Let the games commence

So, the first main job to be tackled was to strip the old paint from the hull. I am fortunate to have a large garage to work in, so the weather doesn't bother me, but if it was dry and warm enough, I would prefer to do this job outdoors. It is extremely dusty! I started off by using a 3M Scotch stripper, as shown in the pic. It is a nylon type disc, similar to a nylon pot scrubber and I found it to be very effective. It is a little bit flexible and is quite forgiving and it doesn't clog at all.
Depending on the amount of pressure you exert, deep scouring shouldn't be an issue. I avoided this by limiting its' use to the top layer/s of paint. It cost €10 in Woodies and was worh every penny. Having done one complete side of the hull, it is still oing its' job.
I then followed up with 20grit in a random orbital sander to remove the remains of the original undercoat/primer, until the original hull was showing. I then ran over it again with 40 grit and will finish off with 80grit before painting. I am happy with the results and so far, have only exposed a few very minor scratches etc. which will be filled before painting.

While there isn't a whole lot to show for it, I have been busy stripping! Almost everything has been removed from the boat, which was awkward at times, due to innaccesibile nooks and rusted nuts. An extra pair of hands would have helped. I have taken some rough measurements and compiled a shopping list of sheet material for the floor "joists", and interior fit out.

The windows are all out and rivet remnants removed. Also removed were the blobs of putty which had been smeared around the insides of the frames, presumably to cover any gaps. This wont be necessary with the system I intend using.

I also unhooked the engine controls and removed the engine itself. The overhaul of the outboard will be a separate job in itself. The transom is all in good shape and is mostly just dirty and stained, but solid!

The steering wheel boss is proving to be a bit of a mystery to remove, but I will persevere.

I notice the original colour seems to be a lot more orange, as opposed to the yellow finish on the gelcoat. This is apparent where the window frames used to sit and behind any rubber edging etc. I will be happy to get the yellow back to a good shine.

Next job is to continue with the paint stripping on the hull, paint it, and then to wash, "cut" and polish the cabin area.

Pics and progress will follow. Meanwhile, some more of the work in progress.

Thanks for the encouragement and the advice. I have yet to strip the paint from the hull along the port side and transom, which will give a clearer indication of the general condition, but so far, so good! But an in depth probe as you suggested is very worthwhile. And yes, pics will follow, but for now, there isn't a whole lot to show, mostly dust and skint knuckles! For encouragement, I just look back over dnme's thread, and appreciate how easy I have it!

Thanks again.

Well, Christmas, with all of its' distractions has come and gone. I had some time away on a little holiday, then Christmas to get through, visitors, and preparing the car for its' NCT. But finally I got back to the boat!

I eased my way back in, not being in a huge hurry to get back to paint stripping just yet. Today, I made up the new handrails for the roof, to replace the old, rotted ones that were present. I got a piece of mahogany, slightly larger than 2" x 1" and marked out the size and shape of the handles, based on overall appearance and ensuring that I could fit my hand comfortably into the grips. After cutting out the basic shape, I then routed the outer edges, rounding them off. Finally a sanding or two and they are ready for a coat of oil and varnish (or six). These two rails took about an hour+ in total and cost about €12 so far! Included are some "before" and "after" pics.

I made them to ensure that they would cover the original holes in the roof, which will be used for fixing, along with some extra. I intend to fix them from beneath, screwing them down from inside the cabin, properly sealed of course.

I also started cutting out the basic half inch plywood shapes for the inner window "frames" into which the windows will screw, as opposed to holding them in place with rivets, as was the case.

The inside of the cabin will be lined with a fabric of sorts, allowed to run right to the windows themselves. Then the plywood frames, with outer edges routed off to a curve, will be covered in fabric also and placed around the inside of the window, covering any joints, fabric edges etc. With the windows sealed in place and screwed in through the inner ply frames, all should be tidy and secure.

