Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore
I know my project doesn't appeal to many folks out there, but I still feel obliged to at least keep the thread updated. I haven't taken any new pictures (mainly because I know they kind of fall on blind eyes out there), but I have made some progress. This pictures-less update is kind of long, but at least I can say I made an update.
Memorial Day has now passed and, just as I thought, I didn't make it back out on the lake. Funds are rolling back in and I've started to work on it again, though.
When I left the boat to go buy the truck, I was still finishing up the casting deck and the inside of the hull, so that is where I will pick up.
I finished fabricating the new casting deck. It is tabbed and glassed to the hull. I still need to grind down the rough edges and finish fabricating the lid, but it's more-or-less complete.
I also finished glassing in the stern foam boxes. At the same time, I cut out my bilge and installed the new drain tube and reinstalled the livewell pump.
I had a problem with the new drain tube that is worth mentioning. When I drilled out the hole, I drilled it about 1/8"-1/4" off-center (big OOPS!). The result was a drain tube that wouldn't seal up tight against the outer transom skin. No matter how much I flanged it, it wasn't a flush fit. I tried 2 different drain tubes and also attempted to make my own from a piece of aluminum pipe. It simply wasn't going to work.
My options at this point were: (1) Fill the hole, fill the outer transom skin, re-glass the inner transom skin, and start from scratch. (2) Attempt a home-brewed solution.
I ended up taking option number 2 (I like to use my head). I went to Lowes to the plumbing (PVC) department. I picked up a coupling, a couple of bushings, and a couple of screw plugs. Back home, I drilled out the thru-hull hole with a 1-1/4" bit and used a rasp to file out just a smidge more. I coated the hole and the PVC coupling with 3M 5200 and wedged/hammered it in. It was about 1/8" too short to be an exact fit but it wedged in there perfectly. Next, I cemented the bushings into the coupling; one on the inside and one on the outside. I hammered them into the coupling so that the flange of the bushing was flush with the transom skin; both inside and out (and I should note that on the inside, where the coupling fell about 1/8" short, I "filled" this gap with the 5200). With the bushings installed into the coupling and the cement dried, I screwed in the plugs and sealed around the bushing flanges on both sides with some more 5200. 2 days later, I removed the screw plugs and did an inspection. PERFECT!
While the solution isn't ideal, it should work perfectly fine. It actually looks pretty good, too (I was thinking it was going to look entirely out of place). I chose to do a bushing on both the inside and the outside for some added peace of mind. My "plug" will actually be 2 screw caps. I'll screw one on the inside of the bilge in addition to the one on the outside. My thought with that was that IF, by any chance, the outer plug works itself out, the inner plug will be the backup. It's not going to be as easy as a traditional plug and I'll have to keep a wrench in the boat for tightening/loosening the screw plugs, but it will work.
Finally, if I wasn't sure how it was going to work up until now, after the rains we had overnight I do know now! I forgot to pull the screw plugs out and when I stepped outside this morning, the hull was full of water! There wasn't as much as a drip coming from drain area. I removed the plugs and the water drained out as I would expect.
With the drain plug dilemma over, I can move on to other things.
The casting deck was done. The deck and foam boxes were done. The livewell pump and drain tube was in.
I cleaned up the top cap and shot another 2 coats of paint on it. I left it cure for a week or so (actually, this was done BEFORE I finished the hull and did the drain tube). After the top cap had cured, I pre-ran my new wire harness.
My prop has been at the machine shop for a few months. Some friends invited us to go camping with them for Memorial Day, which just happened to be down the road from the shop. I got lucky that he came back from vacation and was open the next day so I stopped by and finally picked up my prop. It looks better than new and should give me a little more "oomph" now that the blades are repaired and balanced.
We got back home on Monday and later that night I took the top cap off of its stands, moved it in to the garage, and winched it up. I did a final cleaning of the hull and moved it underneath the suspended top cap. I lowered the top cap onto the hull and (surprisingly!) it fit like a glove. I put in a few rivets to keep it in place and I pulled it out to the driveway.
I have to do some painting touch-ups here and there (especially where I stupidly dripped resin!) and then wetsand, polish, and wax it up. Once done, I will begin to lay down the new carpet, run the wiring, install the hardware, and finally put the motor back on. I'm guessing about 2 more weeks and it will be complete.
