1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

[JDA1975]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

took 4 to flip my cap, and I am thinking that cap was lighter than my hull...of course it was 2 old men, my wife and a cripple (so 3 would probably work for you) I would wait on flipping it til you have the gut and rebuild of deck done, because the hull would have nothing to keep its shape with. There's a method of flipping it using an aft and bow straps, tightened til you have enough lift, then flip her in the air...pretty sure I saw some pics of it in Oops' thread, which was a great read for me and has helped so far.

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Thanks JDA. Good call on on waiting until the re-structure is complete. I've ready all of Opps' thread. My problem with the tension roll is that I don't have a way to strap up the bow... unless there is something that I am overlooking. Perhaps I could strap up the stern and then have two of us lift the bow while the other person pulls the trailer out, positions the sawhorses and 2x4's, and then help the other two roll the hull and lower it onto the supports? Seems like a lot of time needed that two of us will have to support the bow while the third person works.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

I was thinking of strapping to an eyelet in one of my 4X4 posts on one end, hooking bow with come-along to the receiver hitch on my truck, put just enough tension on the come-along to generate the lift needed......of course I am prone to moments of pure idiocy so don't use my idea til i break something first lol

 

[oops!]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

hi guys....

to flip a hull.....the posts that hold the line have to be higher than the measurement from the keel centerline to the side of the boat....or it will catch on the ground when you flip it. and the deck and stringers must be in so the hull has rigidity.

you can flip a glass only hull with a couple of guys and some old tires..... just roll'er.....watch out when you get to the pivot point of the side....the side will flex and come close to breaking....but if you lift that last little bit and take the weight off the side it will roll with out breakage.

you could also pull the transom by using a come along. your last few laminates of the transom look strong enough to pull like i pulled mine....you dont need much pressure....just enough to add tension to the transom....then punch your wedges between the hull and the wood.....she will come away.....what ever is left on....just grind off !.

but a few more hours for you and you will be ready to start grinding !

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Thanks oops! I will the transom idea a shot. You're right; I'm close to the grinding point and I can't wait!

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Well, I haven't had much time to work on the boat over the past couple of weeks. Yesterday, I was able to tear out some more foam/deck and it's a few hours away from being able to start some major grinding. I didn't take any pictures and I won't have time tonight to take some, but I will work on it again tomorrow and will update with pictures then.

Anyway, I was up late last night and was thinking about my foam situation. If you look back at some of the early pictures, you can see the black foam-filled boxes on each side of the bilge area. With the cap on, they protrude a foot or so on each side in my rear bilge storage. As it is, I am barely able to fit the two 6-gallon gas tanks, the tilt/trim pump, and a single battery. I was thinking it would be nice to upgrade the tanks to something a bit larger and to be able to add another battery back there, but I just don't think it's possible... unless I do away with the foam-filled boxes.

Other than the obvious, what purpose does these boxes serve? They don't appear to support the cap or splashwell as there is, at the tightest point, enough space between the top of the box and the bottom of the cap to where I can easily fit my hands between (so probably 4-6"). I don't recall any contact at all between those boxes and the top cap. The only thing they appear to do (again, besides the obvious) is take up space.

For the reasons already mentioned, I would like to go ahead and keep these boxes out, if at all possible. In terms of losing that volume of foam, I don't think I will be. The OEM had cheese wheel looking chunks of foam at various points under the deck, but not at full potential coverage. I plan on using either pour-in foam or the pink sheets under every section of the deck possible (except for between the stringers, of course). By my calculations, a safe estimated amount of foam I will be putting under the deck is 15 cu ft, which should be enough.

 

[oops!]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

the foam in the boxes is for flotation. if you remove the foam. you will want to beef up the glass where you remove the foam....as builders tend to use less glass in foamed areas...2 layers of 1.5 csm is lots.

you can place the new gas tanks in the belly or as saddle bag tanks under deck if you wish

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

I found with having the cap off I will be able to put a 12-15 gallon tank in before replacing cap, and the slimmer sizes of "permanent" tanks as opposed to the portable ones we had to use due to the size of our access openings will leave a lot more room than the 2 6 gallon tanks left. I considered leaving out those boxes as well, but reason that section is heavier on the foam is to help offset motor weight in case of a breach keeping the boat from going bough up and submerging your motor. Could possibly rework the way the foam was put in, maybe make a 6" tall foam base covering entire compartment then you'd have more "flat ground" to put your stuff on. Thanks Oops for the heads up on the thinner glass in those areas, My hull had exact same boxes and toying with how i am going to rebuild myself, I have lots of ideas, mostly probably bad ones and I hadn't considered that area might be weaker.

