Speedboat Restoration

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Hi,<br />Please can you state the order and type of paints I need. I want a navy hull (all over keel as well) and a white "trim" (possibly the gunwales). I have seen most paints say only for above the water line??<br />Thanks

 

[Rudderman]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Originally posted by anglersam:<br />I have seen most paints say only for above the water line?

Yep toplac and brightsides both say that. But as Graham said, if you're not leaving the boat in the water for more than a day or two at a time, they will work fine.<br /><br />If you choose to go with Toplac, you will need etch primer first, then Yacht Primer, then Prekote undercoat and finally the Toplac topcoat.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

I basically second Ruddermans comments. After scraping/sanding and washing down with acetic acid solution use etch primer (zinc chromate) first, then Prekote, then Toplac. I don't think the yacht primer is neccessary as you'll already have primed it with the etch primer.<br />This is to do a good job that will last for several years. You could save some money in the short term by etch priming and then simply topcoat with an exterior gloss enamel. It'll look good, it'll be cheap, but it won't last as long, maybe a couple of years.

 

[cajun555]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

anglersam, before you decide on a paint check out these AL. boats on this site: www.feathercraft.net There is also a link to the polish the folks used. Steves boat shines like a diamond in a goats a$$.<br /><br />My old feathercraft dosen't shine like that but I still get alot of comments on it.

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Wow! What great looking boats! I want one, not much chance of picking one up over here though I suspect.

 

[steve n carol]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

anglersam, building your own is very noteworthy. You'll learn alot, and it will be something you will remember the rest of your life. <br /> However, I understand the need to HAVE IT NOW as well. perhaps somthing to consider in the future, when $$ are a bit more plentiful, (for all of the cool tools). Have fun...sl

 

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Thanks all, I have been busy designing my own boat, (I am going to make one in the short term as the £££s are a little short! I am going to construct something which will look VERY like a mirror dinghy - flat fronted. I was wondering how you water-seal Ply mind you... I thought maybe a glue gun for the gaps?? Thanks in advance..

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

What gaps sam? You shouldn't have any! What glue are you using?

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Hey sam, before you get too carried away designing your own have you checked out THESE ?<br />Loads of tried and tested plans that you can download for FREE (my favourite price!). If there's nothing there you fancy come back and I'll direct you to more.

 

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Thanks, I like those, but the problem is quite a basic one... On most boats, the bow will be tapered, but how on earth do you cut a piece of wood with a curve in it e.g.

? It would seem to be really tricky.. Please inform me of how this can be done uisng plywood and a jigsaw! Thanks

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Easy, you don't cut it with a curve! The chines (the bits where the bottom meets the sides) and the sheers (the tops of the sides) are made from long strips of wood bent round the formers (or bulkheads). You can either do this with one solid piece of wood, or several thinner strips laminated together (much easier and stronger).<br />The plywood is then bent around the formers and glued (sometimes nailed or screwed as well) to the chines and sheers.<br />Does this make sense? If you don't understand go to the Glen-L website again, click on "Boatbuilding Methods" on the left hand side, then "Boatbuilding With Plywood", then "Sheet Plywood" and click on the "Pictorial Guide with captions" link.<br />This will take you through the entire process of building a plywood on frame boat step by step.<br />There is a similar guide to the simpler Stitch & Glue Plywood method. In fact if your woodworking experience is limited Stitch & Glue may be the way to go for you, basically you'd just be using plywood, very little or no solid timber at all.<br />Do you have an adult who can help you with all this, anyone with any woodworking experience, maybe a teacher at school? I suggest you print out the construction sequence, plus a set of plans for the boat that takes your fancy, and show it to them to explain what you intend to do. I would expect most woodwork teachers would be only too pleased to give you advice for a project like this.

 

[Rudderman]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

I agree, I think a Stitch & Glue boat would be easier. You basically buy a set of patterns, trace the shapes onto flat sheets of plywood, cut out the shapes with your jigsaw and "sew" them together with wire. Then after its all sewn together, you get special epoxy glue (you buy it in gallon containers) and glue the sheets together to make sure it is strong and watertight. <br />I think it would be a good idea to go to the woodwork teacher in your school and ask if there is any space available at the school for you to use for the boat. They may have a shed outside somewhere (I took over half of the bike-shed at my school ) Before you go to the teacher, make sure you print out some plans so that he/she knows that you are serious about doing it and that you will see it through to the end and not give up half way!

