'74 Chieftain 21' I/O is home, the rebuild begins !

[Watermann]

Now there's some serious forward progress! Uh yeah that galvanic corrosion is the 'pits' :lol:

That's really not bad at all, some JB or MT with a bondo spreader to fill them in and a little sanding is all it takes. Be sure to warm up the JB or MT first and some heat on the AL skin first helps with the spreading of an even layer just in the pitting so you don't have to sand as much. I would prime and paint that inner skin too before putting the new wood in. Remember the top of the new transom has to be cut at a 15 degree angle so it will fit under the cap.

Looking real good on the tear down!

 

[FrankenCub]

I'd like to soda blast all the pitting to get all of the corrosion out of the pits but I'm not set up for it. Only have a pressure pot for sand blasting. Thinking I may just scrub them real good with vinegar or CLR. I like the JB Weld idea, I think I've got some in stock. After I spooge it in the pits I'll cover it with tape to avoid sagging. I hate to spend big bucks on a primer that will stay on aluminum but I think leaving it bare wouldn't be a smart idea. You guys have had good luck with Rustolium so I'll go that route.
Thanks for the tip on the top edge, I wasn't sure how many degrees it was cut at. I'd sure been upset with myself if I got it all in and found out I didn't cut it right lol.
I can't wait to get the transom back in, her fat rear sure is jiggly without it

 

[dozerII]

Great progress FC, Didn't Queen do a song about that^^

 

[Watermann]

I've not had to use tape to hold the MT in place it stays put pretty good on the inside. Rusto SE primer isn't expensive. What I've done for the skin sealing is hit with SE, regular primer and then some enamel.

When you get to work on the outer skin, be sure that the seal area for the transom assembly is smooth and free of imperfections.

That was nice listening to Queen while posting, thanks dozer :lol:

 

[FrankenCub]

Great progress FC, Didn't Queen do a song about that^^

haha that's awesome, I seen the email notification and was going to post that video Yep, was a Queen fan in my younger days.

I've not had to use tape to hold the MT in place it stays put pretty good on the inside. Rusto SE primer isn't expensive. What I've done for the skin sealing is hit with SE, regular primer and then some enamel.

When you get to work on the outer skin, be sure that the seal area for the transom assembly is smooth and free of imperfections.

That was nice listening to Queen while posting, thanks dozer :lol:

If the skin is cleaned up well, is there really a need to fill the pits other than peace of mind ? After all it will all be primed and painted anyway. I didn't get to any filling today, spent the whole day cleaning the floor of the hull and making sure the weep holes were clear. They were pretty good, all but in the bow where the damn rats were. That took a lot of cleaning with a nylock. Looking nice now though.
I wasn't aware that Rusto made self etching primer, shows how much I've used that brand lol. Good they do, I don't to spend much on the interior paint. When I get to the exterior next year I will use auto paint so I can have the color matched exactly as I want it. Just gonna shoot the inside cabin and transom area white so Rusto it is.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah it's a pain filling those pits but I would do it. Does it have to be done? I guess not if they're shallow and won't keep you up at night thinking about them. :lol:

Let me help you with your Starcraft vernacular....
" Limber hole is a drain hole through a frame in a boat designed to prevent water from accumulating" :thumb:

 

[dozerII]

I totally agree with Rob, they don't have to be filled but I wouldn't sleep at night if they weren't

 

[64osby]

I think of it this way. The thickness of the aluminum where the corrosion occurred is thinner. If corrosion does reoccur at the same place it will eat through the hull faster then at a place that had no corrosion. Filling this area should prevent corrosion from occurring.

 

[FrankenCub]

Ok I cry Uncle...I'll fill them :lol: That's a good point, 64, there's a couple that are a bit deep that I'd not like to see corrosion restart in.

Yeah it's a pain filling those pits but I would do it. Does it have to be done? I guess not if they're shallow and won't keep you up at night thinking about them. :lol:

Let me help you with your Starcraft vernacular....
" Limber hole is a drain hole through a frame in a boat designed to prevent water from accumulating" :thumb:

lol You'll notice from time to time I will use the wrong wording even if it's not what I had in mind of typing. Especially with Limber, for some reason it just doesn't translate well from thought to motion.

Hopefully I'll get some decent progress today, the wife has had me running all morning and it's looking like it may rain.

 

[FrankenCub]

Yesterday I got a ton more cleaning and scrubbing done, and went to town filling pits with JB. Came out pretty good. Been raining off and on all day today so I got to thinking about a fish finder/depth finder. Has anyone here used a Raspberry Pi and monitor to do something like this ? I've been doing some searching and found some navigation/gps software, but can't find anything to drive the transducer hardware. My biggest drive to do this is the price of the bigger fish finders, I can't justify spending $1k + to get what I want when they are basically little computers wrapped and a nice package. I have a nice 12v monitor and am a Linux user already, figured this might be a cool little project.

