# Majek Redfish Rebuild



## Majekster

Well, here goes - this is my first thread and I'm fairly 'new' to posting/replying on 2cool, so bear with me, I'll do my best to keep up.

I have a 1996 Majek 18' Redfish with a Yamaha 115hp - in Nov '07, I was in the market for a boat and stumbled upon this one on Craigslist&#8230;I had never owned a Majek, only Shoalwater flatbottoms, but was in love with this style of boat, for I mostly fish the shallows. Upon first looking at this boat, there appeared only to be cosmetic damage to the hull, the deck was super stiff with no soft spots anywhere, the bottom was scarred up pretty good from oyster reefs and the other items were old gas tank, hoses, switches, etc. - however, being a DIY enthusiast, I did not have a problem buying a "fixer upper" &#8230;to my advantage, the owner/seller was not mechanically inclined and he was unable to get the motor to run on the two occasions I looked at the boat&#8230;it turned over just fine, would fire once or twice & die&#8230;I tested the compression at 125psi on all four cylinders and brought a new spark plug to test the spark on each cylinder as well. I ended up getting the rig for $3,800 after talking down from the $5,500 asking price.

Upon taking the boat home, I immediately replaced the fuel line/bulb, performed a "quick" rebuild on the carbs utilizing the existing parts, changed the plugs & viola, the motor ran fine&#8230;.next step - Water!

I took the boat the next morning and put her in the water, it ran fine & was pushing 37mph with the 17 pitch 3-blade prop according to the GPS. After playing with her a while, it seemed the boat was sitting a little low in the water at rest - more so in the rear-end&#8230;about ¼" below the deck drain holes. I decided to come home and try out a few things to level out the draft at rest&#8230;.

The owner had the starboard pontoon box configured with an old jackplate (external pump style CMC) that was froze-up (hydraulic pump was ruined beyond repair & weighed nearly 15lbs), a large Stowaway battery weighing nearly 65lbs, onboard battery charger (big one) weighing about 15lbs, and the oil reservoir weighing around 15lbs&#8230;.anyhow, I figured all that extra butt weight might have been the main cause, so I moved all those items, kind of balanced her out & took her back out in the water&#8230;

The balance improved a lot, however, it was still sitting heavy in the rear&#8230;I then decided to call Majek and speak with someone who builds/knew the boats well. They were very polite & informative - I cannot express how patient they were with me on multiple calls and questions. I do not remember the shop manager's name (I took poor notes at the beginning of my rebuild) however, he told me at rest, the draft should be where the indentation is on the side of the boat (it was nearly 2" above that line). Only other problem could be water in the hull&#8230;

Majek faxed me the stringer layout for the 18' RFL and explained to me how to drill/try to extract water&#8230;after I drilled a couple 1/8" holes in the rear pontoon boxes, there was an occasional drip from them. I then decided to pressurize the hull with a rubber tipped air nozzle with about 30psi&#8230;once I pressurized it, water shot out of about 10 different holes on the top of the deck (from old accessory mounts and I blew out about a total of 4-5 gallons.

Finally after drilling a couple more small holes in the rear pontoon boxes and trying to drain the water out, I decided to cut a small section out of the rear of the deck&#8230;.upon doing so, I found that there was water in each section between stringers and filling every void where the foam didn't "fill up" when poured in. Thant's when it all began.

I proceeded to cut out the entire deck and found that this had evidently been saturated for quite some time b/c the "closed cell" foam was deeply saturated and there was no possibility of drying it out. I eventually decided to cut out all the foam as well. I ran into a couple of problems along the way and not really knowing what to do (other than removing the water soaked plywood and foam)&#8230;surprisingly, the stringers were not saturated - I tested multiple spots via drilling small holes in the sides and none of the test areas were wet&#8230;.that was relieving. &#8230;that was the end of my demolition as of about a year ago. I have sat off of working on the boat for quite some time now, and I've just begun to start working on her again.

After reading TexasFlats ShallowSport Scooter Rebuild, it motivated me quite a bit to reconstruct with good materials and spend the time to build it "my way". 

I disassembled the boat COMPLETELY and flipped her up on it's side, to attempt patching the reef scrapes on the bottom. I bought "Evercoat Premium Gel-Kote" from Boaters World and attempted to patch the areas - the material did not seem very good as only some of it catalyzed properly. When I went to clean it up about 1 week after applying it diligently to all of the scratches, I was using acetone to clean up some spots and 50% of it wiped off with acetone&#8230;.it had cured to a hard finish, but acetone reactivated it and it came right off.

I then decided to take it to a boat shop in Houston and have them re-gelcoat the entire bottom of the boat and change it to white while they were at it. The original color of this year Majek was grey. The completed the patchwork/gelcoat application/polish all in about 5 weeks&#8230;during the process, I had all the holes filled (depth finder mounts, jackplate hose holes, various screw holes the previous owner added, etc.).

Since I've now started prepping the topside for decking, I decided to go with Nidacore for its strength and weight saving properties. I'm going to use the 20mm H8PP for the decking and install a raised console out of the same material. I have removed the rear boxes (three inline, in front of the motor) to avoid all the tail-end weight and figured I'd gain the storage back by rigging the raised console for storage.

&#8230;.guess that's enough to read about for my first posting - I'll add pictures and post a little more next time.


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## Too Tall

If you can find or have built a gas tank that will fit between the stringers that will free up a lot of room to. Good luck and keep us updated on the progress.


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## texedd

little off the subject but you proabably spoke to jimmy majek....great person, treats evryone well, he and johnny are the best...unlike some dealers in corpus who sell their boats, jimmy and johnny understand customer service and how far jus tbeing friendly goes


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## Whittle

Railbird, did you ever run this boat, it looks like your 21'. SEE Through Bottom. 

When finished your going to have a great Boat! RFL's will run shallow, and some places when there is no water. Ask Railbird!


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## Shallow Sport68

Keep the pictures comming.I would like to see the progress.Good luck those are slick boats.


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## railbird

cmon whittle you can only see thru the bottom when you look in the livewell.
that buggy still has lots of bottom left.
chuck


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## On The Hook

Nice boat, looks like it has seen its' share of the flats. Should be a fun and rewarding project. 

If you have not already done the gelkote in white, you might want to look at a few of the white boats that fish the flats. Many seem to have stains that are hard to remove and require extra time to clean after each use. Gray seems to hide the stains more. 

RFL's will run skinny! I don't think I've ever seen one with that much wear on the bottom. Keep the pictures coming. 

Also, Majek will redo the decks at a reasonable rate, if you don't want to do it yourself. You cannot beat a factory job. They have all the acessories and hatches as well. Hurry up and finish...... I sold my 21 and am feeling land locked.

OTH......


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## Fishdaze

Welcome to 2Cool, and nice first thread. I admire you guys who take on projects like this. Keep us updated, and keep posting those pics.


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## Haute Pursuit

Man! Looks like it went across a parking lot. Good luck with the project. Can't wait to see how it turns out.


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## Foxtrot704

Need to get her ready soon so you can help me with mine;-)


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## Majekster

*Thanks for the reply/comments*

I appreciate yall's comments/input - I'll try to get this thread up to date with my current progress.

HAHA Foxtrot - we definitely have to have one boat running - gimme a couple more months & we'll attack yours next!!









I didn't know Majek performed rebuilds - may have to check into that.

Yeah, when I flipped the boat over (took me and three buddies) - we had it out in the yard & with the sunlight on it, you could see ALL the spots where gelcoat was scraped through. :headknock

Since I've started cutting the deck off, I've weighed every piece to get an idea of how much weight I'm saving in the end... The framing of the rear boxes weighed 37lbs, and the total deck weighed 195lbs, totaling 232lbs.

The nidacore weighs 0.9lbs/sq.ft. and my deck is 74.5 sq.ft. - so you can approximate the weight of the new deck @ 67lbs. - granted, I will add more bracing and the raised console. The console should take 2 4x8 sheets. All together, the new deck/console should weigh around 140lbs. :biggrin:

I've spent a ton of time trying to decide what gas tank & how to configure it...the boat originally had a 37 gallon moeller and I've considered installing one between the stringers & a "sump" tank would be nice too so you can actually use the last couple gallons in the tank.

The tank I've kinda decided on thus far is a 31-gallon Moeller below-deck tank and I will configure it in the front portion of the raised console...it's the only tank I can find (without getting one made & spending a couple hundred extra dollars) under 15" tall, that will fit how I want to place it on the boat (I want the height of my raised console to be @ 16" +/- a 1/2" or so).

I also plan on adding a "shelf" inside my console where the gas tank used to be, to mount my radio/onboard charger, etc.

Here's a couple more pics of the demolition :work:


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## dbarham

2cool


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## Majekster

*Update*

Well, I called Majek - they no longer do rebuilds, or not at the moment. Jimmy said they are busy building new ones and don't have much time to work on rebuilds.

RECEIVED my Nidacore yesterday







I ordered the 20mm sheets, figured they be more than plenty to utilize on the deck. It came via freight and was delivered overnight from nidacore in florida, for only $108! (I'm in Galveston Area)...now I'm a little behind on materials. I was expecting the delivery to take a couple of weeks!

...will catch up later, here's some more photos.


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## Majekster

Forgot to mention....the trailer pics are from where I cut out the "V" shaped framing and reconfigured it to be straight across...this trailer appeared to be designed for a "V" shaped hull....figured I'd fix it while the boat was off and build some heavier duty drive-on brackets. ...welded in some new fenders & going to take it to get re-galvanized this week. There is a place in east houston that will galvanize for $90/100lbs. with a $400 minimum. I have a couple of other things to take there too, so It should be well worth it & I will basically have a brand new trailer.


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## ESCB Factory

Look'n good keep the pix coming.

While your this deep into it, you may as well raise the floor a few inches. 

Those older RFL's tend to hold water on the floor while at rest, and not self bail.


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## Majekster

*Deck Height & Scupper Valves?*

You're right, I spoke with Jimmy and he said all new RFL's have deck heights 1" higher than the earlier models b/c owners are wanting to put 150's on them and they needed the extra flotation, as well as keeping the deck dryer at rest (if I remember correctly, he said they have been doing this since '99)...The main reason I wanted to raise it is b/c I would utilize approximately a 2-inch "ledge" around the existing deck, to support the new deck. ...downside is, I have to raise deck height inside the front two storage boxes too b/c I'm going to cover up the drain holes for those boxes when I raise the deck....so looks like I'm going to have to "piece" together some nidacore to fit it in holes of the front boxes and install new drain holes.

Likewise, since I cut out the three "in-line" boxes in front of the transom, I have to install new self-bailing holes, either out the side, or buy the scupper type and plumb it out the rear of the boat....Any suggestions on whether the rear scupper type work better than the traditional 1" side bailers????? I've never been in a boat with rear scupper drainage - but seems to be how most newer boats are made.


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## cheetah

Great job so far... You will feel a great sense of accomplishment when you are done good luck and post dem pics.


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## InfamousJ

awesome... how about just raising the deck all the way flat and have a "no-sides" majek?  very nice DIY post.. keyslot transom.. keep updating us, love it.


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## Majekster

*flush deck...*

thanks cheetah...hopefully it'll turn out as good as my plans...have a lot to learn along the way for sure!

