1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

I have read numerous times on here that polyester resin has no strength on it's own and will not hold up well at all sealing your deck. You must use it in conjuction with some cloth. Epoxy, however can be used alone. I used poly by itself on the outer transom plate on my boat (because I didn't read thoroughly) and after 1 season it started delaminating a bit.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

I have read numerous times on here that polyester resin has no strength on it's own and will not hold up well at all sealing your deck. You must use it in conjuction with some cloth. Epoxy, however can be used alone. I used poly by itself on the outer transom plate on my boat (because I didn't read thoroughly) and after 1 season it started delaminating a bit.

There are several threads about what to use on decks. My personal choice is something that penetrates well so I choose a 1 part polyurethane. As near as I could tell that was what was used on my decks originally and it held up for nearly 18 years. I won't argue deck sealants, you can decided what you think is best after reading all the threads about it elsewhere on this forum.
As a testament to what a good penetrating sealant can do, last night I sealed a deck board that had a slight bow in it. The Spar Varnish penetrated and filled in the empty cells of the wood and this morning the board was nearly flat again.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

I completely agree with your choice. My issue was with coating the wood with just 2 part polyester and no cloth as I'd seen myself how that doesn't really work.

Of course I have no credibility as I used 3/4" PT ply for my deck which is probably eating it's way through the bottom of my boat as we speak I hadn't found this forum yet and didn't know any better.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

I completely agree with your choice. My issue was with coating the wood with just 2 part polyester and no cloth as I'd seen myself how that doesn't really work.

Of course I have no credibility as I used 3/4" PT ply for my deck which is probably eating it's way through the bottom of my boat as we speak I hadn't found this forum yet and didn't know any better.

LOL... No I think your O.K. PT is what was in my boat and there wasn't any damage from it.
I'm using 3/4 A/C exterior for my decks. The way I figure it, if this boat lasts another 15 years the next person that has to worry about it will be the curator at a museum or the muncher at the local scrap yard. LOL...

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Haha definitely. As is often said on here: my deck will definitely outlast my interest in this particular boat. I just hope my 36 year old outboard outlasts my interest!!

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

It's been a while since I've updated this thread. My Nikon D300 got dropped and has been in for repair for over a month so no new pics. I did take some with another camera and will post when I get a chance.

Anyway, - The paint went on the inside rails and transom. I first painted them all bright white and then changed to platinum when I realized how bad the glare was going to be. Interlux Perfection went on nice but it took some trial and error days to get the results I wanted. One thing that I finally resolved to was that no thinner is better if you can get away with it. Also anything between 50 and 60 degrees is optimal. At 65-75 you need to start thinning or it will skim over on you and you'll loose the wet line.
As for application, a very low nap, closed cell foam roller cut in half works better than a badger hair brush.

The underwater portion of the transom got painted with the 2000 epoxy primer barrier coat and VC Performance epoxy. The primmer is thick and I put the first coat on with a 3/8 nap mini roller. After that dried I sanded it with 150 and then put the remaining coats on with a thin nap closed cell foam roller. I came out O.K. but I sanded quite a bit to get the orange peal out.
The VC doesn't flow and doesn't gloss all that much so I didn't bother trying to tip it off. I just rolled it on and it came out O.K. I put 5 coats of it on. I used the gray primer, knowing I would be putting on a white topcoat. I think this was a good thing as it made it impossible to miss the holidays. Something else about the VC, if you don't get it sanded within the first 24 hours you won't be sanding it at all. It is hard, hard, hard stuff when it's fully hardened.

Once the paint was all dry, I mounted the CMC PL65 Jack Plate. I made some spreaders for the transom out of some polished diamond plate I had laying around and used the old stainless fine thread motor mounting bolts to mount it up. The CMC kit came with new motor mount bolts so I'll use those for mounting the motor to the plate. The plate sure looks nice and I can't wait until I get the bottom painted and can mount the engine to it.

Next I put the smart tabs on and mounted the tansponder and paddle wheel/temp sensor for my Lowrance. If there seems to be some madness to my methods it will become clear now.

