# Restoring a '62 Chris Craft Sea Skiff



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Busy restoring a 1962 Chris Craft Seas Skiff. Almost have the boats hull sealed but had to take a break from laying on my back replacing, repairing and swearing at wood screws. You can replace a 100 screws, stand back and look and get ZERO feeling of accomplishment. It just doesn't show. You know you worked hard because you shoulders and neck ache so bad, but it just not satisfying work.










I have to stop sometimes and do something that 'feels good" when you stand back and look. I am going to paint the inside of the boat and needed to get at least one coat of varnish on the bright work in case there is any over spray. It is SO much easier to strip a little varnish off of bare wood than paint is. So I always put at least a couple of coats of varnish on before painting anything adjacent to it.

First I have to remove all the gauges and switches.



















Stripping the bulkhead was no picnick either. Need to sand with 220 and then it will be ready for a good cleaning and some varnish.










Next is filler stain and then Varnish.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

wow - Messing About with old wooden boats is my favorite project in the whole world !!
I bought a "vintage" CC cruiser in 1979 and refurbished most of the interior with fresh mahogany.
knowing nothing about electronics back then, I took all the inoperative Chris-Craft gauges and tossed them in the trash and built a new helm station with all new gauges (automotive) from JC Whitney. it looked really sharp !!
yeah - you learn not to do stuff like this 40 years later.
looking forward to following your project.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

This one was supposed to be a 2-6 month project and it now going into it's 5th year? Honestly lost track.

Went into this expect to find hidden damage but nothing like we found. That is a story in itself. It was stored well but it had unwelcome squatter do a lot of damage that we had no idea of. Causing some major repairs.

Frankly I was over my head but I have a sentimental attachment so I finally decided to move on and learn some new skills. 

Then when you have it apart you have to deal with the *"MIght as Wells"* too. _While I have this torn apart I might as well tear that apart and restore it too......_


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

Jeff - if you reach the point of "just can't do it no more"; there is always someone out there that can.
it's looking awesome so far !! is this your winter to finish it up ?


----------



## JayArr (Sep 18, 2018)

Don't give up Kudzu! 

I know what it's like to be in over my head on a project, I took a Nissan 240SX apart once to "fix a little rust" ended up spending 16 years completely rebuilding it. It's out in my driveway now and I drive it every summer. Stick with it for two reasons, the first is that it's great to get to the end and reap the benefits of your labour but the second arguably even more important reason is that once you finish it your confidence goes through the roof. No other project will ever make you doubt yourself again, you'll "know" that you can do it and then the sky is the limit. Next month I'm going to dismantle and rebuilt an automatic transmission, never even opened one before but if I can finish the Nissan I can surely rebuild a tranny. Even if it takes a year it will still be a piece of cake compared to restoring a sports car. 

Get the idea?


----------



## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Never really enjoyed working on boats except for maybe small projects. I used to be on a boating forum, 2 actually. I would see some guys by a hunk of crap with the hopes of restoring it and sail away. Most if not all cases, it never happened. I had one boat like that. Spent 4 years working on it and then finally sold it. Lost money is slip fees and materials. What I regret the most was not sailing for those 4 years. 
After that experience, my attitude was that if you cant motor and sail it the day you buy it, dont buy it. Living aboard the boats at the time I was restoring it made it a lot easier. Yes, there was the mess to clean up every day, but when the mood hit me, I was already there.
BTW. yor boat looks great so far. Kep it up


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Sometimes when looking at the over all picture it can be really overwhelming. At times I would get a really huge house to build that had a roof so cut up it would make a person wonder, why. When first looking at the house, as a whole, it would at times be overwhelming. But when going through each step of each operation, it just fell into place. Just one step at a time and it will work out, like it is supposed to.

I have been interested in restoring boats for a good while. It is admirable to see a restore such as you have undertaken. For years I have had the fantasy to build my own wooden boat from scratch, that would be so much fun, to me.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Finished sanding and cleaning last night. My ROS was packed with dust by the time I got it all sanded. 

This morning I applied the filler stain. Dry 24 hours and then I can start to varnish. That first coat always lifts the spirits to see it shiny!




























The unstained part at the bottom is under the floors so it will not show. It will be varnished though. Normally I would stain that even though it will never show. But I ran out of stain and it comes as a paste, so you have to thin it to get it to the right consistency and it just wasn't worth if for those two small sections.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

"varnish" ~ the inquiring minds would like to know which varnish will adorn a Chis-Craft.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Well, I started with McKloskey Man O War and it went bad on me. Applied 3rd(?) coat on some parts and it went flat, I mean NO GLOSS. Looked beautiful up to that point. Opened the can, new can by the way, and it had gone bad. Had some black stringy thing swimming in the varnish? Very strange. Barely used it to but in the trash it went.

After a lot reading at over at Wooden Boat I am trying believe it or not, Rustoleum Spar Varnish. Most people were happy with it for trailer queens. Apparently doesn't have as much UV protectors as the higher end brands. She will be trailered or hanging in a boathouse so not an issue there. Only real complaint was that is was a bit thin... and it is! I like what I see on one of the seats i did. But man does it want to run.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

okee dokee - I've used Rust-O Spar on small items and it was okay for what I was doing.
I am making some boat bench seats out of cypress for my runabout and will use Pettit 2067 Ultra-Clear.
it is a bit thicker than Rust-O and brushes well. 10 coats of Pettit and 5 coats of Epifanes on top of that.
brushing varnish is for those that have the patience and fortitude of Job.
hang tough - you'll get there.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Who knew 12 years ago when I was gifted all those 1940's cabinet shop machines and tooling that there would be a set of custom ground knives just for cutting rub rails for my Chris Craft?










