18SF rebuild
 

I have started up on my rebuild again. With hunting season, work, and everything else that keeps us so busy in our day-to-day life, this rebuild has had a slow start. My brother-in-law is helping me with all the glass work and we did get the new stern laminated in place and ready to be glassed in. Here are some pics of the progress so far. Any input is very welcome.

Floor cut out
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC01513.jpg

Console, Box Seat, and Infloor Livewell
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC01514.jpg

Isn't She a Beauty
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02061.jpg

Boxes cut out
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02060.jpg

Very, Very rotten stern
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02059.jpg

Gas tank taken out
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02065.jpg

Floor cut out and stern wood grinded out
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02087.jpg

Freshly grinded stern
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02091.jpg

Gas tank out of tank and sanded to check for leaks
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02083.jpg

New stern(pinski board) laminated into place
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02099.jpg

Stern from back with seacraft crown intact
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02097.jpg

Bracket with platform
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02085.jpg

T-Top
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02071.jpg

2004 Johnson 150 to shove it to the Hook at Cape Lookout
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02055.jpg


Well thats it for now. I still have a long way to go, but the end result will be worth the wait. I am really glad that I found such a sweet website to help me along the way. Again any input will be great.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Lookin' good! Mine's in pretty good shape for now, but, it's nice to see the construction so I can plan for the future. I'll be following closely. Keep up the good work.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Wow nice metal work on bracket.Did someone build it for you? Are you going to powder coat it? I had my Armstrong bracket powder coated years ago and it has held up great. T-top would also would look good powder coated though they might want it sandblasted if it's been in salt water. I just had my poling platform and leaning post powder coated in my 14'McKee that I use inshore it only cost $75.00 dollars.Alot of powder coaters are willing to drop the price if you are willing to wait until they have a large order to run in the color you want.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Looks like you'll have a beauty when your done, keep the pictures coming!
I got a question for you, I noticed in the back of your stringers you had some holes presumably for draining. Did you have any hoses or tubes running thru them, or wet foam? The reason I ask is I had something similar but not round and nothing running thru them. I ended up sealing mine as I figured bilge water would get in to them.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

I had a guy build it from somewhere in the Florida pan handle. He did a pretty good job on the welding but the finish grinding left a little to be desired. I am going to need to clean it up a little with some 80grit. Over all a nice bracket and for $900 bucks couldnt beat the price. I am going to prime and awlgrip the same color white as the bottom will be. With the top of the platform with nonskid.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

There were holes going thru the stringers in the back and also in the front. They had tubes running thur the holes but they didnt really waterproof between the tubes and the foam. The only water that I found in the foam was right around the holes. It wasnt bad at all. I am going to cap off the ends of the stringers with glass and then extend one side of the stringer to tie into the stern. I dont see the need to take the whole box stringer all the way back to the stern like it was.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Hey thanks for the info, I'm gonna do a little more investigating on mine. Mine where more like a long oval with no tubes, never made any sense to me.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

The strings on mine don't go all the way to the stern and do not appear to have been cut off because the foam is puddled in the bottom of the hull at the end of the stringers.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

I am going to run the stringers back to the stern. It will just be one side of the box stringer. Most boats have the stringers tied in with the stern to add strength at the bottom of the stern to help with motor torque(or thats what I thought anyway). I am going to beef up the stern. I have never mounted a motor bracket so I am going to make sure the stern wont be the weak point. Probably over kill, but I just want to make sure.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Well we got the stern caulked (corked if you are from down east NC) with putty to fill in any gaps around the edges and several layers of glass on the inside. Next will be faring and glassing the back side of the stern where the cutout was located. I have noticed that the outside of the stern is not completely flat. The center of the stern seems to be farther out than the sides and bottom, sort of like a convex mirror. Im not sure if this will pose a problem. We are going to hold the bracket up to the stern and see how tight it fits. If not the faring and glassing might be a little harder. I will get some more pics up soon. Keep the comments coming, I need all the input I can get. Thanks, Adam

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Does anyone use the built in recessed tackle storage made out of starboard. I have found lots of them on ebay and at a local marine surplus store. I was just wondering if these boxes would be a good idea to put in my transom box. They look pretty good, and I could use them for plain storage also if I took out the plastic tackle trays. Thanks, Adam

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Here are the pics of the stern with it glassed in.