InfamousJ...definitely thought about ALL options when it came to raising the deck height, no sides/low sides, raised console, flush deck console, below deck gas tank, below deck battery box w/drain, etc.... after much thought, and the main reason I cut out the three-inline boxes on the rear is b/c I prefer the raised console over any other option....I've fished on a "no-sides" boat and it was a blast for wading, but a pain for tackle boxes, wading boots, stakeout pole, nets, etc.....everytime you move, you have to strap everything down and after fishing in one, I prefer sides...at least 6" or so....

It would have been nice to have 100% of the boat "fishable" with the no-sides setup









btw.....does anybody know what to call the "thru-deck" fittings that TexasFlats used to pass steering/throttle cables through to the console, from the deck...? I'm clueless as to what the "technical" term is for them, and where to find them.

Thanks,
Kyle


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## Majekster

Well, I know it's been a while, but I've been super busy with my business. I finally picked up my trailer and it looks great...I had it re-galvanized after building some heavier duty drive on brackets, welding in some new fenders and re-welding some beads to ensure its strength. The galvanizing was done at Southwest Galvanizing in Houston, they were super nice and did pretty good work. Now, I have to put it back together and build some new carpeted boards.

Started doing some hole patching/filling in some gouges on Sunday afternoon...this was my first experience with epoxy and it was not nearly as difficult as I had imagined, utilizing the pumpable epoxy/hardener. I have been applying some epoxy to pieces of 1/2" wood I will be using the "level" the stringer caps, in order to lay the NidaCore on top of and ultimately raise the deck height 1-inch, and with the "Slow" hardener, I have nearly 20 minutes before it starts getting gelled up...

...one "mistake" or whatever you want to call it, I used a plastic Dixie cup for mixing the first batch of epoxy and it evidently reacted with the plastic, causing the batch to get SUPER hot and only allowed about 5 minutes of workability before it started gelling up and eventually melting my cup/giving off some gaseous fumes....mixed the next batch in an old rubbermaid dish I snuck out of the kitchen....it worked great!

The previous owner had 5, yes FIVE, tie-down cleats on both sides of the boat, as you can see in a couple of the pictures posted....I decided to patch all of them (going to sand them smooth) and I'll install new ones when I get the topside re gel-coated.

Also...been spending too much time wading lately, instead of working on my boat! ...and checking eBay constatly to try and find more aluminum like the rodholder in the pictures...picked this one up for $30!! Nice


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## Majekster

*More Pics*


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## Majekster

*More Pics*

:doowapsta


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## Majekster

*Pics*

:brew:


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## BoD

That's awesome! Cant wait to see it done. Great work!


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## Blue02

Very nice and I can't wait to see the finished product! How hard was it to match the gelcoat?


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## Solid Action

My question is how the he11 can you scratch the bottom of a RFL up that bad? The boat runs in spit as it is. Good luck with your project!


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## Majekster

*Gelcoat*

Well, the original gelcoat was grey....I didn't match it....I had the entire bottomside recoated white. It was sprayed with 4 coats, and it is pretty thick - definitely will help if/when I encounter a reef or two.

As far as matching gelcoat, I originally tried to get it close while patching the bottom (prior to my decision to let a boat shop redo the entire bottomside), and it was pretty difficult. FYI, the boat shop I went to said white was by far the easiest to color-match & is pretty simple for a do-it-yourselfer..... :texasflag


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## Majekster

*Scratches*

....gouges  It obviously came from a person who tried out the "It will run on spit" hypothesis, haha. :help:

The boat definitely spent many hours on reefs and from the length/straightness of the scratches & gouges, you can only assume they were produced at high speeds.


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## Redfishr

That was one abused boat.
Looks great, keep us posted.


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## KungfuGaspergoo

AWESOME.


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## Foxtrot704

Looking good there buddy. Good luck with the rest of the project. Hopefully when I get back to the states in 3 months it will be done or close to it. Looking forward to going for a ride and doing some fishing together


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## Majekster

*Been a while...*

Well, I've had quite a few things keeping from finishing up this boat...however, I _finally_ started working on it again today. I performed quite a few tests on the 20mm NidaCore panels before deciding 100% if I was going to use it for the decking.....I used a 2lb ball peen hammer and gave it about a 3/4 swing and it did not dent it at all...very impressive







I then tried a more likely incident that might happen while on the boat, and dropped a pair of needle nose pliers from about 5' above the 6"x6" piece of Nida and it pierced right through it.....







Guess it's not that bad considering there is only 18oz. of fiberglass roving on each side of the NidaCore (btw, you can order custom sheets from them with additional roving). Once the gelcoat is sprayed on, I think it will be durable enough for me....I may install an additional 18oz. mat on top of the exposed deck areas...wouldn't add muc more time/expense and definitely help the puncture resistance.

I glassed in a couple more strips of 17oz. biaxial cloth over the stringers for additional support and began cutting the nidacore panels (I'll post pictures later). The 17oz. biaxial cloth soaks up quite a bit of epoxy fyi....I mixed up about 7 ounces of epoxy and I only covered about 5 sq.ft. ....this could get expensive given the price of good epoxy


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## Majekster

*Finally Cut the Deck Pieces...*

Here's a couple of pics, first off, I decided to make a "centerline" to reference all my cuts to - helped out a lot, and I'd do it the same way again. The existing floor measured out perfectly at 12-foot from the edge of the front deck to the edge of the rear deck....that makes it nice only having to use 3 pieces to cover the entire floor.


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## Majekster

17oz. 4-inch Biaxial Tape used for structural reinforcement, pretty good stuff from Jamestown Distributors. Used it to strengthen stringer caps, transom & various dings around deck. The NidaCore cut easily with a fine tooth hand saw & can be trimmed with a razor knife in small areas.


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## Majekster

*More Pics...*

Only downside on the front is that by raising the deck height, I'll cover up the drain holes in the front boxes....guess I could install some drain pipe underneath the deck and drain out the back boxes while I have the floor cut out but I'd rather not have any potential leaks....so I'll probably raise the floor height insde the front storage boxes and install new self-bailing drain plugs onto the new deck....not 100% sure on that one yet.


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## Cody C

Sweet! This is proof that an RFL can be ran to hell and back and will stilll float! After you get done with her, she'll look better than the new ones!


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## Foxtrot704

Lookin good bro. Cant wait to take her out on the maiden voyage :dance:


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## Majekster

Cody C said:


> Sweet! This is proof that an RFL can be ran to hell and back and will stilll float! After you get done with her, she'll look better than the new ones!


No joke, this boat had obviously seen its share of reefs & docks (and everybody elses' share too, haha)...and there was no internal damage, no separated fiberglass, NO cracked stringers, and hardly any deflection in the transom. The only area I could see improvement on the design of this boat would be to fiberglass the bottomside of the decking over the storage boxes. The wood is only fiberglassed on the topside and is not fiberglassed on the bottomside of the plywood....so, effectively the plywood begins to rot around the edge of the cutouts and cancer begins... I'm going to trim the 1/8" inch of "cancer" around the cutouts and brush on a coat of thickened epoxy, to seal the plywood...it'll be hard to access the entire underside of the plywood, by reaching inside the boxes, but maybe I can find a small chinaman to get in the rear pontoon box and brush it on????







....just kidding chinamen.


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## Majekster

Foxtrot704 said:


> Lookin good bro. Cant wait to take her out on the maiden voyage :dance:


 you'll be the first on the list pending your offshore workload


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## fishin shallow

And the most important tool of all...a cold can of Miller Lite:brew2:

Looking good


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## On The Hook

I don't think you have quite enough room, but majek grinds out a small valley or channel around the drains on the plywood decks. 

Maybe you could use some micro bubbles in the bottom rear of the front boxes, (close up the old drain holes, and make new ones) to build up the floor near the drain so you don't have to make a whole new bottom in the front boxes.


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## Majekster

*Micro Bubbles*

On The Hook.....can you send me some info/links for the micro bubble info? I've been trying to find some info on it. Thanks :cheers:


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## On The Hook

It might be called micro ballons. It works well as a high build filler, and is easy to sand and shape when dry. BTW, the project looks great.


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## Majekster

*Front Boxes Height Filler....*

Fishin Shallow....haha, yes, the trusty ole gold tops (miller lite) have helped quite a bit in this rebuild. Think I've spent more on miller-neering than on the boat materials.

OTH....I think this might be a little too big of a "pour" to fill with microballoon filler...I calculated it last night & it will be about 3 gallons on each box to fill it to the necessary height. :frown:

I believe I'll have some left-over plywood to glass in that area...I don't want to use NidaCore b/c I know the anchor and other heavy items will bounce around up there and possibly dent it up.....pointed sharp objects & NidaCore don't mix well (from my experience)....I'll post some pics of my ball peen hammer vs. NidaCore 20mm 18oz. roving and Needle nose plier vs. NidaCore 20mm 18oz. roving tonight....some of ya'll might be interested in the durability of the Nida...:brew:


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## Freshy

On The Hook said:


> It might be called micro ballons. It works well as a high build filler, and is easy to sand and shape when dry. BTW, the project looks great.


I think you might mean micro balloons. I mix micro balloons with plastic resin to make top water lures. Adding micro balloons to the resin makes the lure float. I dont know much about building boats but I think thats what your looking for.

Majekster you boat is looking awesome!!!


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## On The Hook

Freshy said:


> I think you might mean micro balloons. I mix micro balloons with plastic resin to make top water lures. Adding micro balloons to the resin makes the lure float. I dont know much about building boats but I think thats what your looking for.
> 
> Majekster you boat is looking awesome!!!


Yes, *micro balloons*. Sorry my typing is inconsistent, sometimes I get an extra letter, and others I don't hit the button hard enough to get the letter.

Majekster, I was thinking that since the hull is not flat in the box area, you could just ramp up the rear of the box at the bulkhead. No need to do the whole floor as any water would naturally drain to the rear with the upward angle of the bow. I guess either method would work, but thought a small ramp might be less work and weight. A mixture of micro balloons and resin is used like bondo on boats. Easily sanded and formed to blend shapes and panels into smooth transitions.


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## Majekster

*NidaCore tests...*

Well, so much for "I'll post those pictures tonight" haha...sorry fellas.

Here are some pictures of a couple tests I performed on the NidaCore to see how well it might hold up & what I may need to do in order to prevent mishaps....i.e. lay more roving down on the surface areas around the raised console, to prevent pliers from puncturing.

If you didn't already know, the "standard" H8PP NidaCore panels (no matter the thickness of the panel you purchase) are lined with 18oz. of fiberglass roving on each side....you can purchase many different options, and I'm not quite sure how ShallowSport or any of the other boat builders using NidaCore order their sheets....I understand that ShallowSport orders a ONE PIECE sheet to cover the entire deck, eliminating seams, speeding up production and ultimately offering a pretty nice deck structure....however, as far as the thickness of the surface layer of fiberglass, I'm not sure......anyone else know???

My tests consisted of smacking the s**t out of the sample piece (4"x4") with a 24oz. Ball Peen hammer....I gave it about 75% on the first hit, then followed up with a Jeff Bagwell swing, just for grins.....surprisingly enough, the first hit hardly damaged it at all....just BARELY leaving an indention on the surface of the fiberglass roving. .....well, that encouraged me to perform the "Bagwell" and see if I could reach the Crawford Boxes.....I did so, and it fractured the fiberglass, WITH VERY MINOR DAMAGE....the CORE honeycomb was only damaged directly under the hit, with a couple wrinkles in the plastic cells.....which could be an easy fix with some thickened epoxy/gel coat.