Found an almost perfect set of custom ground knifes so set up the shaper and ran some stock. Fitted it to the boat and pretty happy with the days work. Now Ihave to order screws. Surprised at how fast that went.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

wow - great find on the knives !!
your stars are now aligned - go out and do great things.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Getting hard to see where I am applying the new varnish. 
Waiting on a shipment of screws so busy making a few small parts and varnishing. Hope to put the gages back in and tidy up the wiring next week. Then start putting the deck on.

Need to get her stable so I can put her on the trailer soon.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

looking really good !!
did you get the gauges refurbished or do you think they will function as they are.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

They were all working. I would like to send them out just to have the dials redone but that is going to have wait and be done latter on. Not looking for perfection, we use the heck out of it and things happen with kids, ski's and dirt being tracked in.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Busy couple of weeks on the boat. Lots of work and little of it shows. Got the gauges polished and back in.

Got a little of painting started on the inside. Really tough job sanding this down. So I am going to break it up and do a little at time. Much easier on the back and knees. No one will ever see this but it is something that just drives me crazy. And it will make it last longer too.










Pulled the bolts out of the strut to check the wood underneath. Good thing I did too!! It was way worse than I expected. And of course there is always that one bolt that just doesn't want to give in.










Once the strut was loose I found the wedge underneath it was in two pieces and just about ready to fail even though it looked fine.










I made a new one out of some white oak. It is deceptively simple looking piece. It has two compound angles. The obvious one from front to back and then there is ridge down the center and it slopes down on both sides. Lots of hand fitting to get that one right.

Started with my home-made scrub plane and then finished off with other planes and the scraper plane.



















I always say there will be that one bolt that will not come out easy. Well removing the spray rail I discovered that bolts MOMA! Lots of chiseling the old wood so I could finally get some vice grips on it and then it didn't want to come out.










Long tiring week but it feels so nice to see it being put back together!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

When the might as wells 'Bite you in the butt" .....
At least sanding and painting the stern will be a lot easier!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Someone sent me this video clip and is SO perfectly portrays how this project goes!

Changing a light bulb


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Going back to together. Actually just a dry fit of the pieces I had to make or repair. It will have to come apart for some finishing.
Now, lots of sanding and painting. Then I can start putting the deck on!


----------



## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Kudzu said:


> Someone sent me this video clip and is SO perfectly portrays how this project goes!
> 
> Changing a light bulb


I never watched the series ... but that skit is fantastic! We've all been there, I believe!
Thank you for the laugh!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I think I am going to be here... sanding.... forever!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Not much to show this week. But was it A LOT of work!

First a simple one. I need to connect a ground or bonding wire to the gas tank to prevent static build up when fueling. Had to think on how to do that without modifying the gas tank. Then I came up with this idea.

Filler neck screws into the tank and then there is this aluminum lock nut that keeps it in place. So I drilled and tapped a #10 thread and I will attach the grounding wire to this. Easy Peasy _(once I thought of it)_










After hours of sanding... PAINT!
Just one side and still lots of sanding but it feels like progress.










Last thing is I bought a new trailer for the boat. Old one was the reason for a lot of the broken ribs in the boat. Have to do a lot of work to make it fit my boat. Not to mention a good power washing! But I am very happy with my purchase. Perfect lenght. Surge brakes with disks. Aluminum frame. Amazed I found such a perfect trailer and local!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Was really wondering if I would ever get to the point!
1st coat of paint on the bilge and hull.


----------



## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

How on earth did I miss this thread. This is awesome. I'm looking forward to the rest of the project. Excellent work so far.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

yeah, Jeff - it might be time to rename the thread to be more in tune to what you are doing.
you are probably missing out on a lot of traffic that would be truly interested in your project.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

John Smith_inFL said:


> yeah, Jeff - it might be time to rename the thread to be more in tune to what you are doing.
> you are probably missing out on a lot of traffic that would be truly interested in your project.


I don't think I can change the Title on the original post. I tried and it wasn't something I could change do. I wish I could.

*WRONG! I can change it but I would have sworn I tried and it wouldn't let me. If I had known it would have been changed weeks ago.*


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Editing the first post title I realized how much water there was under the bridge before I started posting here (again).

So here is a few photos in order of the work I have done.
































































Seeing these photos helps remind me how much I have done. Makes me smile too.


----------



## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

very good !! and thanks for the additional photos.
that is a massive undertaking on an awesome project.


----------



## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

Good restoration.. she looks good.. we cant wait to see last pictures.. 

SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Sounds like fun. A little more than I have patience to tackle he's days. Too bad your not close so I could give you a hand...


----------



## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

Thanks for posting photos, I've enjoyed watching your progress. One of those projects that is overwhelming at first. I guess you're over half way done? Or is a complete engine over haul next? 



Kudzu said:


> I don't think I can change the Title on the original post. I tried and it wasn't something I could change do. I wish I could.
> 
> *WRONG! I can change it but I would have sworn I tried and it wouldn't let me. If I had known it would have been changed weeks ago.*


I didn't know that is possible either. Found that is the 3 dots at upper right of the original post (not the upper right dots of the window). Clicking edit there lets you edit both the title and post, cool.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Bob Bengal said:


> Thanks for posting photos, I've enjoyed watching your progress. One of those projects that is overwhelming at first. I guess you're over half way done? Or is a complete engine over haul next?