Stern with putty.

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02101.jpg

Stern after being glassed.

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02167.jpg
http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02168.jpg

Fresh Water Tank

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/DSC02103.jpg

Sorry it took so long to get the pics up. Busy week with the holiday and everything. I think this week I am going to test the gas tank and get it mounted back in the boat as well as the water storage tank. We are going to tab in the box in the stern and try to pop the whole liner(including the front dry box out and turn it over out of the boat so we can glass everything from the bottom. Hopefully we can do this so that the finish work on the inside of the liner won't be so bad. Does anyone know if the dry box in the bow is the only thing (besides the screws in the gunwales) holding the liner to the boat. I am sure there is a healthy heep of potter putty under that front box holding it to the hull.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

AWESOME PICTURES!Keep up the great work.I considered the tackle storage idea and thought it would work great in the rear corners.the only thing is that someone previously put doors there so the cutout was a little bigger than what is needed for the storage system.I need to read further into your post,I am curious what the fresh water tank is for.I too have a SF18 and really appreciate seeing this work done first hand.My transom is solid as a rock yet there are a couple soft spots on the deck that may need to be addressed in the next year or two.will follow up again later!

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Adam,

I have same boat and am doing similar job except I will not add the motor bracket. It has taken me alot longer then expected due to work commitments but progress is being made. The tops of my stringers near stern were cut so deck insert would fit. That probably caused the foam to get wet. I cut tops off stringers to remove all the foam and extended the stringer back to tramsom. I have drains tube in bottom of channel so water will go to bilge.

The rear live well is not going back in and I am debating if it is necessary to keep the fuel tank coffin and reusing the 10" x 24" x 60" aluminum fuel tank.

Moeller makes a replacement plastic under deck tank about same size and I think it makes more sense to not ever have to worry about an aluminum tank.

ed

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

When I cut out the front of my tank coffin to install a 60 gallon tank, the only place I saw the putty was on the stringers and where the drain is.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Good luck with your rebuild. My progress has also been slow going but I am going to get rolling on it now. Thanks for the reply and send me some pics of your progress.
Thanks

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

I am putting a fresh water tank in so I can have it as a shower. I have a 2 year old and he gets irritated by sand and salt water if it stays on him too long. My wife also likes to rinse off after getting out of the salt water. I am kinda back and forth on the tackle storage. I'm not sure if I could get more use out of just putting two hatches on either side and just have storage behind the rear bulkhead. Thanks for the post. I will keep posting pics of the progress. Thanks again.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

If that is the only place then that would be good. Is the drain you are talking about the one that goes thru the hull in the back of the box? We are going to try and pop the remaining top deck, casting platform, and forward storage box out in one piece. We were thinking if we can do the structural glassing on the bottom side of the liner the finish work on the top side might be easier. Im not sure how big of a job that will be though. If anyone has popped the liner out of their boat before let me know because I could use all the input I can get on that. Thanks for the post.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Hope it goes well. Please take lots of pics when you pull it. Maybe I can get you to email them to me if you don't post them all. I would appreciate it.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Well tonight we got the pilot holes drilled in the bracket and thru the transom for the bracket bolts. We wanted to go ahead and drill thru the transom so we can fiberglass some 1/4" solid fiberglass panel on the inside of the transom where the bolts will be. I am hoping this will help spread the compression out from the head of the bolts when we mount it permanently. It will act like a backer plate. It probably doesnt need it but I want to make sure the transom is plenty strong where the bolts go thru. I was a little worried that there wouldnt be enough clearance between the bottom of the bracket and the bottom of the boat for the trim tabs to mount. After we marked where the bracket would be I held the tabs up to the boat and they fit just fine. That was a big relief. I will post more as we make progress. Thanks, Adam

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

I pressure tested the gas tank last night. Everything was good it still had the 4lbs of air in it this morning. We put a layer of glass on the gas tank to help give it some protection from rubbing and from moisture if any was to get around it in the foam. Thats all for now. When we get the gas tank and water tank mounted I will post some more pics.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

I am going to use awlgrip paint on the outside of the hull, bracket, console, and top deck. I was wondering.....would I be better to use awlgrip paint and nonskid on the floor or should I use gelcoat on the floor. I dont know what would hold up better for walking on. I know the finish will look different. I think I like how the awlgrip looks better but I would rather have the tougher finish so it will last.....I guess. I just am not sure. Also I am thinking of going with Aqua Mist color. I was wondering if anyone has used this color and if they have any pics of it on a boat. Thanks, Adam

