Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Strick,

I believe that I've already done that but honestly can't remember. I'll check it out when I'm home over the Chrismas Holiday.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

I almost went by your place the other day - was at the hobby shop in the shopping center. But - you aren't there! Would your bride let me take a peak? BTW - I still have not done anything with that transom piece. Bad on me. Still have plans for it though. Let's try to fish over the holidays!!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

No worries Ron, you saved that piece as it was headed for the landfill. Stop by anytime, I'm driving back tomorrow for a couple weeks so give me a call.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

General, mission accomplished!

I had actually started prepping the area before working out of town for a few months but am back now and am trying to get back on track. Thanks for the reminder though.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...lish/47498.jpg

Laying out the coring for my two hatches.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...lish/55101.jpg

Cabosiled in place and glassed with matt.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...lish/20240.jpg

Bow hatch set in place to test fit.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...glish/6455.jpg

Added matt to try and fill in some areas on sides of the stoarge compartments in the bow before fairing.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...lish/51618.jpg

Weather and temps are still an issue but so I have been doing a LOT of sanding lately. Yesterday's 70 degree ceiling allowed me to start fairing the transom.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...glish/6121.jpg

More updates to follow.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Looks good. I bet your happy to be home.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

It is good to be back St. Augi!

Lot's of fairing and sanding as of late. Went ahead and put the boat on blocks so I could access the bottom and to work on the trailer when the temps were to low for production work.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/80960r.jpg

I had been looking at ways of removing the bottom paint without having to sand all of it. Soda blasting hasn't been an option in my area and the only mobile unit wanted $700. I located this peel away product that they say is safe for fiberglass and decided to give it a shot. It is pricey at $80 a gallon but I figure the time saved would be worth it.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/57151r.jpg

They provided this paper to install over it while wet but think it was probably not intended for inverted surfaces.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/92304r.jpg

After a dwell time of about 45 minutes I used a 6" drywall knife to try it out. There is only one picture because this stuff was so messy. Even after wearing a tyvek suit gloves and respirator I still got it everywhere when scraping off.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/53891r.jpg

I haven't completed the removal yet, only about half and have plenty of cleanup to do but it seems to take off large portions of the bottom paint.

Shot of the interior with a skim coat of fairing compound. I have a lot of work to do. Notice poor man's Festool!

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/63995r.jpg

With the temps still below 50 at times I stopped by and picked up the trailer parts from the nice folks at Float On Trailers. If you remember I had purchased a Seafari that was on this trailer and swapped with my previous one before selling the boat. This trailer is 30 years old but in sound structural condition.


http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/41485r.jpg

You can see new torsion axles laying on the trailer.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/24312r.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/83492r.jpg

A friend giving me some much needed help. The axles were heavy!

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/23396r.jpg

New fenders to replace the old "flying nuns".

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/31210r.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...ish/60428r.jpg

All in after new torsion axles, rims and tires, center jack, V bunk and guide, lighting and overall cleaning.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Peel Away....brings back some real bad memories, it works, but I can relate to the mess.

Your trailer looks brand new in the last shot, very nice work!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Some questions about the floaton trailer... I have an old one that I was planning to sell (any ball park suggestions on price would be great). I will be at highway speeds pretty frequently, plus all the salt on the roads up here, so I figure a new trailer with disk brakes is more cost effective then trying to fix up my float on.

BUT then I saw the great job you did on your trailer, and now I wonder about just cleaning up mine... how much pitting did you have? how did you clean it up? How much were the new axels? Did you think about adding brakes?

THANKS. BOAT LOOKS AWESOME. I went out to go sand this AM, but there was snow everywhere. On the other hand, cleaning out the soggy plywood is a lot easier here... whack it with a hammer and the ply shatters (because it is frozen). Bet you can't do that in FL!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Thank God!!!!! Let go in my shorts and T-shirt and get a beer!!!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Trayder,

thanks for your input! I've reviewed your restoration many times for ideas.

KenB, a friend told me there was a refurbished Float On on Craigslist for $800 bucks last week. Take that with a grain of salt as if a deal that good was available you would have to be standing there with cash in hand. And I have no idea of the condition. New axles are $375 each. Pitting was surprisingly minor for a trailer of that age. The worst areas were under the I-beams from the tire spray but nothing that would compromise the structural integrity. Never considered brakes for this boat. I would not think you would need them unless you were 26' or larger with a quarter ton truck like I drive.

