1986 BFN Rebuild |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Hi All,
We are currently in the process of rebuilding our new to us 1986 Barefoot Nautique. For some of the members that have been around a while this boat might seem familiar, as the restoration has been started in 2009, but was never finished due to a lack of time. This is a link to the original post. We bought the boat completely disassembled, so we are figuring things out as we go. First up was dissasembling the cracked block and sourcing a new one. After hours of searching european alternatives to Craiglist it seemed that there where no suitable 454 blocks for sale. All of them where either in a very bad state, or completely rebuilt. I found one in the states for a reasonable price which we imported from Chicago and is now at the workshop awaiting inspection and refurbishing. Due to having very limited space for working on the boat we build a temporary workshop in an old army tent In my brothers garden, flipped the boat upside down and started on the exstensive boat hull repairs that needed to be done. We would have loved to do a re-gell, but that is simply not in the budget. Spot repairs with gelcoat would have been practicaly impossible due to the many scratches en cracks. we decided to repair everything with epoxy and do a repaint with a 2-component Polyurethane coating system above the waterline (as used on sailing yachts), below the waterline we'll use anti fouling. (there is no polyurethane coating that's completely water-vapor proof as far as I know, so its not suited for underwater use) Few weeks ago we finally flipped the boat back upright (had to get creative as the mini excavator stopped working) Removed the foam, as we had some water getting in the boat while we where building the shelter. Also want to check the stringers as they were not replaced by the previous owner. ![]() Now we need to sand the deck, and move the boat to a dry location to start the painting process. I'll try to keep the updates and pictures coming as we progress. |
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Kristof ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() ![]() Joined: October-08-2007 Location: Bree, Belgium Status: Offline Points: 3395 |
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So happy to see this boat is getting a resto after sitting so many years in Jo's basement!!
Gonna follow up on this thread... Many memories about the beginnings of this one. Good luck guys! Oh, and on a side note: you are in the right place for pro tips on this project.
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- Gun control means: using BOTH hands!
- Money doesn't make one happy, but when it rains cats and dogs, it's still better to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle... |
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67 ski nat ![]() Platinum Member ![]() Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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WOW. Labor of love for sure
BFN awesome. Would love to own one too Good luck and try and enjoy |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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So what percentage of woodrot would be an acceptable amount for the stringers? (Please don't let it be zero...)
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67 ski nat ![]() Platinum Member ![]() Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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None
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Damn.
okay, painting postponed, first a stringer job... |
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KENO ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11015 |
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None is the lame, easy answer So, how much rot ya' got? There are quite a few people with mid 80's wooden stringers that are still driving around without the engine ripping itself out of the stringers. You can read about things like Rot Doctor, Git Rot, CPES, homebrewed CPES mixtures etc that more or less turn the rotted areas into petrified wood ![]() It all depends on how much work you want to put into the project and what the wood is like now and only you know those answers
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67 ski nat ![]() Platinum Member ![]() Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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Keno is correct I just didn’t want to type zero
A little bit in some locations is treatable I had a couple soft bolt holes repaired with penetrating epoxy Larger areas all the way through probably replace stringer. You might get lucky too |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Thank you for your advice! I've taken action and removed the fiberglass from the stringers where I suspected wood rot. While the surface of the stringers is damp, it hasn't permeated all the way through. There's a single soft spot, limited to around 1/2" deep, situated on the strongest part of the stringer (toward the stern, where the crossmember used to be). I'm optimistic that I can use the "wood conservation method" to address this. Keno, thanks for bringing this method to my attention—didn't know about it! Now, I'm exploring ways to dry the stringers without removing them from their original position. I came across a suggestion to speed up drying by soaking them in acetone. I might give this a try while the boat is still under the tent. Appreciate your insights! 😊 Picture of the soft spot: |
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67 ski nat ![]() Platinum Member ![]() Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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Ace hardware has ‘PC rot terminator’
Brand. Small bottles Drill small 1/8” holes into soft areas Amazing how epoxy flows and soaks into soft woods. It is very fluid, so keep watching and basting overflow until firms up |
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KENO ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11015 |
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Well at least now you know you have choices on how to take care of your issue and after some reading about things here and elsewhere and knowing what your comfort level is with doing stringers, repairing stringers etc., you can decide your course of action.
