I have returned... with a Starcraft this time!

[nrf414]

Remind me why you aren't just polishing again?

Will look good as white too. What app are you using to make those creations? I'm pretty well done with ideas of paint but looks cool.

 

[Renderwurx]

Oh.. .and here is a good link to a vector version of the starcraft logo. Take the file to any local vinyl sign shop and they can cut from it directly... will save on "digitization" fee and you can get exactly what you want. They can easily swap the logo from the end to the front too.

https://www.freevector.com/starcraft#

 

[BWR1953]

Looking Very Nice. Bet your extremely excited to be among the dry boaters Club.

Cowl is looking good too. I know this was not an easy task. Seems like the rain doesn't quit for you.

Thanks! Yes, it's good to be back in the dry boat club. It was definitely vexing for me have caused that leak. :mmph:

Winter is normally our dry season here but apparently Punxsutawney Phil got it wrong for Florida this year and spring has started early. I was hoping for another month of cooler weather but we've been having temps in the low 80s for over a week now and forecasts are showing that we'll continue that way going forward.

Guess we'll just have to cope!

 

[BWR1953]

Great news!! No Leaks!! :thumb:
I don't recall what it's called, but I have read here on I-boats about a treatment to prep bare aluminum and it will turn it a golden color.. I know it starts with an A and I'm to lazy to find it tonight..:lol:

She sure would look good with polished sides and the black bottom..:laser:

I can't see me going through all that polishing. Too much work. And I've read here on iboats that guys have gone the polished route and then have to continue polishing forever. Nope, not me. :lol:

 

[BWR1953]

It's Alodine that turns AL that color, it's a chromate conversion coating.

Thanks for the info WM! Interesting stuff. :eagerness:

 

[BWR1953]

The only thing I will say about painting a boat black is that in the sun it gets really, really hot. Too hot to lean on the rails and such... just a thought.

Yah, the topsides won't be black, just the side trim and bottom.

 

[BWR1953]

Remind me why you aren't just polishing again?

Will look good as white too. What app are you using to make those creations? I'm pretty well done with ideas of paint but looks cool.

Polished aluminum is just too much work for me. Can't deal with it. LOL!

I use Gimp for the photo editing. Not my favorite but it works.

 

[BWR1953]

Oh.. .and here is a good link to a vector version of the starcraft logo. Take the file to any local vinyl sign shop and they can cut from it directly... will save on "digitization" fee and you can get exactly what you want. They can easily swap the logo from the end to the front too.

https://www.freevector.com/starcraft#

Cool beans. Thanks! :joyous:

 

[BWR1953]

Regarding the logo, a simple fix to come up with a port/starboard pair would be for the vendor to put the stickum on the opposite side of one decal.

My wife was off work yesterday and came out to the garage to take a look at the boat. I mentioned the KF bird logo and the left/right thing and she immediately wanted to apply her artist skills to mock something up. That didn't last too long though because we were pressed for time, so we put it off to a later date. She'll be the one doing the logo painting though. It's gonna be good stuff. :joyous:

 

[BWR1953]

I was busy for much of this morning but did get out there for an hour or so. I'll hit it again later today. (I know, I know, I'm not supposed to work alone. )

We're pretty much in the summer work pattern here at home. Work in the morning until the heat comes up, then break. Go back in the evening when it's cooled down and hit it again. At least I have a lighted garage now.

Finished stripping the cowl wrap and "chipped" away at the cowl hood.

I realized that it made a big difference which scraper I used on that tough hood paint. My older scrapers weren't "cutting it" for the most part. Even if I'd cut new new edges on them. I found a newish one back in my supplies and that worked much better. I'm going to pick up some new ones this afternoon.

 

[BWR1953]

Had to resupply this afternoon. Got some more stripper which makes the count up to 4 gallons thus far, plus a few more scrapers.



Went out this evening and worked on that cowl hood again. It sure is tough! But I'll eventually get it all done.

 

[Watermann]

Looks like that phillips head is a bit monkey'd, hope it doesn't get worse and need to be drilled out.

 

[BWR1953]

Looks like that phillips head is a bit monkey'd, hope it doesn't get worse and need to be drilled out.

Yeah, me too! Hopefully, we'll find out tomorrow. The middle one was similar and I got it out. Just about broke my wrist (almost literally in my case :lol but it finally moved. Now I know better! Silly me. :congratulatory:

 

[oldhaven]

This is obvious, but if you use one of the manual impact drivers that use a hammer to turn the screw and keep the bit in the screw head be sure to support the cowl underneath or all the hard work so far will be wasted.

 

[BWR1953]

I was supposed to be painting the boat this weekend, wasn't I? I didn't really get anything done on the KF over the last 2 days. Sooo sidetracked. But it was all (other) boat and good stuff. :laugh:

Well, the only thing that actually got done was to have a buddy remove that screw with his impact driver this morning.

• While he was here fixing the jammed hood on my truck. :blue:
• Which was delaying me to roll down the road to purchase and pick up a boat for his brother.
• Said boat having been sold while I was en route.
• But the owner was at least kind enough to call us while we were rolling.
• Yeah, one of those kinda of days. :twitch:

Yesterday was mucho fun though. Met a big-time boat guy while I was trying to get myself in trouble with yet another old tinny! But he said he didn't really want to sell it so I said I didn't really want to buy it and a good time was had by all! :lol:

Anyway, here's that silly screw.




On the more positive side, my wife suggested that since we were already 25 miles from home, why not go fishing? I keep pack rods in the truck so agreed. We stopped at Walmart and got some worms and she "slayed" the bluegill and one mudfish (bowfin). But the boy and I couldn't fish because I only had one rod in the truck, not the usual three. :facepalm:


But she had a good time and will cook 'em up for her dinner tomorrow.


Those mudfish are sharp-toothed and scary but they hit hard and fight hard.

 

[MD28]

They are mean buggers arent they? Have you ever ate a bowfin?

 

[Watermann]

Dang my gill lakes are still frozen over up here by the 49th, nice catch!

 

[BWR1953]

They are mean buggers arent they? Have you ever ate a bowfin?

Nope, but I had one try to eat me one time!! :croc:

It was 25Oct2014 as a matter of fact. We'd been shoreline fishing at that same lake as yesterday. It was about 45 minutes after sunset and I caught a big bowfin, maybe 6 pounds or so. But, at the time and in the gloom of late dusk, I thought it was a catfish and tried to lip the thing! Bad idea!

My thumb was severely sliced open by those razor sharp choppers. :doh:

Our camera automatically brightened the pic even though it was quite dark when the image was taken. All that blood was mine!

Lesson learned though! :lol:


And here's my thumb 3 days later. D'oh! layful:

 

[BWR1953]

Dang my gill lakes are still frozen over up here by the 49th, nice catch!

Yeah, winter ended early here. Should be in the low 70s during the day and down to the 40s at night. But it ain't happenin'.

Gonna do a major boat work push today and tomorrow since the boy will be home from school for President's Day.

The weather is great for working on boats.

 

[Watermann]

That's nice... here's mine