Well over half way done. BUT, once I get the deck on and it on the trailer I am going to have to stop. 

We have bought land. Got to build a barn, get utilities set up and move my shop and the boat there. We are putting the house up for sale as soon as all that is done. All thid is going to put me out of business for a couple of months. If all goes well it might be on the water for the fall colors cruises.

The motor should be fine. It is low hours and ran perfect. Of course it has set up for quite a while so it could have problems. I don't expect any but if so I can fix that too. Cut my teeth on the small block Chevy.


----------



## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

wood boats are a lot of work, but so satisfying to look at
my father was the manager of garwood industries
gar wood was a wood boat builder and racer
great stuff to read up on


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Garwoods are not nearly as common as the Chris's are today for some reason. I guess they never produced the number of boats that Chris did? But Garwoods have a reputation as being high quality.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Crossed off another one!


----------



## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

wow. just wow. very good looking work!

I wonder tho, now that you've been down the path....would it have been easier to just build a new boat ala the design?

in the mid-Atlantic region we have a lot of fresh water lakes with some real zinger CC restores....


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

TomCT2 said:


> I wonder tho, now that you've been down the path....would it have been easier to just build a new boat ala the design?


No. Building new is often easier than some of the repairs I did but there is a lot more hours in building a new one. A LOT more.


----------



## kwoodhands (May 1, 2020)

Tony B said:


> Never really enjoyed working on boats except for maybe small projects. I used to be on a boating forum, 2 actually. I would see some guys by a hunk of crap with the hopes of restoring it and sail away. Most if not all cases, it never happened. I had one boat like that. Spent 4 years working on it and then finally sold it. Lost money is slip fees and materials. What I regret the most was not sailing for those 4 years.
> After that experience, my attitude was that if you cant motor and sail it the day you buy it, dont buy it. Living aboard the boats at the time I was restoring it made it a lot easier. Yes, there was the mess to clean up every day, but when the mood hit me, I was already there.
> BTW. yor boat looks great so far. Kep it up


My father-in-law tried to get me to buy a Grady White that had sunk at the dock. He said you can't go wrong for $1000.00
I saw the boat when it was raised and set on cribbing. I did not want anything to do with it. The transom was ripped off and the motors were laying on a pallet. For starters I worked as a carpenter full time and farmed part time.
Looked to me like a ten year job.
He got a friend from work to buy this boat in about 1970. I saw the boat about 15 years later and it still was not done.
My idea of working on boats is building stripper canoes. Built 5 all told. Enjoyable and made money doing it.
mike


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Time for the Friday update. Best news is I am running out of things I can do till I move the boat. Next big project is rolling it over and staring to strip, fair and repaint the hull. I am excited but as I have said before, I have to build my new shop and then move my existing shop. That is not going to be fun.

But I started out the week by finishing the painting inside!!










Need to clean the tank before I repainted and installed. Filled it full of screws and then rolled it around with some water inside to break up any varnish that was in side. HOLY COW!! Could not believe how much trash came out of that tank!



















*About this much more was on the ground!*










The tank was galvanized. Reading on how to paint it one thing I read several places was never use oil based paint. That is all I ever use so I had to find some acrylic latex. Local ACE has two rattle cans of blue, that was it. It had been on shelf for a long time too.

I figured that would be a good primer so I bought both cans. When I got them on I kept looking at the blue and really liked the color. Went well with the smoke grey and unless I show someone, they will never see it. So I decided to let Whimsy win out.



















I made a couple of small pieces to replace old or damage stuff on the boat. The only real woodworking I did this week.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Last week was a hard week with little to see/ show for it. I worked on adapting the new trailer to fit the boat. Lot of head scratching. Sitting the boat on the trailer. Measure. Raise it up. Lower it down. Measure, test fit. Raise it up over and over! The crawling under and then getting back up over and over was exhausting.

I ran the old the existing bunks through the planer to clean them up.










Added a couple of bunks under the motor stringers. They will carry most of the load of the boat. I just used a single to fit with. Now I will remove these and double them up and trim to size.










Added a bunk at the front or rather I am in the process. Cut some aluminum angle and will attach it to the trailer and the bunk to that.



















Doesn't look like much but it has been a BIG job and not enjoyable at all. But it is close to done and I can move on to something more fun.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

WHooHooo! Pulled her out of the shop _ON HER NEW TRAILER _for the first time in several years. More than I care to admit.










Work on her has virtually stopped for a couple of months. So will not be any updates for a while. Have to do repairs to the house to put it for sale and build my new shop. But once that is done I am going to jump back in and get busy on finishing her up!


----------



## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Should be ready for the water before the end of this decade, right?


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

No hiccups with selling the house and moving, end of the year.


----------



## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

don't give up on it. my avatar TRUK took 8 years for a 2 year project. life gets in the way sometimes...
i like old wood boats, something about wood and water mixing that should be impossible 🤣


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Give up? Are you kidding? I am highly motivated, just have to do some other stuff first.

The hard part(s) are behind me. Now I get to move on to the more fun stuff. Making new peices, varnishing, painting, stuff that really shows you have been working.


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

_Ogre said:


> don't give up on it. my avatar TRUK took 8 years for a 2 year project. life gets in the way sometimes...
> i like old wood boats, something about wood and water mixing that should be impossible 🤣



He's not going to give up . I've been married 31 years today and I'm still trying to rebuild and fix my wife's problems..😆 As soon as she stops saying no, she'll be perfect...


