I have returned... with a Starcraft this time!

[Pusher]

Sounds like quite the headache. A couple gallons of ground clear would ease your burden some ;-)

Looks like some nice grippy traction!

 

[BWR1953]

Sounds like quite the headache. A couple gallons of ground clear would ease your burden some ;-)

Looks like some nice grippy traction!

Yeahh... I've had a number of problems with that ZTR. Found out today from the local dealer that they're "common" on that model, including the axle breakage. Oh, goody. I did find a new replacement part for the transaxle. Only $110 plus shipping.

But on the good news side of things, I got prices for aluminum stock today while I was out running errands. Great prices running between 65% to 75% less than the big box stores! Now I need to take some measurements to figure out how much of each type I need to use on the Kingfisher. :joyous:

 

[BWR1953]

Been a busy week but "we" are working on the boat again. (That's the Imperial "we", don't ya know!)

We put the deck in for a dry fit today. Mind you, the deck is not secured so the sections aren't tight to one another or to the hull. The fit looks good to me.
Have a look at that glossy paint. Ugh. I can't believe that I messed up like that. I do like the color though. Am thinking of scuffing the deck with some 100 grit sandpaper to reduce glare from the glossy paint. What do y'all think?

And the sand that I added to the paint worked out well. Not too much, not too little. No bare feet allowed in the boat anyway but it should help with blood and guts and slime and whatnot.

 

[Watermann]

I wouldn't go sanding on it with the non skid under there, it could get exposed I would use a 3M scrub pad and lightly abrade the surface.

 

[BWR1953]

I wouldn't go sanding on it with the non skid under there, it could get exposed I would use a 3M scrub pad and lightly abrade the surface.

Thanks WM. Will do.

Any idea on what will dissolve the spray foam I used previously to seal the edges? Xylene didn't touch it at all. The instructions say that acetone can remove tacky foam but on cured foam, it must be mechanically removed. Searching for options for that now.

Next step is to paint the inside of the hull and I need to get it clean.

 

[BWR1953]

Well, we're getting the foam out okay. Started with a nylon wheel brush which was okay. Then we switched to a stainless wire wheel and that's doing the job.

 

[BWR1953]

We got the foam cleaned out, no problem. Then we cleaned off some of the old porch paint along the edges where the deck sits flush. The boy did the bulk of that work.

I started using the 3M pad to "dull" the glossy deck paint. Did a small out of the way patch and decided that I didn't like the way it looks so changed my mind. I'm gonna leave the deck glossy and if it becomes an actual problem out on the water, then at a later date I'll paint a coat of flat over top of the glossy and call it good. Time will tell.

Tomorrow I'll buy some cleaning vinegar and other assorted cleaning and painting goodies and we'll prep the inside of the hull for painting. Am hoping to get a first coat on tomorrow.

 

[BWR1953]

Gotta tell ya folks, that boy is something else. He's growing fast and getting smarter every day.

For example, while we were working the deck yesterday, I mentioned an obstacle to him. And without any coaching from me, all by himself he worked through the issue and came up with the Watermann solution! Side bracing. The boy is sharp! :joyous:

We haven't implemented anything yet but the kid was right on track with a potential solution.

Similar to what WM did here.

 

[Watermann]

Yeah you need some credit for the boy's aptitude as having him help you do this work is probably one of the best things a dad can do for a boy.

You know that gloss on the deck won't last long as it's tread upon.

 

[BWR1953]

Yeah you need some credit for the boy's aptitude as having him help you do this work is probably one of the best things a dad can do for a boy.

You know that gloss on the deck won't last long as it's tread upon.

I honestly believe that if it weren't for the boy that I wouldn't be able to take on these boat and home projects. He's a genuine help for me. With my health stuff, it makes a tremendous difference. (Going to see a cardiologist tomorrow to figure out wassup. )

I'm teaching the kid as much as I can. That's why sometimes we'll spend 3 hours doing a 1 hour job... the rest of the time is in the teaching mode. The boy is definitely very smart. And highly motivated. He says he wants to be a billionaire! :faint2: I sure hope he makes it. Or even gets 1/2 way! LOL! :lol:

While taking a lunch break the other day I was watching a business show on TV while we were eating. The boy started asking me about stocks and whatnot and we actually got pretty deep into the concept and he is definitely interested. I have a feeling that he's going to do well in life.

 

[BWR1953]

Well, I finally made a decision on the doubler question yesterday. I decided to go with 1/8" x 4" extruded aluminum bar stock from my local aluminum supplier. Bought three 6-foot sections yesterday.