 

[North Beach]

FC,
Just read thru the entire thread. This going to be a sweet boat when you get her finished!

 

[FrankenCub]

FC,
Just read thru the entire thread. This going to be a sweet boat when you get her finished!

Thanks, NB I hope it turns out well. My big push is just to have it mechanically sound and usable this summer, correcting any issues I find, and see if I can find some place big enough to paint it this coming winter. So far I feel lucky, no serious problems and so far not finding any leaky rivets. I've had water in the hull a few times from rain and cleaning and keep a good watch at the underside and haven't found any wet spots.

 

[FrankenCub]

I got the cabin windscreen out today, what a bear the seal was at the top. The sides were good too, except where the windscreen met the trim lol. Had the prerequisite 5# of silicone rubber, with some spot of old school calking under it that was hard as a rock. Even the cracks in the plexi had been calked. Got it all cleaned up though, will make a good template for the plastic shop.
Have a problem with one piece of aluminum though, it's bent up pretty good. Anyone have any luck straightening these, without breaking them ? I'm a bit nervous about trying to work it back.

 

[Watermann]

You can try heating and annealing the metal while in a vice to slowly crank and get it back in place. I've got a piece of rubrail that's 5 times as thick I need to try working back into shape too so I feel your pain..

One of the super cool SC guys hanging around here had a tutorial on annealing AL so it could be bent easier. If I could just remember, maybe he'll stop by and offer up the solution.

 

[Dantana Tin]

FC, I know I'm a little delayed in my response but I definitely enjoyed a little queen serenade while reviewing your post. A big Thanks to you Dozer for the clip.

 

[FrankenCub]

You can try heating and annealing the metal while in a vice to slowly crank and get it back in place. I've got a piece of rubrail that's 5 times as thick I need to try working back into shape too so I feel your pain..

One of the super cool SC guys hanging around here had a tutorial on annealing AL so it could be bent easier. If I could just remember, maybe he'll stop by and offer up the solution.

I'll look around a bit and see if I can find that tutorial. I tend to mess up aluminum when doing any bending lol. I also have a piece of rub rail that is a little on the waffled side but not real bad. I'm not so concerned with it at the moment because it doesn't effect stopping water from entering. This windscreen piece, I definitely want right. It almost looks to me like someone may have fallen back against that corner when walking around the bow and pushed the windscreen through. Hopefully a propane torch will be enough, I'm out of oxygen :/

FC, I know I'm a little delayed in my response but I definitely enjoyed a little queen serenade while reviewing your post. A big Thanks to you Dozer for the clip.

No problem DT, that Queen clip was good to hear. nothing better than good music and boats

 

[FrankenCub]

You can try heating and annealing the metal while in a vice to slowly crank and get it back in place. I've got a piece of rubrail that's 5 times as thick I need to try working back into shape too so I feel your pain..

One of the super cool SC guys hanging around here had a tutorial on annealing AL so it could be bent easier. If I could just remember, maybe he'll stop by and offer up the solution.

Ok, found enough information here and Youtube that I'm confident that I can break it lol, or maybe get lucky
Seen here by coating the backside with oil and heating the other just till the oil evaporates, then let it cool slowly. On YT seen that you can rub soap on it and heat it till the soap turns black, then cool slowly. And it looks like to harden it, do the same but quench in temperate water. I'll give it a try this week. Hopefully it works out ok, I'm sure to never find a replacement.

 

[Watermann]

One thing I thought of is to make something non flammable the same width as the unaffected channel so you don't over do the bend. I know my luck and by the sounds of things you're not very trusting of your luck either :lol:

 

[FrankenCub]

Yep, there's some things that I just know that if I touch it, it will break. I'll chalk it up to inexperience lol. I'm perfectly comfortable and competent working with steel or sheet metal, but I rarely work with aluminum and usually mess it up. Same with wood, I'm just a bit on the crude side to work with such a soft material.
From what I watched on YT, it looks as if just the heating and slow cooling process is what allows the aluminum to be more easily worked with, no need to keep heat on it. So I should just be able to anneal it then straighten it. Of course then it would remain "softer" until heat treated. Which will bring the strength back. It makes sense, one video I watched took a normal piece of aluminum sheet that was pretty strong, he annealed it and it would fold up like a beer can in his hands. Watching How It's Made on TV, cans are annealed so they can be formed easily, but their never heat treated after.

 

[FrankenCub]

Another question, regarding the wood support structure under the bow. All of it is in great shape except for the piece that goes from port to starbord, it's rotted under the mangled windscreen trim I need to fix. Seems I can't get it out in one piece without taking the whole bow cap off, would it be strong enough to split the replacement in two for install then lap a splice behind the joint all glued and screwed ?