----------



## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

dream on reb 🤣


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

I build, fly, repair, etc radio control airplanes. Some take a long time as in several years to build. NOT a full time job and my OCD, ADHD, "SQUIRREL!!!" and "OH Shinney" get in the way😂 .

One thing that holds true with all my projects is you get to the point of "90% done, 90% left to do". You work and work and work at something and seemingly make no progress and then one day it's done! You look back and see all your work and feel good about it!!!

You have a fantastic project there. One I would never take on but fully appreciate the work and time invested. Can't wait to see the finished project.

Ken


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

_Ogre said:


> dream on reb 🤣



You know how it is. I'm the boss when she's not around...lol


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I hate not being able to work on it right now. But priorities, must get this house sold and new shop built. 

Sanded on the transom a little the other day. Going to have to bleach it to rid of the old name 'shadow'. When I get a few minutes I work on it but nothing to show for the next couple of months I expect.


----------



## Roybrew (Nov 2, 2016)

Wow! What a project. I'll be following this. 
Roy


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Six months ago I stopped working on the boat _"for a couple of months"_.... 

Thought I would update this. I built a new shop _(covered inanother thread on here)_ and have it ready to accept the boat. 

Moving my shop was a major undertaking! Still working on the house. Not that many repairs but it just goes so slow but seeing an end now. 

Recently moved the last big item out of the shop. My gantries I lift the boat with. Had to take the casters off to get it out the door and then it just cleared by inch. Never anticipated moving them so I got lucky there! Same going in the new shop. JUST cleared the door.



















I think it is time to repair the lights on the trailer I bought and time to get it moved. When I can't work on the house I can work on the boat. Been hesitant to do that but I would much rather work on the boat but I think the time may be at hand.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Makin' Waves is back in the house!
Expect to finish up the 'fix ups" on our house and have it on the market by end of the year. 
Then I can start back on her. Expect to have back on the water next year.

*







*


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Your boat is bigger than I remembered it being, that is a fun project. Looking forward to your project.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

OK, time to catch up.

Taken much longer than expected to get back to this. But we spent a lot of time working on the house, getting it ready to sell. Starting moving lots of things out. Downsizing, donating, storing, etc. Put the house on the market and flooded with viewers so we moved to the camper just to be out of the way. Sold in 7 days! Crazy times are living in!

Anyway, we are settled... well settling in the camper. I have been cramming stuff in the shop trying to arrange it like I wanted.

Brought the engine down, built a stand for it so I could move it around and fire it up on here latter on.










Yesterday I finally was able to push her back inside. My goal was to lift her up and pull the trailer out but that didn't happen. Woke up sick in the middle of the night, spend most of the day sleeping. But she is in and I will be able to start back on the restoration in the next week or maybe sooner!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

FINALLY! Real work on the boat. Camp Whoville is pretty much together and we have settled in. So time to move back to the boat and planning the new house.

First order of business was to remove the gas tank and paint that hideous blue. I liked it at first and more I looked at it the uglier it got! Originally intended it as a primer anyway so now it is gray like the rest of the boat.










I need to order wood for the decks so I started the one job no one looks forward to. Stripping paint.










A heat gun and paint scrapper work pretty well. I just got a new heat gun and sort of wish I had spend the money for a commercial quality that gets really hot, really fast. This works good and no chance of burning the wood. And it works well, just not as fast as I would like but I am not sure I would be happy with anything.

I have also started stripping the transom but no photos.

Just feels good to be working on it again.


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

THAT, is you boat motor? Man you don't do anything in a small way, that is going to be a super nice boat when you finish it.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

BigJim said:


> THAT, is you boat motor?


That is the Factory engine. Original to the boat.


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

That is really nice, I see why you want to restore your boat. A very worthy project.

As high as building materials are today, have you considered using the Structured Insulated Panel System. I don't know the cost of SIP vs stick building but it sure goes faster and is super on insulation. A friend of mine built his house using this system and the heating and AC factor alone was a super pay back. Just thinking out loud here, I don't know the costs factor but by the time you figure labor at 55% less and insulation, building materials etc it is well worth looking into. Not to mention the time factor on a construction loan payback. I am not trying to tell you anything, just making a suggestion.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Still finding lots of distraction that are keeping me off the boat. But living in a RV in the woods trying to make it home, I guess that is normal.

But I got a little bit done. Had two bungs on bow stem to replace. I assumed they covered screw holes but was wondering why there were screws there. To my surprise they were through holes!

I found some some mahogany I had replaced in the boat, cut it up and made a couple of dowels to plug the hoes with.



























Working on the transom. Want to get at least a couple of coats of varnish on it. Then any paint will not stain the wood. Much easier to remove paint over varnish than raw wood!










Going to have to bleach it to ever get the name off and wood colors consistent. It has a swim platform you can clearly see where it mounted.










Had a damaged corner. Not enough to warrant pulling the transom and replacing the top half. It is covered with a trim piece so I decided to just fit a piece and glue it in. Again, made from some part I replaced in the boat.


----------



## Woodworking Wolf (Sep 17, 2021)

Great project and excellent work. Don't know much about wood boats (have only owned fiberglass), but something like this is on my bucket list of things to do.

When I was a kid we vacationed on Green Lake in Wisconsin. The mail was delivered by boat. I'll never forget the beautiful mahogany Chris-Craft pulling up to the docks with a black Lab standing on the front deck.