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Well tonight we popped the remaining liner loose from the hull. We put a floor jack under the front bulkhead and took out all the screws in the gunwale. It popped loose much easier than I had expected. I am not sure I could have taken the liner and cap out unless the floor was out already. The plan is as of right now is to screw the liner back where is was. Then build the box across the transom and put the gunwale inserts back on and tab them in place. Then we are going to pull the whole liner out in one piece, minus the floor. If I do it like this, the floor can be put in all the way to the hull on the sides and the transom. I think this will make it much stronger. We are going to try and work on the rear box saturday and I will try to post some pics of the progress.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

I had to work today and didnt think anything was going to get done to my boat but my brother-in-law took it upon his self to start on the box in the stern. He screwed the old boxes I had cut out back in the boat and attached it to the liner with pieces of wood to hold it. Then put a 2x4 across the front so it would hold them the same distance apart like they were before I cut the floor out. Here are some pictures of what he did.

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0204.jpg

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0205.jpg

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0206.jpg

He layed a piece of penski board across the top and put batteries on either side to continue the crown of the stern across the void where the motor cutout was. Then cut a piece of penski to fit for the front of the transom box. After we get the rest of the box completed and all glassed together I am hoping the liner with a few braces, will be sturdy enough to remove the whole liner in one piece. I guess we will see. I am hoping to make some more progress next week. If anyone has any ideas on how to configure the hatches/storage in the rear box let me hear it. I am not sure what to do about that. Anyone with a full transom and wants to post some pics of yours maybe that will give me some ideas. Thanks, Adam

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Tonight we got the top cut out and mounted in place on the transom box. I also got the gas tank back in the coffin and sitting in the boat. I think we are going to wait to glass the coffin into place after we pull the liner out of the boat. Next thing on the list is to tab in the transom box and reattach the liner to the new box. The project seems to be slow moving but we both have full time jobs so I guess it is to be expected. I am just anxious to get it done. I am thinking about putting a small storage/baitwell in the center of the stern box with a custom hatch on top. I am not sure if I will use it much as a baitwell but I would like to have the option. I will get some more pics when we start glassing the stern box. Thanks.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Another option would be some ss square washers say 1/4 inch thick and 3 inches square. That would probably be stronger then the fiberglass panel.


Since you are already using Awlgrip I would just use that for the nonskid...it's tough stuff. Get a color that hides stains.... Awlgrip is easier to work with then gel coats.

Boat with aquamist color: http://www.classicseacraft.com/forum...=&fpart=1&vc=1

strick

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

Thanks Strick, I guess the awlgrip will probably match better too. I will look around and see if I can find any ss washers. That 23 you had with the aquamist looked awesome. I hope mine turns out as good as the ones I have seen you rebuild. Thanks for the reply.

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

The easiest thing is to have a welder cut you some. They can punch a hole for you in the middle as well. Make sure they are square not round. Square washers are a lot stronger then round washers.

Thanks on the boat comment. I sure miss that boat..was a great riding boat.

strick

Re: 18SF rebuild
 

We got the transom box glassed into place from the outside. Put some gelcoat on the fiberglass to protect the resin from the sun if we take it out in the sun. Here are some pics of the progress.

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0210.jpg

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0211.jpg

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0212.jpg

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0213.jpg

In these pics you can see that we made the lip that will connect the liner to hull continue across where the old motor cutout was.

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0215.jpg

http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/y...2/100_0214.jpg

Next we are going to get some good mesurements and put some 2x4s across the liner so it will keep its shape. We are going to need to come up with a good way to keep the hull in shape so when the liner goes back in it will match up. I think this will be the most challenging and the most important step. If the hull or the liner gets out of wack that could pose a huge problem. The new floor is going to be put in while the liner is out of the boat. This way we can glass the floor right into the side of the hull and then glass the liner to the floor. I am hoping this will make the boat even stronger than before. When we take out the liner it can be flipped over and all the seems can be glassed from the inside so we wont have to worry with faring those seams but it will give it alot more strength. I will post some more pics when we start taking the liner out of the boat. Thanks, Adam