!978 14' Seafarer restoration

[Watermann]

Nice project Agua!

Are you sure that the transom wood is original? It looks like a P.O. hack (or the Friday S.C. crew :lol

Yeah the transom wood is the original whitewashed on one side SC job that is one piece of 1.25" ply..

I'm really not liking the 2/3rds cutout around the knee brace, not a good idea at all. I'm thinking about removing the brace to move it 1.25" so I can put in an uncut transom using through bolts.

 

[classiccat]

Yeah the transom wood is the original whitewashed on one side SC job that is one piece of 1.25" ply..

I'm really not liking the 2/3rds cutout around the knee brace, not a good idea at all. I'm thinking about removing the brace to move it 1.25" so I can put in an uncut transom using through bolts.

agree...like the transom wood was an afterthought. Whatever you do will be an improvement! Maybe throw on some side channel to tie it in to the hull sides?

 

[Watermann]

Yes the side brackets are a great idea, for some reason my V5 didn't have them so I added them to it using .080 5250. This little tinny has some monster end corner caps that I believe was the way to tie in the transom and sides.

This morning I got all the benches removed, the knee brace is out and the Starcraft emblems off but one of the emblems is half missing so I'll end up going back with decals.

The plan is to get the boat stripped of all paint before the dead of winter sets in and just turtle the boat until it starts to warm up.

I also have a starboard side wowie that looks like someone rolled the boat over with it loaded down with water. I'm going to have some issues getting it bent back out.

 

[66Holiday924]

I'm going to get a set of these for my Holiday. I'll get the dull ones and paint them black but they come in high polished too.

 

[MTboatguy]

Looks like someone bounced that off a dock pile, or a tree at one time. Not going to be an easy one to get back to the correct contour, but I am sure you will figure it out. I would use a bar clamp system with soft blocks on each end and push out. You might be able to figure out a way to anchor the boat and then slowly pull it out.

 

[Watermann]

Can't believe it's been almost 3 years that the little SeaFarer has been turtled along the garage. Almost embarrassed but with a new job 3 days after I retired that I've been working lots of hours at and not too mention enjoying my finished boats every chance I've had.

I got busy a month ago starting on trailer work as the grease seals were leaking bad. I just pulled the trailer hubs off, removed the old seals and grease replacing with new as the bearings / spindles were in great shape.

Then onto the new transom that doesn't have the original cut out for the knee brace. I removed the knee brace and will rivet it on further forward and use through bolts to secure it through the transom wood. Oh and yeah CC it was totally original to this one.

Nice to have a large selection of large pieces of scrap plywood left over since prices have gone up at least 150% here right now.

In the meantime I've been working on paint stripping, forgot how tedious it was even on such a small boat. Good ole Jasco to the rescue.

Steady progress as I got all the outside paint off over my days off this week.

I solid riveted on some angle pieces for a bow cap made of 5/8" plywood and replaced the old petrified bow eye wedge.

Now I have to find time for the inside, hull repair, Coat-it on seams, painting, new benches, and transom install.

I have a guy at work who is really wanting the little 14'r now after I showed him some pics of it and my other boats I've done. Kinda tough to let one of them go after I get my hands on them, I have a problem.

 

[Moserkr]

Caught up on this old thread. Should have known you had another one lying around lol. Looks good! Really neat little all original boat. Id like a set of those starcraft emblems too one day!

 

[GA_Boater]

Wow! Turtles have a long hatch time up there in the PNW!

 

[Superchief]

Those corner caps are beautiful.

 

[MNhunter1]

Steady progress as I got all the outside paint off over my days off this week.

Is that the good stuff, or the "new and improved" subpar non-methylene stuff? I picked up some of both the Jasco and the Citrus stuff to see which one provides better results. Wish I would have hoarded some of the old formula away before they went all safe and green on us.

 

[Watermann]

Is that the good stuff, or the "new and improved" subpar non-methylene stuff? I picked up some of both the Jasco and the Citrus stuff to see which one provides better results. Wish I would have hoarded some of the old formula away before they went all safe and green on us.

It's the McNasty stuff I got a few years ago and stored but the 15 min formula, I couldn't find any of the 5 min which melts paint like a flamethrower.

 

[classiccat]

Agua's back in the resto-saddle!

Yeah that starboard kink would require some persuasive finesse... I wonder if annealing on that cap would help?

 

[Watermann]

Agua's back in the resto-saddle!

Yeah that starboard kink would require some persuasive finesse... I wonder if annealing on that cap would help?

I'm at a quandary to repair or leave it be, it can always get worse but maybe better?

 

[classiccat]

I'm at a quandary to repair or leave it be, it can always get worse but maybe better?

Yep...definitely between a rock and your obsession with perfection!

If you do tackle it, i'd definitely stabilize the areas that aren't dorked...maybe wait until the benches are secured and add additional bracing to the top of the gunnels.

in the images, it appears it's all extruded aluminum (no cast aluminum). If that's the case, it should respond well to heating. the vertical pieces will go with the flow, it's the horizontal pieces that you need to manipulate with heat + pulling and deadblow action.

 

[Watermann]

An update. Got the Seafarer all painted up with the standard formula I use of VanSickle SE primer, industrial enamel with catalyst hardener. The bottom is bare and the inside bottom is same paint, hardener and non skid on first coat and just paint on the second coat to smooth it out some.

Outside white

Inside sides light grey with darker grey inside bottom.

Bow deck added, 3/4" plywood sealed and covered with Nautolex vinyl, bench seats the same.

 

[MNhunter1]

She looks awesome as always Watermann! Great looking paint Did you use the poly beads again on the bottom?

 

[Watermann]

She looks awesome as always Watermann! Great looking paint Did you use the poly beads again on the bottom?

Thanks, I like how it turned out and it was nice to see I didn't loose my touch at painting. I didn't have enough poly beads on hand so I used some fine texture sand this time.

 

[Watermann]

Moving along.
Flotation rigid foam board added and bench seats along with the 3/4" pin seat mounts and Wise seats. Admiral got the decals on for me too.

 

[jbcurt00]

Excellent work

 

[Watermann]

I left out a few steps I took using Coat-It for the seams and especially the keel. I taped it off before application and found I prefer the Coat-It now over Gluvit.

The bench seat supports were removed and new solid rivets were hammered in with 5200 sealing the deal. I also replaced some damaged leaky solids on the bottom as well and the knee brace was moved forward to accommodate the redesigned transom.

I decided to leave the bow starboard side alone and not chance wrecking anything as it doesn't affect the boats seaworthiness.