1963 Elgin Restoration

[sphelps]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Wow ! That is real nice ! I would love to do a project like that one day . How does it sail ?

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Excellent question SP -- I wish I knew. I moved from CT to PA about 8 years ago. My friend was going to finish the boat (we built it in his garage) but he never did. He got divorced, and became sort of weird after that. Last I knew, I looked just like it does above. Sad. :grumpy:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

What? She cleaned him out & took his normal too? :faint2: :watermelon: Unfortunate about the unknown @ the boat, it looks really good, nice work!

BTW: Your Elgin would look good w/ white deck hardware too, if you're keeping the cap color the same.

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

BTW: Your Elgin would look good w/ white deck hardware too, if you're keeping the cap color the same.

I was considering new colors for the cap, but you're right about the white deck hardware. Decisions, decisions...

 

[Hubble74]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

oops look at the next one.

 

[Hubble74]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

No need to worry, water intrusion won't be a problem with the boat covered and indoors... nor will it be out on the water.

One of the cool things about those deck drains is that you can pull the plug while on the water and the boat is on plane and all of the water will drain out of the boat (just remember to put the plug back in before slowing down).

My first boat was an old tinny jon that leaked like a seive. One of my favorite things to do was to wait for enough water to get in the boat when someone else was with me and then move to another spot. I'd pull the plug when they weren't looking and then yell "Oh my god! We're gonna DIE" and then show them the plug with a worried look on my face when they turned around.:laugh: ... then I'd show them how the water was draining out of the boat and have a big laugh, whoever was with me would usually say something like "I hope you know what the hell you're doing".

My Dad still tells me to this day about doing this to my Grandpa. My Grandpa about crapped himself until he realized it worked. LOL

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Which reminds me of a question... The boat currently features a deck drain, which I am 100% likely to leave wide open someday. (people who know me well can speak to this eventuality... It WILL happen) So, should I close up the drain and add a bilge box and pump, since I will be decking the area under the splash well? Seems like it might save me from, well... Me!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

If you install enough floatation foam in your boat you'll have nothing to worry about:
Lund Boat Floatation Video - YouTube

All you'll have to do is crank the boat and haul buggy for a couple of minutes and all of the water will be gone. Your deck drain is a very useful feature on that boat, and is something I'd personally never delete.

Your foam under the deck, in the rear bench, and in the bow area should be plenty enough to float your boat with minimal submersion.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Just get a captive plug, it's always thru the drain so you can't 'forget' where it is & it's kind of hanging out of the drain when you undo the transom straps at the launch ramp...

You can also get a sharpie & a 3X5 card and write:
PLUG!

Laminate it & leave it velcro'd to the dash until it becomes a ritual :facepalm: Make 3 or 12 copies & keep the spares in the glovebox :watermelon:

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

All good thoughts! I get little mental blocks about things. Hey, who thinks this would look sweet hanging off the transom?
45 hp Mercury Outboard Boat Motor For Sale

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

If it's not a budget buster, yep, nice looking motor! Make sure it comes w/ controls & the cable ends to fit the motor & the controls.

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Question for y'all...

My plan for tomorrow is to start building the wood core for the transom. I figure i can get it glued up and then do the rest of the grinding while it sets.

So my question is, in fitting the wood, should I fit it as tight as a glove, or should I leave some small space around it for expansion/contraction? The only reason I ask is that there was some small space between the edge of the wood and the inside of the skin on the sides before i did the demo. Not sure if it was intentional, or just crappy construction. I'm guessing crappy, cuz most of the boat has been pretty minimal construction - but I thought I'd ask.

You can see what I mean below.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

You want a 1/4" GAP at all edges, you don't want wood 'hard' spots in direct contact w/ the hull. The gap gives you someplace for squeeze out from behind the transom too. Thru holes also allows better bonding & another area for squeeze out & prevent air pockets between the hull & the back of your transom ply.

Use the squeeze out to start your fillets & coves for rolling the glass from 1 surface to the next...

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Not sure I'm following JB. So there should be a 1/4 gap all the way around, and that gap doesn't get filled with PB? And this is for expansion I'm guessing? I would think wood expands contacts more than glass/resin.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

No, you want the wood to be gapped 1/4" away. This pix of factory looks like a very small 1/8" or less gap:

When you install transom, you WANT the PB to squeeze out & fill that gap. And if enough squeezes out, you can use it to start your fillets along the edges. But the 1/4" gap gets FILLED.

You will probably want a set of the clamps too:
"Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Aaaaahhhhhh.... I get it. (a little slow sometimes!!).

And yes - I've studied wood's excellent diagrams and clamp design too. Great stuff Wood! What's gonna add some complication in my case is that the transom is warped outward, so I need to correct that too in the process. Fun!!

Thanks for the responses JB!!

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Hey Wood -- in case your checking in...
Regarding your diagram below, where you specify to CSM, should I substitute 1700 since I'm using Epoxy?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Nope. cSM is used with Poly to "Bind" the molecules of the resin into one contiguous unit. Epoxy has the binder in the resin. I would glue the lams with Titebond III , screw em down for a couple of hours, then remove the screws and coat it all with two coats of epoxy. Mix up some epoxy PB and glue and clamp it home.

 

[larcher]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

Been playing around with the stringers and such. Got the two longitudinals cut out and shaped - and miraculously, they fit perfectly level with the prior deck edges!! (I should have played the lottery!)

Have been drawing out the laterals. Everyting was pretty rotted, so it's a best guess. I'm cutting a pretty wide margin for everything and then belt-sanding to fit. A bit of a tedious process :cold:

Cuttin'...

Shapin'...

Fittin'...

Tracin'...

Regarding the "fittin'" photo above you are seeing a combination of the new long's, and the old rotted lat's. The nearer lateral in the foreground is missing a piece on the starboard side - was too rotted to save. So, question: what you see (plus the missing piece mentioned) is all there was under the floor. Do you think there should be more laterals? Like on the far end for instance, near the bulkhead? Those ends just seem to be hanging out with no support, but that's the way they were - with very minimal fiberglass tabbing btw.

Oh, and FYI - that hole in the bulkhead -- I hd to cut that in order to get the grinder in there to cut out the keel. My plan is to re-cover the entire bulkhead face with some 1/8" luan plywood wrapped in galss. Sound right?

Thoughts, suggestions, criticisms... all welcomed!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1963 Elgin Restoration

IMHO: PB'd to the hull, the longitudinal stringers look like they'll be plenty enough after the deck ties them, the bulkheads & hull sides all together....