This post is kind of a carpet bomb of photos, so sit back, relax, and don't forget about that tight, tight, hold.
Tasks I've been working on:
- Removing the Varnish and white paint over-spray from the interior of the hull.
- Repairing the ribs where rusted screws had either been cemented in, or where the screw holes were rusty pits of dust that would not hold screws
- removing the port side garboard plank, which is the worst plank on the boat.
Most concerning area I've found is this section of the keel, so I'm focusing on getting the other garboard off to assess the entire keel before I start reattaching any planks.
The port garboard is also in bad shape; every screw into the keel on the forward half of the boat is rusted and the plank split and rotted. I think that the screws were too close the edge of the plank, set too shallow, and that allowed moisture to get to the screws and cause the rust and the rot. Some of these screws were just pulled out with a pair of needlenose vice-grips. Just push it into the wood, grab the screw and pull. Kind of like a dentist back in the old west.
Photo below shows how bad the split and rot are in the port garboard.
now for the good news, everything above the water line looks to be in really good shape. The remaining photos show the interior of the boat as I'm stripping the old varnish. Once the dull old varnish and the white paint are out, the wood looks fantastic.
Looking forward from the stern at the progress stripping the interior. best method I've found, Scrape off the varnish using a head gun and putty knife. Then scrape the remaining residue with a plane blade. It works like butta!
Area in the foreground has been stripped of varnish and paint, you can get an idea of the "before" in the whitish section in the background at top.
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteI was surfing Snipes, while procrastinating work, and randomly came across your awesome blog. We are kind of in the same boat (yep, I said that) because we are both in the middle of restoring classic Snipes. Mine is a 1960 plywood version, so yours is a lot more classic and cooler but we seem to be encountering similar issues. I fully concur on the heat gun for stripping old varnish idea, I love that thing! I also have rusty screw headaches and stripping the entire hull of a thick coat of anti-fouling paint (why did he do that?!) was a lot of work. I have also been in contact with John Rose and Robert at Fleet 22 and hope to join up this summer. My main holdup is that my boss finally kicked my boat out of our warehouse and since my garage and driveway are full of car projects, I had to rent a parking spot with limited work opportunities. But I'll get her done anyway! Hope to see you and yours at Fleet 22 sooner or later.
Todd Fanady
tfanady@gmail.com
Hi Todd,
DeleteWelcome to the boat sickness! Glad you are enjoying the blog and hope you are having fun with your boat. I have had many those "why did he do this" moments, but always seem to find new stuff as I remove stuff. I've found that the proximity to the garage, and the ability to leave the tools in place where they are in use, has really helped me get more work done. I can sneak out whenever I have a spare 30 minutes.
Looking forward to seeing you in the Marina. This August there will be a classic nationals in San Diego. I'm hoping to be ready by then but its highly doubtful. I think we may also have 3 classics for a start at the Lido Invitational regatta in two weeks. Should be fun.
Happy Heat Gunning.
Steve
I think it's cool, your digging the boat thing as I'm digging the motorcycle thing. Same process in spirit for sure.
ReplyDelete