....I then decided to perform a more reasonable test....albeit, it's possible some of my fishing buddies might throw a temper tantrum after being subject to a crappy day fishing.....I wouldn't put it past them & that's why I will not carry a hammer on the boat!......I decided to take a pair of needle nose pliers, and drop them from appx. 6-feet onto the NidaCore. Well, discouragingly enough, they punctured right through it. hwell:

I tried this test about 3 times with all three puncturing through.... 
So, now, Ive decided to add an additional 18oz roving across the entire "exposed" deck area (around the entire raised console, and on top of the raised console).

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the hammer test.....after all, we're talking about pounds-per-square-inch on the tests.....and penetrating the 18oz. fiberglass with a pair of needle nose pliers isn't so surprising. Nice product Nida Composites! :cheers:


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## Majekster

*Pics didn't post for some reason...*

Pics didn't post....here ya go.


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## Shallow Sport68

I think it would hold up when it's covered with gel-coat....?


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## Majekster

I don't think so...the tensile strength of gel-coat is bascially -zero- I'm sure it'd help a little bit, but if you dropped an anchor on it or some other heavy hard-edged item, I'm sure it'll dent it.


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## Majekster

*Mixing Epoxy*

I've had a couple of PM's asking to show pics of epoxy mixing & materials used to "thicken" the epoxy....here ya go.

I am using MAS Epoxy with the Slow Hardener (b/c I'm a rookie and was doing majority of the fiberglass repair during warmer months, giving me a little more time to work the epoxy before it starts to gel up). The milled glass fibers are from System Three Manufacturing and it "wets" out very well with this epoxy....makes a greyish tint after the fibers are mixed in.

FYI, I've had to heat up my shop lately while working in there b/c the epoxy is too cold to work with and "bubbles" in the mix are hard to get out when it's around 60 degrees.....seems as if 80 degrees or so is a great temperature to do fiberglass work.









When thickening the epoxy, I originally used a 1 part milled glass fibers to 2 parts epoxy....this is still very runny and hard to keep the mix where you want it to stay, w/o bordering it up. for my latest patch work/build-up over old deck holes, I've mixed it at about a 1.5 to 1 ratio (fiber to epoxy) and at the onset, it doesn't seem as if it will mix in, just balls up, however, once the glass starts soaking up the epoxy, it mixes well & ends up like an applesauce mixture....little bit easier to keep in place.

At this point, my stringer caps have been glued in place and epoxied on both sides/ready to glue the NidaCore sheets to them. I began fitting NidaCore bracing between the stringers last night & will post some pics this weekend. My goal is to have the deck glued down by Monday.....pending my wife's input :slimer: (I've got a son on the way & we are currently constructing a baby room too......yeah, I've got a whole lot of 50% completed projects, hahaha).


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## Shallow Sport68

So are you gonna use wood for the floor or nida core?


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## Majekster

I'm using the 20mm NidaCore as shown in the previous pictures (already cut for deck). I am raising the deck 3/4" and utilizing about 2-inches of the previous deck around the perimeter as a "lip" to set the new deck on. The wood you see in the pictures is just for the stringer caps (it's Cypress wood)...can't run NidaCore through a planer to get the exact thickness I need, so it has to be wood.

The old stringer caps are still in good shape & were not penetrated by the water in the hull.....(they are wood caps too).


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## Majekster

*Progress*

Well, I didn't receive my NidaBond yesterday or today







so I wasn't able to finish fairing/glassing the seams around my structural supports for the deck......so, plan "B", instead of epoxying the deck down, I'd continue patching/sanding & start building the raised console box. The box is 4'x6' and will have TONS of storage beneath it....still haven't decided on the storage configuration inside of it...I have to glass in some support for the "topside" b/c I'm pretty hefty and so are my buddies, so it'd be nice to have an _overbuilt_ raised console to ensure longevity of the materials & don't want a 'trampoline' effect when standing in the center.

FYI, I picked up that Tops-n-Towers platform for $400....niceeeee:walkingsm

Here's some pics, I'll write more about everything later.....gotta go eat some fajitas and admire the progress! :cheers:


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## Majekster

*Console Box*

Here's some pics of the raised console box and some deck supports.:work:


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## kodman1

Your project is looking good.


----------



## Majekster

*Thanks*



kodman1 said:


> Your project is looking good.


I appreciate ya! Can't wait to get er on the water.


----------



## Majekster

*Raised Console....input???*

Hey ya'll, here's some pics of the raised console. I'm going with a 31-gallon tank - rough dimensions are 30"x18"x16" (for design purposes - need some clearance around it to work).

I have the console box framed up at 4'x6' & 16" high. the box seems to be a little bit too high.... does anyone here have a raised console on their boat - if so, what is the height measured from the deck??? I'd like some input.

Being that I didn't "taper" the sides, it feels a little bit crowded around the sides of the boat when standing next to the console. I may cut an inch off around the perimeter & re-glue to get a better look & little bit more room.


----------



## Outearly

*Flotation*

Great project and great reporting on the project.

Just curious - do you plan to put the foam back in the void space between the deck and the hull, and how are you going to do it?


----------



## Majekster

*Foam*



Outearly said:


> Great project and great reporting on the project.
> 
> Just curious - do you plan to put the foam back in the void space between the deck and the hull, and how are you going to do it?


Yes, I am going to fill the voids with either a 3lb or 4lb foam. I'm not sure which one I'm going to go with yet, but the 4lb is quite a bit stronger - tensile and compressive strengths are nearly 150% that of 3lb foam and I'd like to help keep the nidacore from stressing too much.

I'm going to cut holes in the nida core in a staggered position lengthwise along each stringer void, fill er up with pourable 4lb foam - then cut/trim the foam & repair the hole. I like the "sealed" deck style much better than having "loose" foam billets for flotation, especially since the foam adds quite a bit of rigidness to the hull, by "gluing" everthing together to some extent.......if you've ever tried to pry out cured foam from a Majek Redfish, you quickly realize the strength and quality of using a pourable foam. :cheers:


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## Foxtrot704

Hey buddy...who you callin "hefty"......ok maybe just a little, lol.

Majek is lookin good. Sorry I cant be there to give you a hand. Raised console looks nice. From what I've read I think most raised consoles are built to 15" height. So 16" is really not that much different but I might help for us "hefty" friends of yours to not have to step up that extra inch


----------



## sylvan

I am throughly enjoying your rebuild thread- please keep posting.
I too am building one. I have several types of core material (Nidacore, USPlastics, Coosa, etc) as well as Cabosil and Microballs if you come up short and need some quick - you are welcome. I do not have same type of finished Nidacore that you have... just the core material itself - (I wanted to apply the skin thickness I wanted)
Keep it up.... the pain WILL go away... eventually


----------



## atcfisherman

You do some very nice work! Can't wait to see the final product!


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## Majekster

*Heftyness*

Haha, yeah I may need to get Tops-n-Towers to custom fab me some aluminum steps so the hefty's can make it up on the cockpit! :bounce:

I was wondering why you didn't respond to my texts....I'll save some work for when you get back on the mainland - maybe I'll leave a fuse out or two, let you plug em in & we can boatride  j/k I'm sure I'll still be drinking a cold one and thinking about what I could have done better or all the options I "could' install.


----------



## Majekster

sylvan said:


> I am throughly enjoying your rebuild thread- please keep posting.
> I too am building one. I have several types of core material (Nidacore, USPlastics, Coosa, etc) as well as Cabosil and Microballs if you come up short and need some quick - you are welcome. I do not have same type of finished Nidacore that you have... just the core material itself - (I wanted to apply the skin thickness I wanted)
> Keep it up.... the pain WILL go away... eventually


Thanks for the offer! I just talked with Nida today and I should receive my NidaBond tomorrow :dance: hopefully I can glue the deck down this weekend now! I needed the NidaBond to fill in the voids on the cells along the sides (that's what their sales rep informed me to do - to keep from having weak spots around the seams/perimeter)....then I get to sand down the entire deck.....OOOOO fun, more sanding & "white" hair after a days work.

....pain go away......hahahahaha


----------



## sylvan

If your NidaBond does not show up, PM me. You can easily make your own "bond" material with what you have that works as well or better.


----------



## Majekster

*NidaBond*



sylvan said:


> If your NidaBond does not show up, PM me. You can easily make your own "bond" material with what you have that works as well or better.


Yeah, I know I can mix up a filler with the Epoxy, but that MAS epoxy was so expensive, I'd rather not use it for a filler  The 5 gallon pail of NidaBond is only $135 & I don't have to worry too much about "wasting" it....every time I mix up some epoxy, I use it down to the last drop - kinda like cleaning my Mahi-Mahi plate from Pappas :slimer:

On a brighter note! Nothing like the sound of a UPS truck at 5:45pm that you've been waiting for all day









Looks as if I have my work cut out for me now....just need to get some MEKP for a catalyst.


----------



## sylvan

I don't know if I'm allowed to do this but.... to a fellow cash strapped boat builder:

Call these guys on Epoxy resins. Their prices are about half of Mas. http://www.raka.com/
Composite 1 (northwest Houston) on the MEKP < $30/gal


----------



## superspook

The rebuild look great, that is quite an under taking. I couldnt help but notice that you were using two different and im my opion wrong products. in a very early picture of required tools you had a miller lite can, then in a later picture you had several Bush can lined up. Although both these products will get the job done, i would recommend sticking with only top quality products..........either bud or bud light in the beer catagory during actual labor and woodruff reserve with a splash of water while in the design stages will greatly increase the quaility of the final product.


----------



## Majekster

******



superspook said:


> The rebuild look great, that is quite an under taking. I couldnt help but notice that you were using two different and im my opion wrong products. in a very early picture of required tools you had a miller lite can, then in a later picture you had several Bush can lined up. Although both these products will get the job done, i would recommend sticking with only top quality products..........either bud or bud light in the beer catagory during actual labor and woodruff reserve with a splash of water while in the design stages will greatly increase the quaility of the final product.


Man here we go with a "Laguna vs. Waterloo" thread....haha.

You're totally right on the first part, never should one show a picture of a Bush can next to a "designed" project....totally my mistake & definitely not my flavor - I can pick my friends, but I can't pick what they drink :slimer:

Now as far as the gold tops go.....I'm definitely leaning towards the same things the two hot blondes used to fight over "less filling" and "great taste"......:cheers:......

As long as I keep _Foxtrot_ away from the Blue Curacao, I think this boat will turn out fishable :rotfl:


----------



## superspook

the boat is looking great, hope i didnt hijack the tread over choice of beverages. cant wait to see the final outcome.


----------



## Mikeyhunts

I really enjoyed your thread! keep up the good work!


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## playinhooky

having a hard time posting, seems like it used to be easy.Had a long praising post . Keep the pictures coming.


----------



## Foxtrot704

Majekster said:


> As long as I keep _Foxtrot_ away from the Blue Curacao, I think this boat will turn out fishable :rotfl:


I just threw up in my mouth a little bit...:sad3sm


----------



## Majekster

*Progress*

Well, I couldn't stand it....the "square" console was driving my crazy, I had to put a taper on it & make it look a little more like some thought went into it, rather than just throwing it together. I cut it apart very carefully and put a 1.5" taper on every side. I also cut the width down about 2 inches, to allow more room on the sides of the console....I plan on cutting the "lip" around the console, down to about 3/8-inch and glassing the console into the deck (inside and outside lip)....this will make it much stronger and keep dirt & grime from building up along the seam.

