Gator Growl Rehab
 

Here go's; This is my second Potter Seacraft,(I owned a '79 23' sceptre in the 90's) I sold my last boat a 25' CC Sportcraft about the time the economy went south. I was able to stay sane by staying away from boat stores and not watching any fishing shows. Last summer I found this website and re-caught the fever "THANKS' TO ALL". So then the hunt was on; I found an add here in town for this 1973 20' CC. I made the call and he made me a offer I could'nt refuse $600.00 SOLD! (meant to be). I'm not setting any land speed records on the build so be patient.
To date:
1) I gutted the boat and removed the interior section of the transom late last summer. The new marine grade 2" plywood transom was installed a little after Christmas. I've just finished the 3rd layer of 1708 using marine epoxy about 2 week's ago.
2) I've sanded most of the boat with my orbital sander. The boat over the years was drilled and screwed hundreds of times by every type of fastener known to man. So whenever I was done with my epoxy for the night I would add wood flour to the mix and fill some holes. I will regrind all holes later and re-glass and fair as needed.
3) Today I started to cut the top skin off the deck and found it was alot wetter than I originally thought so I popped the entire deck out in 5 pieces. It only took an hour to remove the deck and another hour to chisel the putty out. I'm going to save alot of grinding time this way.


Wild Bill, Go Gators

I say you put the gator back when you're done with the resto.Maybe even shark teeth.Good luck with the project,and keep the pictures coming.

Looks like your off to a great start Bill. :)

strick

New transom
 

I used a 16" chain saw to make short work of the old wood in the transom. Caution wear safety glasses if not goggles (this is a must). The saw will not dig into the hull if you keep the saw inside the transom frame after you remove the cap. This made the job extremely easy. I then removed the interior fiberglass splash well.
Next I cut the box stringers back 8" and set them aside to reuse as frames later. I also cut the keel back 6" or so.
Next I ground down the outside skin and epoxied the first layer of marine grade plywood with a wood flour epoxy paste I made up and using a notched trowel to apply to each side.
1st a sheet of 3/4" was thru bolted and epoxied (paste) using the exsisting holes in the transom. The 1/2"bolts were removed the next day.
Each sheet was bedded in a 3/4'-1" fillet of epoxy surrounding the perimeter made up of epoxy, wood flour and silica. This makes up of a thick non running paste.
Then I added a sheet of 1/2", then a sheet of 3/4". These next pieces were screwed and epoxied/wood flour (paste) to the previous sheet and then the screws were removed the next day after the epoxy cured. I applied only enough pressure to each sheet so that the paste would just start to ease out. Then the epoxy could work it's magic.
I added the fillet after each sheet was complete to avoid any voids.

Wild Bill

Up Date
 

Glassing the inside of transom is complete, I ended up using 3 layers of 1708. When I spliced in the box stringers to the transom I first used 6" biaxle tape to reinstall the sections I had cut out earlier, then used 4 layers of 1708 to finish them off. The box stringer thru drains were installed with thickened epoxy and 1" schedule 40 pvc, the old live well thru hull inlet/outlets and old thru hull drains have been grinded & glassed over on the interior of the hull with 3 tapered layers of 1708 & marine epoxy resin. I am installing a 3/4" marine ply sub sole. I wanted to cap the box stringers with a raised and flat surface for the new sole to be epoxied to and frame out the fuel tank compartment and bilge access. Each compartment edge will be routed with a round over bit and glassed over before the sole is installed. The bottom side of the sub sole has been glassed over with a piece of 10 oz woven mat. The top side of the sub sole will be glassed over with a piece of 10 oz when I'm ready to install the sole so I can install it wet as one piece. When I cut out the sole and install it, it will be set back from the access openings about an 1 1/2" and be routered leaving a recessed and routered opening for the compartment hatches.

looks great bill. im just getting to the stringers now and then the back of the transom skin. i ended up going old school materials on mine, to many kids and bills to justify anything else, besides my new and only son will be just the right age when we need to do it again! :)

Thank's, we're in the same boat. Your moving at a nice pace, I won't be able to move forward on mine for a couple of weeks do to prior commitment's at work. I'll look forward to your post's.

Bill

I'm ready to drill my first hole in my new transom. An important one, the drain plug.
So; what methods have you guys used?
Do I just drill out the hole and coat it with epoxy?
Do I drill out a larger hole fill it with an epoxy paste and drill out a smaller hole?
Has anyone drilled the hole, epoxy coated it, and slipped in a piece of PVC and recess it to the back of the base?
Then it appears you would drill the holes for the plug base fill them with epoxy paste and re-tap and seal the base with 5200 or do you epoxy the base also.

Of all the posts I don't recall anyone documenting this step.

Thanks' wildbill

heres something i came up with. keeps screws out of the wood anyway.

http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/y...l/IMG_1915.jpg

i laminated more skins on the outside after this pic, but youd just wallow out only the core from the inside and leave the outside skin then glue it in, and put a couple layers over it on the inside.

i just put 2 pieces of pvc down on some wax paper end down, then filled between em with epoxy/cabosil/ and whatever dust came out of the chopsaw.

http://www.classicaquasport.com/phpb...=4582&start=90

im not as an out of the box thinker. i drilled a 1 inch hole where the original was. 5200 the hole real good and then 5200 the brass 1 inch sleeve, three inches long. slipped in it tapped into place and when dry and stuck good trimmed the extra off and then 5200 and screwd on the outside brass drain plug fitting. im sure theirs a lot of super cool ways but this was simple and as effective as any, as long as the wood is totaly sealed.