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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We are all done with removing the foam, removing the fiberglass from the stringers, and sanding the hull/deck.
We'll move the boat to a heated garage to dry out the stringers tomorrow or the day after. I got into the large pile of parts that came with the boat to see what needs replacement and whatnot. I encountered some parts where I'm not sure of what they're for. First are these "mounting plates" with two holes in them. Not quite sure where they used to go. Same for the 'U' Bolts, (they don't fit the plates) And lastly these 2 parts. They have a hose on both sides, and looking at the length of the hose I would think these are for the Speedo's? If they are, what is their function? I assumed the hose went straight from the speedo to the pitot tube. Thanks and have a nice week!
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TRBenj ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() ![]() Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21165 |
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Speedometer pulsation dampeners, motor mount blocks, and cradle u-bolts for the pylon.
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Hi TRBenj, Thanks for the info! I'll post some more pictures of the progress soon. |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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It's been a while since the last update, but we managed to get some work done over the past few weeks. The deck has been sanded, the glass from the stringers was removed and the boat was moved to a garage of one of the co-owners of the boat. After Inspection, we noticed that the state of the stringers wasn't all that bad. Most parts were still rock solid, and the places with rot where mostly on the surface. We used an electric heater pointed at the stringers for a few days to get as much of the moisture out as possible, afterwards we treated them with a penetrating epoxy as described by KENO and they were ready to be glassed over again. Next up was installing the floor panels. The previous owners started the rebuild proces with HPL plates (used for facade cladding) while this material doesn't rot and is quite sturdy I'm not sure I would go this way again. It doesn't take screws very well, and is a bit flexible. This became a problem when installing the panels and especially when foaming the cavities. The foam pushing up against the HPL panel made a bump in some places and pulled out the screws in other. we ended up removing the floor, pouring in extra foam where needed, and cutting off the excess. Due to the different colors in panels and a not so straight crossmember, it does seem that the front part of the floor is extremely uneven / not level. Its a bit of an optical illusion as in reality the floor is only slightly crooked ![]() We also replaced the original HVAC tubing with hard PVC pipes and moved them a bit closer to each other to create more space. Afterwards it was time to glass in the stringers and floor. For us it was the first time working with fiberglass, and while its defenitley not as professional as a lot of repairs i saw on this website, we're still quite happy with the end result. Next up will be finishing of the foot support for the driver, glassing the last part between floor and stringer, making the floor panels for the middle parts and treating all the new glass with a waterproof primer (gelshield). We also started on making a custom glove box, as the original owner cut it out for some reason, and nothing will fit the dimensions of the hole that was left behind.
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Kristof ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() ![]() Joined: October-08-2007 Location: Bree, Belgium Status: Offline Points: 3395 |
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Very nice work guys!
So good to see this boat getting the attention it needs. So many times I told Jo to sell this boat to someone that will get it back in shape, since he nor I would have the time to do it. It saddened me to see this boat 'decay', even though he kept it nice and dry in his basement. She is in good hands now obviously. PS: I was never in favor of the HPL plates myself, for exactly the same reasons you mentioned. But unfortunately my preferred Coosa board way was not possible in Europe (or VERY expensive). Don't know if it would be available over here these days? Edit: apparently these guys in Germany are Coosa dealers nowadays according to the Coosa website: http://https://www.vonderlinden.de/ |
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- Gun control means: using BOTH hands!
- Money doesn't make one happy, but when it rains cats and dogs, it's still better to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle... |
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67 ski nat ![]() Platinum Member ![]() Joined: July-19-2018 Location: Santa rosa Status: Offline Points: 1194 |
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Nice. Looks tight and flat.
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Thanks! Indeed Coosa board seems to be a very nice material, but it's quite expensive for the moment.
HPL isn't cheap either, but you can find "scraps" or damaged panels from contractors which can't be used for construction but are perfect for the boat. I don't think you'll find leftover Coosa board. |
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Kristof ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() ![]() Joined: October-08-2007 Location: Bree, Belgium Status: Offline Points: 3395 |
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True... And certainly not in Europe as it is not very well known over here yet ![]() And BTW, HPL or 'Trespa' plates are quite heavy and do add quite some weight to the boat.
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- Gun control means: using BOTH hands!