The NidaCore is so light, I was able to place thickened epoxy along seams, position it & then hold in place with duct tape! Being pretty conscious of it, I checked it about every 10 minutes for an hour or so, then with no deflection or failures, I finally was able to get a little peace of mind & begin working on other things.

I placed the newly configured raised console "deck".....top panel that the console/leaning post is going to mount.....on the ground and try to "situate" the parts to check clearances/comfort, etc.

Unfortunately, b/c the console is so large, I did not have enough room for comfort between the console & leaning post @ 12" and had to lengthen the deck of it by 4" to make a 16" gap between the console and leaning post.

I then epoxied a support panel under the rear of the console for the 4" extension and glued on the rear-side panels as well. Tomorrow morning the console box will be ready to "glass" together and add supports here & there.....more pictures to follow.


----------



## Majekster

*Cable Hole, Tires, New Leaning Post*

well, had to modify the existing cable pass-through hole. The old one was slightly damaged on the top, after prying off the old deck & I had sanded flush with the stringer cap.

I slowly glassed in a round "form" to start building up a riser for more glass/reinforcement....it took three days believe it or not, but the epoxy has to dry  it now is 3" high & will be plenty enough to have an extended lip area above the new deck & will keep water/grime from running into the hole while cleaning, etc.

The picture of the cream putty, is a picture of the NidaBond filler I used on the ends of the NidaCore to maintain stability on the edges. The NidaBond sucks.....haha.....na, it's good material, it's just the cleanup that is no fun, along with the fumes, the fast setting & random portions that dont cure for about a day or two (the majority of it cures within 2-3 hours, to a sandable finish that is).

After using the NidaBond, I much rather prefer "peanut butter" thickened epoxy instead......it's MUCH stronger and MUCH easier to mix/apply.....downside is, it costs about twice as much.









I was able to get some little things knocked out of the way, like re-mounting/balancing my rims/tires, picked up the remainder of my deck hatches...I bought Tempress hatches, always had great experiences with them & they last about 10 years or so, w/o any major problems (had them on every boat I've owned thus far). :cheers:


----------



## Majekster

*Cracked Corner*

More layering/sanding/epoxy mixing....boy this gallon of epoxy has lasted quite longer than expected! ...most of this glass wets out great!

Not sure if ya'll looked at the previous pics, but on the rear port side of the boat, there was a crack that was about 12-inches long and ended up being much worse than I thought, as I began sanding it down & examining. I didn't take many pictures after I sanded it down, but it took about 12 layers of glass to fill it in & build it back up/patch it. It is now sanded/faired with thickened epoxy and will be sanded/ready for gelcoat tomorrow morning.

....slowly but surely :biggrin:

Also attached is a picture of my NEW leaning post from the fishing show! Yes, it's a tops n towers - local for me & they build great products as most of you know.....sure there are many other good manufacturers around, but I negotiated each & every one at the Houston fishing show & they were able to help me out the most....and they earned my business. :clover:


----------



## Majekster

*Glass, Sand, Glass, Sand, Glass, Sand*

Well, I'm just about getting tired of glassing after about two 6 hours days on the boat....yeah, doesn't sound like much, but I'm itching all over!:doowapsta

Started glassing in the deck supports along the front seam & then sanding/expoxying/glassing all over again. IMO, the 17-ounce biaxial glass tape is too much for trying to bend into corners, it doesn't take corners very well, unless they are faired to about a 1/2-inch radius...you can make it work, but it takes quite a bit of time & takes quite a while to wet out too, unless you completely dunk it in epoxy (which is what I did....then just strained it out).

The ends were filled/faired with NidaBond, then sanded down....hopefully will have the deck glued down tomorrow afternoon.


----------



## Majekster

*Fairing/Filling*

Faired the outboard mounting holes....they were a little indented & faired out a couple of scrapes/dents, here/there. :walkingsm

The last pics are of a joint filler compound I mixed together...worked pretty well & fills corners pretty good too.....all I did was chop up 17oz. tape in very small pieces & mix into an unthickened epoxy to create a stranded paste....I'll sand it in the morning & see how well it looks "beneath the surface" :texasflag


----------



## Majekster

*thickened epoxy fairing*

Well, I finished off the exposed glass edges (after sanding it) with a lightly thickened epoxy. Now the rear corner is finished and will be ready for gelcoat with a little sanding.

The deck seam supports are installed and ready for glassing to the hull...I sanded them flush with the stringer caps, sanded both sides....just spending all my time on the raised console platform at the moment, trying to get it complete.

:goldfish:


----------



## Majekster

*Raised Console Supports*

Well, I ended up spending most of the last couple days on the console....much more time that I'd like to have spent :headknock - my original plans were to glue down the deck by Monday (last Monday...hehe) but that didn't happen b/c I spent too much time delicately cutting apart the "square" console and putting a taper on the sides....if I would have bought some _fast_ hardener, I could work a lot faster, but with all this cold weather, I've had to wait nearly a day & half for my epoxy to cure completely  .....but boy once it cures, it's pretty friggn hard. :spineyes:

After lengthening the console, I started adding bracing & supports. I epoxied two layers of NidaCore together (8-inch wide pieces) and placed them on a span 2-feet apart, then stood on it (229lbs)...w/hardly any deflection.

I decided to go three layers thick where the main load will be (between the console & the leaning post. and started beefing up the sidewalls too....still have quite a bit more to finish up, but it'll be complete before too long (I'll stop giving dates & days....I'll get on the water one day or another).

*Anybody want to trade straight up for a Majek Illusion, I'll even throw in a brand new Core & Laguna rod! hahaha* :slimer:


----------



## robott

Lookin GREAT man. cant wait to see it done


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## Majekster

*Waiting on Epoxy to dry...*

Patiently waiting for epoxy to dry, so i can move on to the next piece...the platform is pretty rigid now, I believe I'll be able to work a little faster on it since I don't have to worry about moving it too much/flexing it by working on too many things at one time.

Attached are some photos of the platform & a picture of the weights holding the support on the bottom side until the epoxy dries. FYI, the gray toolbox is about 30lbs & the Nidacore 5-gal bucket is about 40lbs...span is nearly 4-feet and there is hardly any deflection at all...I measured about 1/16" with a 6' long aluminum straight edge.

:dance:


----------



## Majekster

*Thanks*



robott said:


> Lookin GREAT man. cant wait to see it done


Thanks Robott - can't wait either.....on the downside, I just found out from www.iboats.com that my gas tank is on back order and I will not receive until April 22nd. sad3sm

That just set me back quite a bit b/c I can't fiberglass the platform to the deck until I get the fuel tank. Guess I can start working on the trailer or the motor after I get the platform supports all glassed together. :spineyes:


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## Majekster

*YETI -*

Ok, can't believe my wife's luck but tonight @ the CCA Brazoria County Banquet, we won a Yeti 65qt Tundra.....BadArse! spent $160 @ the Banquet, on raffle tickets & won the cooler on $60 of the $160 - Well worth it!

Funny thing was, I was just getting measurements off the Yeti website to build a recessed spot beneath my leaning post for a cooler. :dance:

Needlesss to say, I'm a happy camper :bounce:

......go to your CCA Banquets & take advantage of the opportunity while supporting a good cause!

.....talk about a crying # though, I split two raffle tickets with a buddy and we were #122 and #123.......the # for the boat (Majek Illusion) was #120.............DAY-UM!!!!!!!!!!!........mind you they were calling the #'s suuuuuper slow and I was unbelievably pumped up (along with my wife and everyone else at our table)


----------



## Majekster

*More Progress*

Well, I ran out of thickener for my epoxy last weekend & other various supplies/cleanup - finally picked up some more supplies & a roll of 1.5oz fiberglass mat to lay-up on the deck.

I had to get System Three Epoxy this time (they were out of MAS) - I'll let ya'll know how it works, compared to MAS.....I believe they are both "top-of-the-line" epoxies, at least from what I've researched online.

I was able to get 2 of the 3 deck panels glued down at this point & now just patiently waiting for it to dry.....btw, I bought "medium" hardener this time, to avoid the down time by using the "slow".

I brushed on some non-thickened epoxy over all the stringer caps again, as well as all the borders of the deck supports, to keep the thickened epoxy from drying out so much when sandwiched together....After mixing up a thickened "peanut butter" paste of epoxy & milled fibers, I covered all the stringers with a generous amount and set the deck down....then placed as much weight as I could put on it, to help hold it together. Front panel is going on tonight... 

...will post pictures later


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## Autco

Keep up the good work! Love the updates!


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## Majekster

*Pictures*

Thanks Autco - I appreciate ya.

here are the pics...

forgot to mention earlier - IF you ever use Cab-O-Sil thickener, you DEFINITELY need to wear a high quality dust mask to keep from inhaling it. That stuff is very lightweight and fluffs up all over the place. :work:


----------



## sidekick24

:texasflagI'm off this weekend give me a call and I'll come give you a hand. I'm pretty good at the gold tops.:cheers:


----------



## patwilson

Fine job!!!


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## Majekster

patwilson said:


> Fine job!!!


Thanks Pat - glad to be back....forgot what I was originally signing on to post now


----------



## yr_tiger

*NIce work Maj*

I am thoroughly enjoying you restoration project.
Impressive!


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## Majekster

yr_tiger said:


> I am thoroughly enjoying you restoration project.
> Impressive!


Thanks tiger....deck is completely glued down now, will post pics tonight. :cheers:


----------



## Landman

*gold tops*



sidekick24 said:


> :texasflagI'm off this weekend give me a call and I'll come give you a hand. I'm pretty good at the gold tops.:cheers:


I'll second that gold top motion by Sidekick, however keep the whisky in the cabinet this time. Currently down one whisky glass, a bit of my liver, and a little pride. Cheers!


----------



## Majekster

Well, it appears I should have bought Polyester Resin instead of Epoxy to perform the lay-up on the deck, that way there is a molecular bond between layers, rather than just a mechanical bond, especially when I get to the gelcoat application. :headknock

Luckily Johnson Fiberglass in Houston allowed me to return the System Three epoxy (I was going to use for lay-up) and purchase the polyester resin....actually turned out good b/c the polyester is about 4 times cheaper. :goldfish:

For those of you possibly doing your own repairs, here's a good reference site for info on polyester/epoxy.... http://www.boatus.com/boattech/TipResins.htm I've talked to three rebuilders in this area recently and they've all confirmed I should use polyester resin to perform the lay-up, especially if I'm going to have gelcoat applied as the final finish.

Also, I must say, Jimmy Majek has still been a world of help with my rebuild and has yet to ignore my calls....he's definitely made a lifelong Majek customer outta me! :texasflag

Hey, this thing is starting to look like a boat.

Also, I've got to say thanks for 2cool for this website & giving us the ability to share all this info....I was a little discouraged today after my thread was deleted & apologize - I jumped the gun & shouldn't have.....just was a little discouraged thinking all my posts & info had just been wiped out. Sorry Mont & thanks for fixing it.


----------



## fishnstringer

*Majekster,*

your doing some impressive work. I look forward to you being rewarded with some great times on the water and with your wife. Mine fishes with me and it makes for some great times.:cheers:


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## OLD-AG

I think a serious mob would have formed had this thread been deleted!!!
That's a great job you've got going there, really enjoy keeping up with the progress. Hang in there, awesome job!


