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

[BWR1953]

Sitting here this morning, thinking about what I need to do today. :ranger:

Looked at that color scheme and made a little change which I think looks much better. Removed the black trim below the bow eye. Cleaner. Mind you, I'm not trying to hide 42 years of bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes from the long and fruitful life of this little boat. Just want to make it a little more presentable.

Gonna be 80 degrees today with rain. I'll have to do what I can to get the rest of the boat stripped without the boy since he'll be in school. The rest of the week is looking to be cooler, so today is the day for a big push! Let's see if I can get it done!

The cleaner look.

 

[Candutch]

Looking great BWR! I agree with you on the paint scheme, the second one looks better.

 

[baldwibr]

The second one will probably be better should you ever beach it on shore for any reason. Looks sharp!

 

[BWR1953]

Thanks guys!

I was thinking the same thing about beaching. The primary launch ramp that I use has NO dock, but does have a concrete ramp. Bumpity-bumpity!

Bought the new gallon of stripper and am now having lunch. Will head out to the garage in a few and see what I can do.

 

[BWR1953]

Boo Yah!! That new aircraft stripper is AWESOME!

Voila!

It says Aircraft Remover right on the label but when we were all done, my old RC plane was still hanging up there! :wave:



This stripper is already thick out of the can and doesn't need any flour or anything to help it stick to the sides. And it is FAR stronger than the stuff I'd used before. USE A RESPIRATOR!!! This stuff is STRONG! I didn't have respirators and didn't want to take time and money to go buy some for the small amount of work remaining to be done. I just took extra precautions while applying, scraping and brushing. I didn't let the boy do any of that stuff either.



This is after one application using only a scraper and no brushes. It's the location of the registration stickers which were on there for 42 years!



Almost there... almost.



And DONE! Tomorrow we lower the boat back down onto the rollers so that I can reach the final bottom section.

 

[Watermann]

Must of warmed up good today, stripper loves heat.

 

[BWR1953]

Must of warmed up good today, stripper loves heat.

Yep, got up to 80 degrees with low humidity. Very nice weather for working outside!

Supposed to rain all day tomorrow though.

 

[BWR1953]

It's 74 degrees here now and I'm stuck in the house instead of working on the boat. My young neighbor bud came over this morning and we got the KF off the saw horses and back down on the dollies. I was going to start putting more stripper on but we ended up just shooting the breeze for an hour and half about life, the universe and everything. 42.

After he left, I went in the house to grab a cuppa coffee and my buddy in PA called and we yakked for 45 minutes. While I was on the phone with him, my wife texted me to come pick her up from work because she came down with the flu and couldn't drive herself home. So I left immediately. And she's been asleep for over an hour now. I'm watching over her. Contacted my other bud and we'll have to go pick her car up from work after I get the boy from school.

So here I sit. Stuck. And no boat work getting done. Sigh.

Anyway, I forgot to mention something from yesterday.

That ugly blotch on the bow of the KF... we did hit it hard with a heat gun and a scraper but still no joy.

So I used the palm sander with 100 grit and started smoothing it out some. Sanding it like that definitely knocked the roughness down but it's clear that I'm going to have to do more to make the surface ready for painting.

Suggestions on a best approach?

 

[BWR1953]

A closer look.

 

[Watermann]

You have any solvents around? Mineral spirits, acetone, xylene etc...Try them out on that goop.

 

[BWR1953]

You have any solvents around? Mineral spirits, acetone, xylene etc...Try them out on that goop.

Yes, we did try mineral spirits but "The Blob" just laughed at that. :lol:

I'll try xylene tomorrow.

Temps are down in the 50s now and won't make it back into the 70s again until late this week.

This last little bit of stripping will have to wait awhile longer.

 

[Watermann]

Hit it with xylene and then a wire wheel on a drill.

 

[BWR1953]

Hit it with xylene and then a wire wheel on a drill.

Will do. :encouragement:

 

[BWR1953]

I couldn't do any actual work on the boat today so I messed with the photo.

Flipped the pic upside down so that boat is right side up.
Changed the accent stripe - moved it closer to the spray rail.
Added a Starcraft Logo at the back.
Added example registration numbers.

I think I'm getting pretty close to what it'll actually be.

 

[baldwibr]

I'm digging the look of your design!!

When you leave the bottom bare aluminum, do you need any sort of sealer, clear coat, or wax to prevent from oxidation? Or do you literally just leave it alone?

 

[BWR1953]

When you leave the bottom bare aluminum, do you need any sort of sealer, clear coat, or wax to prevent from oxidation? Or do you literally just leave it alone?

In my case, I just leave it completely alone. It'll form a thin layer of oxidation which will help protect it over time. Periodic cleanings will keep it looking okay. Some folks like a shiny boat bottom. Not me. Scares the fish. Maybe?

 

[BWR1953]

I need to figure out some kind of Kingfisher logo. My wife's an artist and could paint it on the hull for me.

 

[jbcurt00]

Lots of decent kingfisher logos out there for inspiration.

Changed it to gray scale, just recenter Kingfisher after removing the word.catch and I'd like this 1, even has a fish in its beak

Might try changing the font to 1 similar to the Starcraft font.....

 

[BWR1953]

 

[BWR1953]

Oh sure, fix the link while I'm typing! LOL! :lol:

And I do like that one too.