'59 Blues Star Islander -- complete restoration needed

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
92
I am finally ready to tackle this boat project. It was love at first sight, but unfortunately progress has been slow. Glacier slow. So hopefully this forum will be a little kick in the butt.

Here's how she looked when I bought her:



The paint was pretty awful:




But I loved those fins:



And the automotive seating arrangement:

 

tomhath

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
814
That boat will be awesome when you're done. What motor are you thinking of putting on it?
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
I have a 35 merc; not sure of the amount of work that will take. So we'll see on that.

I have started the prep work, removed trim and fittings and stripped the paint. I had the hull sandblasted and sanded the fiberglass deck myself.



Some the fiberglass looks pretty bad, but based on some great work I have seen here, I think it's fixable with the right advice:





Here's the target:



I hope to use the long weekend to come up with a project plan. I am open to all suggestions and advice!
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2016
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29
Haha funny quote at the end of the advert, it make you feel like a millionaire to own that boat. looking forward to see how it come out.
 

sphelps

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
11,429
Now this resto is gunna be fun to watch !! Love the looks of it and it has a little bit of what everyone likes !
Not sure if it had any elements of wood on her but I think some could be added somewhere ..
edgepa maybe your project can help unite us glassers and tinny's for a good cause !! :grouphug:

Bring on the "comet-like speed " !!! :pop2:
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
May 30, 2011
Messages
92
Hoss- I love that quote as well. Let's hope the resto budget doesn't require it.

Sphelps- thanks for the speedy encouragement. Based on projects I admire, this may take awhile, but the goal is consistent progress.

I have divided the project into 5 buckets- hull, deck, trailer, trim & upholstery, motor. Some things could happen concurrently, but others will have to wait.
I hope to focus first on the hull and deck.

Hull-
JB weld a few pinholes
Rebuild transom
Gluvit seams
Flotation
Interior paint
Exterior paint

Deck-
Fix pits, chips & compromised fiberglass
 

jbcurt00

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Oct 25, 2011
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24,829
MarineTex is also a good substitute for JB weld, and sands a lot easier.
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
Thanks JB. I hope to get it done this weekend. I'll update the results...
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
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Jan 12, 2013
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Super cool little glasstinny, I never knew about this one. Tagging along for the ride and I have some tin working experience if needed. (So far a total of 52 feet of aluminum boats restored) ;)
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
Hi Watermann. Glad to have your experience in the mix!

I found an unopened can of Marine Tex and a jar of hardener in the garage. Probably 8 years old.... Still good?
 

jbcurt00

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Mix a little and roll it into marble sized balls. Leave them and see.....

8yrs later, I suspect not.... Have you opened the can? Is the part A putty still plyable?

But at this point, if you mix it and it doesnt harden right, your only out a little time.

Often its the catalyst that goes bad 1st, but 8yrs is way out of the normal spec range
 

Watermann

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The risk is up to you. I had some MT that was opened and half of it was used up then 3 years later I mixed some and it set just fine no problem. Knowing me, I'd use it :lol:
 

edgepa

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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
I did a test batch of the Marine Tex tonight. I eyeballed the 5:1 ratio and applied to a scrap aluminum with small drill holes. It seemed to mix well and was sticky like peanut butter. I try to sand it tomorrow and take before and after pics.
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
The Marine Tex seem to be good if it supposed to be hard. Here's the pic:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/150077299@N04/os5GV1

And here it is sanded:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/150077299@N04/Hu2pHT

(I have changed to Flickr for photo sharing so I hope it works).

As you can see (hopefully), I have sanded one part partially and the other down to the metal leaving the Marine Tex just in the hole. Is it better to leave more material and feather it back to the metal or sand off completely just leaving the Marine Tex in hole?
 

toey1977

Cadet
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Jul 8, 2017
Messages
22
love old school boats wish i had more space to get a bigger shed and have some nice old boats like that
 

Watermann

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The Marine Tex seem to be good if it supposed to be hard. Here's the pic:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/150077299@N04/os5GV1

And here it is sanded:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/150077299@N04/Hu2pHT

(I have changed to Flickr for photo sharing so I hope it works).

As you can see (hopefully), I have sanded one part partially and the other down to the metal leaving the Marine Tex just in the hole. Is it better to leave more material and feather it back to the metal or sand off completely just leaving the Marine Tex in hole?

I'm not a very good body and fender man but I do just as you did in the pic and sand it smooth.

To post your pics in the thread rather than a link to the page, click share, BBCode and paste that code into the text box here.

2017-07-14_01-30-13 by ej_palmer, on Flickr
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
After too many months off, I am back at it. I have pulled the transom to replace. A couple of questions. Is there a benefit of extending it for more strength? Also, any ideas of why it was "back buttered" at the top with what I assume is just resin ( brittle plastic feel) ?

IMG_1101_02.jpg
 

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Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
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I don't like that design of having the knee brace riveted to the transom skin. My little Seafarer was like that too so I removed the knee brace and will move it fore enough too be bolted trough the transom wood. So yeah I can see there being a benefit to making the transom larger in that sense extending it down enough for the knee brace.
 

edgepa

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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May 30, 2011
Messages
92
Thanks Watermann. I checked and there is room to move it forward... Barely. I will tackle that when the weather gets better. Currently working on odds and ends. One is polishing these aluminum ends caps. (On a side note - I thought these were in my in-laws house which was destroyed in the Paradise wildfire.)As you can see, they polish okay with the buffing wheel,but not great. I think it is due to the poor casting. Any ideas?

FullSizeRender.jpg
 

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