16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

[ezmobee]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Bimini tops aren't really model-specific. They are universal provided you take the correct measurements.

 

[joshb]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

This boat has snaps and a place for the bars for an original bimini top. I am hoping to find an original before going with a generic. Thanks for the reply..

Josh

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Unfortunately you have very little chance of finding one. There are very few model specific parts available for any boats, even ones that are only a few years old. The good news is that boats are generally built with generic parts so you can usually find something that will work. In the case of your top, a custom top can be easily made to work with your existing set-up. However canvas work isn't cheap.

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Like EZ said, there is not really a source for original stuff for our boats. I'm not there yet, but am thinking of giving it a shot on my own, geting AL tubing and some good canvas and trying to redo the camper style top that was OE.

Took my iPhone swimming last weekend, and lost all my pics of the boat and the vacation to the UP. This shold be a good weekend for progress so I'll catch up next week.

Terry

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Hey JoshB, got any pics you could toss up here? Love to see how the interior side panels and transom area were finished out.

This weekend was about the bottom. My plan was to repair the gelcoat gouges and spider cracks with some color matched off-white of my own making.

The first step was to lift the hull and cradle off the trailer:

And then remove the cradle so I could get to most of the bottom:

Then it was standard body work grinding/sanding the bad spots, blisters, cracks, and gouges. Made two fillers, one with lots of 1/32 glass and microballoons, and a fairing filler with just a little glass and tons of microballoons. Working with about half of the bottom, I filled and sanded, and then brushed some gel on.

The color match was horrible! Underneath the standard off white outer layer was almost a skin tone! Not the look I was going for, and no amount of pigment was going to bring the almost quart I had mixed within a mile of the right color.

I was pretty riled up at this point. Thought about going the trusty-rusty route, but still came back to the same reasons I decided to keep the gel in the first place. Durability for trailering, and no stress when it is beached for a week camping. Fortunatly, I had a quart of bright white gel that was supposed to be a start for the deck, and when I had first held the color up to the side of the boat, me and Rachael both thought it would look awesome if the whole boat was that bright white rather than 60's off-white. Had planned on regelling the whole hull bright white next winter, but so much for that

Ended up rolling a unwaxed layer on with a foam roller, and a waxed coat with a long yarn type roller. Pretty rough surface from both, with the foam being best. Worked from the starboard chine to the second strake:

Hit a little section with 220 wet, and the bumps knocked down nicely. Still wanted a smoother surface though! Here is a shot looking along where I rough sanded:

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

I forgot how over due an update was:redface:

The deck is covered in 1708, with a small area that I need to grind a bubble and repair. Got caught with a hard edge as I was trying not to work myself into a corner. About 6 feet of tabbing on the transom and a piece of 1708 on the port hull side, and the major glasswork will be done. That will all be done once the gel is finished and the boat is on the trailer.

Today, I bought a conventional pressure pressure-pot spray gun for gelcoating, with a 1.8 tip (item 93312 if you want to look it up on harborfreight.com). I am going to try to use it to reshoot the whole boat with the bright white gel I ordered from USComps. I have 2 gallons on the way to do the outer hull and the deck, and enough styrene to thin at 12% if I need it. I'm sure I'll use a ton of acetone cleaning it, but without flipping the boat, I need to spray upside down.

Any advice from the pro's on shooting gel with this set-up will be great! I'm planning on regular prep to fill the defects, a 80 grit scuff, and depending on how thick the gun shoots, either one layer each unwaxed/waxed, or one heavy waxed layer. Thoughts?

Thanks!
Terry

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

tdrudd87,
I guess that the color match is now out. Having a bright white canvas really sounds cool. I'm considering the same thing myself. My next trip home I will be filling all the scratches, gouges and chips.
I'll be watching to see how it goes for you.
Good luck
Bob

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Thanks for the good luck Bob, I'll be needing it.

I'm sure many people could get a better match, but I just didn't have the heart to work out how to match a gel that was going to be a goofy skin-pink if i wetsanded the whole boat down. The bright white is what I really wanted, and already has plans for it in the future. It also makes color matching the rig a ton easier... What color should I paint the drive, bright white! What color should I get the seats, bright white!

As long as the gel will go through the sprayer I bought, I should be in business!
Terry

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Two weeks woth of updates are due....

Firstly, the story of trying to reshoot the gel. I had purchased a pressure pot sprayer from HF, but decided against thinning with styrene because of warnings from ondarvr in other posts about discoloring. I tryed a uncatalyzed test spray, and got it to shoot, although with very large droplets.