----------



## Majekster

OLD-AG said:


> I think a serious mob would have formed had this thread been deleted!!!
> That's a great job you've got going there, really enjoy keeping up with the progress. Hang in there, awesome job!


lol....yep, probably could have gotten a great bulk deal on trenchcoats 

Thanks for the input :doowapsta

fishnstringer - yeah, my wife and I have dated since high school (12 years ago) and we've had some great times on the water with my old 20-foot Shoalwater flat bottom....it was a heck of a rig too, fished plenty of flats & slid around plenty of bayou's....you'll fall in love with a 180-degree turn around a corner :bounce: and it's really exciting to do it with a first-time 'slider' in the boat.....they always flip out & start bracing theirselves to bail the boat  hehe


----------



## railbird

Majekster said:


> lol....yep, probably could have gotten a great bulk deal on trenchcoats
> 
> Thanks for the input :doowapsta
> 
> fishnstringer - yeah, my wife and I have dated since high school (12 years ago) and we've had some great times on the water with my old 20-foot Shoalwater flat bottom....it was a heck of a rig too, fished plenty of flats & slid around plenty of bayou's....you'll fall in love with a 180-degree turn around a corner :bounce: and it's really exciting to do it with a first-time 'slider' in the boat.....they always flip out & start bracing theirselves to bail the boat  hehe


You gonna let me borrow that boat when your done? I want to give that thing a test slide. lol

chuck


----------



## ESCB Factory

Great project! 

Were hiring at the glass shop...seriously.


----------



## Majekster

railbird said:


> You gonna let me borrow that boat when your done? I want to give that thing a test slide. lol
> 
> chuck


Well, I've got about 50mils of extra gelcoat on the bottomside....that _might_ last for one of your weekend trips! :biggrin:


----------



## Majekster

Haven't made too much progress this weekend yet - been doing some yardwork. :goldfish: However, I was able to get a couple good hours in on it today, filled the edges/gaps between nidacore panels on the deck, faired the thru-deck cable hole, etc. ....here are some pics of everything.

Also, here's a picture of the NidaBond goop....(catalyzes with 1% MEKP) - you have to be sure and whip it up for about a good 2-3 minutes, otherwise it will not harden properly and you'll have spots that don't cure.
:work:


----------



## Majekster

*Raised Console Platform*

Here's the progress on the raised console platform... I decided to make a drop-down area for the cooler, to be able and raise the lid w/o fighting it against the leaning post. ...I have a couple more ideas for the platform, and I hope to have everything glued together tomorrow and _ready_ for fiberglass. :dance:


----------



## Foxtrot704

Ill be home sometime this week. Cant wait to come by and check it out with my own eyes!


----------



## Majekster

scb factory said:


> Great project!
> 
> Were hiring at the glass shop...seriously.


I'm too slow and too expensive :bounce: .....did you see the start date of this project, hehe :headknock Thanks for the comments though!



Foxtrot704 said:


> Ill be home sometime this week. Cant wait to come by and check it out with my own eyes!


Sweet, you'll be just in time for some fiberglasing! :help: ...fyi, longsleeves don't help much :slimer:


----------



## Majekster

Well, started "patching" in the areas above/below area where the deck hatch will be on the side of the raised console platform....just need to fill the "holes" before I glass it in, fyi - these little pieces dont offer much if any structural support...

Started boxing in the storage area in the rear as well - used a piece of cardboard to make a template & sure helped quite a bit. After I cut them, sanded them, wiped everything down with acetone, blew it off with an air nozzle - I started gluing them in with some thickened epoxy.


----------



## Majekster

More pics...


----------



## ESCB Factory

IIs that Nida-Core factory laminated? Looks shinny.


----------



## Majekster

scb factory said:


> IIs that Nida-Core factory laminated? Looks shinny.


Yes, it's the 20mm H8PP with 17oz glass roving on each side & gelcoat already sprayed (gelcoat layer is pretty thin & easy to sand through).

I wanted to order 34oz roving on each side (thickest they make on these panels) - but it was going to be a 12-16 week special order...


----------



## Majekster

*Land A'hoy!*

Forgot these pics, when fitting console/checking sizes/clearances...
Ought to be able & see plenty far from up there. :walkingsm


----------



## fjperales

*rebuild*

man that rfl is coming along ! i cant wait to see what its going to look like when its done! keep up the good work .


----------



## Won Mo Kasst

Boat is looking great! If I may ask a quick question... How are you planning on attaching the raised console to the deck? Thanks!

Cant wait to see it finished!


----------



## ROCKPORTFISHERMAN

hurry up and get that thing finished!!!! is it me or did I not see you shoot foam into the stringers yet? and what did you end up doing on the deck drains since you raised the floor?


----------



## George in Pearland

YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK


----------



## Majekster

fjperales said:


> man that rfl is coming along ! i cant wait to see what its going to look like when its done! keep up the good work .


Thanks fj....yeah, I can't wait for the gelcoat to be sprayed, that'll make er look a ton better.



Won Mo Kasst said:


> Boat is looking great! If I may ask a quick question... How are you planning on attaching the raised console to the deck? Thanks!
> 
> Cant wait to see it finished!


Me too! :bounce: I'm going to use NidaBond to "glue" it to the floor, then fiberglass the perimeter & the inside of the rear box. I debated using "Heavy Duty" Liquid nails to glue it & then fiberglass over it...b/c the Liquid nails stays a little flexible & it is waterproof as well....I just question it's longevity....although, I've seen it applied on docks before, gluing two boards together for a header & it has held up just fine (I've also put a bead on a piece of nida core & covered it with glass to see how it would respond & it did just fine too).......still not 100% sure & will probably just use the NidaBond.



ROCKPORTFISHERMAN said:


> hurry up and get that thing finished!!!! is it me or did I not see you shoot foam into the stringers yet? and what did you end up doing on the deck drains since you raised the floor?





George in Pearland said:


> YOUR DOING A GREAT JOB KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK


I haven't put the foam in yet, but I'm ready to do so now...I'm using pourable two-part foam & will have to drill holes in the deck/pour it in, then patch the hole before laying-up the deck. I talked to Jimmy (Majek) and he gave me quite a few pointers for filling the holes i.e. don't prepare an "exact" batch for the entire void, only fill it about 3/4 of the calculated volume, then make the remainder & pour it in after the 1st batch has cured. The foam sticks to previous pours very well & it will create less "lift" on the deck to keep it from popping off - I think I might shed a tear if it pops a deck panel off.....that would suck tremendously.


----------



## Majekster

*foam foam foam*

I've been a little skeptical about pouring the foam - wasn't sure how difficult it was going to be....turns out, it's fairly simple.

I ended up going with 2lb foam, b/c the deck is already pretty stiff due to the triple stringers in the Majek....the 2lb is pretty stiff, and I believe the technical spec is that it will hold up to 30-40psi of pressure, which will be plenty of support for my application.

Here's a little info for the mixing/application of pourable foam:

Once you pour parts A & B together, you literally only have *15-20* *seconds* to mix it & start pouring.
You must mix vigorously & with your drill on the highest speed & make sure to get the mix looking like pancake/waffle mix (color & consistency)....trust me on this one, my wife makes some pretty bad arse waffles & I'm very familiar with the mix :slimer:
You must get all of the foam out of your bucket in under 1 minute, if you don't, you'll either have to scrape it out & try to get it in the hole - but that is a mess and shouldn't be an option, plus you don't have that much time.
From my experience, I don't really think you can mix up more than 1/2 a gallon at a time....there just isn't enough time to mix it properly & start pouring before it gets too thick to get out of the bucket. I actually dropped my mix down to about *7/8ths a quart of Part A* to *1 quart of Part B *.....b/c Part B is much thicker and you don't quite get all of it out of your pail when pouring the two together.....mind you, you can't sit there & take the time to let it "drip" into your mixing bucket...you *have *to start mixing immediately.
Vent holes should be placed about every 1.5 cubic feet of void.....I _thought_ the liquid foam would disperse a little more if I poured a FULL 1/2 gallon in one hole & that hypothesis was way wrong :headknock it spread/expanded similar to a bell shape & basically rose directly upward....I ended up taking Jimmy's (Majek) advice and pouring in multiple layers - basically two layers (horizontally) - works out well & made it much easier than trying to calculate the exact volume (which I had already done in CAD).
don't miss the hole when pouring :work: I missed on one thusfar & poured about 1.5oz out on accident - makes a mess & you don't have time to clean it up - just let it expand & scrape it off later.
....here's some pics, btw - it was pretty painful to drill a bunch of 2-inch holes in the deck :walkingsm


----------



## Majekster

*pics*

some more pics....:bounce:


----------



## out_fishin69

looks like fun! you are doing a great job keep it up. which motor is going on the back?


----------



## Majekster

*motor*

...well, I most likely will go back with the 115 yamaha that was on the boat (it's a 1996 Saltwater Series)...however, I'm really liking the ETEC115-130....hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Lots of deals out there & sure would be nice to have a new motor on a _practicall__y_ new boat. :spineyes:


----------



## fishin shallow

Man what a great build. I can only imagine what was going through your mind when you were drilling all of those holes.


----------



## Majekster

fishin shallow said:


> Man what a great build. I can only imagine what was going through your mind when you were drilling all of those holes.


thanks - I appreciate the comments! Yep, I just almost shed a tear when drilling them...I really debated not using the foam but the more I thought about it, it really does offer a lot of support & makes the hull that much more solid w/minimal weight added. :cheers:


----------



## DJONES

I really appreciate you taking the time to post pics. YOur giving me a lot of ideas and when I start my project I may be calling on you if its ok?

One question. Why didnt you pour the foam and level it off with the stringers and then place the deck down? seems like it would have saved you a lotta time and drilling. Im trying to learn as much as I can about building so please forgive my ignorance in advance.


----------



## Fishin Fast

Majekster said:


> ...well, I most likely will go back with the 115 yamaha that was on the boat (it's a 1996 Saltwater Series)...however, I'm really liking the ETEC115-130....hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
> 
> Lots of deals out there & sure would be nice to have a new motor on a _practicall__y_ new boat. :spineyes:


You youre doing a wonderful job, I really really wish I could do the things you are doing. I would love to setup my own boat like that, all while saving money. Are there any books out there that tell you how to do these types of things? I would like to try that on a smaller scale.

Have you thought about an ETEC 200? It weighs the same as a 4 stroke Yamaha 115. It would really scoot!!! :slimer:


----------



## Majekster

DJONES said:


> I really appreciate you taking the time to post pics. YOur giving me a lot of ideas and when I start my project I may be calling on you if its ok?
> 
> One question. Why didnt you pour the foam and level it off with the stringers and then place the deck down? seems like it would have saved you a lotta time and drilling. Im trying to learn as much as I can about building so please forgive my ignorance in advance.


Thanks DJones - pm me whenever you want & I'd be more than happy to help w/questions. As for the foam, you really can't control the expansion enough to "level" it out - you'd have to cut it with a long sharp, flat blade & from my experience while demo-ing the original deck/foam - it would be pretty difficult to 'trim' the foam to a level area after it has cured, also, by pouring the foam in through holes, you allow the foam to really stick/bond & press up on the bottom side of the deck, rather than just having the deck "sit" on top of the foam.



