1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration...In Progress

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Grinding has ground to a halt (pun intended)....one of my neighbors called the police because of the noise and dust....they told me there wasn't any problem with the noise due to time of day, and the neighbors could kiss my...well you know....however, I can not continue until I find a way to contain my dust, which i totally understand, I have shop envy of some of you guys! Thinking ill drape my carport with plastic..that should do it...I hope!

this is the extent of my shop....and an open carport

 

[BigDoubleR]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Judge, I'm a newbie here with an '81 SS-1 Fisherman. As far as dust goes, why don't you check craigslist under the tool section and see if you can find a dust collector for a table saw. I don't know if that will be a viable solution, but it's a place to start.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

yeah, but really don't want to drag a hose around while I am grinding, im going to throw up a wall of plastic sheeting around my carport during the grinding and contain it that way, It will stay in my carport and vacuum up easily. If my mistakes can help you with your restore, feel free to ask questions....there are only a few differences between the fisherman and sport fisherman models so overall believe you'll find some messes I make to avoid on yours. This is my first rebuild as well, you are definitely on the right site because these old salty dogs are more than happy to help a few greenhorns!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

My garbage man rocks....he is only allowed to pick up the big green company supplied can during his route...but picked up that plus my toter full of wood/fiberglass and 4 huge bags of foam. I honestly expected to be loading that up after he left and making a dump run today

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Well solved my dust problem, I used black because I had some in my basement already piled up, It made it dark, but that's what lights are for! Should keep the dust from blowing and pacify the neighbors, at least until one contacts the HOA about the way it looks, which will be good because I don't want to be a jerk and report my neighbor for their awful looking lawn but if HOA shows up they will see it themselves! I am waiting for the white trash award ceremonies, because it looks like I am a shoe-in for sure! Back to grinding! yay!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Today wife confided in me she thought I was wasting her money, when i bought this she assumed it would be quick and cheap. I plan to do things right and all she sees is a torn apart boat cluttering my carport and decided that she doesn't think I can do this and still be worthwhile. How do you all deal with wives during the tore-up boat stage, when things look like a pile of trash? I showed her some of these threads to try and restore her confidence. told her even putting 1500 bucks into the boat I will easily still come out ahead. She said she would have rather paid 1500 for a boat that was good, so I showed her some of the threads, like friscoboater's thread, where that beautiful boat had a hidden monster in its hull. Anyways pretty bummed right now because she has no faith in what I am capable of. I am very handy with tools, have a strong mind and learn easily and have a great support team in the IBoats forums.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

You should find an added amount of drive and determination for your wifes skepticism JD, show her what you can do! She may not see it now, but she'll see it later and will probably be bragging on how you took that old junk boat and turned it into a new one.

Women have a hard time envisioning how something will look while it's under constructionand before it's finished, I know my wife does.

Now get out there and get some boat work done!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Yeah, just one of those downs i guess oops was talking about, only it hit my wife, which transferred to me, plan to finish grinding it out by this weekend, and hopefully start getting some stuff cut so maybe she can see things moving back up instead of down. While I do have a lot of spare time, my physical limitations dont allow me to spend as much time doing the labor as I would like so wont be surprised if I dont get done though lol

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Had an Idea for rebuilding stringers/foam and would love some opinions. I just cant bring myself to return to the pour-in foam, so i plan to use 2" sheets of foam, cut to stringer height and laminated/glued together giving me a solid filled core for strength but using closed cell foam that I can remove if needed to repair and replace as it will retain its shape. Next I want to leave my deck center open and encapsulate both sides completely, leaving a slight slope to center for drainage, In the center i plane to have a 1" think metal grate allowing for drainage and easy access to the bilge/livewell plumbing. I included a poorly done sketch (far from computer graphics person) so you can see my vision

 

[produceguy]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Sounds good but I wouldn't do it because your deck is very struchule and plays a very important role. If you cut it in half and have that grid in their you might get alot of flex that could cause your hull to crack. With the sheet foam, I don't think your going to get much support out of it, mostley for floataion.

Were abouts in Ark are you from?
I lived in Van Buren and Fort Smith for A long time. Love it their.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Cherokee Village, its NE near Missouri border, We are in a nice area, have 7 private lakes for homeowners/seasonal renters, and access to Spring River. I love the area, moved here when I retired (got disabled, like retired better) so i was close to some good fishing.

