'87 Bluefin Sportsman 1700 Rebuild - Family Cruiser

[kofkorn]

I've also masked the hull for the areas that I want to contain the Gluvit. Mainly because I know I'm not great at being neat when it comes to painting.








I've already coated with the Gluvit. It went well, and I applied it in two coats. It's an epoxy, so I used half the can for each coat and measured according to the 5-1 volume requirements on the directions. The two layers of coating applied very thick. I'm actually going to have to use a knife to cut along the edge of the masking tape before I paint and prime, or it is likely I won't be able to tell where the edge of the tape actually is.




Here's the prep disc that I used. I bought three and ended up using two to finish the hull prep.



Next up will be to sand and prep the Gluvit for prime and paint, then to start prepping the sides for paint. There are some scratch marks that will need to have some sanding and filling too.

 

[kofkorn]

Got the first coat of paint on the bottom. I did a rough sand of about 80 grit over the entire bottom and applied the paint. It looks like it took well. No major issues with the application.

I'll put on another two coats tomorrow.

 

[kofkorn]

Did some more polishing and priming this weekend.

I started by using some Brasso polish on a soft scouring style pad. That seemed to do a good job of taking the tarnish off the bare aluminum.



The results were fairly good. I'm sure I could have gone further with some additional elbow grease, but it is a 30 year old boat






Then I redid the taping and started priming the top band this weekend. I've got to fill in a few deeper scrapes. Final paint will be coming soon.





The goal for the final result is to use a graphic to add some detail, something like this:

 

[kofkorn]

Finally got the paint on this weekend. Not a professional job, but I'm happy with it. The color is muted, but really pops in the sunlight, with the pearl really showinging in direct sunlight.

I originally had some issues with the green "frog" masking tape holding, but I switched to some 3M masking tape with much better results. I'm thinking about adding a pinstripe to the transition between the polished surface and the painted surface to protect the edge a bit.







Here's the color in the little bit of sunlight I had left:





And the finished look:

 

[zachw]

Wow that looks awesome! Love the polished stripe.

 

[jerseycat9]

The build so far looks great! I will keep an eye out for the finished results.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

Any updates?

 

[kofkorn]

Unfortunately no.... It's still upside down on the sawhorses right now. I've been wrapped up in a fundraiser for our local Cub Scouts and trying to plug up a few leaks on the house before winter. I'm hopeful to get it inside in the next week or so, then I can really get going on it. I gotta make some space in the garage to get it in first.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

Completely understand, my Tin is still sitting in storage waiting for me to give her the love she deserves.

 

[Blufin88]

What kind and color or paint did you use?

 

[kofkorn]

I went to an auto paint shop and looked through their paint book. I ended up picking a GMC color "Limited Addiction Red Pearl". GMC has cutsie names for their paints:



I finally managed to move it into the garage today. The trailer wouldn't fit, so I made a couple of cradles to hold it while I work on it. I'll need to add a bit of carpet or towel to cushion the sides.





I'm going to start working on the floor boards and get the vinyl delivered. Now that it's inside, I'm hoping to make slow progress Goal is to have it on the water by Memorial Day or so.

 

[Zum]

Hope all is going well...browsing through some older posts enjoyed your progress so far.

 

[kofkorn]

So unfortunately, my build made it into the garage but it quickly turned into a really large workbench. I had cut a couple of the floorboards, and sealed them. I had the floors across the gunnels to work on them and they were at the perfect height to use for other projects.

I finally cleared all of my project junk off the top of it today and laid the floor down to start visualizing the layout.

I also positioned the windshield across the top. I think it looks pretty good. I might pull it a little father forward. I want to have as much space in the back as feasible. I think the rear deck tends to get used more than the front seats.

 

[kofkorn]

Picking up steam this week. I purchased the Nautolex (gray sisal) and continued sealing the floors.

I also worked on replicating the curve on the front of the bow. I don't remember the original wood under the bow having a curve when I pulled it, but it must have been there. I started with a base of 3/4" plywood and then built up several layers that I sanded down into a curved surface. It took a while, but came out well.

 

[kofkorn]

Continuing slow progress. I've been doing some painting and started fitting the new transom in place. I also continued working on my flooring and general planning. The Nautolex arrived

I haven't been as good taking pictures this time around. I painted the splashwell, but didn't go a great job. I ran out of paint towards the end, and the stuff is really expensive. I might get a rattle can of touch up to finish and clean it up.

I cut out a new piece of aluminum for the inside skin of the transom. I used the old piece for a template and then cut it with my cheap plasma cutter. It came out well and was easy to do.




I also drilled the holes in the transom. I bought a cheap drill guide to help ensure my holes were square to the transom. It worked really well, and I was able to hit the manufacturer holes on the inside of the transom.




I've still got to drill the splashwell drains and the motor mounting holes. But the motor holes will probably wait until I've got the whole transom back together. I'm a little worried about drilling them to low.

Next steps are to start building the bow seating area. I got a great deal on some old cushions from a pontoon boat. I'll use the foam from those to build my own seats.

 

[DaleH]

What an AWESOME =D> build tuturial! I LOVE it ... just don't want to get into one again myself, LOL !

Been there, done that ... I'm done :lol:

 

[kofkorn]

Ha ha Dale! This one's definitely taking a lot longer than my first one.

Did some detail work this week. I pulled apart the control box and cleaned all of the old sticky grease out. I painted it to match the boat color, and played around with our laser engraver to add the "Evinrude" and "lift to start" to the warmup lever.

Gonna be a quiet few weeks as we're going on vacation and then heading to Maine for Thanksgiving as soon as we're back.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all!

 

[kofkorn]

Question for some of you have experience here: How do I get the old 2 part mixed foam out of the support braces?




The angle of the braces and distance from the inner wall of the hull prevent me from going straight in with any kind of a stiff tool to pull it out. I've been able to go in about 3-4" using some various bent tools, but the foam appears to be even further in than that on some of the braces. I tried bending a hacksaw blade, a few hooks & rods made out of welding rod,

Having seen what this stuff does to the hull when it's wet and soaking for a long time, I want to remove as much of it as I can.

Are there any chemical combinations that could help break down the foam? Other tools that I haven't considered?

Thanks for the help!

 

[LDUBS]

Something that you could chuck in a drill. Problem is that bend looks pretty sharp. I was thinking one of those flexible fiberglass wire pullers (I have one about 5' long). But it won't bend that small a radius. I'm not sure I said that right, but you know what I mean. There must be something out there. Like a very small diameter roto-rooter.

Don't know about chemicals.

 

[Cjohnson92415]

How much would someone charge to change the transom on that same boat if I wanted it done I need my floors done also