Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this proj

[Sean Haines]

Hello All!

Little background about me and how this project came to be; This is my families 3rd boat. We started in boating years ago when our kids were little. We started in a 21 foot Tahoe deck boat. It was really the first time I had really even been in a boat besides fishing boats. I knew NOTHING. From the first time we launched her the family was hooked and spent every spare moment on the water. After the second year of boating we traded it in for a 24 foot Chap Cuddy. We LOVED this boat also and used it almost every weekend the ice was off the lakes. What was more important then my wife and I loving boating was our kids loving it! Our 12 year old daughter at the time could spend all day just taking in the sun and water. 2 years ago we ended up having to get rid of our Chap. As with many, times got tight and the payment was something we decided to get rid of. As you all know once boating is in your blood not having a boat is certainly not pleasant. We would continue to go to resorts and rent boats and to watch our kids relax and enjoy was so great! As things got back on track we starting looking again for a boat of our own. This last December my wife and I lost our 15 year old girl to suicide with out any signs. As you can imagine our lives to this day are still difficult and thank god some days that I just get through.

Now I do not normally share such private information but I wanted people who respond to this thread to understand just how much this boat means to me and why I am jumping in on this with out much experience. My daughter LOVED classic cars and her "dream" truck was a 67 C-10 WITH RUST. She wanted it to be original. Now as I mentioned before she also LOVED boating and the peace the lake would bring.

I decided to find a classic boat, Fix it up and name it after her. I feel this will capture things my daughter loved all in one project!

I have been searching for a good deal on a boat I could work on this winter and I finally picked one up from a guy on Craigs list for 600.00 including trailer. (I think it was a great deal but please tell me your opinion) It is a 1959 Fleetform 15' with a 40 HP West bend Golden shark. All original hardware was on the boat which was important to me. The guy I purchased it from had just put a new floor in however I am going to pull it up to see how she looks under it. (He told me it was solid but just for sanity sake I have to check besides I will be replacing the carpeting and wiring and will be down there anyways.) The hull is in good shape, Clean lines. Other then two small patch holes the size of half dollars that were not done up to my liking it is in good shape.

He put some seats in he picked up from a outlet store. Those will be coming out and I am having seats made to look as close to original as possible. (Thank goodness for sisters who can upholster)

The top had been repainted and though the pictures make it look decent it needs to be redone.

So Project "Lissa Lue" is underway and I am chomping at the bit to dig in. Call it age or lessons learned though I wanted to reach out and get a few pointers and do some reading before I start digging into her.

I would like to sand her down and paint it. I then want to fill in some of the dings and make her look good. I know I could send it up and have it all done for me but this project is one I will be doing with my own hands. It will just mean more to me.

After I strip the the hardware, Anyone have opinions on how far down I sand it? What grit would you start with? What are some tips on things I should or should not do as I start to dig in and sand?

The next is going to be the outboard. The guy I bought it from said he has used it for the last 6 years however this last year he thought the Voltage reflector went out for she would not start. Last night I dug in and looked through a RATS nest of wiring. What I found was the started was bad. I threw a rope on here and gave her a pull and she fired up for about 5 seconds and died out. After looking some more and messing around I think the carb needs a good cleaning and/or rebuilt. Also the lower unit seems to have been worked on once before. Not even sure if its the correct one that is on it for it looks as though someone attempted to fiber glass the the two but not a good job at it. (where the lower meets up with the motor)

Okay so I understand this is a long post however I wanted to tell my story. I think I got a good deal but she needs a little work.

Anyone know of some good sites to get Classic out board parts from?

And anyone have some basic tips as I start to Sand it? We have a long winter here in Minnesota but I do want to get her on the water this spring.


Thanks ahead!

Sean

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Welcome Sean,

First of all, thoughts and prayers to you and your Family, that you continue to move forward from such a heart wrenching loss of a child.

Next, I have to say, that from this distance that classic Fleetform is one pretty looking vessel and I think it will make your Daughter smile in Heaven...

I am not going to give you much information, since I am no expert, but I would be happy to come aboard and see what develops with this beautiful boat.