The next step is to pull all the starboard wire and cables up to the front of the boat. I only wanted to do this once so that's why the transom and splashwell work came first. I measured up under the rail caps and then cut two 3/4"x4.5"x4' pieces of ACX ply for each side. I clamped a a piece of 2" schedule 40 to it and test fitted it. It was a no go, I couldn't roll it up under with the pipe on it. I took the pipe off and then put some PL on them and rolled them in. I mounted my Down Rigger quick releases at the same time and this sucked the boards up tight to the underside of the cap.

Once the boards were in I put the tube back in and then using a circuitous pull string, (huh?). Make a pull string that's three times as long as the tube, thread it through the tube and tie the ends together. Hook up any wire to the string with electricians tape and pull on the string to pull the wire through the pipe. Doing it this way, you never run out of pull string and if you leave it in when you're done it will always be handy for the next unexpected pull.

Once I pulled the wire I put in some rubberized hangers for the hydraulic steering hoses and throttle/shift control cables. I didn't think running them in the same tube with the wire as a good idea. I also used wire ties to strap them together so they wouldn't rub against each other.

If you're wondering why I used a 2" pipe it's so I didn't have to remove any of the preinstalled end connectors on any of the wire. I was suprised to see how little room was actually left when I was done.

The starboard side got all the low amp wiring. I ran all the high amp wire on the port side and used two 1-1/2 schedule 40 pipes there. Same scenario for the pull string. The high amp stuff are the battery cables from front batteries to the rear mounted battery switch, the onboard charger and the Honda 1000 generator that is getting mounted up under the splashwell. I vented the Generator with a 3" bilge blower that only runs when the generator is running and ran the exhaust out through a deck vent with a piece of 3" aluminum dryer hose. It works great. It produces 9amps of 12v charging current but I don't intend to use it. Instead I have a ProMariner charger that will plug into the generator and run off the 110. It produces 20amps of charging current and has the proper circuitry to charge the batteries correctly.

The next thing to do is trim down the consoles so they fit with the new deck height and get them installed and wired. There's at least a week or more work in doing that alone.. I'll update again after they are done.

S

 

[APPALOOSA2]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Sschefer the schedule 40 is a great idea I will have to follow your lead on that. Nothing I hate worst than a rats nest of wiring.

You are doing a excellent job !

Love those Nikons....

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Well the Nikon was unrepairable so I'm using my cell phone until the insurance check comes. Here's the new interior looking forward from the stern. The new temporary seats are due to arrive tomorrow. The Air Rides are being built and won't be here in time for the first launch.

The transom, splash well and interior exposed aluminum were all painted with Interlux Perfection Platinum. I started with Snow White but there was just too much glare. The platinum is a nice compromise.

Here's a shot of the new CMC PL65 hydraulic Jack Plate. I'm impressed with the quality and the installation was a piece of cake. I made a couple as spreaders out of 1/4" aluminum diamond plate for the inside of the transom and bolted through those with fine thread 1/2 x 5 stainless bolts and nylon insert nuts.

At the bottom of the transom you can see the white Interlux VC Performance bottom paint. The paint is hard as nails and with 4 coats of the 2000e barrier coat primer under it, there's little chance this will be peeling off anytime soon.

A little hard to see here but those are the Smart Tabs, the transducer and the speed/temp sensor. The sensor is a paddle wheel for slow speed only and needs to be mounted correctly. I spent a lot of time finding the sweet spot with this on another boat but once you find one, you can get really close on any others you install and there's enough adjustment to dial it in later.

I've been spending most of this week sanding and preping for the rest of the paint. Hopes are that the boat will be wet by the end of the month.

Have no fear, I have another project in mind after this one. I'll be damned if I'm spending money on a Therapist when I could be working on a boat..

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Looks fantastic. Nice job.

 

[North Beach]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

SS, based upon your posts on my build thread I'm sure this is going to be one crisp looking machine when you're done!

