Nosecone test
11-06-2011, 09:44 AM
#11
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Flying tomato how is the automotive bondo holding up? I need to sand my bob's nosecone and fill it up again as one of my outboard lowers has chunks of it coming off. I was told not to use automotive bondo, is yours holding up so far in the water. Has anyone else use automotive bondo over a long period of time and how has it worked?
11-06-2011, 10:20 AM
#12
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11-06-2011, 11:37 AM
#13
Registered
The trick is.....
That way you are only skim coating w/putty.
I've done probably a dozen or so cones that way w/no issues.
Two were on 100+ mph boats for extended periods w/zero issues including the one bellow which spent most of it's life in the salt of the Gulf of Mexico.
As I was just explaining to 272driver on the phone, a trick to installing or re-doing one is to make a template of the contour of the side of the housing on a finished unit. Use thin plywood like door skin or a piece of plastic. Form it to fit from the aft section of the torpedo to the tip of the nose cone. Fill the gap with epoxy and use your template as a trowel and pull it up and down to get your form/contour as close as you can. Even if the epoxy weeps/runs you can grind it out and then only need a skin coat of bondo.
And yes almost all of mine were filled w/bondo. I've used the good stuff and had as much bad luck w/it.
Typically those problems come from filling too much of a gap w/bondo instead of epoxy or you're not squeezing it into the void enough to make 100% contact and force out the air pockets. Ideally it would all be epoxy and no bondo but it's a ***** to sand.
11-06-2011, 02:27 PM
#14
Registered
to fill as much of the void between cone and housing w/a good 2 part epoxy. Epoxy has strength and putty does not.
That way you are only skim coating w/putty.
I've done probably a dozen or so cones that way w/no issues.
Two were on 100+ mph boats for extended periods w/zero issues including the one bellow which spent most of it's life in the salt of the Gulf of Mexico.
As I was just explaining to 272driver on the phone, a trick to installing or re-doing one is to make a template of the contour of the side of the housing on a finished unit. Use thin plywood like door skin or a piece of plastic. Form it to fit from the aft section of the torpedo to the tip of the nose cone. Fill the gap with epoxy and use your template as a trowel and pull it up and down to get your form/contour as close as you can. Even if the epoxy weeps/runs you can grind it out and then only need a skin coat of bondo.
And yes almost all of mine were filled w/bondo. I've used the good stuff and had as much bad luck w/it.
Typically those problems come from filling too much of a gap w/bondo instead of epoxy or you're not squeezing it into the void enough to make 100% contact and force out the air pockets. Ideally it would all be epoxy and no bondo but it's a ***** to sand.
That way you are only skim coating w/putty.
I've done probably a dozen or so cones that way w/no issues.
Two were on 100+ mph boats for extended periods w/zero issues including the one bellow which spent most of it's life in the salt of the Gulf of Mexico.
As I was just explaining to 272driver on the phone, a trick to installing or re-doing one is to make a template of the contour of the side of the housing on a finished unit. Use thin plywood like door skin or a piece of plastic. Form it to fit from the aft section of the torpedo to the tip of the nose cone. Fill the gap with epoxy and use your template as a trowel and pull it up and down to get your form/contour as close as you can. Even if the epoxy weeps/runs you can grind it out and then only need a skin coat of bondo.
And yes almost all of mine were filled w/bondo. I've used the good stuff and had as much bad luck w/it.
Typically those problems come from filling too much of a gap w/bondo instead of epoxy or you're not squeezing it into the void enough to make 100% contact and force out the air pockets. Ideally it would all be epoxy and no bondo but it's a ***** to sand.
11-06-2011, 07:46 PM
#16
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Notched transome stock Bravo 1's. Went from carb 500 hp to 585 hp. Ran 81 with 500 HPs at 5250 at 10% slip (B1 28 Pitch props). Ran 86 with 585 hp at 5500 rppm with 30 pitch B1 labbed or stock. Slip went from 10 to 16%. Nose cones brought slip back down to 10 and only lost 50 rpm and speed went to 91. Now the labbed props are faster than the stock props as they should be. Amazing difference in performance. Went to run the boat after installing the cones looked down and was passing through 89.
I think the benefit of cones is highly dependent on the application, hull, speed etc.
I think the benefit of cones is highly dependent on the application, hull, speed etc.
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11-06-2011, 08:26 PM
#17
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I used a massive amount of JB weld to install it and to get the overall shape and then Fiberglass bondo (stuff with the little hairs in it) and then the regular bondo to finish it off smooth.
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