Here is a link to a recently restored boat very similar to yours...a Lake-n-Sea... check it out...he did a spectacular job and has a ton of information... http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...epair/1959-lake-n-sea-restoration-518629.html

Best Regards,
Gus

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

I know it was probably tough to put that out there, but it will make this build that much more meaningful for you and all of us pushing you along. You will find that you will make many good friends throughout this process, and these projects (and friendships) have helped others get through difficult times... Something healing about working with your hands (and mind) and making something new again...

As Gus said, so sorry for your loss, and I also think this boat is great looking.. I think it looks great already... (and I think you got a good deal on price)... I really like the lines; Truly one of the better classic looking boats on here... Can't wait to follow along.

Peace and prayers to you and your family,

~pmc

 

[sphelps]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Hi Sean welcome aboard !
I echo the thoughts of GT and Pmc and we are all here to help as best we can anyway we can ..
That boat is a real beauty ! You made a great choice ! It even kinda matches your tow vehicle .
Thank you for sharing your story and this project with us !
Again welcome ,SP..

 

[Sean Haines]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Thanks to all of you! Looking forward to getting this going. As I start to strip down the paint I am sure I will have lots of questions.

Thanks again.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

I Totally understand where you're coming from. This build will help you in many ways. We're here for you and will help whenever and whereever we can.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Man did you come to the right spot, this crew of boat people will really be helpful with that boat restoration. I really like the color set up, and with a quick glance, I'd say it looks like it's already in very good condition. You will have added passion well beyond what most of us have, here's wishing you the best, I will follow this one for sure. Selfishly, please send us as many pictures as you can.

 

[Sean Haines]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Okay guys, First question;

I am starting to sand the boat, The fiberglass is in real good shape with some minor scratches.

What is a the best sand-able primer to use? Do I have to spray it on or is a good product available that can be rolled or brushed on?

I have been searching online all morning but I cant seem to get my eyes on boat specific high build primer that can be sanded easily.

Any suggestions would be great!

Sean

 

[KennethfromGA]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

For paint I'd start here,
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...lly-started-w-pics-384982-10.html#post3302799

God bless you and yours.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

My Body Shop buddy swears by this stuff for fiberglass.

USC High Build Primer/Surfacer Gallon

 

[Sean Haines]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Thanks for the place to start! I will look into these.

Sean

 

[archbuilder]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Thanks for sharing the thread with us, sorry for your loss. We'll be here to help, I'm looking forward to your progress! Sounds like you are going to have a trailered boat, which makes a difference in paint selections (at least to me). If you were going to be in the water all the time I would recommend one of the anti-fouling paints and the primers that go along with it. If you are going to keep her trailered, I would look at the automotive paints. Nason makes a two part "non-shrinking" primer that I used. Builds very well and is easy sanding. You do have to spray it on, but a Harbor Freight gun will work fine for what you are doing. I used Dupont for my color and clear coat, but a lot of people I know are happy with the Nason paints (both are made by Dupont). I used a base / clear urathane, after 3 years it still look great! On the Grits of paper, what kind of sander are you using? Usually 400 is a finish grit for hand sanding prior to paint. Using a dual action sander, 320 or 220....but I tend to stick with the 320.

 

[Bwana Don]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Very sorry for your loss. When my son was diagnosed with autism it put me in a deep funk for a long time. I can only imagine what losing a child is like. My prayers a best wishes go out to you and your family. One of the best things I did was to share this pain with my boat buddies here. I immersed myself in treatments for Zach and started boat projects with him. I wish there was something I could say to help...........


Well on to the boat. The 59 Fleetform is a real classic looking boat. I believe the West Bend motors are pretty good. There are a few really good outboard mechanics on Iboats I'll bet they could help with the motor. There's always AOMCI too.

Good luck I'll help when I can, I'm more of a TinBoat guy though.

God Bless
Don

 

[Sean Haines]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Well its been a while but finally got out in the garage and stripped all the hardware off, Controls, windshield etc. Like I mentioned before I decided to pull the floor the last guy put in to see what was under there. What I found was the stringers are rotted. They look like they are about 1.5 thick and 6 wide by 8 feet long.

Whats the process for putting new ones in? I understand I need to cut the old ones out but what do you recommend for replacements?

