Big wooden boat project [Splashed Sept 2017]

[mickyryan]

Amen to that i love show boats but as with show trucks i dont own em anymore cause if i cant take a sharp left slam her in 4 wheel and get deep in the mud what fun is it to own em ?

 

[Patfromny]

I kind of agree with you both. I went fairly crazy prepping my boat for paint but couldn't wait to get the first scratch in her so that would be over with and I could just not obsess over it. As luck would have it, I put the first scratch in her while installing the engine about 12 hours after she was painted. My friend that was helping just stopped and turned white. I shrugged it off and he was amazed. Very funny when it happened.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

I know lots of people have said this before the, but the craftsmanship is impeccable. I'm new to this forum, but your project has read like an old novel.....I can't put it down. Took me three nights but I'm all caught up. Bravo on you restoration. Very, very nice.

 

[Ned L]

Thank you! It's a good think I really enjoy doing this kind of stuff.

Again, .. Sorry for the crappy picture, .........
Here is that same area with a coat of paint. It certainly looks better here.

 

[mickyryan]

**** that looks great!:first:

 

[Patfromny]

Looks great Ned. Black though, ouch. You're gonna have to leave a quart on board for when the boards swell like you said they would. That will be quite the contrast when unpainted wood is exposed. Still, there is something about black boats and cars. They just look cooler.

 

[Ned L]

Black though, ouch. You're gonna have to leave a quart on board for when the boards swell like you said they would.

Ohhh I gave the black a real good bit of thought,... I know very well it is the most 'painful' (read that as maintenance intense) color there is. If the boat were by any other builder I would be going with a different (better) color. However, black was a signature color of Hubert Johnson. (If you check EBay for Hubert Johnson boat you will see just about every vintage ad shows a black hull.). Sure, they were occasionally different colors (but so were model T Fords in a few years, but likewise black is what you see for model T's.)
.......... And I agree, she looks kind of nice in black.

 

[Patfromny]

Very cool Google there ned. Found some guy restoring this same boat on another site. So similar he even has the same name. Lol. I like the unpainted stern with the black.

 

[Ned L]

Lol,... Yep, I started that thread first. There seems to be quite a bit more interest and curiosity here so I have been keeping this one up to date. More interesting questions and comments here too.
I will be returning the transom to varnish. It actually was varnished up to about three years before I got her ( only one coat of paint on top of the old varnish).

 

[Patfromny]

And that paint came right off the rest of the boat because of the varnish underneath right? I like that look, then all you need is a name in gold leaf and she's period correct. Lol

 

[Ned L]

You are correct, where all the paint was falling off was because they painted right over the varnish. (........ Seeing that happen all my life on boats is why I shake my head when I read recommendations about using "spar varnish" as a sealer under paint.)
The name will go on in gold leaf, though that won't be for a year or so to let the transom planking swell back up and settle down. I don't see the point in paying for real gold leaf only to have a seam in the planking shift and mess it all up.

Yes, I am pretty much setting her up "period correct", but not going overboard about it. One of the big reasons for this is it keeps things much simpler and less complicated (and less expensive).

 

[Patfromny]

Nice. Love the gold leaf or even gold paint would do. The good thing about stripping the paint off varnish is that your etching it for the next coat at the same time. People who recommend varnish as a primer are just mistaken or confused. What they probably heard was that "Shellac" was a good primer for under paint and confused the two. Varnish stays wet throughout its life, meaning it is always off gassing. This is also true of oil paint. This combined with the sheen are what makes paint peel. Shellac and most all oil primers are done off gassing when cured and can be top coated with oil or water based paints. Shellac is usual good to go in an hour so it is preferred because everyone is in a rush. Do you have a name in mind? I'm a Yankee fan and the name "Ned L's #9. Came to mind. Not a great name but baseball fans would get the pun.

I am a fan of period correct in most everything. Especially the older the boat or car gets. I am not against replacing things that aren't as safe or efficient as a newer version as long as the new piece doesn't stick out like a soar thumb. Replacement with newer power is acceptable to me because of reliability and availability of parts. Especially if the boat is being used alot. Nothing wrong in my mind with putting the old engine (s) on a skid and saving in case of resale. This is in most cases the cheaper way out in the long run.

 

[Ned L]

You are correct that shellac can be a good primer or base coat for quite a few things. It is even good for use as the 'glue' for setting wood plugs in countersink holes in wood.
As for a name, there is one in consideration that my wife came up with. ......... "Driftwood", she says that's what this boat is. I'm still sort of undecided about it, but could live with it. We'll see. As I mentioned I have a good bit of time before it gets committed to in gold leaf.

I took this picture this morning. a pretty sharp contrast.

 

[Ned L]

Last night I started in on the transom. This should be very satisfying looking before the weekend is over!

Here you can see her previous port of call showing through.

 

[mickyryan]

hmm how about dark Mustafa stands for dark chosen one

 

[jwdavis28]

I don't have .00001% of the skill to do this but it might just be the most interesting thread I have ever seen. Can't wait to see pics of it in the water. Truly amazing.

 

[Patfromny]

Holy varnish batman. That second pic tells me you are in for some work just to get the wood grain to show again. I think there is a song out in the world titled Mahogany Skies. Might be a cool name. If you are into the whimsical type names I think Driftwood is great. Especially great because the wife picked it out. Another whimsical and appropriate name would be OH, MAHOGANY IS KILLING ME. Or maybe AGAINST THE GRAIN.
JERSEY DRIFTWOOD sounds like a winner on all accounts though.

 

[bajaunderground]

Name it "I've Got Wood" a little low brow humor...

 

[Ned L]

Lol!!!! You are actually not to far off her previous name. ...... She is back and white,.....what animal would that be. Maybe a skunk. .... What are some colloquial names for a skunk. .... I'll leave it at that.

 

[mickyryan]

peppy lepou sp