TOPIC: mfg boats

i just purchased a 1981 open bow mfg and was wonreing if any one knows where i can find info on these boats it looks like someone has redone the flooring at one time and i am going to redo it again i am seeing what looks to be like spray foam along the edges of floor and wondering if this is normal or something someone done to cover up something

welcome eastie,you might be able to find info in the "glassic library"at the top of the page,just click on it then find mfg and click on it,as for the rest, pictures always help,john

I don't know if Kelly has posted the MFG brochures again yet but we are hoping that she does.
As for the floor - yes, stringers were made of plywood, and foam was sprayed into the cavities. Of course, when any part of the floor leaks, the water pools in the foam and eventually rots the floor. But the plywood stringers are also very susceptible to rot - when the floor goes, 90% of the time the stringers are bad too.
So template the floor using posterboard BEFORE you cut the floor out so you will have the correct width, as the boat will sag with the floor removed on the trsiler. If the stringers are rotten, I just remove everything. the boat hull is mostly chopper gun, so I recommend adding a layer or two of roving/mat before you start the rebuild for strength. Then, you may want to consider something else for the stringers - if you can make glass supports that would be much better - nothing to rot. Another way is to make foam forms, wrap them in glass and then quickly saturate them before putting in the floor ( I bet you wondered how whaler did it) then use expanding foam through small holes after the floor has been glassed in. doing it that way, the hull will last forever. If we use wood, we use treated wood then drill hundreds, even thousands of small holes and saturate in penetrating epoxy for a forever floor.
Skin the transom, get rid of all of the wood then use seacast or make your own. To make your own use dynahair bondo fiberglass (short - don't even consider the long hair - it is impossible to work)to fill the transom. Consider microballoons to make the thick gel easier to work with. This method is more work, but then there will be nothing to rot ever.
Hope that helps.