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Ha, just got to lookin at the garage floor in the latest pics... Looks like I've put sealer on it ... Come to think of it, with all the glue and GluVit I've had stuck to the bottom of my shoes lately, I probably did.. Ahh yet another benefit of boat restoration!!

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

As I move on to getting the rest of the boat ready for paint I've been doing a little body work. I had a couple of dock dings that I knocked out when I had it stripped but I noticed that it would be pretty easy to push them back in. Aluminum streches so just bringing the dent out doesn't really make it a permanent fix.

I hunted around and found some auto body repair tricks for aluminum. The trick was to ding the stress points with a body pick and that sets whatever remains of the dent. You need to use more filler but the filler won't pop off if there isn't any flex so I think it's O.K. At the max I have about 1/8" of filler. The alternative is to heat it up to 500 degrees and then hit it with a wet rag. I couldn't do that because the carpet on the inside of the hull would have melted.

This brings up another item.. Carpet on the inside of the Hull. I bought the most expensive carpet I could find for my boat and ended up with most of it hidden behind the panels. I was a little ticked at myself for not buying cheaper carpet but now that I'm working on the outside I've notice that the hull sounds and feels like it's 1/4" thick. Rapping on the hull with my knuckles produces a rich sounding thud whereas before it was a definite tin sounding ring.

That may sound a little nonsensical but I'm willing to bet that the sound and shock deadening will make the boat feel a lot bigger than it is when it's on the water.

 

[matthewp]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

sschefer,
Your rebuild is looking really good. I have to say that I don't know if I'd have taken on a project with hull damage like that. Hats off to you for bringing her back from purgatory and giving her a very fresh start. Did you acquire a new Yamaha, or used? My Johnson is an '85, and I'm already thinking ahead to a repower - and I want to go new, but the yankee in me says it's too much to spend. If I can swing it, I'm thinking a spanky new etec would look just fabulous.

Anyhow, great job. Can't wait to see a picture of her in the water.

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

sschefer,
Your rebuild is looking really good. I have to say that I don't know if I'd have taken on a project with hull damage like that. Hats off to you for bringing her back from purgatory and giving her a very fresh start. Did you acquire a new Yamaha, or used? My Johnson is an '85, and I'm already thinking ahead to a repower - and I want to go new, but the yankee in me says it's too much to spend. If I can swing it, I'm thinking a spanky new etec would look just fabulous.

Anyhow, great job. Can't wait to see a picture of her in the water.

Thanks Matthew, it was touch and go there for a while until I got the deck out and was really able to make an accurate apprasal of the extent of the damage.

I took it to a couple of high end welding shops first and got a lot of mixed responses which almost made me wonder if anyone knew how to really fix it right. It wasn't until I found Phil Taylor at Jetstream Concepts in Yuba City, CA... (There's your plug Phil, you deserve it!).., that I decided to go through with the resto. Phil told me that he could weld it but would rather go with a patch. His fear was that the weld would produce cracks that probably wouldn't appear until I was in the middle of nowhere and hit a wake the wrong way. That fact that he knew enough to make that call was good enough for me to let him do the work.

As for the Yami... She's brand new.. Still in the crate. I'm not putting that engine on right away. I've never had this boat in the water so I want to see how she floats and runs with the 100hp Mariner first. From that I'll be able to tell if the big Yami is the right motor or not. I have a year to make up my mind as long as I don't crack the crate open.I have a feeling that it's never going to get mounted on this boat. Now that Starcraft is no longer owned by Brunswick I can order a new Starcraft that's setup for a Yami 150 4 stroke.

Didn't you ever wonder what a good excuse to buy a new boat would sound like... Well, now you've heard it ...LOL..

Re Etec's.... They are hot for sure.. Everybody I've talked to that actually has one, loves them. My decision to go with the Yami was due mostly to the fact that I fish high altitude a lot and for some reason the Yami 4 strokes just seem to do the best. Probably little I can do to prove that except count the numbers of the guides that have them on the lakes I go to. That would be the majority of them. The Etec's do seem to be a hit a Lake Tahoe which is probably to most restricted high altitude lake in the country. So... whatever these two companies have done, they both seem to be ahead of the Brunswick game.