 

[fmjnax]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Thanks guys. I suppose I won't risk it (especially when it comes to safety!) and will put them back... especially with the information about the slimmer tanks! 12 gallons of gas is usually more than enough for my day at the lake, but if I could get it up to 15-18 gallons, then I would be set. The biggest complaint is that I can't fit two batteries back there... rather, I couldn't at the time. After looking over all of the pictures, I think maybe I can plan it out to where I could get them both installed without much trouble.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

Re: Replacing stringers and floor (what cloth do I need?)

I planned to put my deep discharge battery closer to the bough and trolling motor and leave the cranking battery in the stern, but thats left to be seen what I do , still so many ideas to toss around, and these smaller boats definitely limit our space! I did notice your transom crosses the entire stern where mine only covers about 2/3 and does not go all the way down to the bilge like yours, so think i have it a little easier there than you do

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Well, I'm still alive and getting ready to really rock-n-roll. I got my marriage license this afternoon and everything for the wedding has been paid for. That gives me the go-ahead to really get busy on the boat. I bought a new [used] truck and have been getting it up to full operating condition for me, but it is now done. I went this evening and bought my first round of supplies. I have just a little more foam/wood to remove, but then I am ready to go. I picked up a 4.5" angle grinder, a 3HP air compressor (to run along side my other 2HP compressor), a 1.3mm HVLP gun, and my "biohazard" suit. I should be able to start my grinding tomorrow or thursday.

I've been following Judge's Skeeter restore and came up with a question based on his progress. The main/center of my keel is very much rounded and it appears to be that way from the factory. Judge sharpened his up to a point. Is this something I should do as well or should I leave it as-is? I have a keel roller on my trailer, but again, I can't see any evidence of the center keel ever being a sharp point.

Oh, and also, I think I bought the wrong tool for grinding. Should I have bought a sander/polisher instead? Will the angle grinder work, and if so, what sort of attachment should I use with it?

I apologize for the lack of pictures lately, but it's probably going to be a couple of weeks before I make enough progress to take some new ones. I have a family reunion this weekend and then my wedding next weekend so there is a lot going on for a couple more weeks.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

If your whole keel is rounded leave it that way, I brought mine to a point to match the unscraped part that was still pointed on both sides of the beaching damage. i say stick to what looks right, i could tell mine used to be pointed so brought it back to a point. Glad to hear you got your mariage done, so now she can gripe about you spending time and money on your boat!!! looking forward to seeing some progress for ya

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Ok, after a few weeks break to get the wedding out of the way, I am back and ready to take the next step. While my brothers were in from Nevada, I had them help me flip the boat. I had to take advantage of the time they were in town, so I didn't have time to make a cradle or even finish pulling foam/grinding the inside, but she is at least off the trailer and flipped. I can now work on the underside and paint it as well as work on the trailer and paint it.

My hull is in worse shape than I initially thought. I always knew about the damage at the bow (it was obviously visible), but I didn't know about the damage further on down (take a look at the pictures). Both "repairs" were obviously done by the previous owner. The 'glass is rough and not feathered (but it is, at least, a working repair). I don't plan on re-doing the patches entirely, but I do plan on grinding it down smooth and feathering them in as needed. The bow patch appears to be built up with the rest of the hull fine, but the stern patch has an obvious drop and isn't built up. How should I go about correcting this?

Here are the pictures:

This is the damage at the bow. It looks quite rough, but I've inspected it numerous times over the past year and I'm fairly confident that grinding it smooth (and maybe a new layer feathered in) will be all that it needs. I'm going to top it off with a keel guard, or the likes, to minimize the change of this happening in the future.

