1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

PaulyV

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 7, 2008
Messages
525
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mick you are doing great work!! this thread is one of the better ones on Iboats IMHO..
Keep it up!
 

archbuilder

Vice Admiral
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
5,697
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Hey Mick we are waiting for an update! I'm wondering if you have fiberglass yourself to the floor, lol! :D
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Wow, talk about hard to work for!

I am outside now reporting on the iPhone. It's ten of 11 and I just got done putting two layers of the 6" tape on the outsides of the forms. Tomorrow I will do the insides. I'm cleaning up now and waiting for the poly to cure. I got the fire going, heat lamps going, and propane tank going and it's about 65 in the garage and 75 under the shelter.

This was my first time working with the bondo poly from 3m and I wasn't sure exactly how much hardner to put in. The directions for it are real vague- doesn't give you a temp breakdown like the last stuff I used did. My first mix was taking a little longer to cure. So my second batch I added more hardner and it is curing quicker than the first. Learn as you go I guess...

I'm gonna wait out here an hour or so while it is setting up so I don't leave the fire unattended. Maybe I'll get the pics up later, maybe tomorrow.

No I didn't tape myself to the hull, and I'm still standing:redface:

hope this satisfies your needs guys!!!

It looks like I am going to do a layer of strand over this tape too before I pull the forms- the tape is thin. I'll have to see how strong it is once it cures. I was hoping to do two layers of tape, pull the forms, pour the seacast, tape over the top tying into the sides, then strand over all that. We'll see.

Get back to me, I'm bored listening to the radio!
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Bobby, check your email!
 

BobsGlasstream

Commander
Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Messages
2,128
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mick,
Glad to hear you are doing alright. Sounds like your staying warm and getting some work done.
Look forward to seeing your pic's.
Bob
 

SKIBUM1M

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
604
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

When I used the bondo poly I was mixing a pint or a quart at a time. A gallon came with 2 tubes of mekp so for a quart I used half a tube, for a pint I used an eighth. then just used temperature to adjust the cure time.
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Here's my pics from last night.
Everything laid out
100_0868.jpg
[/IMG]
100_0869.jpg
[/IMG]
Everything glassed in
100_0871.jpg
[/IMG]
100_0872.jpg
[/IMG]

While I was waiting around and cutting cloth for today for the insides of the stringers I remembered that I cut up some old handrail for my stove- so I took a piece and laid it in the keel area. It fit like a glove. That is what I originally thought they used for the keel, or something very close to it.
100_0876.jpg
[/IMG]
100_0875.jpg
[/IMG]

Now my grandfather has a couple old railings laying around and it would definitely be cheaper then seacast to lay a piece in there, poly it up, and glass it all in. What do you guys think?

Thanks Guys for all the comments!
 

SKIBUM1M

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
604
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

micks, I finally got around to measuring the seats for you, the bases are 14.5"x40" and the seats are 19" wide. Let me know if you want them.
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

skibum- I'm kicking around the idea now of maybe two captains chairs and then building out of ply and glassing in bench seats for the sides. This would open things up more and offer more walking room. I won't make a decision on that though until I get the deck in. I think if I remember correctly that two 19 inch seats would only give me about 4 inches of space in between the seats to get through to the back of the boat- a little tight. So if you were planning on chucking them if I didn't need them go ahead and do that. Thank you so much for the offer though- it was a very kind offer.

Well I made some progress tonight. I glassed in the insides of the stringers
100_0877.jpg
[/IMG]

Then I pulled the forms and glasses in the sections were the forms were sitting
100_0879.jpg
[/IMG]
Looks pretty good so far I think. Everything has two layers of 6 inch mat. Not sure if that will be strong enough alone for the seacast so I may do a layer of strand as well.
100_0881.jpg
[/IMG]

Then while I was waiting for everything to cure I sharpened my chain saw blade- getting ready to cut some pallets tomorrow! My wood pile is down to about one night of burning left so I picked up pallets from my school and from the local hardware store that they were throwing out.
100_0885.jpg
[/IMG]
100_0882.jpg
[/IMG]
100_0884.jpg
[/IMG]

I also have a truck bed full of oak from another teacher at school that I haven't taken out of the truck yet- that all needs to be split.

