Skier Deck Repair
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14573
Printed Date: November-17-2024 at 9:40pm
Topic: Skier Deck Repair
Posted By: storm34
Subject: Skier Deck Repair
Date Posted: July-22-2009 at 3:54am
Well I'm back from GL and motivated to get after the Skier! I've repaired all the major damage in the deck (see pics).
Cracks were ground down and glassed along with some glass that had delaminated, then used the grinder lightly to make new glass as even as possible before I go any further. . . I think after seeing Gary S' 'Cuda I'm going to paint the deck and match the gel on the hull. I know Pete and others won't approve, but I'm on a budget and am not ready to tackle re-gelling the entire deck, she will get the full treatment some day. Can anyone help me out with the proper steps to prepping the deck for paint? I know I need to get rid of all the spider cracks in the gel (theres alot) but how far down should I take them? Do I need to take the grinder to all of them down the the glass or can I just rout them out with a smaller tool? |
Replies:
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: July-22-2009 at 10:48am
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Chris - Looks like you have your work cut out for you. If you are just looking to get by for a couple of years, then just wet sand the deck out with 400 grit before painting - use a sanding block. It would be much more work to individually rout out each spider crack, fill them & feather out.
Ask your auto paint store for a 'high build' primer; that may help hide the cracks, at least for a while. Wet sand out the primer with 600 grit before topcoat. It is a good idea to scrub with a solvent (Lacquer thinner works good) before even starting to sand. Looking forward to seeing the results! ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: 65 'cuda
Date Posted: July-22-2009 at 12:08pm
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Chris,
It was great to meet you at GL this year, that's a very nice 2001 you have! I took the edge of a grinder to grind out all the cracks in the top deck, (there were a lot of them) I filled them with bondo, but I should have used a thickened epoxy. I would use a diamond wheel in your grinder. Sand the whole top deck (I started with 80 grit) prime and paint. ------------- Gary http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=941" rel="nofollow - 1965 Barracuda SS |
Posted By: C-Bass
Date Posted: July-22-2009 at 4:44pm
It cracks me up when people say this regarding Pete. What kind of spell do you have these guys under Pete!? They're all afraid of you. 
I know you said it with humor in mind and I'm sure Pete isn't about to tear anyone a new a$$hole for doing something un-original, but I always wonder why you need to act apologetic to your own personal preference. Pete seems to prefer absolutely orginal, some prefer absolute customization, with most of us lying somewhere in-between. Don't worry about pleasing the rest of us, we didn't pay for your boat, and we don't have to like it. I personally love seeing everyone's little touches they add that make it "their" boat. I know that doesn't totally apply to your original post but it just got me thinking about how I've seen people act afraid to present their ideas before. By the way...love that 88, the color is sweet. ------------- Craig 67 SN 73 SN http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=6103" rel="nofollow - 99 Sport 85SN |
storm34 wrote:Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: July-22-2009 at 5:14pm
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Thanks for the compliment Craig, Your 85 looks like it would be a fun boat to drive! But not fun to pay at the pump!
I made the comment out of humor as you guessed, but after seeing his Dunphy this weekend I have the upmost respect for the man and his opinion. I didn't get a chance to meet him but his work speaks for itself. Truly something to strive for! ------------- |
Posted By: C-Bass
Date Posted: July-22-2009 at 6:07pm
Agreed, from the pics, Pete your boat(s) look amazing.  Basically my whole point was that there are lots of boats on here that were done outside of my personal taste (some a little, some a lot), but no-less they were done quite professionally and sure look nice. It's great when people ask for opinions and truly respect the opinions given, but some people will get too caught up in pleasing the Poobah's.
And if Pete has read this, it's ironic, because I tend to lean far on his side of thinking. I love seeing boats done up the way they rolled out of the factory. Some mods are necessary though. ------------- Craig 67 SN 73 SN http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=6103" rel="nofollow - 99 Sport 85SN |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: July-23-2009 at 2:21am
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Chris,sorry I missed you this weekend just too much going on. I have been having good luck just grinding my bad gouges with a dremel and filling it with gelcoat. My trouble is I can't seem to get a good match on the deck,but the hull match is very good. If you kept some of the pieces, you could sand them to get the color back and send them in to get a gel match. Not cheap by any means tho. Pete gave me this link http://www.minicraft.com/ - minicraft and it is where I got my gel coat. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: July-23-2009 at 3:05pm
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Thanks for the responses guys,
I started to grind out all the cracks last night but I think I might switch to a dremel and see how that works? There are places where the cracks look more like a NY street map and theres no way to follow each crack! Should I just take the whole area down and fill it all later? Edit: haha look what I found on Ebay! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1972-Correct-craft-Skier_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a317Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem3ca415e436QQitemZ260450935862QQptZPowerQ5fMotorboats#ht_500wt_934 - Looks like I have a twin! ------------- |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: July-30-2009 at 2:40pm
Well I think I'm ready to start filling my stress cracks. Can someone tell me if these are cleaned up enough?
