Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

It's getting close... I promise to get pictures up here soon.

Strange thing happened with my epoxy this weekend. I mixed-up a batch of West Systems and started to coat some of my seat frames. All of a sudden, the container that had the epoxy started smoking and when I dipped my brush in to get some epoxy, it was hard as a rock. It had only been mixed about 5 mins. Even though it wasn't much, I hated wasting it. During this whole project, I have not had that happen. The container was real hot. I know that the literature said that the chemical reaction between the resin and hardener will create heat, but I hadn't expected it to smoke and turn hard that fast.

 

[Shife]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

Pot life is limited when using any 2 part product that is exothermic. Mix small batches and work quickly. The working time is longer than the pot life.

I prefer using West 105/205. I used US Composites 635 with the medium hardener and was not impressed. Heavy blushing and very slow cure time. I still have a gallon left so I'll be ordering their fast hardener to use with that. I know better and should have just used West.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

West 105/205, is what I use. Using the recommended pumps, I mix between 2 to 8 pumps at a time depending on the size of the piece I have to coat. I believe that it was 8 pumps that I used in the batch that had the reaction. However, I have done 8 pumps before with no problem. It may have been that it was warmer outside that day also. ???

 

[Shife]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

8 hits of resin is a big batch for the 205 hardener. I usually won't go any bigger than 6. The warmer the ambient temp, the shorter your window is.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

Finally got around to gettting some more pictures on here. She is almost completely finished. I still have to build and install side cushions and bow cushions but I took her to KY. Lake two weeks ago and she did fine. Here is a couple of pictures of my bow storage areas and livewell.

What's the best way to keep the carpet attached to the edges of the hatch doors. I tried carpet glue, but it doesn't seem to want to hold on the edge.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

Here are some more pics of the overall boat.

A few things that I have noticed that I would do different (and still may change)....

I copied the overall console diminsions from the original consoles. In retrospect, they seem to be too wide. Based on the width of the bow seats and the width of the folding window, I could have made each one about 3 inches narrower. This would have given me almost 6 inches more to get up front.

The carpet glue does not want to stick to the splashwell area. This get rather hot in the sun and it melts the glue. I don't know if I should have scuffed the aluminum first or used rivet to hold it on. I may remove that carpet and just paint it. However, it is more comfortable when getting out of the water to stand on that carpet vs. hot painted alum.

You should always verify that you have your steering hooked up correctly before you head out I was rushed in getting this done before I went to the lake. After launching the boat, it would go where I was telling it to go to get into the slip. Fortunately, I was still in the launching area and was at idle speed. I was heading towards an old steel houseboat and the more I steered away, the more it went towards. I finally killed the engine. After going through everything in my head, I realized that I must have put the rack on upside down. Sure enough, turn the wheel right and boat goes left. What an idiot Took about 1 hour in the slip to fix it.

I like the large deep dash area. I may install a strip of wood along the edges to keep things from sliding off. Or perhaps find some sort of netting. Still need to figure out where to put some cup holders also.

Installed new winch and I have my safety chain on. I think that I am going to replace my saftey chain hook. It is just a regular hook. I would feel more comfortable with a snap hook.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

I had one more picture that wouldn't fit on my last post. The bow area originally had a trolling motor installed. I am undecided if I want to reinstall it or not. While at the lake, it was nice to sit on the bow and let my feet dangle in the water (not while underway, only while fishing). However, the trolling motor is nice to have to help maneuver and position the boat????

Regardless of what the boat looks like, the kids enjoyed the time on the water.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

Now on to the transom restore.... I should have done this while I had the boat torn apart for the deck replacement, but didn't have the time then.

First I had to pull the engine. I didn't have access to a cherry picker but my attic scuttle with a piece of 1.25 inch steel rebar served as a decent anchor point. Although I will say that I was a little bit nervous.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

After getting the motor off the boat, had to get it secured to the stand.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

Now to see why I need to redo the transom. As I said in a previous post, I think the PO must have hit something pretty hard. It looks like the splashwell and transom were out of whack. You can see in the first picture the stess crack. In the second picture, you can see where the transom is thicker on the near side and thinner as it goes across. You can also see the rotten wood.

 

[geeco1]

Re: Start of BlueFin 1700 restore

I am open to any suggestions on the best way to repair this. My guess is to grind out all of the welding, put in two sheets of 3/4 inch ext. plywood that is encapsulated in epoxy. Then put a new sheet of aluminum on the back????