I lost about 10 pounds since I started working on the boat. I guess its better for you than sitting on the couch watching tv.

Bob- I talked to my friend Jarad about helping pour the seacast today. We are going to shoot for next Sunday! That should give me enough time to finish the stringers, finish the cross supports, and get the transom skin and bracing for it in. Wow- that actually sounds like alot of work yet?

Archbuilder- How long did it take you to pour your stringer and transom- I'm trying to figure out an estimate how long it will take?

Well good night, and Thanks!
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Almost forgot:eek: I'm still kicking around the idea of using the handrail and cutting it down to 6' as my keel, then polying under and around it, and glassing it over instead of seacast.

It would be alot cheaper(my grandfather has a couple laying in his basement), match up to their original design, and save alot of time.

And if I do it this way how should I go about it- how much poly? wrap it in fiberglass? use the poly with hardener? etc???

Here is what the small piece I had looks like in their
100_0881.jpg
[/IMG]

What do you all think:confused:

Thanks
 
Last edited:

SKIBUM1M

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
604
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

It took me about 2 hours to pour my transom,
I would use the handrail. I would bed it by pouring some Bondohair in the keel, then push your rail in and finally cover it with strips of fiberglass about 8 to 12 inches wide.
 

archbuilder

Vice Admiral
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
5,697
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

I agree with Skibum, you could also use Duraglass to bed it....great stuff!

It took me about 2 hours on the transom and a bout 45 minites or so on the keel beam. The beams actually take longer...its harder to the seacast in them than the transom. In the transom you more or less just dump a bunch in and start working it around with a stick. Since the stringer is so shallow, you pour a little...move....pour a little....I ended up putting a lot of mine in the stringer with a big putty knife.

You might want to watch the video they have on how to do it. the boat is looking good!
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Thanks skibum and archbuilder. I think I will go with the handrail then. That'll free up some time and money. Now I gotta go back over to the boat place to get one of the things you guys suggested to bed it.

No working on the boat today:( I gotta go to the boat place and then hit up HD for more gloves, mixing buckets and brushes. Then I gotta cut and split wood when I get home. Somewhere in there I gotta make time for the wife and kids!
Thanks
 

archbuilder

Vice Admiral
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
5,697
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Hey Mick, Harbor Freight has some really good gloves....thicker that most and actually fit a guy's hands! You might check that out.
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

I'm back from HD and the boat place. Got my supplies now I gotta start cutting wood so I'm ready to go again for tomorrow.
Archbuilder- I get a 50 pack of nitrile gloves from dh for $7. They fit pretty good- good enough for working with resins. The acetone eat right through them though.
 

BobsGlasstream

Commander
Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Messages
2,128
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

micks110,
I'll be looking forward to seeing the pic's.
I agree with the rest of the guy's too. Use the rail and bed it in.
It's really looking good.
Bob
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Ok, I gotta admit I've been pretty clueless on the whole seascast stringer thing. What the plan now? Carve the foam out of the fiberglass?
 

micks110

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
879
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

ezombee- yup the foam will get pulled out of the stringers, I will use my measurements that I have and snap a chalk line down the length of the stringer, then cut off the excess fiberglass. Once everything is cut I will put the seacast in the forms.

Well I went out last night for a bit. I got the handrail cut and on only the second time cutting and sanding high spots it fit like a glove.
100_0887.jpg
[/IMG]
100_0886.jpg
[/IMG]

This is what I used to bed in the rail- the stuff was rock solid within 10 minutes! I put a good bed on the bottom and then filled the sides on the top.
100_0888.jpg
[/IMG]

This is what it looked like after I was done. Today I have to fiberglass it in.
100_0889.jpg
[/IMG]
 

archbuilder

Vice Admiral
Joined
Sep 12, 2009
Messages
5,697
Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mick, nice job with the duraglass.....just like putting icing on a cake huh? How thick is the glass you have laid up on the foam? Mine was about 1/8" by the time I was done. My keel beam was about 5-1/2" tall and tapered down from there. It seems like you told me your was shorter.
 
Top