Fishin Fast said:


> You youre doing a wonderful job, I really really wish I could do the things you are doing. I would love to setup my own boat like that, all while saving money. Are there any books out there that tell you how to do these types of things? I would like to try that on a smaller scale.
> 
> Have you thought about an ETEC 200? It weighs the same as a 4 stroke Yamaha 115. It would really scoot!!! :slimer:


Thanks FF - there probably is a book or two out there somewhere - I really just browsed around a ton of postings online, on manufacturer's websites & with a lot of help from Jimmy Majek. As far as the motor goes, the 200 would be just a little too much for this rig  I'd really like to have all the weight savings from going with the 115/130....It already had a heck of a hole shot with the old 115 and a 17-pitch 3-blade (prop that came with the boat).....I have a new powertech 4-blade 13-pitch that I picked up on ebay quite a while back & plan on really jumping out of the hole w/it.....we'll see though - the Yammy is paid for :bluefish:


----------



## George in Pearland

Another pointer just in case your not done foaming it ........have the peace that you cutt out ready so when the foam comes to the level of the floor you can put that peace back with a bored over it with something heavy on top of it so it can be a flush finsh


----------



## Majekster

George in Pearland said:


> Another pointer just in case your not done foaming it ........have the peace that you cutt out ready so when the foam comes to the level of the floor you can put that peace back with a bored over it with something heavy on top of it so it can be a flush finsh


You're totally correct....I didn't try that until about 20% finished & now I'm going to have to trim the foam in the holes & glue in the other pieces prior to fiberglassing the deck. ....I was so excited to be pouring foam, I forgot the little things! :walkingsm For anyone pouring foam, listen to George's input...it'll save you some time & make a better build.


----------



## George in Pearland

Hey if you dont mind me asking where did you get you honey cone at and how much was it a sheet?


----------



## nitrofish

I'm really enjoying following along with your post. I'm very impressed with your work and even more with your patience. I can't wait to see it finished. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.


----------



## Majekster

George in Pearland said:


> Hey if you dont mind me asking where did you get you honey cone at and how much was it a sheet?


I bought my NidaCore directly from the factory & I bought all of their "factory seconds" on hand (only 4 sheets) which had nicked corners, etc. and I bought 1 'new' sheet. The new sheet was $195 (I think) and the other sheets were $145/ea......5 panels & freight totalled right around $950 if I remember correctly.



nitrofish said:


> I'm really enjoying following along with your post. I'm very impressed with your work and even more with your patience. I can't wait to see it finished. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.


Thanks Nitro - I can't wait either, I'm starting to get pretty excited now & the foam helped my confidence a lot b/c there is basically zero flex on the deck now, where before foamed it flexed a little bit :cheers:


----------



## ROCKPORTFISHERMAN

Majekster, my F5 button is wearing out. When you gonna have some more for us? Need my fix man...........


----------



## Majekster

ROCKPORTFISHERMAN said:


> Majekster, my F5 button is wearing out. When you gonna have some more for us? Need my fix man...........


...I know...I need my fix too, I promise I'll have something this week. :biggrin:


----------



## GringoViejo

This has been a great thread to follow, keep up the good work.


----------



## Scoootr

Very cool post! Keep on keeping on! I have yak 18V. 1 of 7! you want another project???


----------



## Majekster

GringoViejo said:


> This has been a great thread to follow, keep up the good work.


Thanks GringoViejo - I appreciate your input - can't wait to finish er up. :work:



Scoootr said:


> Very cool post! Keep on keeping on! I have yak 18V. 1 of 7! you want another project???


Thanks Scoootr - I'm sure it would amuse my wife & friends on the thought of me picking up another project :slimer: however, I think I'm going to sit out a while after finishing up this Majek......._UNLESS_ I come across a good deal on a 21-foot RFL :rotfl:


----------



## rudy.s

More pics; PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:biggrin:


----------



## Pat Harkins

Do we have pics of the finished product yet? Awesome job BTW!


----------



## patwilson

Did you get your boat finished? Sho would like to see more pics.....:question:


----------



## TieOneOn

Looking good! Any new updates?


----------



## TX HOOKSETTER

TieOneOn said:


> Looking good! Any new updates?


X2!!!! LOOKING GOOD NONE THE LESS...


----------



## TOM WEBER

Where is the Finish? Neat project. TW


----------



## saltwatersensations

:ac550:


----------



## patwilson

What happend to the majekster? I would like to see the finished product....:cop:


----------



## jingvardsen

Yeah I'm ready to see it too!! Haven't seen Sylvans either. Majekster and Sylvan must be busy men


----------



## Majekster

*An update, Finally! haha*

I'm sorry guys/gals, I've been SUPER busy over the last couple months - IF i'd do less contemplation & more work, I'd be done with this boat by now. I'm sure most of you guys who have done fiberglass work are wondering what the heck is taking me so long :smile:

Well, we had our first child, a baby boy, about 4 weeks ago - he was a week late & obviously, we were "ready" for him about 2-3 weeks ahead of time, so - doing the math, I've been about 2 months behind on my project - but I do have to say, he's much more fun than fiberglassing :cheers:

I'm not sure where I left off - didn't browse through the posting before starting this one - and I'm on limited time as it is (at the moment).

I've foam filled the hull with 2lb foam and recently, I've filled/faired all the holes that foam was poured in & faired the perimeter of the entire deck/seam areas. I've completed the glass-reinforcement on the raised console platform & filled all the "voids" on the cut-edge of the nidacore.

....fyi, when you cut the nidacore, you can pinch the edges of it with your fingers, so it must be filled with either a resin or some type of filler.

I was able to spend about 4 hours on the boat yesterday - attached are some pictures... :work:


----------



## Majekster

*more pics*

pictures pictures pictures


----------



## Majekster

*pics*

mas picturas


----------



## TOM WEBER

Thanks! Very impressive. TW


----------



## GringoViejo

Congrats to your wife and you. Now get that boat finished so Majekster II can go fishing, can't start'em too young.

Saludos


----------



## yr_tiger

*Congrats*

I was wondering how things were going and and its great to hear you guys had your first!:bounce: Greatest day of your life and it only get better brother. BTW Nice progress but spend some time with the wife and baby they are 1 month old once!
Congrats!


----------



## Majekster

*Family*

Thanks for the kind words guys - yep, we're enjoying every moment - been waiting on these days for a long time (not fiberglassing every weekend - I'm talking about the kid, haha)


----------



## Majekster

*Trailer Updates*

Well, spent quite a bit more time on the trailer than I had planned - hanging the axle was no problem - after sanding/grinding down around the spindles on the old axle, I realized it was in pretty poor shape & definitely wouldn't want to venture too far from home with it, so I decided to get a new one - ended up getting a torsion axle from McClain Trailers in Houston for $330 after tax - it's so much nicer/less parts to rust, etc. & "independent" suspension.

My bulldog hitch on the front of my trailer took about 4 hours to get working again....the galvanizing really gunked it up good & I had to burn most of it off with a torch to get the parts moving freely again...all works fine now & pulls good.....holes are drilled for lights & bunk boards go on tomorrow/PVC for guide brackets too.

....maybe I'll be done sometime this year. :walkingsm


----------



## GringoViejo

Good job....I have a tandom axle you can re-furbish this winter if you bored.

Saludos


----------



## Majekster

*More sanding this morning.....*

First Layer of Glass IS going on this evening! Sanding is complete, just need to vacuum and wipe down with acetone... :cheers:


----------



## Majekster

GringoViejo said:


> Good job....I have a tandom axle you can re-furbish this winter if you bored.
> 
> Saludos


Thanks - and no thanks, hahaha :biggrin:


----------



## goodwood

awesome thread. great rebuild. super job.


----------



## Majekster

*Deck Glass*



goodwood said:


> awesome thread. great rebuild. super job.


Thanks Goodwood - I'm crossing my fingers on getting to the gelcoat stage this weekend. :bounce:

Well, I screwed up Sunday night with my first piece on the deck - I bit off more than I could chew and cut WAY to big of a piece for my know-how....ended up with a bubbly mess & it was not salvageable... 

I should have taken some pictures of the mess, to show other what NOT to do, but I forgot to do so.....(wasn't so eager to take pictures of mess ups, haha)......I had mixed a quart batch of resin and decided to evenly pour it across the entire width of the front deck, to try and trowel it out.....NO BUENO! Once the glass started soaking up the resin, I couldn't get it to trowel at all....I kept trying the same method and ended up mixing nearly a gallon of resin trying to wet out the glass.....ended up just making a mess.

....so, I ended up spending about 2 hours today grinding/sanding off my mess from Snday & now my arms & legs are itching& feeling the conesequences of sanding down fiberglass for multiple hours.

Went back to Johnson Fiberglass & Supply in Houston to pick up some more materials - ended up getting some good pointers from one of the salesmen there.....

I now am mixing up about 1/2 gallon of resin at a time and using a 2-inch paint roller with the cheapest slip-on roller brushes I could find. dunk it in the resin, roll it on the area you're about to put the glass on, lay the glass on, then roll it with the 2-inch roller & keep dunking until you've covered all the working area.


----------



## Majekster

*More Pics*

another layer of glass & more nose repair...:mpd:


----------



## Majekster

*NidaBond*

Hey guys/gals.....

I have over 3 gallons of NidaBond left from my 5-gallon bucket & don't want it to go to waste. (the bucket is over 1/2 full still)

If any of ya'll want it, PM me and I'll coordinate with you to come pick it up.

This stuff aint cheap & I'm giving it away.....FREE :texasflag


----------



## fishnstringer

*Majekster,*

you make me appreciate my hull (23' Explorer) more each time I visit this site. There is much more to fiber glassing then I imagined. I understand you are repairing, thus it's a different approach then molding a hull from scratch, but it's still much more labor intense then imagined.

Congratulations on the new fishing partner.:cheers:


----------



## Majekster

fishnstringer said:


> you make me appreciate my hull (23' Explorer) more each time I visit this site. There is much more to fiber glassing then I imagined. I understand you are repairing, thus it's a different approach then molding a hull from scratch, but it's still much more labor intense then imagined.
> 
> Congratulations on the new fishing partner.:cheers:


It is a lot of work, but I'm also working on it pretty slow, trying to document it well....I know it'll help someone out there & it makes the job more exciting, being able to talk about the work.

If you have two guys who really know what they're doing, you can fly through this stuff - I just can't seem to get more than 2-3 hours at a time to work on it & an occaissional 2-month down time :walkingsm

Thanks on the fishing partner - I'll have to get him a snoopy rod before too long :goldfish:


----------



## Majekster

*Trailer Bunk Boards*

Well, I decided to go with doubled up 2x6 boards instead of the singles that were on there & I'm using commercial grade hallway matting instead of the traditional indoor/outdoor carpet. It has a rubber/gel coat on the bottomside, instead of the stitched burlap material.....hopefully it wears good, we'll see :spineyes: Also, instead of staples, I used aluminum siding nails - we'll see how that goes too.

Used a router to go around all the corners & finished it off quickly with a high speed sander.... boards are liquid nailed together, along with ring shank galvanized nails....should last a while.


----------



## Foxtrot704

Looking good! I'll be by tomorrow to help lift the hull on the trailer. My Dad might come too.


----------



## Majekster

Foxtrot704 said:


> Looking good! I'll be by tomorrow to help lift the hull on the trailer. My Dad might come too.


Sweet, it should be pretty easy now, think we've got 8 guys to pick it up (hardest part is going to be the 12oz. curls why we wait for everyone to get here) :doowapsta


----------



## Foxtrot704

Majekster said:


> Sweet, it should be pretty easy now, think we've got 8 guys to pick it up (hardest part is going to be the 12oz. curls why we wait for everyone to get here) :doowapsta


Ive been working out a little so those 12oz curls should be no problem :cheers::dance:


----------



## Majekster

*Glassing the Deck*

98% of the deck is glassed now.....1st layer, that is. I'm only goint to do one more layer - that will be "three" layers total, one 17oz. "roving" layer that was factory laid on the NidaCore & two more biaxial mat layers.