 

[bear_69cuda]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Kick ***!

I dig the interior! Is the light grey vinyl, I can't remember? I was not expecting to see some much progress... It went from empty hull to presto interior!

Great job!

Can't wait for more!!!!

Have a great weekend.....

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Kick ***!

I dig the interior! Is the light grey vinyl, I can't remember? I was not expecting to see some much progress... It went from empty hull to presto interior!

Great job!

Can't wait for more!!!!

Have a great weekend.....

Actually its light green/gray (Think marble) Marine grade vinyl.

Re progress, doctors orders, I must visit my therapist for at least an hour every day. LOL..

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

We'll the first major disappointment occured yesterday. My beautiful (in my mind) air ride seats look lousy in the boat and don't fit me right. I aint got no butt and that's why I wan't the air rides. These things are made for big butts and I feel like I'm sitting in a wine barrel.

I'm now looking at Attwoods Centric II SAS with lockdown and I created a post looking for comments so hopefully I'll be able to pull the trigger on them soon and get back on track.

On the brightside the body work is done and I've got a coat of sanded primer on the sides ready for color coat.

The weather is supposed to be in the low 80's this weekend so the paint opportunity window is open. It's in the 70's today and if it holds true to Northern California form for this time of year, that perfect 60 deg range should hit about 7:30pm tonight. That could mean that the first coat will go on this evening, the second tomorrow night and the third Saturday morning.

Whooopeee! That leaves the rest of the weekend for yard work....

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Last night I put the first color coat on the sides. It's Interlux Perfection Maritus Blue. As I had hoped for, the temp at 7:00pm was 62 degrees. I mixed up a full quart because I didn't want to chance running out and wanted the paint to all be of one batch.

No thinner was needed, I tested on a sheet of plexiglass that I pre primed and it rolled on and tipped nicely without any drag. I used the badger hair brush this time because after refining my technique I found that it truly was easier and just as effective as the half roller technique.

I rolled and tipped both sides in about 2 hours and the final outside air temp was just riding on 58 when I finished. I did this inside the garage with the radiant heat turned off and the garage doors shut. I went outside through the pool change room and noticed a slight dampness to the air so I just left the garage doors shut and the gloss held fine.

The dark color means at least one more coat and probably two. I wasted about 1/2 a quart of paint this first time around so the remaining quart should just be enough to finish with a total of three coats.

I'll put up some pics of the finsihed product by the end of the weekend. Looks like I'll have to miss the yard work this weekend, it looks like I'll be putting the boat on stands and painting the bottom... Dang, I'm so dissapointed..... ROFLOL... Just goes to show you that you don't need an excuse if you have a well thought out plan!!!!

 

[sschefer]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

This weekend was painfull but productive. Any who has ever sanded the bottom of their boat knows about the pain. Holding a 7lb sander over your head for 4 hours reminded me of boot camp!

O.K. on with the show.. This first shot shows the patch that I had done and what it looks now that the boat is up in the air.

Here she is up on the cheap boat stands and all sanded ... Whew, my arms were tired!

Here's a closer shot of the cheap stands. I used up the scrap 3/4 ply from the deck boards and made 16x16 triangles. Those are screwed to two 2x4's with 3" dry wall screws to form the base. The top is just a 6" pieced of 2x4 that's screwed to the top of the post and then covered in scrap carpet.

So here she is now with the Interlux NE2000 primer on. This will need to cure for about a week then the white VC Performance epoxy goes on.

Here's a shot from the bow showing the front stand.

Here is a shot of the seats I ended up buying after the air ride dissapointment. I figured I'd put a 100.00 seat in and try it out. If they don't do the job then I'll switch to the Centric II SAS seats.

These seats are on 12" posts but I will be putting 9" posts in and adding a slider to both sides. I've got the seat set back so I can easily stand without having to move the seat back but the slider let's me move it foward 3" so in the very rare case that I let someone else drive they can reach the helm.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1991 MonArk Legend 1800 FS

Looks AMAZING!!