I saw this little boat...

[Super Mario]

The boat is a 1963 Montgomery Ward Sea King, 14 Foot Runabout. Yes, it's cute, and it runs, but, there are some problems. I've decided to take the time to restore it. The rear portion of the deck was rotted, as were some of the crossmembers underneath. I have removed about six feet of the deck from the rear of the boat, and from there on, the deck is relatively good, as are the stringers/crossmembers. (wood is dry) I will use double 2x4's for crossmembers, as that will give me room to sand the deck in preparation to glue/fiberglass the crossmembers to the deck, prior to gluing/fiberglassing the wood deck to the top of the cross-members. 'Doubling' will allow me to have room between the longitudinal frame-work stringers to grind/sand the inside of the hull, as prep for glue/fiberglass for the crossmembers. (3" discs on my air sander)

Questions: Best way to make a pattern of the bottom of the boat, so the bottoms of the crossmembers can be cut to fit the inside of the hull, and rise to the level needed for the new flooring to be attached? I have a couple of ideas, but if someone can supply me with a way that is both mistake-proof, and easy, I would appreciate it. Thanks, Mario

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: I saw this little boat...

Folks have had luck using cardboard and foam blocks to build an accurate template for the stringers/deck.

The blue/pink foam boards from HD or Lowe's are easy to shape, and as a bons you can then use them as flotation foam under the deck when you reattach it.

Got any pics?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: I saw this little boat...

Welcome to iBoats!
Lots of help here. Pics are always a big help. Check my signature on how to post em. If you are serious about restoring the old girls I would seriously suggest that you go ahead and tear out the entire floor and all of the stringers. You should also check the transom because more than likely it is "GONE" too!

I'm just sayin...

 

[geeco1]

Re: I saw this little boat...

The easiest way to get a profile of the hull is with a large drafting compass. Position the board in the hull above where it should go. Open the compass so that at the deepest part of the hull, the compass can stretch from the bottom of the hull to the board. Now start sliding the compass along the bottom of the hull and the pencil part of the compass should be marking the outline on the board. When you are done, you should have a good profile for the hull. After cutting the board on the pencil mark, you can make any fine adjustments with a little sandpaper and test fitting.

 

[Super Mario]

Re: I saw this little boat...

Thanks, Geeco1, for the information. While I don't have such a tool, I'd bet a dollar to a hole in a donut that I can make one out of a couple of pieces of flat iron, and a bolt and nut. I was going to get some light cardboard, or shipping paper - something like that - bend it to lie on top of the flooring that is left, hang it over the edge, and bend it again where it meets the fiberglass of the boat floor, then cut off the bend at the bottom, and take off the thickness of the floor at the top. Probably way more rudimentary than your idea, and also not as accurate - so I will use your idea. Thanks again for the help. Funny, I have been a backyard 'mechanic' nearly all my life, and even did some mechanics for a living part of the time. There's always something new to learn, and someone new to learn it from. Guess we never get too smart.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: I saw this little boat...

You can buy a compass at WalMart for a couple of bucks

I'm just sayin...

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: I saw this little boat...

You're gunna have to get to the transom from the inside and drill some exploratory holes down around the drain hole. Do NOT drill all the way thru just about 3/4 inch deep. Light tan Dry shavings-Good Dark Brown Wet shavings - Bad Dry powder Bad. Drill at various locations. I suspect that you will find that it is bad and will need to be replaced. You really need to get some pics posted so we can see what you are dealing with. My signature will tell you how to do it.

I'm just sayin...