Wondering about a few things:

Anyone have any thoughts on spraying the inside of the hull with a coating they use inside p/u truck beds (spray on bed liner)?

When doing a full resto on a car, if you have space and $, it's really nice to use a rotisserie. Any idea if something like that can be used on one if these boats? It sure would make it easier to work on the bottom. Merrick Auto Rotisserie with No Jacks M998080

I've heard that wooden boats tend to leak when they are put in the water after having been out for a time. Apparently the water swells the wood and stops the leaks (or at least most of them)?

I know this is not a boating website, but the thread is here...


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

Woodworking Wolf said:


> I've heard that wooden boats tend to leak when they are put in the water after having been out for a time. Apparently the water swells the wood and stops the leaks (or at least most of them)?


I'm told that it is "a thing" to fill a wood boat with water to re-swell the wood. Sounds locical but of course to much warer and you drown the engine.

Ken


----------



## Woodworking Wolf (Sep 17, 2021)

Kenh3497 said:


> I'm told that it is "a thing" to fill a wood boat with water to re-swell the wood. Sounds locical but of course to much warer and you drown the engine.
> 
> Ken


Interesting. I had not heard about filling it with water. I assumed you put it in the water and let it swell as it sat in the water (running the pump as needed as it fills with water so it doesn't go down or swamp the engine).


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Did another repair on the bow stem. Another problem area was under the bow eye. I did a repair on it 20+ years ago but didn't have that much in the way of skills then, plus there was some damage that happened since.










So I pulled the eye out and started cutting till I got to good wood.










You can see a white oak block I put in there all those years ago.










I found a chunk of Mahogany and fitted it in the slot. My skills are not as good free handing something like this but I am getting better with every try.










Took me half a day but I keep trimming and trimming and finally got it fitted and roughed out. I decided to screw it in place because I had no way to clamp it when I applied the epoxy. And I am going to paint from here down.










Always bugged me that the eye was not centered so I took this chance to plug the old hole and drill a new one in the center. 










And then some planning and sanding and it is ready for a little filler and paint.










Then LOTS more paint scrapping. I will probably have dreams about scrapping paint. But I have got a good system going now and it is going faster.


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

[Then LOTS more paint scrapping. I will probably have dreams about scrapping paint. But I have got a good system going now and it is going faster.

Because I don't know.... Would a chemical paint stripper be faster? Or would that have a detrimental effect on other things like filler and waterproofers?

Ken


----------



## Woodworking Wolf (Sep 17, 2021)

Kenh3497 said:


> Because I don't know.... Would a chemical paint stripper be faster? Or would that have a detrimental effect on other things like filler and waterproofers?
> 
> Ken


Based on the age of the boat, what about the possibility of lead in the paint? Is it safer to remove lead paint with stripper than by scrapping and sanding?


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I hate messing with checmical strippers and the quality of stripper today is not good. 

And there is not doubt that there is lead paint there. That why is so dang hard to get off.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Such a good feeling! Putting on a couple of coats of varnish. 

At this point it is just to protect the wood. Still have a lot of work to do on the hull. But when I start painting I do not want any paint on bare wood that is to be varnished. It leaves a stain that is so hard to remove! 

So this will protect it and I can sand it off easily if I need too.



















Also have one side stripped of paint. Down to the original lead based paint and it isn't going anywhere!!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Friday Update _(on Saturday)_

One of those weeks with lots of sore muscles and hours of work and it barely shows. You about have to look at last weeks photo compared to this weeks to see any progress.



















I spent the week sanding. I found I could do about an hour and then had to stop and do something else. I have this side of the boat about 95% done. It is ready to applying the filler and fairing compound to even out all the flaws. 

Then guess what? MORE sanding. But that is just part of it. Can't be as bad as sanding inside the boat was!

This morning I am reading Facebook and drinking my coffee and this thought pops in my head. 

I have spent the last couple of weeks looking for MDO or real Marine Grade ply for the decks. I just couldn't find anything within a 3 hour drive of me. I can have it shipped but I was getting prices of $500 just for crate and shipping. Then $500 for the plywood. So ball park $1,000.

So, I plugged in Marine Plywood in Market place and first ad was an hours drive away and he had 3-1/2 sheets of Okume, marine plywood for $225. Exactly the size and amount I need.









_Okume Marine Grade Plywood (New), 3.5 sheets that are 9 mm thick and 1 sheet that is 6 mm thick. _
_T__his is a top grade marine plywood that is 4'x8' size, $225 or $200 if picked up by 5/17/22. _​
Two hours latter I was trying not to break his hand stuffing the money in it!

Next week I will most likely start putting the decking on the boat. Then I can roll it over and spend the month sanding.


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Looking good.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Weekend update
June 4th, 2022

Just finished fitting the decks to the boat!

Not nearly as bad a job as I expected and it turned out better than I expected. Nice tight joints. Of course that is a lot easier when you dealing with a mostly flat surface rather than rolling bevels.

Just a few screw holes to drill and the decks are done. Next I will take them off and paint them. I want everything painted, especially the hidden sides. That where the rot will start. I think if CC had at least primed the wood before putting the boats together than would have lasted a lot longer. 










I started at the bow. I had the old ones for patterns but they were rough but a good starting point. Cut them oversized and put them on the boat where I could mark them. Take them off and trim the edges.



















Rear deck I decided to make in two pieces since it minimized scrap. I thought I had just enough plywood and If I messed up it meant $200 shipping for one sheet. I did mess up one side, I got confused and cut a taper the wrong way. Proud to say that was the only one I messed up and I used it elsewhere on the boat.



