Thanks' to both, that's what I was thinking. A sleeve is the way to go and impregnate the screw holes.

wildbill

"easy boy'z"

I went with a 1" schedule 40 pvc sleeve glued with thickened epoxy. The new brass drain plug fits nicely inside the pvc sleeve. I had cut back the stringer earlier so I could lay a drill flat with a hole saw a the correct angle starting on the inside and finishing the hole from the outside.

Sorry for the BLURRRRR I'm no photo guru yet wildbill

gunnel widening
 

I ran my circular saw up the middle of gunnel's approximately 6 feet. I then ripped and tapered a piece of 1/2" marine ply, glassed both sides with some 10 oz cloth and clamped and glued it to the bottom of the gunnels. The gunnels are 5 1/2" wide at the stern now. I still have some fairing to do.

new transom cap
 

I followed the arch of the original transom lines and glued down a piece of 1/2'' marine ply and laminated a couple pieces of 1708 across the top and started to fair and shape the corners of the top of the cap. I still need to add some glass to the forward edge of the cap.

new sole
 

I went with 1/2'' Meranti plywood for the new sole I picked up from Shine. I glued cleats with thickened epoxy to the sides of the hull made up of marine ply plywood strips 2 1/2'' x 10''. The cleats were all coated with epoxy before I glued them to the side of the hull. They are glued about 1/4'' below the bottom of the sole so I can place a good bed of thickened epoxy to bed the edges of the new sole to the sides of the hull.
I made stencils out of strips of 1/4'' plywood so I could transfer the contour's of the sides of the hull and inner liner to the new sole material. I glued the strips together on the stencil's with a hot glue gun. Hopefully by this coming weekend the sole pieces will be cut out and be ready to laminate their bottoms.
I'm going to wait on glueing down the sole permanently until I order and install a new fuel tank and install the fuel fill line and vent line.(I remembered past postings of the difficulties trying to install the hoses after the sole was in (''THANKS TO ALL'') I plan on laminating some 10 oz to the bottom and top of the new sole.

How do you connect/bond that drain plug assy. to the PVC transom pass through?

slip the brass tube into the pvc with some 5200 around it's shaft and screw it to the hull.

I finished the cut out of the pieces today. I'll start laminating the bottom of the pieces this evening.

looking good bill! i just finished up some wiring and fuel line on mine after getting the transome finished, i definetly dont think i will be wanting to do another boat project anytime soon!

looking good!

Thanks'. I laminated the bottom pieces of the new sole today with 10 oz woven fabric.

I still am plugging along. I did start my bracket build last month and last weekend I laminated layer # 5 or 6 I lost count but it's right at 1/4" thick except the corners which are greater than a 1/4. All done with epoxy and 1708. The mold is 24 1/2" X 44" and 10 1/4" deep. I think I'm close to adding the coring. Exuse the sharpy marks their slowly disapearing. I kind of like the flat bottom it's 6" wide, my idea is to get the tub closer to the keel at about 2- 2 1/2" above the keel.

bill

Started to prime the hull. Finished the first coat Sunday, these pic's were while I was laying down the second coat this afternoon. It started to rain pretty good so I quit for the day.

Lookin' good, Bill. You going to be in the Keys for bug season this year?
Dave

I wish I would of laid my boat over like you are doing...makes bottom work a whole lot easier than boat stands.

("Lookin' good, Bill. You going to be in the Keys for bug season this year?
Dave")

We just got back last week. We fished Tennesee reef and did pretty good with the yellowtails, mangroves and a couple of muttons in 28' of water 3 & 4 day's in front of the full moon.

("Islandtrader I wish I would of laid my boat over like you are doing...makes bottom work a whole lot easier than boat stands.")

Yeah if only we could flip them completely over by ourselves. It is very easy to roll this boat from side to side by yourself. I actually was able to sand alot of the bottom out of a folding metal chair, just not the very bottom 12" or so, there I was on my back. When I got done Sunday I had a window to put on the second coat without sanding but felt I missed it. So I hand sanded it again with a scotchbrite pad as I'm going to do before the next coat. The hull has nearly soaked up an entire gallon of System 3 High Build Yacht Primer. It's still pretty porous. The boat turned an beautiful ice blue color.

thanks' bill

Nice work on the mold there Bill. Make sure you brace the front and back during lay up otherwise it may Bow on you a little.

strick

OOP's .:D

Must of missed that little tutorial tidbit. Nothing that can't be corrected once I pop it out of the mold. It only pulled about an 1/8'' to 3/16"". Mean while I can't hit a lick on the bracket build until I order more epoxy.

I'll bet the purest's love the teak work.:rolleyes::p

I can't help it I love plywood.

thanks

That's the beauty of a glass bracket...when its out of the mold...add more glass to fair ;)

Nice work on the 20 !!

Popped the bracket out of the mould last weekend. Look's pretty good and the mould unscrewed nicely and could be re used again. Still need to drill the drain holes and access holes.

First Coat This Weekend
 

Got the first coat of paint on this weekend. Trying to beat the bugs. Turned out beautifully. Roll and tip Petit Easypoxy one quart covered the sides, cap, console and bracket. Nice Paint, I added maybe a cap full of brushing thinner.

Lookin' good, Bill.

Looks great Bill! I was sweating the luv bugs as well last week when I re-gelcoated my cap. Glad you got it done as I think we are going to get swarmed this weekend.

You're probably right. I only saw a couple this past weekend, but they'll be out in force soon. I'm thinking I'll RainX the truck and boat windshields before heading out for Long Point, so they won't be so hard to clean off.