 

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Is there a difficulty in building one myself... I have a plan very similar to a mirror dinghy that I have designed, and can build it from plywood, BUT... I don't know how to a) water-seal plywood and b) fiberglass. Please could you tell me if building one my my own designs would be a good idea..<br />Thanks,

 

[Rudderman]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Personally I think it would be better to get plans from someone else. At least you'll be sure that its gonna be a proper, safe boat when its done.<br /><br />To waterseal plywood, first of all you need to use marine plywood and not ordinary plywood. At the very least, make sure it is an "exterior" grade of plywood. You can water-seal it by painting it all over, inside and out, with epoxy (the same stuff you use to glue it together).<br /><br />You don't need to do any fibreglassing really. All you need is to buy some epoxy resin (it comes in two bottles, one is the resin, the other is hardener). You mix the resin with the hardener and at this stage its pretty runny stuff. You can use it this way to paint the hull all over (once its all put together). For actually gluing the boat together, you need to mix special powder (called silica) with the resin and hardener. The silica makes the mixture not as runny and its better for gluing.

 

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Thanks Rudderman. Where in the UK can you buy Epoxy, or Marine Grade Plywood? If I had Marine Grade, would I need to Epoxy the whole thing? Thanks

 

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Also, would chipboard or MDF be any good if it was epoxied?<br />Thanks

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Chipboard and MDF are totally useless, they have very little strength, you can't bend them, and if the slightest bit of water got into the wood it'd swell up and disintegrate!<br />Don't even consider using anything less than top grade exterior ply, or preferably marine ply. There are lots of suppliers for marine ply and epoxy in the London area, and plenty more that will deliver anywhere. In Essex you probably have more suppliers than I do over here.<br />Phone some local boatyards and ask where they get theirs from, most should be happy to order it for you when they get theirs in.<br />You can also try Robbins Timber, and Marineply.com who both have very good prices and deliver (for a fee of course!) <br />Try local timber yards and ask what is the best quality exterior ply they have, but you may find it's actually more expensive than the cheapest marine ply! Personally I wouldn't use exterior for anything other than floors and decks anyway.

 

[Rudderman]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

No, you don't need to epoxy the whole thing, you could just paint it.<br />The main benefit of painting epoxy on the outside is that it doesn't scratch as easy as paint.<br /><br />Like petrolhead said, Robbins Timber are good to deal with and they'll probably have a lot of choice of different prices of marine plywood that you can use. They sell epoxy and almost anything else you'll need. <br /><br />If you use chipboard or mdf, you'll be swimming home, they'll just dissolve like cardboard.

 

[anglersam]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

If I was to buy Exterior grade, I would use Epoxy to stick it together and seal any gaps, then epoxy the whole thing?<br />Thanks

 

[petrolhead]

Re: Speedboat Restoration

Yes epoxy is probably the best adhesive to use, certainly if you make a stitch & glue boat it's really the only glue to use. If you build a more traditional ply on timber frame boat though you may want to consider using Balcotan polyurethane adhesive from Robbins, it can be used in much lower temperatures than epoxy, is slightly cheaper, and is used straight from the bottle (no mixing). With winter approaching this may be an important consideration, you can't work outdoors with epoxy in low temperatures, so you'll need to have somewhere undercover that can be heated, like a garage or large shed.<br />Using polyurethane you could just construct a large polythene shelter and carry on working outdoors, which is exactly what I did last winter.<br />You can't waterproof the boat with it though, for this you still need epoxy for maximum durability, but if you don't need the boat to last for ever you could just paint it instead.<br />There are many ways to save money, but most result in a boat that needs more regular maintenance, so you save in the short term but it costs you more in the long term, the choice is yours.<br />Before you rush into buying exterior ply though do check out the prices and make some comparisons with marine ply. If you go with exterior you MUST get the best grade available, and check that it really is exterior grade, it should have WBP stamped on it which means Water and Boil Proof. Don't accept cheap exterior ply which may have filler in the surface, you don't want this in a boat!<br />Marineply.com have Far Eastern Marine Ply for as little as £14.62 + VAT for a sheet of 6mm, top quality exterior ply will cost you MORE than that! By the time you add delivery there will probably only be a few Pounds in it.<br />Please don't forget when you are trying to save money on your boat, that your life, and the lives of your passengers, may well depend on those few extra Pounds one day, this is a serious consideration!