1966 MirroCraft 3614 Project

[oakchas]

Tick, tickle, toggle, joggle!

The tick stick method of duplicating patterns. Tick sticks are also called by the other names above.

Here's a piece of paper mostly centered in the area I need to duplicate for the casting deck with the tick stick:

Here's the resultant marked piece of paper (don't know if you can see the tracings of the tick stick inn pencil):

Placed on the board to be cut; aligning the aft port tick mark to the factory corner, and the starboard aft tick mark to the factory edge (aft is at the top of the picture). The dots are connected (on the plywood to be cut) with a flexible steel rule, pressed against finish nails to make a fair curve:

Here's the resultant casting deck in place, with the storage cubby floor, the cubby access, and the foredeck:

I also ground off the old front seat brackets. They'll be covered with some led courtesy lights.

 

[oakchas]

Half inch ply for that casting deck. So, I will be making support "joists" for the casting deck, and adding 3/4 ply under the seat pedestal mount.

Also, had to trim the edges of it a bit to allow for carpet.

For more accuracy, you have to make more tick stick marks on your paper for more points along the curves and angles... In this case I know carpet will cover a multitude of "sins."

 

[DiverJosh82]

Looking good! I have a question about your paint prep work. After you put the self etching primer on, how long did you let it cure before you scuffed it up for the next paint work? I applied the rusto self etching primer on Saturday evening and today I took my fingernail to a hidden area and it scraped right off! Now I'm worried big time about my adhesion.. I think I did it right, I scuffed up the bare aluminum, washed it with tsp (which apparently has etching ability on aluminum) let it dry and did two nice and light coats of the etching primer.
Sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread! I just admired the quality of your paint work and figured you could give me some advice.

I'm thinking of giving it a few days, then going at it pretty good with scotch write pads, giving it a good wash then maybe either more primer of straight to paint.. Whatchu think?

Also I like your tick stick. I'm a carpenter by trade so I know what your talking about..
Josh

 

[rednecknproud21]

Looking Good

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[oakchas]

Looking good! I have a question about your paint prep work. After you put the self etching primer on, how long did you let it cure before you scuffed it up for the next paint work? I applied the rusto self etching primer on Saturday evening and today I took my fingernail to a hidden area and it scraped right off! Now I'm worried big time about my adhesion.. I think I did it right, I scuffed up the bare aluminum, washed it with tsp (which apparently has etching ability on aluminum) let it dry and did two nice and light coats of the etching primer.
Sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread! I just admired the quality of your paint work and figured you could give me some advice.

I'm thinking of giving it a few days, then going at it pretty good with scotch write pads, giving it a good wash then maybe either more primer of straight to paint.. Whatchu think?

Also I like your tick stick. I'm a carpenter by trade so I know what your talking about..
Josh

Thanks!

Hmmm. Didn't try scraping the paint off with a fingernail or anything. And, looking at the date codes on my phone pix... It looks like I started painting the day after my priming was complete. I didn't use TSP to etch, I used white vinegar. Rinsed thoroughly. Waited a day to dry, wiped down with mineral spirits. started priming. Used 600 grit the next day, and another wipe down with mineral spirits before recoating with more primer.

I always wiped down with mineral spirits just before the next coat went on... If birds got to it, I'd wash the area with simple green, and then rinse twice with rag, then wipe with mineral spirits before painting.

Honestly, for all I know, I'll drop it in the water and all the paint will just fall off! I don't think so.... but that tends to be my luck.

 

[oakchas]

Looking Good

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Thank you! I'm trying to do a good job.

 

[rednecknproud21]

I got a 1974 mirrocraft I redid I love it. These boats extremely well built

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[oakchas]

Nice! I'm stuck with an 8 hp Evinrude. Saw how you went to a 25... Maybe next year for me.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

 

[DiverJosh82]

Looking good! I have a question about your paint prep work. After you put the self etching primer on, how long did you let it cure before you scuffed it up for the next paint work? I applied the rusto self etching primer on Saturday evening and today I took my fingernail to a hidden area and it scraped right off! Now I'm worried big time about my adhesion.. I think I did it right, I scuffed up the bare aluminum, washed it with tsp (which apparently has etching ability on aluminum) let it dry and did two nice and light coats of the etching primer.
Sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread! I just admired the quality of your paint work and figured you could give me some advice.

I'm thinking of giving it a few days, then going at it pretty good with scotch write pads, giving it a good wash then maybe either more primer of straight to paint.. Whatchu think?

Also I like your tick stick. I'm a carpenter by trade so I know what your talking about..
Josh

Thanks!