- Money doesn't make one happy, but when it rains cats and dogs, it's still better to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle... |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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That's correct, Won't be a large problem as we are mainly going to use it for wakeboarding, and learning to barefoot. I'm curious to see what the wake will be like for slalom, probably not great, but I can't imagine its worse than our I/O we have right now.
We are in the process of installing the rest of the floor now, and did a fitment check of the interior. Whole interior needs to be replaced, but we are thinking to have one season with the old interior, so we know what we want, and what needs to be modified to create some extra storage/speakers/cupholders/etc... I'll update with pictures soon. We are not quite sure about the location of the driver seat base. Anybody has any information on this? |
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andrewmarani ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: May-31-2005 Location: Baltimore, MD Status: Offline Points: 241 |
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Hi, looks like an excellent rebuild. I'm maybe 75% through a stringer replacement on an 1986 Silver Nautique, thread is under "boat maintenance". I used Coosa for the floor and stringers, working well so far but that stuff is pricey. I've worked with Trespa through my construction company, it's both heavy and pricy unless, as noted, you can find remnants.
I also needed the location of the seats and battery box since I forgot to get them before the tear out. Got the info below from va-river-tique. These are from the face of the pylon itself, not the nut in the hull. Be very careful screwing down the driver's seat, the front right corner is basically just the floor thickness over the hull, very easy to run the screw right through the hull if it's a touch to long. Found that out a couple of years ago running my hand on the underside of the hull trying to figure out where and why I had a slow leak into the bilge. Cut my finger on the screw point. va-river-tique I took these measurements from the bow side of the pylon. pylon to base of observer's seat is 12 1/4 inches. pylon to inside edge of battery box is 26 1/4 inches. pylon to base of driver's seat is 6 inches. |
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Builder
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TRBenj ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() ![]() Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21165 |
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Interesting data points to compare but I wouldn’t expect any of them to be shared exactly between the SN and BFN.
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63 Skier ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() ![]() Joined: October-06-2006 Location: Concord, NH Status: Offline Points: 4268 |
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This is a fun project to watch, really appreciate the updates. You are making great progress!
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'63 American Skier - '98 Sport Nautique
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Hi All, Some more updates on the process of our rebuild: We foamed in the remaining part between the stringer and the floor, and glassed it over. The removeable floor panels have been made as well as the supports where they will be sitting on. The supports have been treated with epoxy, the screw holes filled with marine sealant, and we put sealant between the supports and the panel they are mounted on to keep these as dry as possible. Also did a test-fit of the interior to get a better overview of how everything should fit together. I have to say it felt good to be sitting in the boat after all these hours of work, even if it was just temporary. ![]() |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Did a carb overhaul and cleaning, parts for the engine rebuild should be arriving this week. Afterwards, cleaned and degreased the inside of the boat and painted the waterproof barrier and the Bilgepaint. For the barrier we used International Gelshield and the for the bilge we used International Danboline. |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Hi Andrew, Thanks for the information! i'm not quite sure if the dimensions of the BFN are the same as the SN, but I'll update once I find out. I'll start a seperate topic about this in boat maintenance for this.
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andrewmarani ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: May-31-2005 Location: Baltimore, MD Status: Offline Points: 241 |
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Reminds me of something I think I saw up under my dash... I will look later today.
Andrew
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KENO ![]() Grand Poobah ![]() Joined: June-06-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11015 |
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That would be the alarm module, it alarmed on low oil pressure, high water temperature and low volts. Here's a link to an 86 dash wiring diagram, look in the lower left corner, it doesn't show the module, but it shows all the wires on the dash plug that your plug goes into. The potentiometers were for setpoint adjustment.. link to dash diagram If you click on this link, you'll have some reading, They weren't exactly well liked because they broke a lot ![]() link to alarm module stuff
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LennyBoat ![]() Groupie ![]() Joined: May-22-2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 50 |
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Thanks Keno, I'm curious to see if this one still works as it should ![]() In the meantime, one of the co-owners of the boat drew up the dimensions of the blue band that goes around the boat so we can make stickers/paint it back after painting the hull's base colour: (It's in metric ![]() We are choosing the base colour, and it's been quite difficult. The choices are between a very light blue, another very light blue and another very light blue: ![]() We are trying to get something as Mastercrafts "coastal blue" but it's quite difficult to see on an NCS colour chart. The new colour of the blue stripe is still under discussion. we will wait to see what the boat looks like after the new base coulour.
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