This is the damage I found towards the stern. I don't quite know what to make of it yet as I just found it yesterday. The repair is fiberglassed (and it looks like they just rolled some sort of paint on it), but it isn't built up flush with the rest of the hull. I don't know if I should grid it and built it up with 'glass or if I can grind it and build it up with a filler of some sort.

Finally, I have nicks and gouges in various locations that appear to be through the gelcoat, but not through the 'glass. Can I just fill these in with a filler of some sort before priming/painting? If not, how should I repair these? Here's an example of some of the worse ones I have:

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Another question I need need opinions on is what color to paint the trailer. I've attached a picture of the boat the day I bought it. It's a light tan/cream color and a brown flake. The carpet was brown. We have decided on painting the boat white/maroon. So what used to be the light tan/cream will be white and what used to be brown flake will be maroon. The carpet will be maroon. My wife wants camo seats, but I want white/maroon (that's still a decision up in the air). For the trailer, I'm thinking maroon with black bunk carpet or white with black bunk carpet. I just can't seem to visualize it, though. I'm open to any suggestions!

 

[oops!]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

BAAAAA HAAAAAA HAAAAAAAA.........this is spoken like a true boat restorer....

Ok, after a few weeks break to get the wedding out of the way, I am back and ready to take the next step.

just made the largest commitment of his life.......and all he can say is ......now i am back and can spend more time with my boat......lol

btw....when you said "i do" were you thinking "i do" have to add stringers....."i do" have to replace the transom......

lol....just kidding.....congrats bud.......and welcome back. !

i have to go for a few days....ill look back at this when i get back......most likely tuesday evening

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Id say white with maroon pinstripes and maroon bunk carpet! I filled in all my gouges and it painted out pretty smooth, I used the Bondo resin jelly, but I hear fairing compound/PB is a cheaper option, Just be sure to sand everything well before filling, so the filler has something to grab. Looking forward to see what ya end up with. One thing that was brought to my attention, because Originally i had planned to go green with the cap as well, was that dark colors get HOT, so I used my dark as accent/trim and using the lighter color for everything else. I think it will look sharp with what ya plan, just passing along what others told me to change my own mind lol.

PS: I can see where your hull is definitely rounded more than my pointed hulls, but since yours is an actual bass boat and mine is a fish/ski sport model, I assume mine is more hydrodynamic for speed/handling. as no boat expert this is just an assumption considering the differences.

 

[Teamster]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Yet another build I just found,....

Looks like a nice little project,......

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

My keel was almost identical you yours. I ground it all down, and then built it all back up with resin and glass. Very easy to do and in a Day she was as good as new. all the chips and gouges I sanded and washed down with acetone and filled with 3M Marine filler. She came out looking like a new one. Check out my My Flamingo thread to see the results. Page #7 & 8.

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Thanks all! My wife is very understanding of this project. Aside from it taking up all the room in the garage for her car, she doesn't mind it one bit. Truth be told, I think she likes to fish more than I do. She doesn't care enough to want to help me with the labor, though... go figure!

Good call on the trailer scheme Judge. The wife agrees that it should look great like that, so I think that is what I will do. I live deep in the heart of East Texas. Even white boats get blazing hot! The maroon can't be too much worse than the dark brown the boat previously had on it, so not a big deal. Keeping the heat down hasn't been anything I've been worried about. Plus, I have a Bimini that we use when we're just out cruising or pulling the kids on the tube.

I'll go check out the Flamingo thread again. I have the Rustoleum page bookmarked, but I'll go look at pages 7 and 8 again.

My kid's have weekly activities on Monday and Tuesday nights so I may not get anything going until Wednesday, but maybe I can get some sanding/grinding done by then and, if I can find some marine filler locally, I will start on that. I'll be moving at a slow pace, but as long as I have the trailer and underside done by Thanksgiving (when my brothers will be back in town to help me flip it back over), I will be in good shape.

 

[fmjnax]

Re: 1984 Skeeter Champ 16' Restore

Ok, so I just read over your keel section Woodonglass. You're right; nearly identical! I found some 3M Marine Filler at a local place... for $50/quart! Of course, I can get it online for a bit less, but is there a cheaper alternative?