What I Did This Winter...’76 Southwind

Nice Job!

Davidg,

Great work, hopefully we can see some pics once it hits the water.

Chuck

Matching rigs are the bomb and so are camper specials. Those stripes look really nice.

Looks sweet, make sure you get up to Green Lake in July so we can check it out.

Rain Dog;

It is the original gel coat (after removing about an 1/2" of oxidation), and repainted over the orginal stripes. As soon as I get the interior done, I will send some pictures of that as well. The interior will be next weekends mission.

Thanks!

Dave

That is one nice rig, I always loved those old Southwinds!

What kind of paint did you use?

Lookin good Dave,hope to see you out on the river soon if it ever opens-
I'm just about ready to put mine in,but that weather is just not breaking yet. I want to start my trailer project,I found a place in Cary over by the Tennis club on 31 that will blast and prime for $300

davidg, Looks great! I've got a '75 Southwind 20 that I cleaned up a few years back with new stripes and new interior.

Kevin;

I will work on getting you the measurements for the stripes, but, will be on the road the next few days. My gas tank support boards were also wrapped in blue vinyl. Will measure those as well. To take care of the gel coat, I used a heavy compound (Wizards Turbo Cut), then a fine compound (3M Finesse It), and then a polish (Wizards Polish).

I see you you are from Indy. I grew up in the Fishers area (near Conner Prairie), spent many days boating and skiing on both Morse and Geist Resovoirs. Where are you going to run your boat at?

By the way, post some pictures of it. Would love to see it.

Dave

Kevin, Don't count on something working on the hull without buffing. I have yet to see a product work. You need to remove the top layer of gel that has oxidized. If real bad, even buffing won't work and it has to be wet sanded. There are some great threads here on doing it. Tim's (TRbeng) comes to mind. I'd hate for you to not get the hull done correctly before you put on new graphics.

How far have you gone into and under the floor? You said that you were going to remove the wet foam. What have you done to check the condition of the stringer system?

Kevin;

Just my opinion and to echo what Pete is saying.....Use a "machine" when you compound/polish your boat. I don't think there is a polish or chemical that will do it right....without using a good dose of old fashioned elbow grease swinging a 30 Lb. Milwaukee buffer around. Also trust me....you DO NOT want to do this job by hand. You just won't get the results....in my opinion.

I got some very good tips from this site. Get yourself a good clean pad and just start buffing it in until the compound disappears and the hull starts to shine.

It took me awhile, but, I finally got the hang of it to determine what combination of time/amount of compound/correct pressure worked best. Just keep the buffer moving around a specific area until it looks good, and then go to another area and do it.

By the way, what color combination is your Southwind? I take it yours is a Southwind 18??

Dave

Pete no unfortunately all traces of the original stripes has been rtemoved! All the decals and even the emblems were gone! I have purchased all of the decals and the emblems!Today I received the last of them! I bought the correct craft 1925 and the flag medallions but I can see the tracing of only 1 madallion,the american flag just after the c.c. emblem.So I might not use the cc ones if they were not stock! Dave yes it it a southwind 18.The top of the boat is a cream color(and it is gellcoat)The bottom(from where the stripes would be and down)looks like it was originally aqua?Have you guys seen this?The previous owner covered the bottom with that white texture stuff that I guess is supposed to be algae resistant.It does not look bad but they painted in on the trailer and just went around the trailer rollers?? Thai is how I know that at least the bottom was aqua! I am not sure what to do with this! Any suggestions guys? I have posted some pics here in diaries

Kevin,
From your other post:

kevin719 wrote:
The po said that this crap is a hull protector and algae inhubitor.I did see this stuff at a marine store site when I was buying epoxy resin tonight.Thanks

"Kevin, I think you're answering the statement I made in your other thread.

"I'm going to take a guess at the PO's attempt of "restoring" the hull! Since you stated that it is textured, I'm wondering if he put white bed liner on it?? "

What you saw at the store, is anti-fouling bottom paint. It is common for boats that stay in the water for extended times especially in waters that grow algaes on hulls quickly. Bottom paint is not "textured". I'm getting the idea that you're not getting the full story from the PO. I asked you to check the bare areas of the hull (around the bunks) for blistering and gel cracking. Do check.

When you get under the floor, Do try to get some pictures up. I'm still concerned about your stringers even though you drilled the holes."

Kevin;

I haven't gotten into the floor of mine just yet. It bascially took me six months just to do everything else but that. I did saw out one piece of the floor where the pylon is because the wood was rotten underneath it, but, thats as far as I went.

I knew it would be a big job, and I wanted to see how good or bad it ran before I took that one on.

I had it out on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin today. Here is a picture. It runs great and handles the big water on Geneva very well. That flared front hull really keeps you dry, and the deep vee hull rides very smooth....relatively speaking. The only complaint from the back seat is...."IT'S TOO LOUD"!!!!!!

Good luck with the floor, and I will be picking your brain next winter before I tackle mine.

Dave

Kevin;

Make sure you take lots of pictures as you proceed. It will help me (and many others) understand what is underneath the floor and how best to deal with it. I know I have some wet foam, but its just a matter of how bad it is and balancing out whether it really needs replaced short term vs. just getting out and enjoying the boat the way it is. So far, it seems it is not a big problem. The boat sits level in the water and top speed is around 40 mph....both indicators of excessive water in the foam.

However, the one thing I have noticed when the boat is sitting in the water is that it does seem to sit bow low/rear high when nobody is in the boat. Not sure if thats just the nature of the beast or if that is the wet foam rearing its ugly head.

By the way, one of the many things I replaced on the boat was the ladder steps. The old teak was pretty much shot and looked very shabby. I ultimately found a place in Wisconsin called Badger Hardwoods. They set me up with a very high density (heavy) wood called Neepa (spelling). It is great for outdoor and water applications. The wood for three steps cost around $15 total. It is about 1" think. You will need this kind of thickness for good strength. I had previously found some thinner teak wood I thought would work, and the first time I stepped on it (lowest rung), it shattered. I weigh around 205. I just wanted to make sure it was safe for heavier skiers. If you need me to get you some, I will. I am up in that area all the time.

Also, let me know when you are ready for the measurements on the stripes/letters. I have just been very busy the past few days.

Dave