Set up to shoot the hull, and got about a quarter done before the gun started to sputter. Figured I was out, so I mixed another quart. When I got back to the gun, I could could hardly twist the top off, and when I did, I found a quart of gel on its way to hardening! I hadn't run out, but rather had the gel kick in less than 10 minutes! schooped a burger sized patty of gel from the pot. I ended up saving the gun and the pot, but wasted the fluid hose. Also had a whole quart kick off in the cup that was supposed to be my refill as well

I kept going later that day, rolling the rest of the open gallon, about 2 quarts, on to the rest of the hull bottom. Once that hardened, I tryed wet sanding, and managed to go thru way before all the orange peel was out.

........

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

I then decided that working on my back was crap! With some help from dear old dad, we rolled it by hanging from the barn rafters:

This gave a lot better access to assess the results. The sprayed areas were nasty orange peel, maybe half as rough as popcorn ceiling. The rolled areas were much smoother, but also much thinner. Since I had waxed my final coats, it all had to be sanded down.

.........

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

All last week, I debated whether gel was worth the coninued efforts, or if paint would be the best option. I considered Duratec, but once again, warnings from ondarvr in other threads dissuaded me from reducing the qualities that made me want gel over paint. I decided to go down both paths at once. I got more rolling supplies for gel, as well as 4 quarts of Rustoleum Marine Topside and a new HVLP gravity gun from HF.

The deciding factor in the gel/paint debate was both cost and time.

For cost, I had all the materials to shoot the Rusty for less than $100. To gel, I would have needed at least 2 more gallons to get it thick enough where I was comfortable sanding it smooth. Then tons more DA paper and wet/dry.

For time, with paint, I could finish this weekend. For Gel, I would have been able to get the gel thick enough on the bottom of the hullk only this weekend, and then run out of gel for the sides.

Once I had the hull to this stage:

The course was clear. It took me over 12 hours to get it smooth, and that was without regard to going thru the gel. To worry about that would have been pure hell. It was time to spray!

.......

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Here she is, in her last moments as a skin colored boat!

And with the first coat of paint on:

I had painted with the barn open, and came to regret it. I had about 20 mosquitos, 2 moths, and one unlucky ladybug in the paint. Her death trail was clear:

No worries though, that was only the first coat. There were some troubling fisheyes where water was making thru 2 filters and a older dessicant cartridge. For the first project I have ever sprayed, I was happy. Yesterday I wetsanded with 220 to get the bugs and a little print thru from the hull out, and the prep'ed for the final shoot!

I tacked and acetoned about 2 hours after turning the fan off and closing the barn. After going inside for dinner and clean painting clothes to minimize the dust, I got to it again! For reference, I was using the Rustoleum Topside in bright white, thinned about 10% with Xylene. Shot thru a $15 HF HVLP gun.

Still some fisheyes for unknown reasons, and a few slight sags. White on white is hard to see when you have less than perfect lighting!

These are after it had flashed off, but still tacky:

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

One last shot looking along the planing surface at the stern:

There were a few bugs in it when I left, but not nearly as bad. I was very happy with how the paint leveled out after settling for a few minutes. The only places it wanted to sag are where I know I lost where I was and overshot it. It was very easy to work with, especially for a amateur. The gloss was reallly suprising to me, since it was my first attempt.

This weekend, I'll be on a spur-of-the-moment trip to Florida That will give the paint about 2 weeks to harden before I can even think of flipping it again. If I can still dent it with a fingernail then, I'll leave it flipped and build the engine!


Terry

EDIT: Oops, found a chip I didn't fix:redface:

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Terry nice work on that paint job...the rig is going to look brand-new when you are all done with her.

That bottom hull has great lines, I bet she handles like a dream planed out

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Thanks HA, I'm happy with it for the first thing I've painted like this. I am looking forward to those planing days

Terry

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

tdrudd87,
Look like you have been pretty busy. Sorry that the gel coat didn't work out.
The paint looks pretty good. I'm hoping that can learn from everyone on here to decide what I'm going to do.
Nice way to flip the boat too.
Keep up the great work.
Take care
Bob

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Hi Terry!

cool work....sorry you gave up on the gel coating...heard it was a BEAR to do...hard as nails too

that rustoleum paint looks nice!
Ill be real interested in seeing how she holds up to abuse...would be great to use that stuff on a future project!

keep on rockin!

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Bob and Vegas, thanks for the encouragement. The paint could be dented by fingernail after 2 weeks, and was fully hard last weekend, about a month. Nice to have time to wait for it!

Got a little distracted after shooting the paint... Went to Florida

Rented this:

Saw lots of these:

But only caught this:redface:

It was a total blast, perfect weather with no thunder even!

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

But I've been working on the boat too!

Santa came early (from iBoats!):

So once I made new bunk boards out of pt 2x6, and got the new brackets and rollers on, and wired the lights, the boat was reflipped and on its new home!:

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: 16' 1967 Silverline Rambler Restoration

Now I have to:

Build the engine
A little more glass work
Gel the deck/interior
Kiwi/Dura the deck
Install Seats
Install drive and engine
Lots of Wiring

And more fun stuff I'm sure! Take care all, have a good holiday!
Terry