Hmmm. Didn't try scraping the paint off with a fingernail or anything. And, looking at the date codes on my phone pix... It looks like I started painting the day after my priming was complete. I didn't use TSP to etch, I used white vinegar. Rinsed thoroughly. Waited a day to dry, wiped down with mineral spirits. started priming. Used 600 grit the next day, and another wipe down with mineral spirits before recoating with more primer.

I always wiped down with mineral spirits just before the next coat went on... If birds got to it, I'd wash the area with simple green, and then rinse twice with rag, then wipe with mineral spirits before painting.

Honestly, for all I know, I'll drop it in the water and all the paint will just fall off! I don't think so.... but that tends to be my luck.

Yeah thats kind of my thinking. If that happens so be it! I'm going to hit it with some 600 grit or maybe even a bit rougher. Whatever comes off will just get re primed. I probably should have given it a mineral spirits bath too.

 

[lvhish486]

I like your plans for the deck. I have a similar (if not the same) boat. My plans for the deck are a little different though.

After much brainstorming, I decided to bring my casting deck up to where the seats are mounted rather to where the ribs lay. I'm going to use the second seat as support and strength and take it all the way to the front, covering the front seat for a long casting deck. The back seat is going to be leveled as well and go back to the transom.

Now seeing how you did yours I'm starting to second my plans. Would having the deck that long and high throw off the balance/stability of the boat?

 

[oakchas]

I don't know if it would be less stable or not. But, looking at rednecknproud's mirro above (even though it's beached), it seems that the boat floats high. Of course, with weight in it, it'll sit lower.

The choice is yours, but you could test it easy enough. Cut the ply for your long deck. Don't screw it down. Take it to some shallow water, and float test it.

Dance on the deck. If you're comfortable with it, take it home and nail it down.

 

[oakchas]

All three decks cut and test fit.

I'll start finishing the underside of the decks, or measuring for supports tomorrow.

 

[oakchas]

So, I started by vacuuming out the galvanized shavings out of the hull, and make a stick to represent the width of the back deck.

It is then that I decide to check the seat pedestal mounts, and realize I need clearance below the deck for the post (I remembered that I bought surface mount pedestal mounts... But I mis-remembered. The JOYS of getting older!).

So, I have to raise the aft deck a bit. Only an inch and a half at the very rear, and an inch and a half at the edges.

The bottom of the seat pedestal on the rearmost seat will clear the hull fine. And if not, I can mount the reinforcement ply for it above the top surface of the deck.

 

[oakchas]

Okay. Support ribs cut. They will be screwed (lag bolts) to the aluminum ribs.

The 1/2 inch decking will sit on top of these. Aluminum angle will be screwed through the carpet and deck into the ends of the wooden support ribs.

There will be some flotation glued to the bottom of the decking between the support ribs. There will be some more flotation in the side lockers, as well as under the fore and mid (casting) decks.

It's starting to progress!

I'm weighing the low deck and the ribs, to help calculate flotation required for regulation compliance. Everything else so far has been weighed, and calculated in a spreadsheet.

 

[oakchas]

Stringers lagged in place. Hot dipped galvanized. Thank goodness for a drill press, deep thinwall sockets, and odd sized spade bits.

I was afraid I'd drilled into the hull on one of the center lags. Thin cut-offs from the front bench seat confirmed I didn't. Whew!

 

[oakchas]

Casting deck cubbies and seat mount cut out. The v-shaped piece is just for support while measuring for cross or longitudinal bracing (haven't decided yet).

 

[oakchas]

So today was spent making the holes for the seat mounts in the lower deck, cutting out the plywood reinforcements for under the seats, and checking the seats for rotation interference with the live well. It's all good!

Both seats have pedestals. But the rear I knew would be okay.

 

[oakchas]

Leak testing the live well. Only one leak I didn't expect. I'll fix that and the ones from the rivets, which I did expect.

 

[oakchas]

Today, I placed 1.83 Cu. Ft. of flotation under the aft deck (where the 2 seats are).

3.8 cu. ft. of foam is required along the sides in the main passenger area +some for the seats (haven't calculated that yet).

I need 1.1 cu. ft. of flotation to offset the swamped wt. of the batteries and live well (empty).

Since the hull was rated for a 40 hp motor, I need 2.37 cu. ft. of flotation near the transom.

All should fit in the cubby lockers along the sides and still leave room for rods along the starboard side, and misc. stuff in the port lockers.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

 

[oakchas]

Well, I ain't dead yet, and neither is the project... Got the foredeck installed today.

Placed the other two decks.

Still have the side cubbys to go... And wiring... The live well... And and and... But, it's coming along.