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'56 Connie 47' Hull restore

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boat_art
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'56 Connie 47' Hull restore

Post by boat_art » Thu Dec 06, 2012 9:40 pm

I have checked here and cant find anyone else doing a Connie like mine. I thought I would post some pics but they are all on my website so if you are interested check it out
http://www.boatartgallery.net/gallery/Hercules?page=1

If someone else has posted about a project like this, please let me know. Thanks
Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:42 pm

You have a big project there Boatart....

A lot of wood is going to come out of that boat.
What is your plan to deal with the planking around the bullnose.

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:52 pm

Just picked up some beautiful 1" x 8" x 14' sapele planks for the main stringers that support the 3 struts. Cant wait to start rebuilding the framework. At first I wanted to block the boat up higher for more working height but now Im glad I blocked it low. I can do all of it from a creeper and at my age its better than stooped over!
Here's a couple more pics for those that dont want to go to the website.
Image
Image
The bottom one shows part of the main stringer where the lower half is fair but the top 1" plank is totally roted through.
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

boat_art
Posts: 556
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:09 pm
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Post by boat_art » Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:57 pm

Peter
The bullnose has been totally removed and all that remains is the 4x4 stem itself which is still good. The rest of the bullnose will be built up in mahogany just as the original.
Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
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Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Sat Dec 08, 2012 4:21 pm

I was wondering more about all the short planks.... it wouldn't be advisable to short plank that entire bow area... You are going to have to stagger back all of the cut ends of the planks at least 4-6-8 feet

Back near the transom, it looks like you have a lot of framing rotten too... a lot of wood removal. Yikes.

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Sat Dec 08, 2012 5:44 pm

Right you are Peter...I short cut the planks to get at and see whats under it. I will stagger them 2-3 frames at least. In the after end, I have taken out all the battens between frames and I will be replacing at least 3 or 5 frames completely.
I left the rotted frames in for now to get the sizes and shapes of the main 2 planks above the struts. Then I can remove and rebuild them.
Today I got the fwd shaft out and next I will remove the remainder of the strut planks and the 3rd strut. This will of course take the shaft log and bearing out. All 3 struts and shaft log will be mounted on 2 planks 14' long and stacked and thru bolted. This will replicate what it originally had.
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Sat Dec 08, 2012 9:05 pm

We were lucky on Vanora, no rot in the inner keelson or frames, and the strut/log assembly was solid as can be. Looking forward to your photos.

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:17 pm

I been looking at Venora...beautiful work! I was lucky that the transom on mine was all done by professionals about 4 years ago. I wish they had done the bottom repairs but I think the owner wanted to do it himself and you can see the results. More pics soon.
Thanks!
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

boat_art
Posts: 556
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:09 pm
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Post by boat_art » Fri Dec 14, 2012 6:01 pm

First new frame is in...at least dry fitted. Note that the frame has been scarfed. I do this after I cut the frame to shape in order to get it to go into place. Then I epoxy it together in place.
Lower photo is another frame half and its mating futtock ready for dry fit.
Image
Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

joanroy
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Post by joanroy » Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:46 am

That rubber coating on the bottom obviously did more harm than good. Glad to see you've removed it and are going about it the right way. Thats a fantastic cruiser and well worth the effort. Luckily my 1948 cruiser didn't have much rot, but we did replace the bottom third of the transom so I have some idea of whats involved in what your doing. Looking forward to more pictures as the work progresses. Good luck.

Dan
1948 36' double stateroom enclosed

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:19 pm

The port driveline keelson is finished and aligned. Installation is trickey but it went in. After the new shaft is made I will do the final alignment and bolt up the struts. The rough alignment was done using a wood dowel, then a laser. After bolting up, I will have to fine tune the alignment with shims.
So far, so good.
Image

Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

joanroy
Posts: 686
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:46 pm
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Post by joanroy » Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:01 am

Nice job on the keelson and alignment. Thats a great idea to line the struts upside down on the bench before installation. I wonder if CC did it that way.
It will be interested to know how close your alignment stays and how much shimming is required after you bolt up. I removed my rear struts and refastened and had a heck of a time getting it all straight again and I only had two struts to deal with. Getting that phase of the work complete is definitly a big one out of the way.

Dan
1948 36' double stateroom enclosed

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Sun Feb 03, 2013 6:30 pm

Starting to build the inner planking. Im using 3/8" sapele BS1088 ply and new mahogany battens.
A new fwd stainless shaft is on its way then the inner planking can start to go in.
I have been liberal with the CPES on all components going in. I also have painted the inside surfaces of the inner planking.

Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:33 pm

Things seem to be coming along nicely... I did the same system on Vanora's rebuild... CPES, then grey Bilgekote. I didn't have very much plywood to replace.

Works looks great... keep posting :wink:

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:57 pm

Thanks Peter....Vanora is my goal!

Tom
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

boat_art
Posts: 556
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:09 pm
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Post by boat_art » Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:59 pm

Dan,
Did you have to do much bottom work on your 36?