Next were the gunwales. Factory made them in two pieces but since it never shows I went with 3 pieces. Again making the most of the plywood I had. Lots of big scraps after doing the decks and seems wasteful not to use it. Especially at $125+ a sheet.










Decks finished and temporarily in place. Just a few screw holes left to drill. Then I will take it apart and start painting both sides before installing them permanently.

Then the real fun. Going to flip her over and working on finishing the outsides.


----------



## mike swin (8 mo ago)

I completely restored and rebuilt a 1965 C-C Super Sport, 18 ft. 3 years and I had to sell it but it was worth it I guess


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Another weeks work done. 

Another weeks work that doesn't really show either.

Pulled the newly fitted decks off and started painting the undersides. I have two coats on the bottoms. One coat on the top. I am thinking about a third on the bottom but not sure. 

Topsides will be finished after then are installed. Lot of filling and fairing to do but that will be one of the last jobs It is almost time to roll it over and start working on the hull and getting it read for paint.



















While I had the deck off I want to work on the rats nest of wiring in the boat. I have worked on this once before but I kept looking at it finding more things I didn't like.

So lots of reterminating wires. insulating exposed terminal ends, removing excess wire and splices.

While I had easy access I decided it was time to replace that pitiful excuse of a fuse panel with a proper box with modern _(easier to find)_ fuses. Also a good chance to improve on the wiring. Still doesn't look great, it is MUCH better than it was. And a whole lot safer too!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

WEEKEND UPDATE

Skipped last week. Lots of work but nothing that showed. But this week! I think photos will speak for themselves.





































The plan was to roll it over but had some issued getting it to tip. Realized that it was easier to work on like this. Some change of plans, Going to do half the bottom, then roll it over and do the other half. Then I can put it on the trailer or cradle and finish up the sides.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Managed to get 3 coats of paint on half the bottom. Lot of_ 'body work" _involved. Lots of sanding too.










Rolled it over the other way this morning. Going to start on the Starboard bottom. Hoping to have it done by next weekend.










Between coats of paint or waiting on filler or fairing compound to dry I have start to work on the brakes on the trailer. Pretty much just have to replace everything. Looks like they may have seen some salt at some point.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Bottom is done, except for where the straps were. Put her back upright this morning. I need to get undernearth and finish that off. Small area but it going to be miserable work.

Not much to see for the next few weeks. LOT and LOTS of sanding and filling. 

Maybe I would do a time lapse of my fingerprints disappearing??


----------



## GCTony (Apr 5, 2018)

Gosh.....she is looking REALLY good.


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I agree, it is looking good.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

After all these years t is SO NICE to see the end coming.


----------



## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

not a boat fan, but love this thread. thank you for sharing!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Late with the update but no much to show.

Fill, sand, fill, sand, fill, sand ............ that sums up this week. 
_And the next few I suspect._


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

What are you using for fill?

Ken


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Kenh3497 said:


> What are you using for fill?
> 
> Ken


Famowood filler and Total Boat fairing compound.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*I am tired!*



















One coat on this one side. Two coats to go.


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

Looking very good! Can't wait for you to get to the "90% done, 90% left to do stage! 😁 

Ken


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

*Weekend Update.*

Been a bit of a roller coaster this past week. Once the paint went on I looked at the boat for two days and was just was not happy with the finish. The glossy paint just highlight all the flaws, mostly just slight outlines of the grain and some places I missed, which I expected. While I am not looking for a perfect yacht finish after all this work I just couldn't accept it as it was. It would have been cutting corners and always bugged me.

Having sanded the whole boat with long board(s) it felt _pretty much_ flat to the touch. I knew there was some unevenness but I never expected it would show as much as it did. If you look close you can see a little of it in the previous posting photo.

So, I grabbed my long board and started sanding again. What I eventually found was that running my ROS over the Douglas Fir as a final pass was a mistake. It was sanding low spots in the soft summer grown of the wood. The harder winter growth is much harder and wouldn't sand as fast. A hard pad would probably help but it was to late. I was really surprised by this but that was a large part of why it looked like it did.

After sanding it again I started to fill the flaws. It looks like the boat is half covered with filler but once I got through sanding it all flat at least half, probably a lot more of the filler ends up on the ground.










This is after some sanding and a little more filler applied. You can see those low spots I sanded.









This time I made it a point to go over the whole boat by hand with the long board. Lots of running my hand over my work. It is amazing what the fingers feel and the eyes can not see. A little more filler and more sanding. 

Two coats of paint are on and I am happy this time. I see a couple of small spots I want to touch up but this time it looks MUCH better. Not perfect but it is 60 years old and not a show boat. It will be used a lot. Now I will take what I learned and it will make the Port side go much easier and faster.


----------



## Woodworking Wolf (Sep 17, 2021)

Did you think about using a guide coat? As much as I think I can feel irregularities with my hand, that doesn't come close to using a guide coat. I think it goes a lot quicker to.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

That is in effect what the first coat became. I think I am going to treat the first coat on the Port side this way. Makes the flaws really stand out.


----------



## jdonhowe (Jul 25, 2014)

Seems to me that if you remove all the flaws. people will just think that it's fiberglass, not wood.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

August 6, 2022
Weekend update

Short version, sanded, filled, sanded and filled. 










Port side has the first of the final coats of paint on it. Two more coats and it is done. 










Now to move on to the white top plank.


