Project 23 Regulator

[billfishnfool]

More pics

[billfishnfool]

The following pic shows a cutaway section of the in deck livewell(left) and the lazarette at right.I was very surprised to see WOOD bracing between the well and lazarette.


This pic is the top of the same area where the well meets the decking.

[Chris996]

First let me say , that before i bought my boat I called Regulator and with the hull number spoke to them at length about her. I was told there was no wood in her. Could I have misunderstood , and mistakenly been told " no wood in the hull " ? - Possibly as I had many questions and was on the phone for quite awhile.

Obviously there is a balsa core in the deck and gunnels.

Bill , looks like you forced my hand to comment on this.

I also was very surprised to see the wood as support ( I actually thought Jay had layed it in there to keep shape ).

Although I love my boat ,and am certainly not an expert on boat building , I will not give regulator a pass on this just because of their name.

I am having problems loading some shots Jay sent me of rotted balsa core when he cut open the deck.

I question why a product like Penske board isnt used as a core in the deck and console. They certainly arent inexpensive boats , and I cant see it being that much more for a different core. Could it be weight ? Again , I dont know.

[billfishnfool]

Chris,I believe most members on this site know about the balsa coring in the deck from past posts on other sites(THT/BB).Bear had issues with his 26 deck coring at one time.At the plant tour last year the materials used now have totally changed from balsa.They(REGULATOR)told us and showed samples of DIVINYCELL along with other coring materials used in the boats construction.Balsa has been around for years and was used in quite a few "million"dollar yachts as well.The problems arise when water finds it's way into the coring turning it to a mud/sponge material.I know my 2003 26'FS has balsa coring in the T top.I found that while installing a backup GPS antenna in the top.My gunnels had balsa that I could see from installing additional rod holders in the bow,midship,and stern.The hulls are free of balsa which most owners here will attest to after numerous "ducer"installs posted here.Anyway extra care must be taken to seal up any paths that water can get into the deck,gunnel, or Ttop coring.Use a good sealant and enjoy these great fishing machines.

[aj bruno]

Chris, welcome to the board! I am glad to see you hear posting your project. Looking good my friend. What did you ever end up doing when you popped that 150 hpdi? Two things that Regulator has improved on in more recent model years is bildge access and scupper size. I am really excited to see how the bildge work turns out. How far forward from the cutout area is the fuel tank? Can you post some pictures?

[aj bruno]

Originally Posted by billfishnfool

Chris,I believe most members on this site know about the balsa coring in the deck from past posts on other sites(THT/BB).Bear had issues with his 26 deck coring at one time.At the plant tour last year the materials used now have totally changed from balsa.They(REGULATOR)told us and showed samples of DIVINYCELL along with other coring materials used in the boats construction.Balsa has been around for years and was used in quite a few "million"dollar yachts as well.The problems arise when water finds it's way into the coring turning it to a mud/sponge material.I know my 2003 26'FS has balsa coring in the T top.I found that while installing a backup GPS antenna in the top.My gunnels had no balsa that I could see from installing additional rod holders in the bow,midship,and stern.The hulls also are free of balsa which most owners here will attest to after numerous "ducer"installs posted here.Anyway extra care must be taken to seal up any paths that water can get into the deck or Ttop coring.Use a good sealant and enjoy these great fishing machines.

From adding updates to my 23ft 1999 Reg I found that the entire console is completely cored. Also the gunnels on mine are also balsa. This is not an issue in itself. Just as Bill has said, you need to seal it up right so no water gets in. Whenever I have drilled through the balsa I have used west marine epoxy to seal the wood, then 5200 to seal the hole. no issues so far

[billfishnfool]

AJ,I edited my post(gunnels did have balsa coring)

[Chris996]

Originally Posted by aj bruno

Chris, welcome to the board! I am glad to see you hear posting your project. Looking good my friend. What did you ever end up doing when you popped that 150 hpdi? Two things that Regulator has improved on in more recent model years is bildge access and scupper size. I am really excited to see how the bildge work turns out. How far forward from the cutout area is the fuel tank? Can you post some pictures?

AJ ,

Thanks for having me.

As for my HPDI , I had a new powerhead installed when she let go. In retrospect , I should have just bought a new one as there was still some around. The price for the new one plus installation was only about $2K less and would have given me a spare for parts.

As you know the bilge access is challenging to say the least on our generation 23s. I couldnt see any way to access a fuel filter on the water , or anything else in the bilge for that matter. The new cutout will be even with the old cutout for the live well. It will be a bit larger then the newer 23s opening with the extra fuel our boats carry. Pictures to follow when I get her back !

Bill,

As Jay may have told you , there were no signs of rot in the floor. No spider cracks or soft spots. Most fasteners were not sealed , or had little sealant. Over the years these will all be suspect to letting water in. Of corse delamination is possible with any laminate , however I think a different core would keep structural integrity in tact.

[hudiefloats]

Gentlemen, as the other half of this project (the guy with OCD), I'd just like to chime in and say hello..

[billfishnfool]

HELLO HUDIE and WELCOME Do I recognized your name from THT or the BB?