OUTLAW EAGLE MANUFACTURING

[bushwalker]

Can you guys give me your opinions on which way you like to have UHMW fastened to the bottom of the boat. Bolted on or weld washers(plug washers). I am putting UHMW on the bottom of my boat this winter. Thanks in advance for your input.

[thundercat]

Why would you drill 2,000 holes in a perfectly good boat?

[hardhitter]

Most boats use bolts and rubber backed washers, and when done properly, leak very little. My boat has the plastic on the bottom and I would not have another boat without it. In my mind the advantages far outweigh the drawback of drilling holes in your hull.

[bushwalker]

does anybody know of any drawbacks of the weld washer fasteners?

[Arthur]

If they do break or you smack something, they are a bitch to repair compared to just bolts....so I've heard.

[Canadian Turbine]

I did some research on the same matter a few months ago and heard a few horror storys of "plug-welds".... heard Nothing negative from anyone who bolted their UHMW.

[Rock Doctor]

I put new UHMW on my boat last winter, it's not a bad project. I removed the old UHMW which was only 1/4". That's too thin and does "Spider Web Crack" easily over time. I went with 3/8", same as my last boat, works great. I have tested the 3/8 pretty hard on the Tuchodi, Gatho, ect.
Sounds like you are installing it for the first time on your boat? Lucky, you don't have to deal with welding all the old holes closed first.
I've never had any major problems with leaky bolts.

Couple suggestions
Beg, borrow, steal at least 4 drills for the job. one for the drill bit, one for the Countersink bit, one for a Tap, and one for the hex driver.
Do it in a well heated shop. Sucks to work in the heat, but I think it turns out a better finished product in the end.
Take the time to measure twice. It sucks when you drill into a floor brace.
Cut your pieces a little oversized, and trim it after. Running a Router around the bottom of the boat leaves a nice finish.
If you have any dents, pound them out before you put the new plastic on, and then check your welds to see if any cracked while beating the dents out.


RD

[riverman]

Rock Doctor , how long /wide /sportjet is your boat , any thoughts on 1/2" vs 3/8" plastic , weight / strength ? My boat is 17 X 6 ft , w/175 sportjet I have 1/2" plastic on it , works very well but I suspect 3/8" would be quite adequate. I like to boat the upper Wapiti , Kakwa , Narraway so pretty boney sometimes.

[Rock Doctor]

17'4" long and 6' wide with a 175 SJ in it. Built by Doug Shuman.
11 stringers and a 1/4" bottom.

My personal opinion is that 3/8" is enough.

I'm not going to get into any arguments on who beats their boat over more rocks , but I will say that I do hit them on a fairly regular basis. I got my user name given to me for that very reason.

Here is a look at the Gatho in medium water conditions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HCjxWHp_fc

Of course, this is just my opinion
RD

[Rollo]

Here is a picture of UHMW on the keel of my Eagle Sabre. The plastic slowed it down, but it slides better over the rocks. I used 5/16" steel countersunk allen bolts, with nylock nuts in the inside. A dab of silicone on each bolt, and threaded the holes in the hull. Blue locktight on the bolts also, so the nuts didn't loosen the bolts when installed. I was told to stay away from stainless bolts due to work hardening issues, and breakage over time. My $0.02 worth:)

[riverman]

Bushwalker , in reply to your original post : my uhmw is bolted on and has stood up very well , I have had very little problems with leaking bolt holes even after some nasty hits . I have had it bolted on 3 boats over 20 years and had very few problems and when there was a leak or broken bolt it is a simple fix you can replace the bolt easily , my $.02

[Itsworthit]

Bolt it on, no other good options if you are going to use it like you need it, min 3/8, I put 1/2" on mine and an extra 1/2" down the center 2'wide, even 3/8 will deform after numerous hits and will bubble causing cavitation, I had washers on one boat I built, they will fall off over time

[bushwalker]

Thanks alot for all the info guys, I am going to bolt it on. Now all the work begins.

[RED ROOSTER]

Does anyone ever use hardened steel like T-1 or bisalloy for boats ?
I saw it done on commercial riverboats in New Zealand a few years back..

[On-Track]

Yes it's done here on recreation boats called QT (quenched tempered) steel. It works well with a considerable weight savings compared to a full UHMW bottom.