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A small repair...
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A small repair...
Vanora is a 1964 Challenger. This little project has been coming for a few years, and this summer it's getting done. The port side transom frame is rotten, and of course, it rotted the end of some planks and some battens on the frame lands.
We are taking out anything questionable, no short planks, new transom, new chine planks and a short bit of the chine log. Vanora is a freshwater boat, so fasteners are good, no broken chine log bolts, and even the plywood on the bottom is in astonishingly good condition. When you start taking things apart, you never know.
I am also doing AC wiring, battery charger, negative and positive buses, interior upholstery and and entire repaint of the engine room area. I will also ultrasound the fuel tanks, although they appear excellent.
We are taking out anything questionable, no short planks, new transom, new chine planks and a short bit of the chine log. Vanora is a freshwater boat, so fasteners are good, no broken chine log bolts, and even the plywood on the bottom is in astonishingly good condition. When you start taking things apart, you never know.
I am also doing AC wiring, battery charger, negative and positive buses, interior upholstery and and entire repaint of the engine room area. I will also ultrasound the fuel tanks, although they appear excellent.
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I find the big boats to be relatively easy to work on, but the real issue is the size of every project. If you look among the "On the Hard" there is the thread on the 66 footer. EVERY job on that boat is just plain big... a lot of 'systems'... electrical, engines, plumbing, refrigeration, AC, DC, paint, vinyl, chrome...it goes on and on. I can buzz through my smaller boats fairly quickly every spring, but the cruiser is the one that tires me on occasion.
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Down to it now... the floor at the bottom of the transom, which was white oak, was dodgy, so out it comes. The wood in behind was surprisingly good, even the ply is in good shape.
Some people talk about Chris Craft boats being a 'production' boat, and not designed to last more than twenty years. Here is a boat that is nearly 50 years old, and a lot of the material is in great shape. It does speak to the quality of material that was readily available 50 years ago.
Some people talk about Chris Craft boats being a 'production' boat, and not designed to last more than twenty years. Here is a boat that is nearly 50 years old, and a lot of the material is in great shape. It does speak to the quality of material that was readily available 50 years ago.
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Shipwright Bob Falber has already made the replacement transom frame. The lands for the battens have been routed through for convenience. We have to scarf 50 feet of battens back due to rot at the extreme ends.
Bob is working on the skeg bolts here, it is just about ready to drop. Originally CC skegs were white oak, but I couldn't find any suitable 8/4 white oak so I am replacing it in mahogany. I have an 8/4 board that is 13 inch wide X 16 foot long, and some narrower two inch stock that I will scarf together to make up the 25 foot length on the skeg. Fortunately,
most of the bolts are accessible to drill down from inside the boat...
Bob is working on the skeg bolts here, it is just about ready to drop. Originally CC skegs were white oak, but I couldn't find any suitable 8/4 white oak so I am replacing it in mahogany. I have an 8/4 board that is 13 inch wide X 16 foot long, and some narrower two inch stock that I will scarf together to make up the 25 foot length on the skeg. Fortunately,
most of the bolts are accessible to drill down from inside the boat...
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The planking has been drilled and countersunk for the batten screws, and Bob is starting to fair all the planks. With replacement of some structure on a boat of this size, it's important to spend some time looking carefully at how the hull shape is being reconstructed. The planks are temporarily fastened. They will be removed and the planking seam so typical of 60's CC cruisers has to be beveled into the edge of the planks.
CC used a jig with a router to put this small relief for the plank lines. We will be using a bevel... it is simpler to do, and will look the same.
CC used a jig with a router to put this small relief for the plank lines. We will be using a bevel... it is simpler to do, and will look the same.
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While I am aware you can steam bend two inch white oak, in this case we laminated the transom floor out of three layers of white oak. Epoxy thickened with mineral wool was the adhesive, and the lamination was screwed together with bronze screws and clamped.
In addition, a 'tenon' was added to the lamination to the corner to anchor the transom corner frame more substantively than the original construction
In addition, a 'tenon' was added to the lamination to the corner to anchor the transom corner frame more substantively than the original construction
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The headliner is out, so is most of the interior that can be removed for refinishing. We have stripped most of the varnish from interior panelling, and a first coat of paint is on the ceiling... all the DC wiring is going to replaced on the way by, so I will tear it all out, second coat the ceiling then rewire.
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Love seeing the CC cruisers being restored. I will be starting a similar scale rework on my 47' Connie soon.
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.
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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I am listening to a bood on CD about the building of the Panama Canal.....this project belongs in that category...UNBELIEVABLE!
Keep up the good work....imspires the rest of us!
John in Va.
Keep up the good work....imspires the rest of us!
John in Va.
1980 Fairchild Scout 30
19?? custom Argentine Runabout 16'
1954 Whirlwind deluxe dual ckpt 16'
1921 Old Town Charles River 17' (founding Captain, James River Batteau Festival)
19?? custom Argentine Runabout 16'
1954 Whirlwind deluxe dual ckpt 16'
1921 Old Town Charles River 17' (founding Captain, James River Batteau Festival)
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Large project progress
Your boat is coming along VERY NICE keep up the good work in one of your posts you said you could be spending all that money chasing women....you finish that boat and all the women will be chasing you... : -)
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Naah, what will happen is my wife will say: Okay, super craftsman, this is what I want you to do in the house... blah blah blah...
She is good with the boat... she supports this job, because we love Vanora...
There is a lot going on with this rebuild, but we are starting to ramp up the effort..Bob Falber, the shipwright on this job, has done most of the heavy lifting on planking. I cannot claim any part of this except milling and dimensioning lumber, searching out material and keeping track of fasteners and adhesives. After Bob is done, which is only a couple of weeks away, we will doing a LOT of finishing, and we only have a limited time window to do it in.. by the time the end of September hits here, we are just about done with paint and varnish outside.
She is good with the boat... she supports this job, because we love Vanora...
There is a lot going on with this rebuild, but we are starting to ramp up the effort..Bob Falber, the shipwright on this job, has done most of the heavy lifting on planking. I cannot claim any part of this except milling and dimensioning lumber, searching out material and keeping track of fasteners and adhesives. After Bob is done, which is only a couple of weeks away, we will doing a LOT of finishing, and we only have a limited time window to do it in.. by the time the end of September hits here, we are just about done with paint and varnish outside.
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More pics tomorrow, but we are ready to prime the port side planking. It is installed, and the carvelling lines put in. I have got the interior just about sanded out, and I have used 5 quarts of bilgekoe gray so far just painting parts of the hull that were exposed when interior pieces were removed.
Most of the DC wiring has been dealt with, and the AC wire gets run tomorrow.
Most of the DC wiring has been dealt with, and the AC wire gets run tomorrow.
Hey Peter
Here you are! This is ChuckT form the woodenboat forum. I saw that I need to come over here to keep up with your progress. Looking good!
Chuck Thompson
1950 30' Express Cruiser Restoration
1955 18' Continental
1950 30' Express Cruiser Restoration
1955 18' Continental
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So on we go... the planking on the port side is installed, and Bob Felber did a superb job of putting in the carvelling lines... a fussy job.
Fastener holes were filled with 410 microlight, a final fairing, then a coat of CPES, followed by the first coat of Interlux 404 Primekote. I would like to mention that I applied the 404 while the CPES was still curing. The theory here is that the CPES will bond together with the primer, making the best possible foundation for paint.
Fastener holes were filled with 410 microlight, a final fairing, then a coat of CPES, followed by the first coat of Interlux 404 Primekote. I would like to mention that I applied the 404 while the CPES was still curing. The theory here is that the CPES will bond together with the primer, making the best possible foundation for paint.
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