 

[produceguy]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Now i'm jelouse!!:d

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

the cross section of the grate did not do it Justice, It will ride on 2 glassed lips, where each cross beam will be screwed to it, essentially becoming part of the deck. Also will not be the full deck cut center, heres a layout of what I was thinking. The cross members of brate will be bolted or lagged to the lip in the small area about 9 " across and just shy of 5' long. again forgive my lack of drawing skills lol but it gets my idea to you

 

[Seasonally.boating.jon]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Today wife confided in me she thought I was wasting her money, when i bought this she assumed it would be quick and cheap. I plan to do things right and all she sees is a torn apart boat cluttering my carport and decided that she doesn't think I can do this and still be worthwhile. How do you all deal with wives during the tore-up boat stage, when things look like a pile of trash? I showed her some of these threads to try and restore her confidence. told her even putting 1500 bucks into the boat I will easily still come out ahead. She said she would have rather paid 1500 for a boat that was good, so I showed her some of the threads, like friscoboater's thread, where that beautiful boat had a hidden monster in its hull. Anyways pretty bummed right now because she has no faith in what I am capable of. I am very handy with tools, have a strong mind and learn easily and have a great support team in the IBoats forums.

Man, that is funny. Get this, my wife picked this boat out for me. I think she beats her head on the counter when I'm not looking.
Personally I beleave our progress eases thier mind. Or you could always say "You want me to go spend about 9 or 10 grand for a new boat?"

Nice work, keep it up and posted. Thanks, bug

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

The thing about the grating for me would be it'll let too much trash into the bilge area and the way you plan on securing it sounds like it would be difficult to remove to clean out the trash. The trash (leaves, pine needles, assorted wrappers, etc.) could/will stop up your bilge pump and that would be bad news in an emergency.

I agree with keeping a good drainway down the keel of the boat, but the smaller round 4" floor drains are the better way to go.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Yeah, good point. I can make that access panel out of ply, and just install a drain in it. I just want access to the livewell plumbing as it appears that if they never cut the deck open to get to it, then did a bad repair job. I might not even be doing this. Majority of rot is localized at 2 points, one the plumbing repair fix, and the other at a very poorly installed drain, wood was cut and a drain plate laid on top, so there were exposed ply edges there. really appreciate your advice. I have a lot of crazy ideas bouncing around in my brain and sometimes need people to point out the flaws in my thinking, which is why I ask!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Started going through and redoing my images, but making heads and tails of all the photos and finding them to link to in my new photobucket.com account is a royal PITA, so I will from now on post photos for easier viewing using photo bucket and IMG command, but previous photos are going to stay the way they are!

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Removed my stringers today, glad i did it before cutting templates, did not realize that some are set in a groove 1/4"+ below the fiberglass line. every stringer corresponds with one of the dips for the three Vs. they were not easy to remove and I will post pics as soon as I get it cleaned up so you can see the grooves. I was considering increasing the ply size on stringers for added support, but it looks like Ill be best off going back to 1/2" (it may be 3/8" but the top was a little swelled when i measured it.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Ok so ill clean later, cleared portions of the grooves i was talking about and they look like this

Also in the bilge area, from the transom forward approx 16 inches there was a layer of lathe boards, any idea what these are there for, they raised the bilge about 1/2 inch, I am assuming they are so you can screw down your pumps and stuff, correct me please if I am wrong. This is just 3 of the boards , they were tight together and all the way across bilge then glassed over.

this project is making me feel like a kid again, so here's a picture of me working on it

really that is my son, he is not allowed out there while I am in grinding stage but he just insisted, so I let him get a picture, and last but not least...another mess to clean up, does cleaning ever end??

I am going to finish grinding this weekend, then plan to remove it from trailer, flip it and build a stand like Drewpster did with his tri-hul, it just looked like a really nice way to be sure everything is supported. While it is upside down i plan to fix any blemishes and prep for the paint jobl

 

[JDA1975]

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Re: 1982 Skeeter SS-1 Sport Fisherman Restoration....Need some advice

Either I am doing everything OK....or I am just a boring rebuild....Or i said something wrong , cause i really was hoping someone would take more interest and answer my questions. I guess ill just stick to my assumptions and hope it works out.