Mark Twain Restore!!

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Well I retrieved the camera from the shop, so here are some pics for your enjoyment purposes!

Here is my mixing table

Here are the corners of the transom that I filled with the talc, resin, 1/4 inch chopped fiber, and 1.5 OZ CSM

Here is the connection between the bottom of the transom and the bottom of the hull. Rather than filling the gap between the core and hull, I filled it with the same mix I used in the transom corners.

And best of all, here is the near-completed transom! I still have a layer of 1.5 CSM to put on followed by 18 oz roving. Once cured i will add another layer of 1.5 CSM!

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Hey boatflipper,
Looking good.
I used pretty much the mixture you did to fill around the transom. I just used wood flour instead of talc.
On the transom I used two layers of 18 oz roving and two of 1.5oz CSM.
Looks Good.
Bob

 

[giterdone72]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I am enjoying your progress on this boat. Gonna be cool. Just a quick thought- I don't see in your pics, a passage through the cross braces for water to flow from the bow to the bilge. I understand it is important. I know some guys are putting pvc cut in half for drainage. Maybe somone with more exp will chime in on this just a thought. Great job so far!

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I am enjoying your progress on this boat. Gonna be cool. Just a quick thought- I don't see in your pics, a passage through the cross braces for water to flow from the bow to the bilge. I understand it is important. I know some guys are putting pvc cut in half for drainage. Maybe somone with more exp will chime in on this just a thought. Great job so far!

giterdone
There actually are drainage 'holes' in the stringers for the water to flow, they are just hard to see in the pics. There are passages at every intersection on the center stringer, as well as several on the outside stringers for water to flow to the middle.


I plan on finishing up the transom this weekend if everything goes well (which rarely happens), and if the transom gets completed i will begin on the deck.
Wish me luck and yes I have the camera in hand!!
~happy building

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages!
The deck and transom are D-O-N-E DONE!!
This weekend went extremely well and everything came out really nice. The transom and floor are both rock solid and hopefully good for years to come!!

I was able to snap a couple shots of everything to show you all how it turned out...

Here is a shot of the deck with the layer of 1.5 oz CSM on it.

Here is a shot of the transom with two layers of 1.5 oz CSM, a layer of 18 oz roving, and then a top layer of 1.5 oz CSM.

Here are some shots of the transom and deck tied together.

This coming weekend I plan on putting the cap back on and adding some support under the floor of the bow seating area. When I was stepping on it before the old deck came out I could hear the fiberglass cracking so I am hoping that a ply wood 'sub-floor' will gove it the support that it needs.

When I put the cap on I was wondering what I need to do, if anything, around the top of the transom where the cap and core come together-do i need to lay a bead of silicone down on top of the core before the cap goes down or is there something else I could put down? I was thinking of a laying a layer of fiberglass and cloth over it but that didn't sound to good... I am just wanting to be sure that every area is water-tight.


This week I will be thinking of ideas for carpet and seating and I am sure I will be putting my thoughts on here for you guys to digest as well...I am thinking snap in carpet but not for sure....

Happy building!!

 

[MTribe08]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Nice work! I know thats a good feeling to have all of that done. Snap in carpet is the route I'm taking, with Gel Coat over the fiberglassed deck. Are you planning on putting something over the deck?

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Nice work! I know thats a good feeling to have all of that done. Snap in carpet is the route I'm taking, with Gel Coat over the fiberglassed deck. Are you planning on putting something over the deck?

Have you started putting the carpet in yet? I would like to know how it turns out...
I have a layer of 1.5 oz CSM over the deck. At the momoent I am trying to figure out what else to put over it (carpet, textured paint, etc)

 

[MTribe08]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Have you started putting the carpet in yet? I would like to know how it turns out...
I have a layer of 1.5 oz CSM over the deck. At the momoent I am trying to figure out what else to put over it (carpet, textured paint, etc)

I haven't..I've been stalled waiting for a seat pedestal to come in. Its scheduled to be here tomorrow. Then I will be laying down Gel Coat and finally fitting in the carpet. For what its worth, I found some VE (Vinylester) gel Coat for 50$/Gal. Ondarvr says its going to be a very tough surface but won't weather as good as regular poly Gel. I'm not to worried about it, since I'm going to have carpet over the majority of the deck, and the boat will be covered when not in use.

Here is a deck that was Fiberglassed and then had Gel Coat put over it. I think it came out very nice.

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I haven't..I've been stalled waiting for a seat pedestal to come in. Its scheduled to be here tomorrow. Then I will be laying down Gel Coat and finally fitting in the carpet. For what its worth, I found some VE (Vinylester) gel Coat for 50$/Gal. Ondarvr says its going to be a very tough surface but won't weather as good as regular poly Gel. I'm not to worried about it, since I'm going to have carpet over the majority of the deck, and the boat will be covered when not in use.

Here is a deck that was Fiberglassed and then had Gel Coat put over it. I think it came out very nice.

Would that be drewpster's ol tri-hull? He did an outstanding job didn't he?
I would really like to put as much time and money into mine as he did and make mine look half as good as his but I really don't have the time or money...
I may just go with the good ol carpet glued down. If this boat lasted 20+ years that way from factory, surely it will last at least another 15?