I decided to fill all the motor mount holes on the inside of the boat with putty & reglass them for extra reinforcement.....at this point, it's not much more work & will aid the transom quite a bit.

Mixing the resin at just a little under 1% hardener renders about 25-30 minutes of working time & cures very well. I've noticed that the faster you get it "out" of the bucket and onto the glass, the more working time you have.....if you try to roll out the air bubbles as you go and "finish" each section, your bucket will end up generating a TON of heat and start gelling up quickly (10-15 minutes). So.....I've started emptying the bucket as quickly as possible, wetting as much as my mix allows, THEN start rolling out the bubbles/finishing it off.....this tends to yeild about 10 more minutes of work time & you'll keep from wasting resin.

Oh yeah, don't bite off more than you can chew...b/c if you screw up and don't completely wet out some glass/work the bubbles out, you'll spend three times as much effort, by having to sand it down & re-prep....TAKE YOUR TIME.....I started feeling more like a pro and trying to fly through it, then messed up & wasted another 3-4 hours sanding/cleaning/reworking my glass.

....btw, if you're going to make tight turns with your glass, i.e. going around the 1/2-inch plywood that's on the rear of my boat, you'll need to use woven cloth, NOT mat..... the mat is too difficult to bend at 180 degrees and you'll frustrate the heck outta yourself & waste material....Cloth is MUCH easier to wet out & work. :spineyes:


----------



## fishnstringer

*Majekster,*

after seeing your aluminum waste in the bunk board picture, I wondered how many Bud Lites this project might have consumed upon completion?:biggrin:


----------



## Majekster

fishnstringer said:


> after seeing your aluminum waste in the bunk board picture, I wondered how many Bud Lites this project might have consumed upon completion?:biggrin:


Bud Light = zero.......consumed enough Gold Tops to buy an Illusion :dance:


----------



## Majekster

*update*

Finally have all the glass on the deck now, and I'm pretty happy with the finish product......here are some pictures.

I'm just waiting on a call from Majek, so I can go pick up a console & glass is onto the raised console platform.

The 5"x5" wood pieces are for the gas tank mounts....I really didn't want to drill into the main deck - figured the wood would hold a screw a lot better as well.

.....sanding & gelcoating this week. Rigging sometime this century???!! :walkingsm


----------



## Majekster

*more pics*

Pics!


----------



## GringoViejo

Looking good, you should soon be chasing red fish.

Suerte


----------



## Majekster

*Chasing Reds*



GringoViejo said:


> Looking good, you should soon be chasing red fish.
> 
> Suerte


:doowapsta I can't wait for that day!


----------



## Majekster

*A Trip to Majek!*

Well, I FINALLY was able to make it down to Corpus and check out the Majek factory - man, was I in hog heaven. Picked up a new console, windshield, bump rail, grab bar, drain ferules & stickers.....

I can't speak highly enough about Jimmy Majek and the generous courtesy he has given me during this rebuild. I would have probably sold the boat a long time ago if it wasn't for his help and patience with my nonstop questions.

It's pretty rare these days to get the level of response and assistance from a company at the level that Jimmy has offered. This is a boat they built over 15 years ago and for someone at the company to take the time to help me - let alone one of the owners of the company - is pretty much unheard of.

I originally bought this boat purely on hull design and the sleek looks of the Redfish Line. Now, after meeting Jimmy in person, taking a look a their plant and the kindness they've offered - I'm sold on Majek indefinitely.

Here's some pics from today....man that water is nice in Corpus :texasflag


----------



## hookemkev

you must have come down on a "calm" day when it was only blowing 20...lol...i've enjoyed following your build. can't wait to see the finished product!!


----------



## jingvardsen

Sure is looking good. How is the new Daddy life treating you?


----------



## Majekster

*Good News & Bad News*

Well, good news and bad news.....I know a lot of ya'll wanted to see it with the raised console, but it ain't happening sad3sm I began "pre-rigging" it to see how it was all going to "flow" trying to walk around the boat, looks, resale-ability (not happening too soon - I'm going to have to enjoy this boat for at least a couple years to "get my money outta it")

The console platform is just way too much for this 18-footer.....I bought the "extended grab rail" a.k.a. burn bar.....but since "burning" shorelines has received so much negativity here lately, the new term from the factory is extended grab rail.....not that it means much, just an eye opener. With the raised console platform, redfish console & the burn bar, it just looked way too goofy.....kinda like a single cab toyota on 44's....just outta place - hope none of you have a single cab yota on 44's :fish:

Eventhough I mainly do wadefishing & rarely fish outta the boat, there is just way more room on _this_ boat without this platform.....the 21-footer would be much better with this platform, being almost 9-inches wider on floor space, so I guess I'll finish glassing it & store it in the shop with the rest of my chit & wait until i get an Illusion or 21 RFL....

So, the decision is made & the good news is, it's currently @ Transport, getting the gelcoat sprayed :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: The new console has been glassed in & supposed to be ready in a little over a week. Donnie Tran seemed to be a pretty nice guy & they have a heck of an outfit there in Palacios.....

So, looks as if I'm gonig to have some new pics here pretty soon & will be working on the motor in the meanwhile, to make sure she's ready for the agua!



hookemkev said:


> you must have come down on a "calm" day when it was only blowing 20...lol...i've enjoyed following your build. can't wait to see the finished product!!


yeah, it calmed down towards the last beach pics I took, b/c there was a HUGE storm rolling through & the wind just died down - don't let the pics fool you, it was white capping pretty good, a couple hours before those pics.....I can't wait either - it'll be nice to get it finished up.



jingvardsen said:


> Sure is looking good. How is the new Daddy life treating you?


Daddyhood is great (other than the lack of sleep, haha).....he's developing such a personality - it's quite amusing :walkingsm


----------



## Texas Skiff

Thanks for the update. I have really enjoyed watching your progress, can't wait to see the final product. Keep up the good work! Congrats on the little one. They are truly a joy to watch grow up.
TS


----------



## jdsuperbee

Texas Skiff said:


> Thanks for the update. I have really enjoyed watching your progress, can't wait to see the final product. Keep up the good work! Congrats on the little one. They are truly a joy to watch grow up.
> TS


Yeah, it really is. However when you've watched them for their first 18 years, it's wonderful to watch them grow up enough to LEAVE for college







In January, he'll leave for school one last time, then it'll be time for him to leave for his "adult" life. Sad to say, but that might actually be kind of hard (but not enough to let him stay livin' at home), then maybe his room and guest bath will be able to stay clean and smelling good!


----------



## o.b.

"I originally bought this boat purely on hull design and the sleek looks of the Redfish Line. Now, after meeting Jimmy in person, taking a look a their plant and the kindness they've offered - I'm sold on Majek indefinitely."

[/QUOTE]

My first boat was a majek and I went to the shop to ask a couple of questions about my boat. It was cool that Jimmy took time to talk to me and answered all my dumb questions. They are really good in the customer service department. I wish I still had my majek.


----------



## EvansMarine

*Proposed lay out pretty close.*

Kinda Like this one? This will be up for sale in the next month or so! Let me know if you know anyone in the market. 
Thanks
Bryan


----------



## Majekster

jdsuperbee said:


> Yeah, it really is. However when you've watched them for their first 18 years, it's wonderful to watch them grow up enough to LEAVE for college
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In January, he'll leave for school one last time, then it'll be time for him to leave for his "adult" life. Sad to say, but that might actually be kind of hard (but not enough to let him stay livin' at home), then maybe his room and guest bath will be able to stay clean and smelling good!


haha....yeah, once they're oughta high school, go to college or hasta luego :work:



EvansMarine said:


> Kinda Like this one? This will be up for sale in the next month or so! Let me know if you know anyone in the market.
> Thanks
> Bryan


I'm in the Market, hahaha (my wife may not agree) :cop::cop::cop:


----------



## Shallow Sport68

Need more pictures please.:spineyes:


----------



## Majekster

*Ahhhhhhhhhhhh*

Got my boat back from getting the gelcoat sprayed! .....the end is near!

I rebuilt the carbs last night, **** those rebuild kits are high @ $98/each.....should have ordered them online @ $74/ea. The engine needs a little clean-up, ordered some new decals for the upper cowling & a couple gaskets here & there.

installed the rub rail - btw, you definitely need a heat gun to make the bends around the bow.....tried to do w/o one and it wasn't happening.

been cutting holes in the boat, installed the speakers, about to do the radio & gas tank.....end is near  :doowapsta


----------



## EvansMarine

very nice!!!


----------



## Majekster

Thanks! Will post more pics this weekend, after some electrical work


----------



## huntnetime

Lookin' very very good...I'm impressed. Rods in that rod holder on the transom will clear the motor cowling? Just kinda caught my eye.


----------



## EvansMarine

Looks Great, and your quick too!!!


----------



## texedd

great job, Looks fantastic!!


----------



## Majekster

huntnetime said:


> Lookin' very very good...I'm impressed. Rods in that rod holder on the transom will clear the motor cowling? Just kinda caught my eye.


I wish they would....no, I just snapped a photo & didn't realize my buddy sat it there......may mount it up front, not sure yet.



EvansMarine said:


> Looks Great, and your quick too!!!


Quick, hahaahaa....I started this thing in '07 :spineyes: ....thanks for the comments though! Rigging is the fun part, get to actually put it together & see progress daily, instead of just glassing over n over.



texedd said:


> great job, Looks fantastic!!


Thanks! Sure would have looked good with the raised console platform.....saving it for a 21-footer in the 'near' future


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## southbay

Yes, Jimmy and Johnny are great folks, but unfortunately, like so many boat builders, they use that 2-part foam for flotation and it clogs up any hull drains the boat might have. That darn foam, if ever the skin is breached (sanded, cut or a screw hits it) is then a sponge. It'll soak up water and won't release it. Soaks up fuel too, so if you install a fuel tank below deck, make sure that you have an access hatch to replace/repair it, or one day your boat will be a floating bomb!
Also, Nidacore is okay (better when used in an airplane), Penske Extreme is much better.
Good luck with your project!
South Bay


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## Majekster

southbay said:


> Yes, Jimmy and Johnny are great folks, but unfortunately, like so many boat builders, they use that 2-part foam for flotation and it clogs up any hull drains the boat might have. That darn foam, if ever the skin is breached (sanded, cut or a screw hits it) is then a sponge. It'll soak up water and won't release it. Soaks up fuel too, so if you install a fuel tank below deck, make sure that you have an access hatch to replace/repair it, or one day your boat will be a floating bomb!
> Also, Nidacore is okay (better when used in an airplane), Penske Extreme is much better.
> Good luck with your project!
> South Bay


well, I wouldn't quite say "like a sponge" but definitely left unattended and exposed to water, it will make its way between the "closed cells". Not sure if you know your Redfish line too well, but there are NO hull drains inside of the deck....front boxes bail to deck, deck bails out side, pontoon boxes bail out rear, the entire "deck" area is sealed..... extremely strong design & proven by many owners who abuse them daily - take railbird for example. I prefer the foam filled style of the redfish, mainly b/c it's very strong, has less acoustic noise than a non-foam filled boat, and "unsinkable"....lets hope we never have to experience the latter. Ideally, you would not penetrate the deck and allow water to enter the hull, and the previous owner of my rig could have easily prevented this.

