Tag: boat repair

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Solution to a Vexing Problem

Lining up the frames for the Palm Beach 22

As you can see in the above picture, we’re starting to compile a nice set of frames for the Palm Beach 22.  If you’ve forgotten what this boat is supposed to look like, you can check out the plans here.  At any rate, you can see the frames have notches in them for battens that run the length of the hull.  And as luck would have it, one of these notches is over the top of the 1-1/8″ wide x 6-1/2″ deep stringer.  The frames are to be held fast to the stringers with 1/4″ carriage bolts.  That means drilling and counter boring holes through the frames and the stringers.  That presents us with two problems.  The first is how to drill that long hole through both the frame and stringer.  That’s a tough one to just eye-ball without accidentally coming out the side of the stringer.  How would you do it? Continue reading “Solution to a Vexing Problem”

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Wood Moves!–How to Cope

Cutting a board sometimes releases stress that makes it warp.

One of the problems any woodworker faces is the fact that wood can move on you.  In the photo above, you can see how a “practice stringer” I cut curved like the dickens!  I suspected it might do this, which is why I cut out the practice piece.  You see, cutting a board will often release tension in the wood.  That’s why a board can close up and pinch your saw sometimes causing it to buck. Continue reading “Wood Moves!–How to Cope”

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Restoring a Canoe–Step 1–Assess the Work

A thorough cleaning with Dawn dish washing detergent and water is the first step.
A thorough cleaning with Dawn dish washing detergent and water is the first step.

The first step in any restoration project is assessing and agreeing on the work to be done.  In this case, we agreed that Ashley River Boatworks would perform repairs needed to the boat, but that re-finishing would be the owner’s responsibility.  Often and owner has special talents and can save money by performing some of the work themselves.   Continue reading “Restoring a Canoe–Step 1–Assess the Work”

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Fuse block: New Safety Measure

A Fuse Block is a safety feature that should be installed on any restoration.
A Fuse Block is a safety feature that should be installed on any restoration.

In 1949 Chris Craft did not, as a routine, install several safety features that are today considered standard equipment.  We’ve already discussed installing a bilge pump and an engine compartment blower.  Now I’d like to show you the fuse block I installed for this 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout.  No electrical system, marine or otherwise, should ever be contemplated without some form of circuit protection.  Circuit protections is just that—it’s there to protect the circuit from electrical overload.  That means the conductors (wires) as well as the appliances. Continue reading “Fuse block: New Safety Measure”

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Engine Compartment Blower: New Safety Feature

An engine compartment is an easy-to-install, essential safety feature for your boat.
An engine compartment is an easy-to-install, essential safety feature for your boat.

Although most classic boats were built without them, I would not consider restoring one without adding an ignition protected blower to the engine compartment.  For a gasoline-powered boat, this is a necessary piece of safety equipment that can keep you from accidentally blowing up your boat.  Originally you were advised to open the engine compartment hatch and let it air out for about 5 minutes prior to starting the engine.  This might sound like it would work, but when you consider that gasoline vapors are heavier than air, it stands to reason they will just lay in the bottom of the bilge waiting for a stray spark to ignite them.

This blower will have an intake hose that pulls air from the bilge below the engine, and blows it out one of the vent ports on the afterdeck of the boat.  Ignition protected bilge blowers are required equipment on any gasoline powered inboard craft built today.  It’s not hard to add one.  Why wouldn’t you?

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Bilge Pump: Adding a Safety Feature

The bilge pump is located in the lowest part of the bilge as the boat would float at the dock. Note electrical connections are made up above normal bilge water level.
The bilge pump is located in the lowest part of the bilge as the boat would float at the dock. Note electrical connections are routed up above normal bilge water level.

Many classic boat builders did not include a bilge pump from the factory.  I would never restore a boat without including this basic safety feature.  As the story goes, “More boats have sunk at the dock, flooded with rainwater, than ever sank at sea.”  I’m sure that’s true.  I’m also of the opinion that judges should never mark you down for having a bilge pump on your boat, whether the factory installed them originally or not. Continue reading “Bilge Pump: Adding a Safety Feature”

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Lapping the Prop to the Shaft

The dull gray band about the width of the key is evidence this shaft has been lapped to its propeller.
The dull gray band about the width of the key is evidence this shaft has been lapped to its propeller.

A propeller shaft has a tapered end that should exactly match the taper in the propeller bore.  Any time you get a new shaft or propeller, you need the “lap” the two to get a tight fit between them.  This fit is essential to minimize vibration and ensure the best transfer of power from the engine to the prop. Lapping is accomplished with lapping compound (Of course it is, right?).  Lapping compound is just a finely regulated gritty substance that machinists use to make metal joints fit–like intake and exhaust valves in engines, or propellers on shafts.  There’s no magic to it.  Just slather the stuff on the taper of the shaft, and then rotate the prop around the shaft in a back and forth motion.  Do this until you get a good, evenly dulled surface all around the shaft and inside the prop bore.  If you’re unsure where the high spots are, you can paint a blue chemical dye called DYKEM on the shaft.  Then scrub the prop back and forth and see where the dye transfers. Continue reading “Lapping the Prop to the Shaft”