Project THUNDERSTRUCK

[Sean]

So, if you read the other threads you'll remember I sold project SEANZI (a 1965 Donzi Ski Sporter 16) and mad a trip all the way to Miami for a 1965 Formula Jr. in much worse shape!

Here's the first post back in December 2016:

Well,
It's been a while since I reported in..... I have been busy boat-wise though.

The original 1966 Formula Jr deal in BC was taking too long. The current owner is using the boat to build a new set of moulds. This is his "retirement" project but, he has been even busier since retiring at the end of April. I didn't want to wait.

So, I was contacted about a 1965 Formula Jr purported to be the #2 boat out of the mould. It was in Key Largo FLA and had spent the last 25 years under a Banyan tree. It needed to move in less than 30 days as the house where it was parked (along with about 60 other boats) was being sold and it was going to the dump. At first, I passed on the deal. Too far away, impossible logistics for timeline etc...

Then One of the Donzi.ORG members in Miami, said he would pick it up and store the boat at his shop until I could arrange transport. I made the deal May 30th but, didn't go get the boat until the end of August/returning on Labour Day... I drove from Toronto to Miami with my own Canadian trailer. I had terrible weather the whole trip and was chased by Hurricane Hermine all the way up the coast on the way home. I returned via New Jersey to pick up a couple of Alpha drives that were waiting for me there. Even with the crappy weather, I managed to have a nice 8 day mini vacation.

Once home, I was able to separate the deck from the hull and clean out about twenty, 5 gallon pales of dirt, rotten wood and crap. I also built a roller dolly to move the boat around in the garage. Next, I removed the rest of the rotten wood still attached (there wasn't much left) to the hull, pulled up the floor and removed the old fuel tank. It was getting too cold to fiberglass up here in Toronto, so I just cleaned/vacuumed the hull out and tucked it in the garage until spring.

You can see the resurrection thread on Donzi.org here... http://www.donzi.org/forum/showthrea...-start-working

More to come.

 

[Sean]

Spring looks like it is here at last! The garage is no longer in the deep freeze and I have started tinkering with the mechanical stuff for Project THUNDERSTRUCK.
Oh, it turns out this boat is a 1965!

Thunderstruck gets it name from the Thunderbird boat company (original owners of Formula) and the striking lines of this 17'3" mini offshore racer. Besides, I like the AC/DC song

So far this spring, I have pulled apart the gimble assembly and begun sanding to prepare for paint. My Alpha One drive is going for a rebuild & repaint and I have totally disassembled the 2 Ford Small block engines for parts. One engine was a 230cid Interceptor and the other a Mercruiser 188hp 302cid. They were complete engines from carb to exhaust but, both blocks were junk... so I scrapped them, heads, carbs & all. I did keep some very cool engine mounts, oil pans, raw water pump, alternators, brackets, a camshaft, etc...

I have estimated the cost of building my 331 stroker bottom end at about $3,000 CAD so I'm in no rush to finish that and wait for it to get covered in dirt/crap while I work on the hull. Besides there's more parts to collect. I have some really cool valve covers and an Enderel timing cover (and some other bits & bobs) that will allow me to drive my water pump with the camshaft!

Speaking for the hull, my plans are set and the goal is to have the new transom done and the interior re-enforced and painted by September. Estimated cost about $1,500. CAD. The deck will be next year.

 

[Sean]

Well, it's the beginning of October..... and I didn't get as far as I wanted this year. I had some health issues that screwed up my spring/summer and I really only got back to doing anything a few weeks ago. But, I have a new plan/timetable

So I have removed the old transom because it was just too wavy and crooked to fix. Much easier to make a new one. I actually cut out the f/g and just left a 4" flange around the outside edge. I have ground away all the old f/g and crap to make it even and tapered it to accept new f/g. I am about to attach a "false transom", which is a piece of melamine (f/g doesn't stick to melamine), to the back of the transom area to use as a flat form in order to build a new transom. I have also cut out two 1/2" marine plywood sheets in the shape of the transom to use as a core.

After I affix the melamine, I will patch any low spots, weak spots etc... and fill the voids in the inside of the lifting strakes by the transom. Next I will build the outer f.g surface with 4-5 courses of 1708 mat. When that is done, I will laminate the plywood cutouts together and seal in a coat of resin before bonding to the new transom f/g. last job this year will be tabbing and covering the new transom core in another 1-2 courses of 1708.

This should be done in a week or so and thankfully the weather is holding out. The plan for the winter is just stringer removal and grinding (all the dirty stuff) while it is cool outside. This is easier to work in than cool the blistering heat of summer. If I finish this by spring I will buy 1x10x14 Douglas fir and start to build my stringers. Then I can glass everything in in the early spring.

 

[Sean]

Well, the weather didn't hold out in October. I got the false transom attached but, it was just too cold to fiberglass. So, I packed it in for the year. However, February had a great thaw and I took the opportunity to get some grinding done on the inside of the hull.

The factory lay-up is very thin on the hull so, I have decided I will be running at least 1 more course over the entire hull side. (The bottom will be done with the new stringers.) As of today, I have about 75% of the inside hullsides ground back to raw fiberglass. While it's still cool, and cool is good when you're bundled up in a Tyvek suit, hood, nitrite gloves covered with work gloves, mask, respirator etc... it's much more comfortable to work. Keeping the goggles from fogging is the hard part. Hopefully, I can finish the hullsides today and start grinding the area on the inside from the chine to the outer stringer area.

 

[Sean]

Update ... finished grinding the hullsides about 10 days ago. working on the chines and looking for stringer material.

 

[Sean]

Was really busy this season so, I didn't get to the formula until late. However, I managed 8 courses of glass on the transom, removed the false transom, cut & shaped the marine ply core and have her all ready to be glassed in when it's warm enough. You can see some of the progress here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2248686295388602/