More pics and progress to follow.

fergal.b wrote: »

Nice work but I prefer the old ones I noticed you said "a coat of oil and varnish" if you put oil on first the varnish won't stick very well so if you want to stain them go for a water base stain or just use oil or varnish on their own.
Keep up the good work great weather for it



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Yes, a little misnomer! Stain is what I would use, just to bring out the grain. I thought the originals were very shoddy, made up in pieces, which went to pieces! Plus, its a few less nuts on the outside to rust! See attached pic of the original upon its' "removal"! It just disintegrated!

And thanks for the post, just been looking at your build, serious stuff!!

Well, all the inner window surrounds are finished, ready for covering in whatever fabric I settle on. I gave them a "dry fit", just to check how they'd work alongside each other and a little fine tuning was needed on some, but, all done now.

Today I moved on to the flooring and began cutting out the supports/joists for the finished floor. Still undecided between a cheaper ply sheeting or the preferred mahogany decking effect. Still out on that one.

I began by making a cardboard template of the first support, by the cabin door. The boat is narrower at this point and wider at the transom, so the first support could be used as a further template to cut the rest, extending the width in appropriate steps. I have cut about 5 so far and hope to leave the first one, by the cabin, as is. Further back, the fifth one, about the mid point, has been fettled and adjusted to sit snug to the floor, getting over any humps and bumps. The last one, by the transom will be next, fettled and fitted, so that I can draw a line from front to back, across the tops of the supports, giving me a "height line" to which I can adjust the remaining supports.

As for finding a level, it's a mixture of "how it looks" and various measurements along with the use of a homemade "square" from a plywood offcut. I lined this up along the side of the door opening, to find a line at right angles along the bottom, running across the boat.

Between the jigs and reels, I think I have it pretty right. Besides, its a small floor area, so, no big panic either way. My main concern is to get all the supports running parallell, without any humps or dips.

I'm going to try and fit all the supports onto a pair of rails, or runners, one each side, to form a complete frame. This will keep the supports in place when bedding them in with fibreglass and will also strengthen the sides of the hull, as these rails will be bedded in also with fibreglass.

As previously stated, pics will follow and explain all, but for now, some pics of the initial supports, for which I used 3/4" plywood. I allowed the supports to stop short of the bottom of the hull to leave the drain chanell free, with room for a small bilge pump.

fergal.b wrote: »

Looks great, Hardwood is preferred for this job as plywood doesn't hold screws very well when you screw down into the laminations it can also cause them to split another reason is that this is the wettest part of the boat and even if you coat the ply in fiberglass it won't last as long as hardwood but I'm sure it will last your life time You could also epoxy a strip of hardwood on top of your ply this will keep the laminations together and give you something to screw into or. Another option for the floor is mahogany decking effect plywood I think you can get it in http://www.wallerwickham.ie/csd/index.php
Keep up the good work.



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Thanks for the encouragement and input fergal. I had thought about topping off the supports with a hardwood strip, having seen it mentioned on another post. Another thought was to use thin "chipboard" screws, with a pre-drilled pilot hole. These screws have a double twist, giving them, in effect, twice as much thread. I will certainly look into the suggested flooring. The supports will be at about 7" centres, which I think is plenty. Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

Well, having been away for another break, I finally got back to the boat this week, in between a multitude of other things on my "to do" list.

I finished cutting and adjusting all the floor supports, which were all different, dur to the fact tht the floor widens as it goes back and the shape of the hull changes also, flattening out somewhat as it goes back too.

I decided to fit a porthole to the cabin door and made up a pair of frames, inner and outer, the inner radius of which is larger than the radius of the actual opening. This creates a lip or rebate, into which a perspex window will fit. The two frames will screw together, sandwiching the perspex in place. At least thats the theory and a dry fit seems to work out ok. The final fit will have the benefit of a sealant.

I also cut a panel to cover the area where the steering wheel sits. This is just 1/2"" plywood, routed to create an individual "plank" effect. Again, this is dry fitted and still needs to have the opening for the steering boss and ignition switch cut out.

I also spent some time clearing and removing any last fittings, rivets, screws, etc. Not exciting but necessary.

Time to get the sander out again and finish stripping the blue paint from the hull, then filler, sanding etc. ready for paint. Keep putting it off!