DonV, your locations say it all!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

After three applications of Peel Away of varying thickness I was left with this.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/040.jpg

I took my trusty Orbital and 60 Grit and went to work on the dried remnants of bottom paint.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/042.jpg

One reason things have been slow lately was the pending arrival of my new fishing partner William IV who made his way onto the scene last Monday evening.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/048.jpg

The best $5 I have spent during this restoration (not counting beer). It really helped clean up around the chines.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/051.jpg

Getting pretty close to having it all off.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/052.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/055.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Congrats on the next generation of SeaCraft enthusiast! Don't blink! ;)

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Congratulations on the new baby.
Dave

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Congratulations on your new addition. I think he's found a few spots on the hull you missed! :D

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Very nice....matching Trevek outfits!!!! Congrats!!! Keep up the great work on the boat and he will be old enough to go fishing with you about the time you finish the boat! :)

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

What is the material called that you built your rear transom inner wall with the hatches out of? Did you duplicate the crown on the original transom? Did you also duplicate the angle or is the inner straight up and down? If I don't sell my hull I will turn it into an outboard model with a bracket.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Congrats on the new arrival Will!

Oh how I remember that mustard yellow (both in the Diapers & on the Hull) [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

http://0.tqn.com/d/pregnancy/1/0/u/c/bfpoop.jpg

http://www.classicseacraft.com/captc...edium/0002.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Is that your diaper Chuck? [img]/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

want2fish, the material is Coosa Bluewater 20. Although knowing what I know now, if I did it again I would have used my laminating table to layup that piece out of fiberglass to save money. It does match the 14 degree angle of the transom.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Thanks Capt Chuck. One mustard yellow will disappear much sooner than the other!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Good God Chuck!!! Looks like the aftermath of a bad night at the local Mexican dive with too many peppers in your burrito!!!! Whew........that's rough!! :D

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Chuck, you are one sick individual. :D

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

mr steve

capt chuck aint sick he jus kep u out of big trobbul. i her u gots 5 kids i bet you seen dat yeller stuff to many times.
her is a sign fer your babys room
ha ha sam

http://funnywebjokes.files.wordpress.../10/diaper.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Thanks for sticking up for me Sam with your words of wisdom :eek:

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Just a pictureless update. Been doing a lot of sanding and fairing to get ready for paint. I tentatively have that scheduled for two weeks from now. Hopefully will be down to have a beer with Capt. Chuck and pick my bracket up from Don before the paint goes on!

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

After endless fairing and sanding it seemed to be getting counterproductive. With the understanding my 1st restoration wouldn't be perfect I moved forward with painting.

My step father helping me apply the first coat of Signature.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...glish/R2-1.jpg

After two coats. Still one more to go plus the nonskid. The bottom was painted and will paint the sides after all work inside is done.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...glish/R1-1.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...english/R3.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Looking good, Will. With a new baby in the house, you're lucky to be able to find any time to work on the boat.
Dave

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Dave, time has been in short supply lately. Luckily my wife is understanding and wants me to finish this thing as bad as I do. I applied coat #3 this afternoon and hope to apply the nonskid and possibly paint the sides over the weekend.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/006.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/003.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Are you brushing the paint or spraying it?

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Boy don't all these boats LOOK BIG when empty :D

Down the home stretch and looking good.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Looking good Will! How do you like the Signature paint?

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Awesome job. Can't wait to see the finished product. Did your friend, the Digger, ever redo his 18? Would love to see some pics.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

I'm using the recommended method of rolling it on wet with a roller then rolling it out dry with another roller that flattens it out.

Bushwacker, I would have to say I like the Signature Paint. It is pretty easy to apply and from what I hear tough as nails. It's really thin and any imperfection shows up but as Don Herman says "It's a boat" and I'm not looking for showroom quality.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Uncleboo,

the Digger performed a partial restoration about the same time I started on mine and hauled it to Kingston Mass for a year and a half where he spends a lot of time.

Currently the 'lil Dig is back in Jupiter and about to receive a facelift, boobs and jewelry. Notice the other project in the background. It is a 31' hull that was popped out of an old Rybo Runner mold to the best of my knowledge. I'll make sure he gets some pics up of the finished project.

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/Dig.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

I'm with you on the Signature paint, Capt. Chuck talked me into it and I am happy with the results doing the wet/dry roller method. I was surprised how far it went, I bought the minimum amount Tom would sale for my transom and after four coats I had enought left over to put three coats on my console. I was not happy with the one part Interlux paint I used first.....lesson learned.....just sanded, cleaned and rolled on the Signature and it looks great.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Sweet! Looking forward to it.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Will-

your first restoration looks a heck of a lot better then my first restoration. Looking forward to seeing some pics in the water with you on it!

strick

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Thanks Strick.

2nd coat of Royal Blue. I'm thinking about three weeks to finish the painting, install the hardware and hang the motor.

Going to the Ledge tomorrow to get in some much needed bluewater trolling!

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/019.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/020.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...nglish/018.jpg

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

Hey Uncleboo, I will try and get my restoration up here soon. I have been documenting it but haven't had the time to post photos yet.

Re: 1978 SF restoration, my first one.....
 

FANTASTIC! I can't wait to see it. I'm going to start my redo in the fall, so, I am interested in seeing all you have to offer. If you have more pics than you feel like posting, you can email them to me. My email is: martin@pelikanvinyl.com