VolaticusNavis

So just like the first half of the saying goes... The other day was one of the greater days of my life. I have wanted a cigar boat for as long as i can remember. I wanted at least a 26 fter but this 22 will have to do for now. I have restored and brightened up a lot of boats. I also am very good with composites, so this shouldn't be too hard.

My first impressions on the boat. "wow" No wonder they dont make these any more. Looks like they were manufactured by monkeys. Before this boat I had a 1979 Wellcraft 20 fter. It was faded and had spend a lot of time in the sun, it had ZERO stress cracks and had a floor that was as solid as concrete. My boat is a 94 and it has stress cracks everywhere. Its floor was rotted out and most importantly some of the stringers were adhered to the bottom with a chop gun. They are hardly even secured. I'm amazed also as how poorly everything is laminated, stuff is nailed together... and there was not outdoor or marine plywood used. I can still see the stamp on the ply wood. Its neither..

When I bought the boat I was told basically everything needed to be replaced so I did not get ripped off and knew what I was getting into. I was told the transom, stringers and floor needed to be replaced. Surprisingly after taking everything apart and doing a ton of investigating I was thrilled to find so little needed to be replaced. First off the transom is fine and so are the motor stringers, and forward of that the two center stringers. The floor, both rear side bulk head pieces and the port side smaller outer stringer needed to be replaced. Those are the only pieces I could find actual dry rot. I did find a few places the some of the plywood was slight de-laminating. Which i'm not going to replace but glass the hell out of it. This is due to the factory doing a piss poor job laminating the wood. I guess toward the end of scarab's production and maybe on the smaller boats they just cut corners. Either way I will fix what they(wellcraft) and the original owner did wrong.

The original owner thought it would be a great idea to put some bottom paint(which really looks like some type of spray on bed liner) on it and leave it in the salt water for who knows how many years. So ya ugly "slowing" bottom paint and the drive now looks like its 40 year old cause its pretty coroted. I guess the good but maybe bad news at the same time is it was a small block boat so it has an alfa drive on it, so a bravo wasn't wasted. nor was a big block.

Here is a pic first day at home.


I love these tips. Super aggressive.


Factory late 90's looking motor home graphics are removed. Notice the lovely black bottom paint. Debating on removing the visor/windshield. I thought it was way cooler than it is. I'm not liking the way it looks as much and its also very very dark so you really can't even see through it. Its also got a little cracks in it from fading in the sun. Just one thing that shows its age and treatment over the years. This maybe why everyone doesn't have theirs on. I think I will wait until I have it on the water to see how much it helps or doesn't. It was reg'd. in NY an im in Cali so I removed the numbers plus I didn't like where they were. I want them up more toward the tip of the bow. Just trying to think of a way not to have them permanently on.


Took out the rotted bench seat, and carpet(OMG green as I like to call it)(insert crack head smiley here). Not the sundeck and front captains chairs were not included nor were any where to be found.




Motor is pulled and so is the floor. TERRIBLY laminated by the factory. Had they done a better job and made the top lamination layer just a couple layers of at least chopped mat thicker I wouldn't be doing this, whole floor/stringer project! However then I guess I wouldn't have got it for the price of a trailer. Its the thinest fiber glass work I have ever seen. I have to say though the single layer of thick pain weave glass cloth tape they used is very very strong. Funny how everything on top looks great but everything under the floor is crap.


Sorry these are night Iphone pics. Rear outer port stringer and single bulk head piece(removed~ literally rotted into two pieces).


Outer port stringer. I light nudge with my foot did this... So its being replaced.


10/19/11 Sanded out the old stringer areas and bulk head pieces. The test fit some of the new pieces I cut out. Some have been laminated and are ready to be glassed in. Just ran out of day light and chopped mat.

Revd Up

Keep up the good work. Your bringing back life into a classic.

VolaticusNavis

Thanks man.

I'm finishing up the port side stingers and bulk head pieces today. Then tomorrow I have a little less work on the starboard side. Then im ready for the new floor. Once that ish is done, then I can relax and start doing cool things like gauge/dash and big block stuff.

Flat Broke

Nice work. I've also got a 22 I'm going to be doing a floor on. Quick question, how is the footrest/board that goes from the floor to the front bulkhead secured? I haven't pulled the carpet yet (still planning on using the boat this year) but didn't feel any screws, etc.

Are you going to pull the floor in front of the bulkhead as well? If so Im curious to see what the structure underneath looks like.

Keep up the good work. BTW, are you going with marine ply or Coosa for the new floor? I'm torn. The price difference between marine ply and Coosa isn't THAT much, but then again, a properly glassed and installed marine ply floor will probably outlast my ownership.

