Tag: wooden boat

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Lofting the Palm Beach 22

Mack Brown helps with lofting the lines of the Palm Beach 22
Mack Brown helps with lofting the lines of the Palm Beach 22.  Look closely and you can see the curves of the boat!

So, we’ve decided on boat plans and purchased them.  We’ve detailed the lumber we’ll need and ordered it.  Now it’s time to draw the boat’s lines full scale.  That means we’ll end up with a 22 foot long drawing of the boat, since the boat will in fact be 22 feet long.  As a friend of mine in the construction industry used to say, we’re going to draw it at a scale of 12 inches to the foot.  The process is called lofting, because the only place big enough to do this in boat shops of old was the sail loft. Continue reading “Lofting the Palm Beach 22”

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Sea trials of the 1949 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout

1949 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout floats level and true
Dereck helped with driving the boat. He was the fastest, reaching 31 mph.

Finally! Sea trials are here!

Click here to see a short video of the sea trial.

Eventually, a boat ends up in the water.  There are lots of things to check when that happens.  Does it float?  Does it float level?  Does it float anywhere near the design waterline?  Does the engine run?  Does it steer properly? etc. etc. Continue reading “Sea trials of the 1949 Chris Craft Deluxe Runabout”

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Adding the Shiny Parts

Stainless Steel cutwater
Adding the stainless steel cutwater and rub rails really add the finishing touches.

Chrome and highly polished stainless steel are beautiful things on a Chris Craft.  They really make the boat pop.  Don’t cheap-out on your re-chroming.  There aren’t a lot of chrome shops left in the U.S.  It’s a nasty, dirty process that takes a craftsman’s eye and touch to do right.  It’s expensive, but if you want it to last, you’ve got to pay for it.

Stainless is a little easier.  It’s not terribly expensive yet, and often it’s easier to replace than to try to refurbish.  But if it’s not deformed, a buffing wheel and a little elbow grease can go a long way to making some old stainless look better. Continue reading “Adding the Shiny Parts”

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Connecting the Exhaust Pipe

The exhaust pipe to exhaust elbow can be problematic because of heat and water.
The exhaust pipe to exhaust elbow can be problematic because of heat and water.

Connecting the exhaust pipe to the exhaust elbow can be problematic for a couple of reasons:  it gets hot and it gets wet.  Oh yeah, and it needs to be air tight so you don’t end up leaking exhaust into the boat. Continue reading “Connecting the Exhaust Pipe”

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Installing the Crashpad

Crashpad really dresses up the edge where the cockpit joins the deck.
Crashpad really dresses up the edge where the cockpit joins the deck.

The final step in the upholstery phase is to install the crashpad.  Crashpad is the 1/2 round closed cell foam rubber padding applied to the edge of the cockpit.  It is best left for after the varnish work and deck seams are complete.  So now’s the time. Continue reading “Installing the Crashpad”

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Caulking the Deck Seams

I use Sikaflex 291 LOT to caulk the deck seams.
I use Sikaflex 291 LOT to caulk the deck seams.

After the varnish is laid on, but before the final coat, it’s time to caulk the deck seams.  Most of them (2 out of 3) are false seams–only there for show.  But every third one is live.  It is essential to get a good seal with the seam caulking to prevent leaks and rot.   Continue reading “Caulking the Deck Seams”

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Staining the boat

Applying filler stain to the 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout
Applying filler stain to the 1949 Chris Craft 17 ft. Deluxe Runabout

With all the interior work finished, it’s time to focus on the pretty part.  It’s time to finish stripping the hull, repair holes and dings, and stain the hull.  All this precedes the varnishing phase.  I use the most aggressive chemical stripper I can find (Jasco brand) and let it do the work for me.  I slap it on liberally and let it sit there awhile and eat away the old varnish.  You can actually hear and see it doing this if you watch closely. Continue reading “Staining the boat”

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Installing the K Engine

Here's the engine ready to be lowered away to its new home.
Here’s the engine ready to be lowered away to its new home.

It was finally time to put the engine back in to this boat.  Check out the post on rebuilding it and running it.  Also, Chris Craft didn’t install oil filters on these engines.  Can you believe it?  Well we did, and here’s our discussion of it. Continue reading “Installing the K Engine”

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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”

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Fixing the Dash

The evil staple rot again! We've got to fix this before our new upholstery staples will hold in the edge of the dashboard.
The evil staple rot again! We’ve got to fix this before our new upholstery staples will hold in the edge of the dashboard.

We’ve referred to the evils of steel staples and the rot they produce in wood over time in a previous post here.  Well, that staple rot exists in the top of the dashboard too, since the crash pad was stapled to it as well.  We can either rebuild the dashboard, or restore it.  In this case, cutting out the offending strip, and gluing in a “Dutchman” will fit the bill. Continue reading “Fixing the Dash”