Tom
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

boat_art
Posts: 556
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: United States
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Bottom planks

Post by boat_art » Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:40 pm

Thanks to my friend Peter, I just got an email that has helped me decide what to use for sealing the bottom planks! Thank you Peter!
Tom
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:48 pm

boat_art wrote:Thanks Peter....Vanora is my goal!

Tom

Great, I will appreciate having a friend who has no money, just like me :roll: :lol:

joanroy
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Post by joanroy » Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:13 pm

Whats the best bedding compound to use between the inner and outer planks?

Dan
1948 Double Stateroom Enclosed

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Wed Feb 06, 2013 6:29 pm

I had planned on Dolfinite with canvas between planking layers, as they were originally built. Then I talked to Peter. I now plan to use no canvas and boatlife on the areas near plank seams, then between planks. It seems to be a solid way to do it. Peter did that and he is happy with the results.
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
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Post by Peter M Jardine » Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:39 pm

I suspect the original compound between the planking on the older larger boats was a white lead paste. Red lead was cheaper than the white pigmented paints. Dolfinite seems a bit heavy for in between in any case. The problem we have today is that many of the lead/linseed/talc based seam and planking compounds are no longer available. The substitute is really the modern caulking compounds. FWIW, Lead is not a very good anti fungicide. It does serve as quite a good sealer however, and prevented checking in wood and prevented over drying in planking and timbers. The lead compounds used as pigments or bases in paint have only a slight antifungal effect. Lead carbonate (white lead) based paint, however, due to its superior adhesion and durability, may indirectly better protect wood from fungus and decay than other types of paint. Older paint formulations sometimes included Arsenic, and it is a very good antifungal... although understandably toxic, since it can be absorbed through the skin.

The other part is the poison side. Unless you spent a fair amount of time licking your bilge, you were not likely to get lead poisoning. Blood poisoning by lead took place over a significant period of time handling the material in mostly powdered form, and most of the lead was ingested through the lungs.

Modern caulking, epoxy primers and CPES are more capable than the old paint formulations, despite what traditonalists say.

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Wed Feb 06, 2013 7:54 pm

Well Dan, there you have it. Well said Peter.
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
Contact:

Post by Peter M Jardine » Wed Feb 06, 2013 8:11 pm

Oh you should see me in action at a cocktail party. :wink:

My wife's quote, and she rolls her eyes when I start talking about boats... but she loves going out on them

joanroy
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Post by joanroy » Thu Feb 07, 2013 7:52 pm

I haven't had to remove a bottom plank yet, but I'm sure the time will come. I sand and repaint the bottom every Spring so I'm very familiar with each plank and seam. I probably spend more time under my boat than in it. I do have one split plank up toward the bow on the starboard side, but I keep an eye on it and it hasen't changed so I leave it alone for now.

I'm just storing up all the good advice and info I get from the folks on the Buzz so when the time comes for the repair I'll know the best way to go at it without having to reinvent the wheel. Thanks.

Dan
1948 Double Stateroom Enclosed

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:25 pm

I will trade you my problems for your 1 split plank! Good luck.
Tom
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

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andyz
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Post by andyz » Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:10 pm

Lookin' great, Tom!
1956 17' Sportsman
st.louis, mo... soon to be mpls, mn

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Sat Feb 09, 2013 4:53 pm

Thanks Andy! When you moving to Minnesota? Look me up and come see the shop!
Tom
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

boat_art
Posts: 556
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Post by boat_art » Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:18 am

Finally making some noticable progress! I have most of the meranti inner planking panels in and the new shaft in and aligned. Thankfully, after much "fiddling around" I got all 3 struts aligned so that I can hand turn the shaft! Next step: start outer planking.
Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

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tkhersom
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Post by tkhersom » Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:07 pm

Wow!

You make me feel good about my Connie find.

Since I was unsuccessful in convincing my wife to make a last minute trip to Dora, I spent yesterday getting to know "American Beauty" better, while preparing my "To Do" list.

I was thinking "I have so much work to do before she splashes", but now after reading this thread I feel like I have a walk in the park.

My biggest projects are to re-repair the keel (after the former owners attempt) and FWC my engines (since I will be in Salt Water).

Troy
Image

Image
Troy in ANE - Former President CCABC

1957 CC 21' Continental "Yorktown" (Mom's boat)
https://www.chris-craft.org/boats/22625/
1985 Formula 242LS "Gottago"
1991 Formula 36PC "Band Aids"

Life Is Too Short To Own An Ugly Boat

boat_art
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Post by boat_art » Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:00 pm

Made serious progress since last post. The bottom is on! 400 feet of new planking and about 20 million screws later the bottom work is done. I can hand turn the shaft so I assume the alignment is fairly good. Had to mover her out of the shop for some customer boats so now we finish things outside.
Troy, I agree yours is a walk in the park! Glad you are inspired!

Tom
Image
http://www.boatartgallery.com
1956 CC Connie 47'
1959 Caulkins bartender
1965 Cheoy Lee Frisco Flyer
1953 Chris Craft Holiday
1941 Chris Craft Deluxe
Plus 8-12 customer boats at any time
God don't count the days spent messing around in wood boats.

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