Whats the best way to cut them out? I take it I need to prep the surface to put them in. Do you glue them down or use glass?

What kind of wood?

Do I wrap them in glass then down to the bottom of the boat or put them down then glass over them?

The brown boards you see in there are loose and just laying in there. This is what he screwed the new floor to.

Thanks ahead!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Wow, it appears that the PO has put some kind of coating on the interior of the hull. Could be something like Bilge Kote or just paint. Not sure what all the white is. I'd recommend a 12" Sawsall Rough in Blade to cut the stringers off the hull. You should be able to slice em right off. Make Sure You get a Hooded Tyvek suit, Goggles, Respirator and coat yourself entirely with Baby Powder prior to suiting up. This will get dusty and itchy in a HURRY!!!! A shop vac with a larger inlet will help remove the dust. The first link in my signature below will answer a lot of your prep and installation questions. Your stringers being on the Flat instead of on edge is away from the norm but not totally unusual. they will be fairly easy to install so that's in your favor. I'd use straight grained douglas fir to replace em. It has a lot of resin in the wood and has good water resistance. You could also laminate two pieces of 3/4" ext. Grade plywood to make the stringers from. But again, I think in this case, Doug Fir would be the ticket. I'm sure others will be along with other ideas or to shoot mine down. That's just what I'd do.

 

[Sean Haines]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Thanks for the quick reply!

I believe it is bilge coat though not totally sure I guess I just assumed that's what it was.

I picked up the suit, goggles and respirator this last weekend thinking I would be able to start sanding her down so I will be good there. I am going to drop painters plastic from the ceiling in my garage to make a "Dust room" then vent it to the outside. Hoping this will keep it all contained.

This is really the only issue I have ran into so far so I think thats a plus!

You mentioned to use a sawsall, Are they normally glued down? I was wondering if I ran the dremel along edge where they meet the hull if they would come free? My concern is damaging the hull.

I am going to jump on your link and pick up some pointers!

Thanks

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

This is another way to do it...

 

[Sean Haines]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

Another quick question;

With me thinking this was going to be a minor restore project I did not take off the cap. Do I need to worry about the haul getting out of shape when I take out those two stringers? Should I be putting more support under the the hull while I do this?

Also, It appears that I am laying down PB (What is that actually called and would a Car parts store carry it?) then the stringer over it. Once it sets up then put on the layers of glass? I do not need to worry about the wood that is in contact with the PB? Understanding the glass will seal up the top and sides is there any concern with the bottom of the wood in direct contact with the adhesive?

I know this is probably all basic questions and appreciate your help.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

You will precoat all the wood with poly resin first. then you will make your PB... How to make Peanut butter (thickened resin) - YouTube
If you read my link you lay down a bead of PB and use popsicle sticks to hold the wood off the hull till the PB sets up. (About 45 mins) remove the sticks and fill in the areas where they were with more PB.

 

[Decker83]

Re: Great to be back on here but this is certainly unchartered waters for me on this

I agree with Wood about the Douglas Fir for the stringers.. I would try the Dremel tool and cut as close to the hull as possible..
If the Dremel doesn't cut fast enough then I would use a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a cutting blade.. Be very careful with this type setup..
It can and is a very dangerous tool.. Just ask Jasoutside what they can do..
You do need to support the hull.. Is the boat on the trailer and does it have rollers or bunks? Bunks are better than the rollers..
With the cap on it should not need alot of extra bracing..You could add some bracing from the trailer..
PB that is most commonly used here is a mixture of Poly Resin and Aerisol-Cabosil and 1/4 Chopped Strand fiberglass.
You can mix it to a peanut butter consistency, hence the nick name PB.. You can use 1 part Poly Resin and 2 parts Aerisol-Cabosil and 1/4 part chopped strand.. You can mix it to what ever consistency the job calls for. There are other ways to mix the PB, this is just one way. I think OPPs has a formula for the stringer to bed in.. And you should have the stringers about 1/4" off the hull..
The wood will be fine setting in the PB..You will have to soak the wood with Poly Resin before you put the glass on it to keep it from creating dry spots in the glass or bubbles.
Hope this makes sense for you.. Welcome to the i-boats family..