Model Introduction
The Sea-Doo Sportster 4-TEC is a speedy 15-ft runabout with a propulsion package that offers excellent maneuverability and an added measure of swimmer safety that can’t be matched by any propeller-driven boat. The Sportster 4-TEC is rated to carry 4 passengers or 715 lbs. total passengers and gear. Construction
After the gelcoat is applied to the mold, the builder uses a premium vinylester resin to wet out the first layer of fiberglass chop in the hull, providing excellent resistance to osmotic blistering. A core of end-grain balsa follows for added stiffness at moderate weight, then a second layer of chop and wet out with general purpose orthophthalic resin is applied on top of the balsa to complete the hull’s structural sandwich. Fiberglass-woven roving reinforcements are used along the spray strakes in the hull bottom. Usually reinforcements are used throughout the hull laminate, but BRP, the manufacturer, reports having no trouble with this method. A pair of foam stringers follows, bonded to the hull and then encapsulated in more chop. The cockpit deck liner is similarly constructed, but with a foam core in the deck for stiffness, and this structure is bonded to hull stingers. The transom is solid fiberglass, about 1/2 in. thick.
The hull-to-deck joint is bonded with Sikaflex, a death-grip adhesive stronger than the fiberglass itself, and fastened in place with aluminum pop rivets that basically serve to hold the joint clamped.
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