Restoration in progress

[bigredinohio]

Feel free to ask questions or comment regarding to the content of this thread.

My first attempt at restoring an old boat. I decided to go with this little old boat as I thought it had character and figure you can't go wrong with a Checkmate. I probably overpaid for it but it was under $1000.

what I brought home



I decided to clean the outside and buff the top to see if I could restore any of the gel coat. It did smooth out somewhat but unfortunately it did not restore any color and probably too far gone for simply "sanding and buffing" back to it's original state. I've had some great input in another thread in the gel coat section which is still on-going. I have not made up my mind as to what I want to do

but my wife just wants the boat to function and worry about looks down the road.

before buffing

after buffing...you can notice the difference in colors and "blotch" effects



Now I'm in the process of gutting the "soft" floor out of the boat. To my surprise, T-111 wood siding was flipped over and used as the flooring. Also I saw a lot of water standing in the bottom and my stringer is just nasty!

sample removal of carpet with flooring coming up with the carpet

stringer sitting in water

T-111 flooring!

stringer sitting in water

a look up towards the bow

 

[bigredinohio]

My superviser

More rotted stringer

Close up of the transom...Note the rust from the bolts...that's a good indicator that you have transom issues i.e. a wet and/or rotted transom.

Hey look, they do have foam in this boat.

Finally somewhat cleaned up. Don't know if you can see the wet mark but I had some water seeping up through the fiberglass that wasn't completely sealed in the little area...would this be the balsa core I hear about?

Some sanding done to clean up the carpet glue and old epoxy.

 

[bigredinohio]

THE GREAT DEBATE
Some decisions that I had to answer in this restoration:

Polyester Resin vs. Epoxy Resin
Epoxy is easier to use and more forgiving to a beginner, stronger and more waterproof then poly IMO but is more expensive, does not wet out CSM (mat) very well and way more toxic to your body and once your body starts to react to it, you're allergic for life. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still probably use epoxy but I would definitely use poly if I do this again with another boat.

Type of plywood - CDX, Treated, Marine or a composite i.e. Coosa
I went with CDX. For what I lose in the others, I hope to gain with the use of epoxy. Additionally, I have a set budget and if I'm able to save $200-$500 by using CDX, I can use that money for paint and finish work.

To Acetone or Not to Acetone
Another debate lives on whether you should wipe the surface you are about to glass with acetone. A guy that I have much respect for says no as it will smear contaminates. Normally I do use acetone to clean a surface except for where sanding has been done where carpet glue or other possible contaminates was or could be.

If you're reading this, you must do your own research and come to your own conclusions since it's your boat at the end of the day.



Initial Supplies
I ordered three gallons of 2:1 System Three epoxy (2 gallons of resin:1 gallon of hardener), 3/8" end grain balsa core and 15 yds. of 10oz. fiberglass cloth to get started from Merton's. Joe is a very busy man but has always been willing to stop and take a few minutes to answer my questions that I've had regarding fiberglassing. Also included in the order were glassing rollers, cheap chip brushes, stir sticks, mixing cups and thixotropic powder (resin thickening agent).
Mertons website: http://www.mertons.com/

I also ordered supplies from US Composites for three additional gallons of 2:1 epoxy. This epoxy is a house brand and seems a little runnier then the System Three brand. I also ordered 15 yds. of 1708 which is a biaxal cloth stitched to a fiberglass mat and a roll of 9 oz. or 10 oz. cloth tape. 1708 is a resin sinkhole for those who are considering using it but is extremely strong and allows for quick layups. The other purchase was some resin pumps. I ordered 1:1 just so I can use them whether I use 1:1, 2:1 or 3:1 epoxy. In my opinion, they are a must have when working with this resin. You probably won't find a cheaper priced resin anywhere else online then at US Composites.
US Composites website: http://www.shopmaninc.com/index.html

Everyday Tools That I Use
Respirator, gloves & safety googles (Always #1)
Angle grinder with grinding and sanding disks
Sander/Polisher (mine is from Harbor Freight which I use for sanding)
Dremel tool with cut off wheel
Finish sander
Circular & jig saw
Drill
Rubber mallot & hammer
1/2" chisel - the most used tool in my arsenal
String
Tape measure
Square & Level
Clamps
Trowel
Knife and sissors
Leaf Blower
Shop vac

 

[bigredinohio]

I debated on taking the motor off to work on the boat but I decided I had to. With the help from my wife, we were able to remove the motor with the aid from a circular saw and a cable winch attached to a big beam in my garage.

It still took approx. 5 hours to do (first time I've ever done it) and had minor complications. I had (2) 2x8's on my stand and it was too thick for the motor to sit on therefore the circular saw was used (on the wood stand). In addition, I mounted wheels onto the stand (which I wasn't going to do) and it raised the stand too tall so some modification was in order also.

The transom looks fairly rough. Pretty banged up and will probably require a lot of attention. The bolts holding the motor were about half corroded from rust. I was planning on redoing this anyways along with everything thing else in this boat.

 

[bigredinohio]

Some pictures of progress:

Grinding...where the fun is at! USE A FILTERED RESPIRATOR AND NOT A DUST MASK!!

