry a day and then go over it THOROUGHLY with the degreaser.   KiwiGrip really doesn't like anything oil based, and although acetone evaporate fast, it still leaves a residue that is like kryptonite to the Kiwigrip. 

Also, if you're putting EVS flooring on top, then just a 3/8" nap roller or something similar and not the texture roller they give you, as the texture will make it harder to make the flooring stick to the floor.  You'll also use far less KiwiGrip than with the texture roller, but you'll have to do multiple coats.

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Great tips, thanks Ben!  The only 'solvent' I'm planning to use is degreaser, but yes it will definitely have adequate drying time prior to paint.  I will definitely do as you suggest with the texturing.

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formulaben

Oh, and it really does take several day to fully cure.  Of course not nearly as long with the thin coats as with the textured application but it might be worth considering before you bring in tools, shoes, kneepads, etc. for the floor install.  It would suck to have to push it back due to an unscheduled touch-up.

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So...left side is what I'd call ready for sanding and degrease.  But I also have a lot of areas left like you see in the red square, where there is a pattern of red and what looks like dried elmer's glue (but rock solid).  It really doesn't want to come off, and before I started scraping and sanding it was spread over the whole floor to varying degrees.  If I cut into it and then scrape I'll get BB to dime sized flakes that quite literally jump a foot into the air when they release.

What is this hazy stuff?  Could it just be resin?

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formulaben

Yes, I found several spots where there was rogue resin, etc...it's all hidden by the carpet so expect those.

Also, when I mentioned the acetone being like kryptonite to the KiwiGrip, this also applies even AFTER IT IS DRY. 

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Thanks!  Resin I won't mind barring any major surface irregularities.

In case anyone else is doing this in the future, here is the best tool set I can recommend after playing around with different options.  

The 3" chisel scraper is the best $7 I ever spent at Home Depot.  It does everything a razor blade does but better, and still has enough flex not to gouge everything in sight.  The only time I even used a hammer with it was to remove the tabbing that was done on the side supports/speaker panels between the gunwhales and floor.  60 grit paper seems to be the magiv number in terms of not getting gummed up yet not too abrasive.  The wire brush was fantastic for cleaning up the sides of the hull where the surface is nowhere near smooth and carpet adhesive residue was everywhere.  Some of the tougher adhesive spots I hit with the angle grinder using the paint stripping attachment as well as the rubber roloc disc from 3M that was initially recommended to me for cleaning off head gasket residue.

tools.jpg

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Couple shots here...after the major sanding and scraping and the first wash with degreaser.  Ghetto seat riser I tacked together out of 1x2 steel.  And the direction I think I'm heading with the side panels.  Was originalyy keeping the bottom tabs in place from the side panels but they are so far gone that I will screw through the upper then get some stainless 90 degree brackets for the floor part.

first degrease.jpg

ghetto riser.jpg

side panel v1.jpg

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Dad and I spent yesterday together putting down the foam.  I got the cheapest of the cheap - 35x118 inches from JO...something on walmart.com for $65 a sheet.  If it all goes to hell in a year or two, well, no big loss.  The adhesive on the back felt decent and I'm interested to see how it holds up.  One of the hinges on the back of the engine cover won't go down far enough to put the pin in, and I need to cut some filler strips for the new gap around the rear hatch above the exhaust.

I sure do like the extra three inches I got from my seat riser.  But that steering wheel is down in between my knees and a bit of a reach.  Everything else - throttle, arm rest position, legs, feel like they're ideally located.

Knocked out a couple other projects: battery switch is in, new D range/8 ply trailer tires on, spare mounted to trailer, and the truck just upgraded from 1655 lb leafs with 300k on them to new 2400 lb leafs.  Should give me a bit more peace of mind on our big trip.

Here is a quick shot after we dropped all the furniture back in to see how it looked.  I'll get some more up when it's finalized.5b4ce9725b927_firstinstalledpic.thumb.jpg.e4acc0f95c9594e737bed8ceedd37233.jpg

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All done and about to go in the water!

Couple more lessons: the side panels are absolutely critical for structural integrity where most people want to step into the boat.  The edges of this foam will need a little boost from some super adhesive.  Last but not least, use a socket on your battery terminal nuts so you don't allow your wrench to contact pos/neg simultaneously.  Scary as hell...

Lastly, does anyone have any ideas for a 2.5 inch ID bezel or flanged collar for the base of my pylon?  I goofed on the install there.  It would have to be via Amazon Prime so I could get it in time, and I'm striking out.  

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