I took the tool I use to pick Bungs out of the Chris Craft to clean up all the cracks. I was hesitant to take a grinder to everything and tear up too much! I think I'm going to use epoxy since I accidently ordered too much for dad's boat  ------------- |
Posted By: 65 'cuda
Date Posted: July-30-2009 at 3:07pm
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It's hard to tell if those are cleaned out enough, I ground out the gel-coat all the way to the fiberglass. My gel- coat was dark so it was easy to tell when I went far enough, I also did not have those "impact" type stress cracks more just overall cracking due to age and the sun for all those years. If you don't grind all the way to the bottom of the crack and fill back in it lets each little "island" of cracked gel coat move independent of it's neighbors and eventually the crack telegraphs back through to the top.
Also the repairs I did to the back inside corners did not hold up, the cracks came back, If I do it again I will grind the whole area down to glass and repair with new glass fabric on both the top and the bottom, inside and outside surfaces of the corner. ------------- Gary http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=941" rel="nofollow - 1965 Barracuda SS |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: July-30-2009 at 6:47pm
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Guys,
Thanks for the compliments. I guess my "keep it original" reputation has built to the point that some can actually make fun of it! Not a problem and I'm always around to take the abuse!! ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: drduck
Date Posted: July-30-2009 at 11:37pm
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Ok, so in my humble, but professional opinion, the stress fracture you have in the corner, by the gas fill, needs to be ground down to the f/glass. Once you get to the glass you'll notice that the cracks are also in the glass. The glass needs to be ground down until most of the cracking is gone. Probably a couple or three layers deep. Once you accomplish that, new glass needs to be applied....my preference would be with polyester resin. Thats my preference. After the glass kicks, grind it smooth and start block sanding to get to the surface level. After that you can start the finishing process, whatever that may be.
If you don't do this, it's just a matter of time before those cracks reappear. ------------- What were they thinking!!?? |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: July-30-2009 at 11:48pm
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Chris - These guys are right for a permanent repair, but if you plan on using it this summer (if you can call July that!) then I would just fill it, sand it, & paint it. You can always take it back down if & when you want to do the full restoration - that will take alot of work as these guys pointed out. ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: BuffaloBFN
Date Posted: July-31-2009 at 8:59am
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I don't think gel kote will stick to epoxy. ------------- http://correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=2331&sort=&pagenum=12&yrstart=1986&yrend=1990" rel="nofollow - 1988 BFN-sold "It's a Livin' Thing...What a Terrible Thing to Lose" ELO |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: July-31-2009 at 10:05am
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Greg is correct on the gel not sticking to epoxy. A polyvinyl primer needs to be used between the two as a conversion coat. Polyester resin makes for a simpler repair but it simply isn't as strong.
Yes, that corner at the gunnel needs reinforcement behind and under the deck. The cracks I'm sure go down into the glass under the gel. With so many cracks so close tou're better off removing all the gel in the whole area to see how deep they are. A coat of epoxy resin or even several coats of CPES to get down in the cracks. Then filled epoxy to fair. Bondo is simply a filler without much strength. Read up on the different types of fillers used for epoxy. On flat surfaces to slightly convex, always use a hard sanding block (wood) so you can level/fair correctly. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: July-31-2009 at 1:31pm
Awesome! Thanks for all the great info. I was thinking I would be wasting my time trying to grind out all those cracks! I don't think I'll rush this project since our summer is just about gone anyway. Got a heated garage at school this year!  There are a few places where the cracks are not as bad as this, but need a similar repair.
I think my plan of attack is going to be grinding the gel down, fill with CPES and then Epoxy (should I lay glass and matt too?). Shoot, I'm half tempted to take the entire deck down behind the bow, would one continuous way be better than making lots of patches? ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: July-31-2009 at 10:58pm
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Chris,
Cloth or mat should only be needed to reinforce a bad spot like the corner and only on the backside. The only exception would be if after you get through the gel you find a large delaminated area. Even then you can usually drill some small holes and inject epoxy into the delaminated spot with a epoxy syringe. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: drduck
Date Posted: August-01-2009 at 1:35am
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So, I don't mean to come across as "cocky" so here goes. Why go through the effort of working upside down, behind an area that's hard to see and reach, to reinforce the backside of a damaged laminate? All you need do is to remove the damaged laminate from the top and replace it with new material (matt and resin) and it'll be as strong as when it was built. The boat was built with polyester resin and can repaired effectively with polyester resin, when done properly. No need to put a backing patch on the underside because you have repaired the damage to the original specifications.