----------



## Bob Bengal (Jan 2, 2021)

What's the story of the zebra kayak in the rafters?


----------



## Tree Hugger (Sep 1, 2011)

Neat project and way over my patience. I'm just starting a Glen L Zip , cutting out patterns from tracing with carbon paper over the prints.
A hell of a lot less work ( and smaller) than yours , but yours is authentic.

Are you finding genuine mahogany (South American) hard to find period and at a decent price ?
Had to drive 5 hrs to find a mill with enough on hand and a fair price.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Tree Hugger said:


> Are you finding genuine mahogany (South American) hard to find period and at a decent price ?


Yup! I see a lot of people use Sapele but even that is hard to find. here. I have a line of some African Mahogany fairly close. 

Next step is replace some of the trim and I have to find some in the next couple of weeks. I can get it shipped in but the shipping cost is more than the wood.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Bob Bengal said:


> What's the story of the zebra kayak in the rafters?


One of my personal boats. It's been an ongoing prototype for my designs. Been altered a few time but it is basically my Curlew design.


----------



## Tree Hugger (Sep 1, 2011)

Kudzu said:


> Friday Update _(on Saturday)_
> 
> One of those weeks with lots of sore muscles and hours of work and it barely shows. You about have to look at last weeks photo compared to this weeks to see any progress.
> 
> ...


Ha Ha What a great find/bargain ! Have you ever looked at Hydrotek ..a little cheaper ( over Okume buying new) and the stuff I looked at ( and bought) was even more flawless than Okume.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

WEEKEND UPDATE


----------



## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

That boat looks like it'll need 3 feet of water, minimum for draft. I don't think you could find more than half a dozen places to run that down here. Pretty, though!


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

Kudzu said:


> WEEKEND UPDATE


That looks slicker than greased snot on a door knob! 😁 Very nice!!

Ken


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

m.n.j.chell said:


> That boat looks like it'll need 3 feet of water, minimum for draft. I don't think you could find more than half a dozen places to run that down here. Pretty, though!


18" draft


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Kenh3497 said:


> That looks slicker than greased snot on a door knob! 😁 Very nice!!
> 
> Ken



Don't look to close. There are still lots of flaws.


----------



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

If you ever want to see all the imperfections in anything, especially a sheetrock wall, lay a drop light with a shield against the wall, it will show every imperfection. It may work on your boat also. It sure does look nice, I would be proud of it.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Took a couple of weeks off after that hull refinishing marathon. I never stop but I worked much less and I worked on small things. Touch-ups, small repairs. Nothing worth showing because they really didn't show.

Pulled the decks off and finished up some things under the deck. Then put them on for good. I bet there are well over a 200 screws in that deck!










Hoisted her up and slide the trailer underneath.




























She is outside now.

I need the shop space so I can spread out my tools. I need to make a few pieces and I have LOTS of sanding and varnishing ahead of me. Need a spot out of weather to work and there just isn't much room in there the boat.

Need to get a lean-too off the side of the shed to store her under really soon.


----------



## Tree Hugger (Sep 1, 2011)

Kudzu said:


> Took a couple of weeks off after that hull refinishing marathon. I never stop but I worked much less and I worked on small things. Touch-ups, small repairs. Nothing worth showing because they really didn't show.
> 
> Pulled the decks off and finished up some things under the deck. Then put them on for good. I bet there are well over a 200 screws in that deck!
> 
> ...


Looking good.
Silicone Bronze screws right? I looked into Stainless Steel to save money until I read about crevis corrosion.
I spent about 15 years aligned with the fastener industry and never heard of it .


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Have not updated this lately but been really busy. First big project was more stripping and refinishing. This time it was the inner panels. They are varnished, not painted. Lots of work. Sanded them all down. Then used a filler stain which has to be rubbed on and off by hand. 

Started varnishing and snapped a photo. Forgot to get any photos after I got 4 coats on them. Will get that when I get back to them.










Cutting all new seats for the rear. Lower one was replaced at some point with painted plywood so I am really glad to see it in mahogany again.



















There are two parts don't have a square corner on them. Nothing but compound angles. Mating compound miters and rolling bevels. They sit on the curved deck under the windshield, splayed backwards. Pretty proud of the way it came out. Granted I had a pattern but it was bugger to make!

This is still rough cut, before I fitted it to the deck. I will get better photos when I install them.










Dry fitting the inwales. More compound mating miters. A TON of screw holes to be drilled.











Floors cleaned up pretty good. Have a couple of panels to replace but most of it is still good. Still a lot to do but really feels like we are in the home stretch


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I have spent all of this week working on four boards. 80% of that time on two of them.
These two!










These two really put up a fight. I would assemble them in place on the windsheilf frame. Put it on the boat and scribe the curve. 

Trim and test fit and they fit the deck very well. Very happy so I then assembled them and when I put it on the boat there would be a big gap on both outside edges. 

Scribe again, trim, test fit, then assemble and same issue.

Rinse and repeat

After thee attempts I was absolutely baffled. How could they fit and then suddenly not fit? I was when I loosened up the screws holding them to the frame that I found the issue. It was not the rolling bevels that were wrong, it was the top side! Tuns out they are not flat and parallel after all.

NOTHING, not one surface on these is flat, square or parallel! Even though they looked flat and inline, they were not. Every surface is at an angle. Nothing but compound angles and rolling bevels.










I mounted these to the boat and then trimmed the tops with a plane and it all finally lined up like it should.










Now it time to take it all apart (again). Then sand, stain and varnish all the parts I have made over the last two weeks.