Chris

VolaticusNavis

10/20/11 Boards were cut and laminated on each side. I probably could have spent a little more time. Except since its October and its getting colder fast time is really not on my side. I am also a couple days behind. Any how, ones the boards were done, I rubbed it all down with acetone. Acetone is a huge thing that many people either dont know about or cut corners. Acetone when rubber on resin and fiber glass composite opens the pours of the surface. This will greatly help the resins adhere to each other at least 30% better. Then coated resin all over the areas which the stringers and bulk head pieces sit. So the sit in a little bed of resin. It also will help seal some of the wood pieces that they attach to(transom, center stringers). One they were set into place I let if dry for a little bit. I did this cause the pieces don't sit snug. So the have a little play in them. I didnt want them moving around when I was glassing them. I just wanted it snug. I came about about and hour later and started glassing them on witch a bunch of different size strips I pre-cut earlier. Then it just a mater of soaking them all so they look clear. If you see white fiber glass than its not soaked and it wont be strong. Don't swear air pockets too bad. They will be almost impossible to get out under these working conditions. So just do the best you can.
One other piece of advice is dont pour large amounts of resin, just uses small say half quarts at the most. Sometimes you will get caught up in a spot and will run out of working time with your batch of resin. This will make you loose your brush, mixing cup and good resin, and possibly a pair of gloves...
I havent glassed the top of the wood as you can see(hopefully in my night Iphone pics) because this is one of the things I didnt have time to do. If you clever and have the time sand(or cut) the wood at an angle. Glass one side flat, then the other side will be flat with a slope at the end. This will cover the whole edge with out any air pockets. If you havent worked with glass then you wouldn't understand what I mean but the fiber glass "copped" mat/cloths dont fold like a piece of paper. No matter how soaked with resin they will want to straighten out and will lift from the surface your trying to laminate. So anyways I didn't do the top yet because I will do the top when I set my pre-laminated floor boards on it. So it will dry and help adhere the floor boards to the framing(stringers and bulk head pieces) since im not going to use and screws or nails.
Nails are the reason the floor rots in the first place. What happens is you have this "well almost 8(" perfectly laminated floor and then you break its seal by screwing basically holes into it. Then over the time water from people getting in and out of the water and washing it dripping dont through the skrew holes/staples(from the carpet). Then the nails/screws/staples rust. Its just a night mare, dont do it. If you have to screw down the seats obviously just seal up all the holes with some type of silicone sealant then still wet fasten the screws in.

Its hard to tell but in the corners I used about 4 to 5 layers of (sorry don't remember) a thicker' chopped glass mat. I am going to glass the SB side just as much. The other side doesnt need as much repair work but, what pieces are hardly adhered so Im going to make them a lot stronger. I'm adding a little weight but not much. The rear 4 feet of this boat take the most abuse. So its important to make that area the strongest, "in my opinion."

Sorry for these super fuzzy pics but I will have some better ones posted in the morning. In the top pic the stringer is not bent as it looks. I believe the fiberglass mat is making it look that way.

VolaticusNavis

Chris,

The front foot rest is perfect. It looks brand new. That's wear I discovered it just regular hardware store plywood. But It head up all this time so I guess its good enough.

The front floor boards sound and feel like they are sound and in excellent shape.

The board you see in the pictures above that i used for the stringers and bulk head type pieces is not outdoor or marine ply. Indoor ply is a lot lighter in my opinion. Every little bit helps. Race boats seem half thickness of these boats.

The floor boards however are going to be outdoor ply. Marine ply is more $$ and some type of (marine grade) african teak is suppppppper expensive(about $155 per 4'X8' sheet) and supppppper heavy. So I felt fine with the outdoor. It is heavier than the indoor but is right in between and since it will see water first I am using it opposed to sealing light weight indoor. I am just going to seal the hell out of it too! The ply(thickness) of the layer of fiberglass on the factory floor were like zilch. Literally like one layer of super thin glass E type cloth.

VN

Flat Broke

Thanks for your input on the flooring. If you don't mind me hounding you, how is the footrest attached to the boat? It seems like it is a separate carpeted piece, but I'm not sure how it's secured.

From my initial inspection of the boat, I know my tank braces will have to be re-worked, but I'm hoping the stringers and ribs are still good. My floor actually isn't soft. Just a little water intrusion around the access holes, but rather than just prep the existing floor for more glass, I figured I'd just replace it.

What are you doing for floor covering? I've about settled on Tuff Coat reduced aggregate for the floor and smooth for the sides after finish sanding the entire cockpit. Using the boat in the ocean, and storing it outdoors, I figure even good 40oz carpet will be tough in terms of upkeep.

What are you doing for seats? If you're going to use pedestals, might I suggest installing a stainless backing plate in the bottom of the floor. The leverage imparted on a small mounting base is hard on wood floors.
Are in SoCal or NorCal?

Chris

VolaticusNavis

Chris,
I'm in Nor cal. I am going to use the factory stainless steel piece of sheet metal which was used on the old floor.

The foot rest piece was just screwed on with several stainless screws.

Not sure what you mean by floor covering. I'm going to glass the topside of the floor. I'm glassing both sides but im glassing the floor into place on the top. Then im coving it with some black marine carpet.

I'm doing the entire cockpit in black. I have some automotive racing seats im going to have my upholster re-wrap and stuff full of more foam. It might sound co-co now but believe me it will look nice when im done. I'm doing a lot without giving a way too many details. 8)

Flat Broke

So the footrest is just screwed to the floor along the bottom edge?

As for floor covering, yeah I was refering to the carpet. Black would look good. I get what you're saying about the seats. There was a guy in Europe that did a resto on a 22 with a whippled 377 Scorpion, IMCO standoff box, etc. that did something similar.

I almost forgot to mention, I have a 94, and IMHO it looks better without the windscreen. I'm likely going all white interior with pewter carbon fiber looking vinyl for the seats and all billet work. The boat will only have the white, pewter, and polished SS/Chrome. I'm hoping it comes out looking clean as opposed to cheap. No matter what, it can't look as bad as the teal carpet with redish burgandy and silver/grey accents in the vinyl.

Keep up the pics coming.

Chris

VolaticusNavis

Chris,

Yep, simply screwed on. I am closing off the V beth with a tinted sliding piece of plexiglass. Basically like a door. I dont like it open like that. It looks tacky to me.

I took the visor off yesterday. Someone used a black caulking around the bottom part where the visor meets the indentation on the boat for it. Not exactly sure what the purpose of that was. Now its more mess for me to clean up. Mine also has some stress cracks around the rather obnoxious screw holes which secured the visor(windscreen) down. So I might be forced to put it on to hide it.

I agree. The choice of colors wasn't thought out for long term appeal. Colors like blue or red seem to carry on well through out the generations.

Where did you see this european SC22?