Restoration of My 20" 74 Seacraft {Death from Above}
 

Brief History Of my Seacraft.
It's traveled from Miami to West end. Its been in and out
Of Boynton Inlet like a door knob in a public restroom.
I'm going to take my time restoring the Hull, it's well worth it...
I appreciate any knowledge I can pick up from everyone...


Power
Originally No clue.
Black Max 200
Honda 225 four stroke (attached to Original transom)
Mercury 150 2 stroke
Mercury 200 2stroke
Meecury 250 EFI
Mercury 225 2 stroke
SUZUCKI 175 4 stroke
Mercury Black Max 200 (Then retired The boat)

I used this boat as a Commercial Vessel for a few years (federally permitted)
And I get a kick out of some of the Threads I've read on this site
Over the years. Meaning all the concerns of weight and how much water
This hull can take on. This hul was my daily driver for five years....
My transom is 5 1/2 inches thick with a bracket off of a 25" mako
Two anchors,600 ft of rope,Doghouse,a 6ft cooler up front,Ballyhoo box
In the back,numerous rod holders, Ice, two to three men on board,
Four bilge pumps,two to three batteries,Standard commercial safety gear.

These Hulls can take An Asswhooping......... I don't know if Moseley or Potter
Knew the Stress These hulls could actually take.

The Ride
Had some rough ones, But I've had more good than bad meaning
The hull rides smooth and can cut waves like butter at times. Remember this was my daily driver for five plus years... (In any weather)

The Deck
Lolol
Literally 4 five gallon buckets and A Whole lot of Biaxyl

I'll be posting photos every few days
Thanks and I hope everyone gets a laugh..

Excellent post Deathfromabove. Thank you for taking the time to give the background history on your boat. Break out the Tivec jump suit and angle grinder. Sometimes the best tool in your toolbox is your sense of humor for those "Well That's Fantastic" (WTF) days. Post your on progress.
They are tough hulls; not sure how, but Travis managed to break his.

Thanks Terry, Appreciate it.
-I also cracked a Stringer and the sound is Comparable to Lightning
Hitting a tree. (Was Heading out of Boynton on a Rough day and Hit a wave the wrong way)
My theory on it was the amount of weight in the front and the back off the Boat along with bracket a merc 225 and a ridiculously thick transom, Ballyhoo
Box seat loaded with ice and myself, Coffin box in the front and Two fat boys.

Thanks and the goal is a full restoration.
Chris

Good evening to all.
I got the tank out. As everyone can see the thickness
Of the old deck. I can't remember how many layers of matte and Biaxyl I installed quite a number of years ago but it was a lot! Lol

More Progress Photos

More Photos!!!!!!
The green stuff is what was in my tank. The boat has sat for a few years now.
---No, I Did not empty my tank onto the ground. Lol
I emptied it into a drum and It got kicked over by accident..

A few years ago I was out working and I kept smelling gas....
About midnight just North of All the Boynton Wrecks anchored up..
This happens..

-Well I don't drink or Smoke and it's Been quite a Number of years
Since I had any wacky tabacky. (I became High and dizzy)I had been pumping what I thought was Ocean water because it had been coming over the bow for the last few hours out of my bilge.
-Norm (No one from this Site) was throwing cigarette butts into my
Bilge. Lol
Well I reach down and it's nothing but pure fuel......
What luck

Where I Cracked my stringer.

Question for The Gurus....
 

Evening Everyone, I have a Question....
Why reinforce the inner Hull sides?????
-I've read quite a bit of threads on restorations
Here.
•From my own personal experience
They may feel weak (But are far from it) I've hit
Quite a bit of things in the sea and dockside.

So Much Fun!!!!
 

Top of Port stringer......:eek:
Got a break from the rain after a week of it...
-Started cutting decks and found the the top of my port stringer
About two foot back from casting deck was cracked and worn away...

-Foam was surprisingly dry.

Fun Stuff on a Saturday
 

Yes Gents that is Cheap recycled plywood...
Lasted ten years with a lot of resin and cloth...

More History...
 

Ten or so Years ago I got this Hull for about Five hundred bucks...
-The Deck only had a few soft spots typical areas around console.

Sooooo not knowing a much about boat work.
I cut away the original skin and chipped out
The Balsa. Left the original bottom layer of Woven Roven
Or whatever it is and laid cheap wood with about 20 gallons
Of resin and I have no clue (The amount of Biaxyl and matte)
I used.

Then went fishing in the Florida Straights for a number of years...

Only necessary if you cut away the side of the inner liner, which creates a box section on each side of the hull. That material provides a lot of torsional stiffness to the hull, so if you remove it you need to compensate by adding some balsa core to the inside of hull, or more ribs or bulkheads, etc. As an illustration of what I'm talking about, take a shoe box, tape the lid on it, and then try to twist it. Then remove the lid and twist it again and observe the difference!

This is why the cabin top and bulkhead in a Seafari make it a noticeably stiffer boat than a CC model!

Thanks Denny, Much Appreciated......
-BTW Nice Chines..:eek:
Used to see you on the sand bar once in a while.