There are a couple other boats that come to mind, that you can feel the deck flex when walking between the two main stringers. I've yet to walk on one of them that doesn't flex & I've seen many that are only 8 years old needing their deck repaired or replaced in front of the console.... (not mentioning names, b/c I still believe they are good rigs, just lacking reinforcement in a couple key areas...&...a little overpriced, but that's another story)


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## Hott Corky

Man, that is awesome work! Glad there are people who do stuff like this so the youngens could learn! Which was the best epoxy or resin out of the three?!?! Where did you get the roll of fiberglass? Some of these questions might me a joke but it solves a wondering mind!

:bounce: Thanks!


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## Majekster

Hott Corky said:


> Man, that is awesome work! Glad there are people who do stuff like this so the youngens could learn! Which was the best epoxy or resin out of the three?!?! Where did you get the roll of fiberglass? Some of these questions might me a joke but it solves a wondering mind!
> 
> :bounce: Thanks!


I'd go with the polyester resin for repairs......easy to use & much cheaper. Epoxy is great, but much more expensive 4x more +/- and it's much more prone to cracking b/c it's stiffer/more brittle.

In houston, fiberglass supplies are available from Johnson Fiberglass, in south houston.....they stock almost everything & are very helpful.


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## Majekster

*Update*

Well, doesn't look like much, but there's been quite a bit of work going on. I've mounted some LED lights under the "lip" in front of the transom, looks pretty nice at night....I'll take some pics after I have them wired up completely. Been soldering & shrink wrapping some wire connections - tinned the wire from the trolling motor & lubed it up with some DOW electrical grease.

Picked up a nice Sony stereo @ the outlet mall in San Marcos for $65.....:dance: just flush mounted it - looks pretty good IMO (we'll see how long she lasts in the sun).

Steering just came in yesterday, pulled the cable through & still deciding where I'm going to mount it - either on the angled surface, or on the 'face' of the console....going to try setting up both to see which I prefer.

Jack Plate is finally mounted - after finding the right sized bolts.....I originally bought a "jack plate bolt kit".....didn't realize it was $38 till I got home.....$38 for four bolts, 8 washers and 4 nuts???? **** West Marine even beats that one, buying all hardened stainless bolts from their nut & bolt section only came out to $13.50....so I took the "jack plate bolt kit" back to Finish Line.

Burn bar is permanently mounted now, running lights, windshield, jackplate, trolling motor, rubrail, gas tank, fill hose, vent hose, fuse panel.....mounting the trolling battery & onboard charger today, along with steering wheel & more electrical work.....have to route the power for all the LED lights....that'll be a task, doing it nicely with solder and shrink wrap.

BTW....picked up an Optima Yellow top @ Eagle Battery in Alvin for $65.....they are a reseller and give a 6-month warranty on them.....they have quite a few batteries there.


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## fishnstringer

*Majekster,*

you do impressive work! One thing I should have commented on much earlier is when you are using stainless bolts with nuts you should put a lubricant on it, (ex. plumber's silicon grease) so it does not seize if you ever have to take it apart. SS will heat up and seize, either going on or coming off, especially if turned too quickly.
Keep up the good work!:cheers:


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## Majekster

fishnstringer said:


> you do impressive work! One thing I should have commented on much earlier is when you are using stainless bolts with nuts you should put a lubricant on it, (ex. plumber's silicon grease) so it does not seize if you ever have to take it apart. SS will heat up and seize, either going on or coming off, especially if turned too quickly.
> Keep up the good work!:cheers:


Thanks! & Good point - I use Thread-eze (silver stuff) it works GREAT.....lets hope I don't have to take it off b/c I squeezed plenty of 3M marine caulk around the bolts, both inside & out prior to mounting the jackplate & it will be a mess trying to take the jackplate off........it shouldn't have to come off for another 10 years or so, haha (knock on wood) :biggrin:


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## Majekster

*Finally*

Well, I launched the boat prematurely b/c of a fishing trip we planned quite a few months ago.....the boat is operable, just not rigged out completely the way I want it. (I'm getting there though) :cheers:

Motor ran awesome - didn't have any issues at all & it was what I was worried about the most, being that it has been sitting for almost 3 years now.

I was pretty impressed with the draft of the boat since the NidaCore was used. It definitely sits up much higher than it did before and it's very stable.


Things I lack are 'permanently' mounting the oil tank and gas tank
Swapping out my poling platform for a front casting deck
rigging up the LED lights
installing some engine "wedges" to get a better trim angle for hole shot
fixing the drain holes, so they drain better (they are a little high & need to be dropped down & to the next size drain tube).
prepping and painting the sides with interlux topside, to cover up the old drain holes well & give it that newer custom look with the two tone.
install an electrical switch panel in place of the temporary push/pull switches
install the new stickers on the engine
finish up the trailer w/winch/fender well guards, jack
get a cooler and put rod holders on it (yes Danny, like yours, hehe) :rotfl:
These pics are from Port O'Connor this weekend.......notice how there are no fish pics, hehe....only caught rat reds & a couple small trout which were released.

Water & weather were beautiful, along with the gold tops :dance:


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## patwilson

Very NICE!!!



Majekster said:


> Well, I launched the boat prematurely b/c of a fishing trip we planned quite a few months ago.....the boat is operable, just not rigged out completely the way I want it. (I'm getting there though) :cheers:
> 
> Motor ran awesome - didn't have any issues at all & it was what I was worried about the most, being that it has been sitting for almost 3 years now.
> 
> I was pretty impressed with the draft of the boat since the NidaCore was used. It definitely sits up much higher than it did before and it's very stable.
> 
> 
> Things I lack are 'permanently' mounting the oil tank and gas tank
> Swapping out my poling platform for a front casting deck
> rigging up the LED lights
> installing some engine "wedges" to get a better trim angle for hole shot
> fixing the drain holes, so they drain better (they are a little high & need to be dropped down & to the next size drain tube).
> prepping and painting the sides with interlux topside, to cover up the old drain holes well & give it that newer custom look with the two tone.
> install an electrical switch panel in place of the temporary push/pull switches
> install the new stickers on the engine
> finish up the trailer w/winch/fender well guards, jack
> get a cooler and put rod holders on it (yes Danny, like yours, hehe) :rotfl:
> These pics are from Port O'Connor this weekend.......notice how there are no fish pics, hehe....only caught rat reds & a couple small trout which were released.
> 
> Water & weather were beautiful, along with the gold tops :dance:


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## SouthCoastMudder

Great looking boat!


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## YAKNTX

Very impressive work that you did on this re-build. What do you think you have invested in it currently, besides a lot of sweat.


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## milagro

*Awesome!*

That's absolutely incredible seeing it on the water! I must commend you on such a fine job. That takes alot of patience and a host of other factors to produce a fine boat. Enjoy! :brew::brew::brew:


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## tailchaser22

That is some great work! Enjoy the fruits of your labor.


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## Blue02

Awesome job, the boat looks brand new!


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## codeman

*Awesome!*

Your boat turned out great! Awesome work.


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## Majekster

*Thanks Guys*

Thanks for the comments fellas, I appreciate them. The itching has almost gone away (from fiberglassing 24/7) :goldfish:

yakntx - I've got $11,600 in it currently (including the original purchase price)......bunch of new stuff - everything except the engine and the skin of the hull.....re-used a couple of bolts for my motor too :work:


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## ReelWork

Majekster, I went back and read from the beginning and I can only imagine the smile no your face! You have the satisfaction of wading away from that boat, looking back at her and just smile as you think "yeah, I did that... " 

Very nice work and it really, really looks fantastic... Only $11k too, that boat is probably worth twice that now, if not more.


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## trashcanslam

Majekster said:


> Well, I launched the boat prematurely b/c of a fishing trip we planned quite a few months ago.....the boat is operable, just not rigged out completely the way I want it. (I'm getting there though) :cheers:


Haha, I hear you on that one. When I rebuilt my Whaler I was in such a haste to get it operable for a fishing trip that had been planned for some time that I rigged the hydralic steering hoses backwards. It made for a very interesting realization as I was driving down the intercoastal dodging tankers... in the dark.


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## YAKNTX

Majekster said:


> Thanks for the comments fellas, I appreciate them. The itching has almost gone away (from fiberglassing 24/7) :goldfish:
> 
> yakntx - I've got $11,600 in it currently (including the original purchase price)......bunch of new stuff - everything except the engine and the skin of the hull.....re-used a couple of bolts for my motor too :work:


Thanks, you did a great job on it.


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## Haute Pursuit

You have done an awesome job on that boat. Almost time to get out and get it slimed and scuffed up now.


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## GringoViejo

The boat has turned out great. Now we need some pictures of Majekster II navigating.

Cheers


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## Majekster

GringoViejo said:


> The boat has turned out great. Now we need some pictures of Majekster II navigating.
> 
> Cheers


thanks....may be a couple months before he can hold his head up on this rig  he'll be bouncing like this dolphin --> :an6:


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## Gulfcoast13

The boat looks good, but can hardly see it cause your fat butt is in the way!!!

Ha!! Good job brotha...
See ya soon, How's the kiddo?


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## jrb007

congrats !!! this was the most interesting form I have stumbled across !!! esp. growing up fishing on one :doowapsta


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## Cool Hand

Lol what?.....check the date.


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## beenfishingyet

great read, great work. We should all be so dedicated to the art of boating!


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## craftkr

*Very Nice*

Enjoyed reading all of this and seeing your progress, great job on the boat and now I have a better understanding of how mine is put together. Would love to see it finished rigged out, looks awesome!


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## Majekster

craftkr said:


> Enjoyed reading all of this and seeing your progress, great job on the boat and now I have a better understanding of how mine is put together. Would love to see it finished rigged out, looks awesome!


Thanks...I'll get some pics on here this weekend. Putting her up for sale soon, getting a bigger boat :mpd:


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## TOM WEBER

Majekster said:


> Thanks...I'll get some pics on here this weekend. Putting her up for sale soon, getting a bigger boat :mpd:


 YOU'VE GOT IT!!! Bigger is always better.


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## Majekster

*Final Pics*

Here's some pics from this morning...made some videos too - will post link soon.


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## Majekster

*speed*

figured i'd post a pic of speed...it'll do 40mph (top speed)... tried multiple props on the boat, but always seem to stick with the 17p - HEAVY cupped THREE blade that was worked over by baumann, with only about 3-4 hours of run time on it since they beefed up the cup.


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## Majekster

*Videos...*

Console Driving





Holeshot/Takeoff





Takeoff - another angle





Slow Holeshot/Good Plane





Driveby


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## Fishdog

*Suhweeeeet*

Man, I'm in awe of your skill and commitment to a project. I must say that earlier in the thread I cringed when I saw you planned a raised console. You would probably have regretted that as the higher center of gravity adversely affects steering dynamics - specifically: rolling or leaning to the outside of turns. You did real good with your final setup, though. One other note regarding your trolling motor. You will want to locate the motor to a cushioned rest on the rear deck when you are running in chop. The vibration, especially in the shorter RFL, will eventually (if not sooner) trash the motor head and electronics. I know from experience - having run the larger RFL in 2 iterations the last 18 years. What the RFL will do in the right hands is nothing short of freekin' incredible. If you've never ridden on the 21' get in touch with me when you're in POC.


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