Another BFN Rebuild

Looking good! You're progressing a lot faster than me.

Okie, not really- we've been underway since early November and we havent ordered any materials yet... youre moving much faster than us!

I would like to officially thank Greg, Gary and BJ on making me itch for another 3 days. And for almost giving me frostbite. It was a balmy 9 degrees in CT yesterday- but now I can say that the grinding is done. All wood (save for the aforementioned gunnel braces) is out of the boat- including the bow eye backer and the rudder port mount. Getting the rudder port out that had been sealed with 5200 this past summer wasnt as bad as I thought it would be- a little heat and a BFH did the job.

Out in the cold:



Is that dust or snow? A bit of both!



A thorough rinse with hot water created the Ice Nautique:



All the gel is off the hull and transom (still a little icy though):





The rudder port mount:



The front lifting ring area:



All tucked in across the back of the garage:



I need to confirm a few more vertical dimensions next weekend, then we can put together a decent material list and get some glass and coosa on order.

Awesome Tim. I didn't realize thats how the lift eye mounts but now you'll never have to think about any old wood again.

What kind of regular expeditions/trips are you doing to facilitate DUAL cargo carriers in addition to the hauling capability of the truck? I mean honestly!

That makes it clear Tim. What was that piece of wood for in the center of the transom? Is it for the lift ring?

M3Fan wrote: What kind of regular expeditions/trips are you doing to facilitate DUAL cargo carriers in addition to the hauling capability of the truck? I mean honestly!

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Joel, he's got too many boats filling the garage he needs someplace to store stuff

What should the top speed for a 74SN Skier be?

Steve, Gary is correct- you dont want to lay glass on top of the old gel. Theres no strength in it- Ive noticed its fairly brittle. Glass to glass will make a superior bond. Greg and BJ both laid fresh glass down over the hull- we may do the same in certain areas. Removing all the gel gives us unlimited options.

Clark, this isnt really the place to be asking the question, but first you need to fill us in on what youve got. I have no idea what a "SN Skier" is. Is it a Ski Nautique or a Skier? It cant be both. Which engine it has, prop, etc will all play a factor in its top speed as well.

Thanks Mark! Are you talking like Elmers glue? Cool trick. Can I use it on my face?

Yeah Elmers, I tried titebond once but it doesn't peel off as nice.

If I had a ton in my face I'd try it, lol. The face puts up with shaving every day so a little glue can't hurt.

I should market it as a mask for men. ha

Imagine Melissa's face when she sees you smearing glue on your face. "Mark Mel told me to do it - I knew he was a little off"

I took some depth measurements this weekend so I was able to lay out a rough cross section for the ribs and bulkheads. Not much holding us back from ordering materials now.



When I did the cross section of the stringers, I realized that with the taller primaries required by the new engine cradle (without cutting it up, anyways), I realized that the exhaust hoses wouldnt fit between them and the floor if left full height over their entire length. So, I cut them down behind the engine to closer to stock level. No need to waste material there anyways, I suppose. In order to clear where the exhaust hoses enter the bilge, I think the stringers and cradle will have to be notched at the top. The plan is to run 4" hose.



I also have a plan for the battery box drain. Im not crazy about having clamped connections below the floor, so I want to use PVC here as well. A few 22 degree elbows installed between the middle bulkheads should give me some slope so that it self drains.



We've come to the conclusion that no matter what, its almost inevitable that water will find its way under the floor- superior construction techniques and all. Therefore, Im leaving provisions to get the water back out. Like many here have done in the past (namely Joe in his '83), the under floor area will drain together via cut outs in the ribs where they join the secondaries. The front bulkheads will have notches where they join the keel board. Right now, the only compartments that self drain (to the bilge) are the ones on either side of the engine (note the half moon drains in the primaries). Since we want to through bolt the cradle instead of lagging it, the floor over the primaries cant be installed until after the cradle is in- so getting them sealed off from the top would be problematic. Everything else is sealed off from these, and there are 3 strategically placed access points to drain the subfloor area, should water ever get in. There will be no floor from the rearmost ribs back (essentially the last 10", under the gas tank), so any water in these 2 rear cavities can be reached with a pump if the nose of the boat is raised. To remove any water that collects at the low point of the hull in front, a 6" port will be installed on the front wall of the battery box. Right now, I think the access hole will be capped with an inspection plate similar to the one used over the driveshaft packing nut.

I wish! No, each piece of the structure will be cut by hand... the hull is far from consistent so there will be small variations everywhere to get the final product straight and level.

Keuka wrote: To help with the water draining, would it be beneficial to add a drain plug on the low point in the center of the transom? It looks like you are planning relief cuts to allow the water to run all the way back.

David, thanks for the thought. The idea is to give the water a way out, without giving it an obvious way in. This is why Im keeping everything seperate from the bilge, for the most part. The manual drain points would be here:



The 2 rear side cavities (purple) drain to the back (but not to the bilge). The front cavity (green) will be collected at the low point in front of the battery box. The light blue areas will drain to the bilge. The front 2 cavities will be foamed (to hold the pipes in place and give me a little time before the boat goes to the bottom of the lake) and will be sealed off.

I suppose I could put drain plugs in the bottom or transom in those 3 locations, but I dont think its necessary. Not much water should collect below the floor, so draining these cavities shouldnt be a regular occurance... more like a fail safe. Im thinking once or twice a year. For those times, a hand pump should work just fine. Im not too crazy about having to drill extra holes in the boat either!

Tim, You should really consider planning out your projects instead of hacking into it with out thinking it through...

Joe, what about a 4 1/2" grinder with a cutoff wheel in it ? Would that cut about as good as a jigsaw ? It should be faster and then use a jigsaw on the inside corners.