I'm not saying that backing patches and epoxies won't work, however, there is more effort involved and the cost of epoxy is more than polyester. Being an "old school" glass guy, I'm not sure that I buy into the conversions for epoxy to polyester bonding. I've not done it so I can't really speak to that with any clarity. My biggest problem with epoxy resins is that they tend to be softer than poly/vinylester resins and are prone to swelling and shrinking more than poly/vinylester resins, especially with temperature changes. I don't believe in leaving damaged laminate filled and covered with epoxy resins/coatings, I believe in removing damaged laminate and rebuilding the area to the solid structure that it was when it was new. It's easier and faster, therefore taking less time and effort. Of course that's just my opinion. ------------- What were they thinking!!?? |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: August-01-2009 at 9:49am
The idea of extra reinforcement to the damaged area it to strengthen the area from what the factory did. If you repair it back to the original, then you will be just taking the chance that it will fail again. I've seen too many "pro" repairs done the faster and easier way and then fail a year later. Yes, the epoxy resins are softer but that's good. The strength comes from the glass and the resin is the glue binding the glass together. The delamination is always the bond that shears usually due to too much resin and the glass not being rolled out enough. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: August-02-2009 at 6:44pm
Thanks for the info Pete! I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to get these places supported properly since they were so deteriorated from the tree fall. I ground off all the glass and found lots of cracks and delamination. I'm now contemplating removing the deck this fall so I can properly re-gel the crack on the hull in front of the CC Script emblem, glass the damaged deck and fix the wood supports around the blower vents. This would allow me to grind off the damaged areas and fix them properly so I don't get cracks again in a few years. What do you all think? Would this be overkill? I got the idea from http://www.hydrodyners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=227 - this thread on hydrodyners.com ------------- |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: August-02-2009 at 8:48pm
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Chris,
Popping the deck isn't a bad idea. Ether that or flipping the hull. Overhead repairs can be made but it's messy!! You usually need to play with the glass/resin until the resin starts to kick (harden) to keep the glass in place. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: SNobsessed
Date Posted: August-03-2009 at 12:48am
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Chris - I took the cap off of my runabout when I replaced the transom. It didn't go back on the same way, ended up with a slight buckle on one side. FYI! ------------- “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Ben Franklin |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: August-03-2009 at 2:07pm
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Chris, I think a slight buckle would be better than what I'm dealing with now!
Any tips on removing the deck? Whats the best way to remove the rivets and will there be a layer of glass connecting the two? Just for fun! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LoA_Mry2zY - Driveway Test ------------- |
Posted By: drduck
Date Posted: August-03-2009 at 2:56pm
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Not sure if there is glass bonding the two parts together but the best way to remove rivets is to drill them out with the correct size bit. if the rivet is a 1/4" rivet then use a 1/4" drill bit. Other than that when you pull the deck off have some extra hands available because you want to keep things from flexing as much as humanly possible. If you decide to do any glass repair on the deck while its off make sure that it is laying in the same position as it would be if it was on the hull as you could possibly distort the shape of things. That would be discouraging to find after you reset it on the hull.
Nice sound to that motor on your just for fun link. ------------- What were they thinking!!?? |
Posted By: 8122pbrainard
Date Posted: August-03-2009 at 3:31pm
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Chris,
You won't find any glass between the hull and the deck. Probably some caulking if anything. ------------- /diaries/details.asp?ID=1622" rel="nofollow - 54 Atom /diaries/details.asp?ID=2179" rel="nofollow - 77 Tique 64 X55 Dunphy Keep it original, Pete < |
Posted By: Gary S
Date Posted: August-04-2009 at 2:09am
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I don't know how it works with newer type resins but back in the days when '54 & '56 vetts were considered late model cars,they would put on the saturated matt and then cover it with Saran Wrap.When the 'glass set it would peel right off.I see on Wikipedia tho that the forumla has changed since then and might not work.Might be something to try on a test piece,it would save you some work. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1711&sort=&pagenum=1&yrstart=1966&yrend=1970" rel="nofollow - 69 Mustang HM SS 95 Nautique Super Sport |