----------



## Woodworking Wolf (Sep 17, 2021)

Kudzu said:


>


Tell is about the gauges. Original, new replacements, rebuilt? Which functions do they monitor?


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Woodworking Wolf said:


> Tell is about the gauges. Original, new replacements, rebuilt? Which functions do they monitor?


Stock, standard things. RPM, oil pressure, temp and amps.


----------



## Woodworking Wolf (Sep 17, 2021)

Kudzu said:


> Stock, standard things. RPM, oil pressure, temp and amps.


Did you do anything to clean them up? They are far away in the picture, but they look clean, bright and shiny.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Woodworking Wolf said:


> Did you do anything to clean them up? They are far away in the picture, but they look clean, bright and shiny.


No, just general cleaning.They show some age up close but overall good.


----------



## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Boat builders and luthiers are all in a woodworking class of their own! 
To fit a curved cowl with a descending angle times two, certainly would tax my skills.
It's like making a giant template, I've made a lot of square edge templates, but never one with a variable angle edge. WOW!
I give you tons of credit!


----------



## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

woodnthings said:


> Boat builders and luthiers are all in a woodworking class of their own!
> To fit a curved cowl with a descending angle times two, certainly would tax my skills.
> It's like making a giant template, I've made a lot of square edge templates, but never one with a variable angle edge. WOW!
> I give you tons of credit!


Amen! I had a wild idea about getting a houseboat to use as a second home after I retire. The boss thinks I’m crazy.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> To fit a curved cowl with a descending angle times two, certainly would tax my skills.


I had the old damaged one to use as a starting point but fitting them taxed me. It is a slow sort of tedious part. I actually enjoy it but it is frustrating at times too. Just takes lot of CAREFUL measuring and set up. Forgo the power tools for hand tools to fine fit them.

What is fun is all the coumpound miters. I could spend a half an hour measuring and setting up the RAS for a cut that takes less than a minute. But it is great feeling when it works.


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

DrRobert said:


> Amen! I had a wild idea about getting a houseboat to use as a second home after I retire. The boss thinks I’m crazy.



I think the boss is right! 😁 😁 

Ken


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

DrRobert said:


> Amen! I had a wild idea about getting a houseboat to use as a second home after I retire. The boss thinks I’m crazy.


if you can afford it is not crazy, just expensive.

Some of our freinds think we are nuts. We are very seriously looking at buying an Narrow boat (google it) and spending a couple of years cruising the UK canals. They make a House boat look like a mansion. If we can swing buying a boat it is cheap way to live and see a lot of the UK. There is over 2,000 miles of connected canals. Living on the boat is cheap, the boat it not. No way could we afford to spend a year there any other way.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

COVID is no joke!
As careful as we are especially my wife, she caught it. Which of course meant I got it from her. Today is two weeks since the first symptoms and it is the first day I have felt like actually doing much. The last week has just been fatigue, to tired to do much at all. Short walks. Piddle with carb off my golf cart. 

Today I managed to sand down the previous varnish work and apply another coat. It's lunch time and I stil feel OK so I must finally be getting better.

Working on my varnishing skills. There is a at to it and while mine is getting better it is still a long way to go. But I am getting there.


















First coat on this one so it looks rough and it was. But after a few coats and sanding between coats is looks much better.

Expect to bring the boat back in the shop in couple of weeks. Time to start putting it back together. Still some small stuff to make but I can work with in there once I get all theses part varnished.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Still varnishing stuff. 

Took the second seat apart and did some repairs and stripped the old finish off. Then more staining and varnishing. Big stack of varnished wood in the background.



















Decided I had to do something else. Tired of sitting waiting on varnish to dry.

Rolled the boat in the shop, took it off the trailer and started to finish the decks. Filling the screw holes. Then time to sand it down, a coat of paint and after any touch-ups it should be ready to apply the vinyl to the deck. Then I can get serious about putting it all back together!


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Still varnishing parts but between other projects I finally got the deck sanded and a couple of coats of paint on it.










While the boat sat outside it rained on it a couple of times. I found a stain on the transom that turned out to be rot I had not previously found. There is a trim strip that goes over this so I decided to just cut it out and put a small piece rather than remove the transom and do a proper repair. 










I cut a piece from something I had replaced elsewhere on the boat. This will match the best and be the least obvious repair.










I am going to strip the transom again and bleach it, so it should be a pretty close match once done.










Next week I should start to put the interior back into the boat. Get some of these new parts fitted and out of the way. I can hardly move in the shop right now for all the pieces laying around.


----------



## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

If you have ever taken on a long term project like a restoring a boat you can probably relate to this.

My boat did not have rubrails when I bought it. A couple of years ago I got lucky and found a stainless set for free. If you have not priced them, stainless rub rails are not cheap!

We moved since then and I was very careful with these. I put them in a safe place where they would not be damaged of lost.

I have a storage room where a lot of the boat parts are stored till I need them. The rest went to my shop. For the last 3-4 months I have been looking for the rubrails but could not find them anywhere.

Today scouring the shop yet again behind the air compressor. I saw the bottom of them shrink wrapped together. I was so relived!










Then I looked up and was left rather bewildered. How the heck have I been looking for months and not seem them??


----------



## Kenh3497 (Jun 5, 2021)

Been there!!! My personal theory is there are time warps/black holes that sweep through your shop from time to time. They will suck up random items and just as randomly drop those items back in a different spot if they decide to return them at all.

Ken


----------