Same of my wonderfully rotted core

You can get a sense of what I'm up against

Balsa replacement bedded in an epoxy paste with a layer of 10oz cloth glassed in on top. I'm going to lay a full sheet of 38" wide 1708 over this to complete it.

The final section that needs replaced. I am going to do that after I get the transom replaced while the top is off for easy access.

Tip to those thinking of using epoxy, don't work with more then 9 ounces of epoxy especially when adding a thickener to turn it into paste because it WILL set up on you super fast. It will get real hot and sets in seconds.

I didn't listen to the advice that was given to me and I have about a pint and a half stuck in a container to prove it.

 

[bigredinohio]

I was motivated to remove the cap so I could start work on the transom. While trying to remove the spashwell from the transom, I discovered what looked like someone poured mortar or concrete onto to fill in for some rotted wood? This didn't look or feel right but it was a compound that the factory used to bond the transom to the splashwell. It was literally "hard as a rock."

I did cut the top of the fiberglass out so I could pry the inside of the splashwell way from the transom.

Little and big chunks of mortar/concrete

Now ready for transom removal

You can see a blob of this stuff still in there

 

[bigredinohio]

My plan was to cut and grind around the transom so I can remove it another day but this happened...

 

[bigredinohio]

Did some work on the transom. I have a new one built by gluing two pieces of 3/4" ply together with PL Premium then I traced the outline from the old transom. I cut it out using a jig saw and re-drilled the holes for the tie-down hooks but I haven't coated with resin or glass yet. It was going to happen yesterday after I was done grinding/sanding the transom skin but I had to stop since I hurt my eye.

WEAR PROPER EYE PROTECTION

The wind blew the dust sideways between my eye and my safety glasses and it got me. Well, after the trip to urgent care, the doctor said it was a small scratch in my upper cornia, nothing major. Talk about painful. I guess it was a newbie mistake for not wearing goggles.

Anyways, I have some more sanding to do in the boat and a light sanding on the wood and the transom and all should be ready for some resin.

 

[bigredinohio]

Here are some pictures from this weekends work on the boat...

Pre-cutting fiberglass cloth

 

[bigredinohio]

Finally got to coat and glass the inside side of the transom. Nothing too exciting.

1st coat

2nd coat

3rd coat with 10oz. cloth

 

[bigredinohio]

I bought my tank

to replace to old metal one at

http://store.easternmarineoutlet.com...categoryID=483

It was the cheapest that I could find anywhere at $164 with shipping.

26" x 16" x 11.75" - 19 gallon fuel tank = 18 gallons fuel:1.5 quart/3 pints oil for a 50:1 mixture.

 

[bigredinohio]

Some pictures of progress being made...

I pre-cut two layers of csm

Used poly resin...I do not like working with it compared to epoxy but had to try it.

Did a no no and sanded a hole into the skin...I wasn't really happy about that

From the outside...bottom right hole

My two layers of patch work using csm and poly resin

I did get a layer of glass all the way around the bottom edge of the transom. It just needs a quick sanding and it's ready to go in now as soon as I get the preparation done to the skin.

 

[bigredinohio]

I got the transom glued in F I N A L L Y! Here are some pics for your viewing enjoyment.

My extra large clamps...thanks for the great idea Old Hickory

Felt like I was about to perform some surgery

Mixing pb

Trowelled out

Adding some more

 

[bigredinohio]

 

[bigredinohio]

Made some progress today. I fillet (rounded) the corners with some more epoxy pb (thickened resin aka peanut butter or pb).

Then I tabbed in the transom using 10oz. cloth.

 

[bigredinohio]

Also have the horizontal transom brace comprised of two pieces of 3/4" ply glued together. I also have a rough cut of a vertical brace (there will be two) that I want but I need the cap back on before more can be done with them.

 

[bigredinohio]

Well, I wanted to glass the transom in really bad with 1708 but I didn't get to it. Instead, I removed the last bit of bad core in the stern of the boat. I want to be able to lay the 1708 as far as I want without having to trim around an unfinished work area.

Well, the removal went fairly good until I started poking around the drain hole. Lets just say, more wood which means more rot for removal! I call it my mini transom.

Side profile

Mini transom wood

Looking back at the skin

Area cleaned up

 

[bigredinohio]

I replaced that last of the core in the back of the boat. Then I fiberglassed the inside part of the wood that butts up to the outer skin where the drain plug is and the bottom edge. After sanding, I glued it in using epoxy pb then used a carriage bolt to draw it in tight until it set up. I used the excess to fill in the gaps and filleted the corners but it needs sanded and additional filler added. The next batch will contain some slivers of glass that I cut up for added strength. After this, I should be able to sand and finish up the glassing of the transom.

 

[bigredinohio]

Okay, I haven't updated the project so here goes. Last week, I sanded down the first batch of filling around the drain tube area. Then I mixed up some more pb with some homemade chopped up glass and put a second coat on to fill out some more.

Afterwards, I sanded it all smooth in preparation for the 1708.

 

[bigredinohio]

This day I broke into the US Composites epoxy since I'm about out of my System Three. The jury is still out on whether I like or dislike the US Composites stuff. Seems a lot runnier and less tacky. Anyways, I put my first layer of 1708 on today and I felt my wallet empty every time I went back to get more epoxy.

That stuff drinks it up.