Plus I also bought a pair of 1.5" x 3" white painted L-sections (also 6 foot) which were on sale for 8 bucks each. Had to have 'em! :biggrin-new:




And this pic shows the color difference between the old deck and the new. The light gray on the old deck is what I'll be using on the inside of the hull. Should give a decent contrast.

 

[BWR1953]

...You know that gloss on the deck won't last long as it's tread upon.

Yup. And my wife also pointed out that much of the deck will be covered with chairs, storage boxes, cooler, fuel tank(s), battery and whatnot once everything is reassembled. So we shouldn't get our eyes knocked out too badly from glare.

I'd planned on buying a bimini top this week but when I went online to place the order from my wish list, the size needed to fit the KF was gone and unavailable! I waited too long. Jeez, it was only on the list for 15 months! :lol: :facepalm:

 

[BWR1953]

Man, these Critical Errors that we've been getting are really breaking my heart. :blue:

But on the good side of things, we made some nice progress today. Got the inside of the hull cleaned, sanded with 320 grit, cleaned again, then wiped with cleaning vinegar. While all that was going on, I also started filling some of the billion holes in the hull. Got a little carried away a couple times though. Like when I filled the mounting holes for the side console and the trolling motor. :doh:

Then we got the first coat of the very light gray porch paint that we had on hand from our garage shelving project. It's even lighter than what we'd put on the deck before. It'll provide an even nicer contrast than the prior medium gray deck paint that I had before. See pix below.

Sorry that some of the pix are blurry. That's from my hands shaking. The boy wasn't there all the time. I usually have him take care of the photography.

The light gray is what's going on the hull interior sides. I actually had more of that on hand than the medium gray. Worked out well!



No, not bullet holes. They're the remnants of the old cable pulley steering system. I removed the bracket and filled the holes.



Plenty of other holes that need to be filled. These are just a few "gifts" left behind by previous owners.


We used 6" foam rollers with zero nap. Nice and smooth.
Hey dad, can you fill my roller with paint too?



We had to use some SE primer on a few areas where we weren't bashful with the sander. So we painted around it while the primer dried, then came back later for the gray topcoat.



The first layer of light gray has finally been applied! Need to get into some of the hard to reach places with a brush and also do some "edging" in a couple of places. Then the second coat can go on.


I still haven't decided on what color to paint the vertical upright part of the bow T-brace. Could use either the light gray of the sides or the dark gray of the deck. The green gunnels and topsides will be painted with the same dark gray gloss that was used on the decking. Might wait till the dark gray parts are painted before deciding. It's purely a decoration kind of decision.

 

[Watermann]

Nice work, makes it more fun not being on a deadline like before the vacation trip.

Hey why do you need that vertical brace under the bow cap arch? Seems to me like it would be in the way and not needed.

 

[BWR1953]

Nice work, makes it more fun not being on a deadline like before the vacation trip.

Hey why do you need that vertical brace under the bow cap arch? Seems to me like it would be in the way and not needed.

Indeed, no deadline does take the pressure off.

Ya know, I'd not thought about that T-brace before. It was there when I bought the boat and I never gave it any consideration. But I suppose that other similar boats use an arc shaped piece of wood to maintain the shape and structure. Yes?


Here's a closer view of the brace setup on my KF.

 

[Watermann]

Oh that wood doesn't look too good to me, I see it's 2 pieces with the split in the middle so that's why the PO did that vertical support. Also the brackets for the support need to go on the inside of the gunnel. I made my bow deck out of 3/4" ply and the arch too on my SS. It's super stout.

 

[BWR1953]

Oh that wood doesn't look too good to me, I see it's 2 pieces with the split in the middle so that's why the PO did that vertical support. Also the brackets for the support need to go on the inside of the gunnel. I made my bow deck out of 3/4" ply and the arch too on my SS. It's super stout.

Message received and understood. Will check it out when I get back to the boat.

Question: Should I use a different type of stern eye? Or maybe modify this one by removing the pins?

The ones on there now have those pins to keep it in place by preventing rotation. I'm sure they would work fine on a wood boat but I will need to drill holes in the aluminum skin for them to work in my application.

And I'm always reluctant to drill new holes in my boat! :lol:

 

[Watermann]

I would get a new bow eye, I prefer the the solid stainless over the cast pot metal ones. This is the bow eye type my SS has in a 3/8". Inside I have a 1.5" thick backer formed to the shape of the bow angle. I used some of the transom wood that was removed to build it. Then it got sealed really well and the holes got 5200.
http://www.iboats.com/Bow-Eye-U-Bol...896073666--session_id.740142465--view_id.2487

 

[BWR1953]

I'm referring to the stern eyes for the transom hold down straps. They're already drilled through the transom. Pretty stout.

 

[BWR1953]

Is all of the aluminum trim anodized on these boats?