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

boatflipper,
Congrats on reaching another milestone in you project.
I'm sure that thing will last a lot more then it did when the factory built.
Once again congratulations.
Bob

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I placed an order today with iboats for a couple odds and ends. I got the bow eye, 2 drain tubes, and a bow roller for the trailer. I figured I would go ahead and get the bow eye becasue it will be very easy to put it on with the cap off.
Order should be here Thursday so I hope to have the eye, tubes, and roller on this weekend along with re-attaching the cap.
To reattach the cap I am just going to go with coated screws. The ones the factory installed lasted for about 30 years untill they completely rusted out and I was able to get them out, so, if 30 years from now, I still have the boat and the cap needs to come off, it will be a nostalgic moment trying to get those screws out!!
I considered stainless but after seeing the price for a 1 lb. box I had to do a double take! It was nearly $90 smackaroos for a box of SS screws! Ouch!

Till next time-happy building

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Well its been a while but a lot of progress has been made.
The cap is now on, and scrwed down.
The aluminum rub rail is also on. Before I insert the black piece I am going to apply some rubbing compound to the aluminum to shine it up a bit.
I also got the transom drain tubes in. I sealed them with Seasense brand 8200. Says it is good for below the water line applications such as drain tubes so I dont see why it wont work.
So now, I am just tossing arounf the ideas of what to use for carpet- extra work and use snap in, or just get a good quality marine carpet that will look nice. Water retention (although I know it will happen) is not a major concern becasue I will have it covered at all times when not in use.

I also am wanting to put in a bench seat along the back, along with a 'sun deck' of sorts that will come past the splash well about a foot, and then the bench would obviously go off that. That would be about 2 feet of 'sun deck' on either side of splashwell and about a foot in the center. I would like to be able to divide it into two parts so I could lift either the left or right side rather than the whole thing...I wish I could use a photo-editing program that way I could show you what I am attempting to explain.

Till next time- happy building!!

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Hey boatflipper,
It's good to hear you are making progress.
I think I understand what you want to do. Do you want to be able to open one side because of weight or some other reason? I would make it one piece and use lift assist gas shocks like used on car hoods if weigh is a concern. I would think splitting into to parts would compromise the strength of the sun deck.
Just my two cents worth.
Bob

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I also think I understand what you want with the sundeck, but I also think it's just more practical to make it a one-piece instead of a split-design. I can't think of a situation where I'd only want to lift one side of the hatch and not the whole thing unless someone was sitting on it at the time. But the Twain still has that fiberglass at the very back someone could scoot onto while you lift the sunpad if needed.

You ever think of adding a swim platform to the back? I think I'll be adding a teak swim platform to the back of my Twain, as well as the rear-bench/sunpad configuration to get rid of the doghouse and rear seats. I will be riveting my cap back on, though, instead of using the screws. It just seems more solid to me. Let me know how you do getting that black rub rail back into the aluminum rail, that looks like it's gonna be a pain in the butt!

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

Bob-
I see where the split design could cause some structural problems... The only real reason I wanted to split it up was if someone was sitting on one side and I needed to access something back there, and so that I wouldn't have to lift the whole thing up to get to one side or the other.
I may just go with the the one-piece design. It would probably be simpler anyway!

hauln-
Let me know when you get your sundeck/bech finished. I have a feelin Im gonna need all the help I can get with designing it!!
As for the swim platform: sounds like an excellent idea. I would probably do it last thoguh-simply becasue money is tight and I just want somethin with seats and carpet in it right now!!


Thanks guys for your continued support!

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I am continuing to toss around some ideas for the interior until I can first get some money for a good quality carpet.....
The first question I have is whether or not 'premium' carpet is all that much better that 'basic' marine carpet? I was wanting to get a good carpet but dont want to pay out the ... for top-end carpet.
Also, instead of building a bench seat and sundeck for the back, what are your all's thoughts on me buying a pontoon bench seat, placing it where I want it, and then build the sundeck off that? The idea of a bech that is complete is very appealing!

And now a bit of a power-related question. What do you guys think would be the minimum HP that would get this boat up on plane and cruise at a nice speed? Not at all looking for speed, just something to get me up on plane and smooth out nicely.

Thanks!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I don't know if you've ever told us the length of this thing. That would determine whether I recommend a 50 or a 70 as minimum HP.

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

I don't know if you've ever told us the length of this thing. That would determine whether I recommend a 50 or a 70 as minimum HP.

The 'Twain is exactly 16'6" long and 84" at widest point.

 

[Caravandaddy]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

What year is your Twain? I am looking at a '78 on Craigslist. I like how yours is coming out.

 

[boatflipper]

Re: Mark Twain Restore!!

What year is your Twain? I am looking at a '78 on Craigslist. I like how yours is coming out.

Not quite sure on the year. No HIN# or plate with that info on it and I had to have a title made through DMV office so the year is unknown...I would say though that it is a mid-late 70's model.
It is really well built-did not have to replace the stringers they were glassed in so well.
Here is a site that you may find interesting...
http://www.marktwainboats.org/index.php?option=com_joomgallery&Itemid=62