1963 Correct Craft Atom Skier

Don,
See if you can get a good picture around the keel where you found the leak. Also other areas at seams like at the chines would be great too.

You have no information on what the PO was doing and did?

NewOwner wrote: I used Pettit EZwoodsealer #2018 and Total Boat Lust high gloss marine varnish. I used Famwood woodfiller to fill the holes.

This is a before and after of the bad spot where the PO had sanded. I have started stripping with a chemical stripper and it appears to be OK.

At some point it looks like I will have to either turn the boat over or put it on some stands. I was wondering if I should pull the engine out and turn the boat over or can I lift the boat by hooking onto the motor and the two tie-down hooks at the front and back. If I pull the engine it looks like it will be a lot easier to clean around inside the boat.

I didn't have time to reply to this thread when you first posted it. That is a neat find but I think the Previous owner may have started pulling the hardware off the bottom because of the leak issue you are seeing. If that's the case and it's a leaker you really only have a few options.
1. Flip it over and replace the bottom now before you go any further with the topsides refinish.   Most time consuming and expensive but correct way to do it
2. flip it and apply a fiberglass cloth over the old bottom. Temporary repair that will buy you some time.

3. Put it back together and, put it in the water and see how bad it leaks, run it fo rthe summer and decide what to do next winter.

If it 's a plywood boat and it's leaking at the keel I don't think there's much you can do from the inside to repair it or seal it up. Maybe some 5200 along all the seams will get you through the summer but it's a bandaid. Good chance that if it's been wet for a while that the plywood is delaminating and will eventually need to be replaced.

Whatever you decide to do, the bottom is not a death sentence it just means you will need to spend some time and money to get it back sea worthy.   You'll probably find the stem is soft too but that's a wood Correct Crafts archilles heel, They all fail. The good side is a plywood bottom will take less time and cost much less money than a planked bottom.

Some one took it apart and stopped for some reason, but It's a cool boat and worth saving   Good luck, we'll be watching and here to help

NewOwner wrote: or can I lift the boat by hooking onto the motor and the two tie-down hooks at the front and back. .

Don,
You have lifting rings. One is in the fore deck and the other in the aft deck. They are for lifting.

8122pbrainard wrote: NewOwner wrote: or can I lift the boat by hooking onto the motor and the two tie-down hooks at the front and back. . Don, You have lifting rings. One is in the fore deck and the other in the aft deck. They are for lifting.

Thanks. I did not know if they were for lifting or just for tie-up.

8122pbrainard wrote: Don, You have some problems at the keel. I'd say the PO gave the bottom a "quick and dirty" paint/caulk job without any attention to seam integrity. You can see where the seam at the keel is leaking. The keel is made up with a wide inner keel and a narrow outer keel. This forms the rabbet where the bottom ply is fastened. The ply is screwed to the keel with bedding compound. This bedding compound is a linseed oil/talc mix that dries out with age allowing water to enter the seam. The big question is how much rot the water intrusion created in the ply and the keel. Can you push on the ply at the keel and detect any movement? Again, are there any screw pops or loose screw fills?

I don't see any popped screws and when I push on the bottom it feels solid. However, it is hard to put much pressure on it while lying on my back underneath the trailer.

The paint stripper is working very slowly in this cold weather so I decided to pull the engine and see if I can get it running, and clean the inside of the boat. I first need to figure out how to do that.   I will post some pics when I get started. I looked at a chain lift contraption at a store today but wasn't sure which one to purchase. They had them from .5 ton to 5.0 ton.

I was wondering if it would be unwise to use a power washer to clean the inside? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Also, I have the original manual on the motor but nothing on the boat. I read on a different thread that there may not have been a manual on the boat and and/or a lot of information was destroyed in a fire at Select Craft years ago. If anyone has one I would appreciate a copy.

Nothing specific but I have a few pieces the PO had removed and I am not sure where they belong. Also, I looked at the pictures of your boat frame. Very helpful. I have a better idea of how it fits together. I might do the Hack you mentioned. I would like to get it into the water this summer and then something better later. I attached a photo of the motor manual. On page 23 it mentions there was a technical manual (148 pages and 190 illustrations) form no. GM-2085. I was wondering if that might be available somewhere.
The one I have provides all the technical information I need right now. Another question: With the motor removed is one able to turn the boat over to work on the bottom or is it too heavy? Thanks for all your insight and experience.
p.s. I am thinking it would be easier to start the engine while it is in the boat to see if it works. (e.g attach a garden hose, battery and gas tank) all of the gage's would be attached.
What do you think?

Don,
The engine stand or cradle is pretty easy to build.


Chrysler 331 marine running on home made 2X stand.

Very interesting. Thanks. (Personal experience or psychology 101 ?)

Thanks. The weather was 60 degrees today and is dropping to 21 degrees tonight. Hard to get much done on the boat. However, I have a smaller heated area where I have been working on the motor cover. (dog house) I am planning on painting the stripes tomorrow. Will post a picture in a couple of days. One of the videos I watched showed removing the blue tape soon after the stripes were painted. Another video showed waiting until it dries. Any preference?

Oh, remove the tape after painting and before it sets up.

I have some questions about the place where one steps onto the boat. (not sure what it's called) (see photo) It looks pretty good but it is somewhat brittle. Is there a chemical solution to softening it? Does it need to be? Is it molded as one piece, or can the backing be separated and attached to a new piece of backing? Or, is there an after market step that can be purchased?