Correct. 3/8" balsa with a layer of mat and a layer of 1708 on the hull sides is more than adequate. Makes the boat feel alot bigger

Back at it
 

Happy New Year
After a long layoff but still fishing and working I’m back at it again
Deck is ninety percent off but the transom is a mothersucker
Will be posting on weekends
Almost cut it up and hauled it to the dumpster

Thanks and I hope everyone gets a chuckle Good laugh

Some more new year boat pics
 

Well was really doubting myself and got a lot of verbiage from friends and out of my mouth grinding and cutting my neighbors said they think I made a new language and yes I know it’s only the beginning

Wth would you spend the money and restore it when you can buy another one

Good question would be my response.

The hull has been fished hard

Hank Williams and beer drinking
 

Not much of a drinker, if I have a three beers a year then that’s to many
Well I had a six pack and cranked up the tunes

Going to lighten her up.

I removed the water logged deck which was a buck fifty and the original live well
Plus some grinding and three city garbage cans full of misc wood and wire etc

The original deck I removed like an idiot mainly because I found this site after the fact wayyyyyyyy after the fact. I never knew the hulls were this admired and this good.

The plan is to coosa the transom and deck and re pinstripe it along with redoing hatches but I’ll probably change my mind on deck layout and casting platform
Also I will give it The Captain Chuck Gucci touch eventually
Going to take my sweet time with it

Part Next Weekend Everyone’s Invited
 

You are cordially invited to my fiberglass grinding Partying

Hahahaha well still working on it the more I take out the more sins I find :(
Crap after crap

Cut out some transom and took it the publix to weigh
Eighty nine pound for this piece picture attached somewhere

Cutting the weight
 

Guesstimated weight I’ve removed so far is about three hundred and fifty puonds removed so far but it’s probably closer to four after today grinding and chipping away rotted wood and everything else that was put in a five to seven inch transom

Stringers were water logged punched a hole in both of them and couldn’t believe the water that gushed out really disheartening lol

Potter’s putty unbelievable really unbelievable hardness and strength

This is the piece that weighed eighty nine pounds

Don’t forget to RSVP for the party
 

Fiber glass grinding party in Boynton next weekend scallywags

Tabbing question at transom
 

What is the right way to lay cloth/tab at the transom rakes/chines at the underside/outside of the hull when you remove the transom totally without build up on the bottom rear of the transom to hull area?

When the boats upside down! lol

Grind out a taper where your overlaps will be. Roundover the corners just enough to wrap glass around.

You can use a straightedge to see how your taper is while youre grinding, ideally it will be just a bit deeper than the thickness your new glass will be built up. You dont want the new glass totally flush with the hull or it will print thru badly, you wanna leave a lil bit of a low for fairing compound/primer to build up...

Thanks Dirtwheels
Nice rebuild BTW

Was concerned that there was a special lay up to do like tabbing the inside of the transom or redoing stringers etc a friend of mine did some work a long time ago and I’ve always had a big tit down there lol
I’ve never done any reglassing like that on the outside of a hull and appreciate the feedback

Transom Help and first series of questions
 

I removed the rotted layers of wood and glass
-I am down to the original transom that is hard as the day it was made. The original wood is white and looks new. My mind is totally blown now. Lol
Everything put on top of it rotted and from poor glass work
-transom was built up to over 6 inches by someone (name I won’t even mention)

1. Do I remove everything down to outside original transom skin (maybe 30 to 40 percent left and build from there? Original lower area at chines is Sweeeet looking just needs some fine tuning.

2. Tabbing I have been reading and spoke with my local fiberglass supplier
They recommended start with a big 12 inch tab After installing two layers of coosa (two layers my choice)then work smaller tabs
-Yes I know to add filets
-Is a big tab needed?
3.Dumb question can cut out be patched in
Original knuckle head added 3/4 on outside and a 2x6 across the transom cut out
Then laminated three layers of plywood over the inside and cut out then added a half sheet that was not fully knotched to transom pattern where it meets inside liner. He used wood glue paste for wood boats the biaxled over it
-I knew he was a lazy arse wen I got it so I went over his work (which looked good at the time unpainted and faired)
I put on another three layers of biaxyl then Matt and faired it in also numerous layers of tabbing over his (his tabbing looked like an inbred did it)
All in all it held a bracket and numerous motors in some really great and not so great seas underway and anchored

Transom questions
 

Questions are part of lower post
Sorry not to good at this yet but here is a photo

Light Weight Babayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
 

Hats off to whoever removed the top cap by themselves!
Wasn’t as light as I thought it would be.
Back at it and have a splash date January 2021!

Back at it!!!!
 

Thanks for everyone sharing there rebuilds from the beginning of this site to present. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from everyone. Well now that I have a lot of free time and I’m working from home. I figured I might as well Go All In!

For tabbing I always start short and overlap each previous tab. That way you have fresh bonds for each tab. For scarfs, there’s a formula somewhere that goes like - take the thickness of the panel and multiply by the “X” factor and that’s how far out you cut your scarf. That gives plenty of bonding area to connect the panels together. More is better in this case. Happy grinding.