Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Still putting on epoxy. Working a lot of hours so little time during the week to work on the boat. I did get the second coat on the bottoms so hopefully I will be able to get the last coat on the top tomorrow night and maybe finish this part of the job Thursday night.

So, with that said I guess it's time to think about the next steps. I did get my transom glued. I need to sand the edges to make it all purdy and then epoxy that.

Does the transom have to go in before the decking?

Also I should be thinking about the Nautolex, while waiting for the epoxy to dry I have been stripping the old carpet glue off the hull. It is all gone. I still need to power wash it and then I can put down the Nautolex. on the hull and the pieces of decking. So I have the following questions on that...

1. I am using the Nautolex 88 glue and I also have some contact cement, I remember reading that Jigngrub had a hard time with the Nautolex wrapping around the edges of the decking. Do I need to staple the Nautolex on the back sides of the decking if I use the contact cement?

2. Other than using the wire wheel on the hull, anything else I should consider before attempting to put the Nautolex on there?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Does anybody have any tips on putting the Nautolex on the vertical sides of the hull?

Here is a pic of where I am talking about. this was a pic of the teardown. I have already cleaned all the carpet glue residue out.



What I'm wondering is:

Is it better to start at the bow and work my way back or from back to front?
Is it better to cut smaller pieces and hide the seams?

Any other general thought?

-Mark

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Does anybody who has already done Nautolex and used their adhesive have any instructions that came with it? All I got from Defender was the can and on the back of the can it says something like "See detailed instructions" for more information. I am wondering about the drying time and the acceptable application temperature. I have been searching the web and can't find any instructions for it.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

For wrapping the vinyl around to the back of the wood deck, go ahead and use the 88 adhesive and staple it with stainless steel staples. I got the 3/8" SS staples online from Home Depot if you can't find them locally.

For the vertical aluminum application I would start at the bow and work to the transom. Did you save your carpet pieces for patterns?

With the Nautolex it is better to have the least amount of seams as possible.

Are your hull sidewalls double sided or just single thickness?

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

For the vertical aluminum application I would start at the bow and work to the transom. Did you save your carpet pieces for patterns?

No...cause that would have been the smart thing to do :facepalm:

Are your hull sidewalls double sided or just single thickness?

Single, I believe.

Would you use contact cement or the 88 on the hull?

-Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

I would definately use the contact cement on all of the vinyl to aluminum applications.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

I would definately use the contact cement on all of the vinyl to aluminum applications.

Thanks Jigngrub...not sure when I'll get to do that, rain for the next 3 days

-Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

You've got a lot of cutting, dry fitting, and trimming to do before you're ready for the glue... you'll have plenty of work to do this weekend.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Okay guys, a little progress.....the boat has been moved into the garage....deal is it has to be out by the time the snow flies.

I put Nautolex on one small piece to try out the contact cement and see how it is working with the vinyl. On the front of my rod holder there is a smallish aluminum piece that is removable. I cleaned it up and last night I applied the cement and the vinyl. I was pleased with how it came out. I used my J-Roller to roll out the bubbles and it seemed to hold pretty quickly.

My question is, today then I tried to peel a piece I could see that the cement looks still tacky. I am not sure if it is like that on the entire piece or if it's just near the edge. I want to make sure I am not doing anything wrong with the cement as I am ready to put the large pieces of Nautolex on the sides of the hull.

I am using DAP Weldwood Contact Cement. I used a brush to put it on both pieces and let them site for about 15 minutes. I then put the pieces together. I had the garage heated and a dehumidifier going as well because it had rained all day.

What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

It takes 7 days @ 75*F for contact cement to cure completely, I don't think there's anything wrong with your glue job Mark.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

It takes 7 days @ 75*F for contact cement to cure completely, I don't think there's anything wrong with your glue job Mark.

Thanks Jigngrub. I'll start working on the hull then and post some pics of my progress.

-Mark

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

I made some progress this weekend and I am very happy.



Next is the decking and I still have some epoxying to do but I really want to get the Nautolex on the decking.

I have 3 questions regarding the Nautolex 88 glue.

1. The decking is epoxied, should I scuff it up before applying the glue?
2. Do I only put the glue on the decking or do I put it on the decking and the Nautolex?
3. Do I put the glue down and then immediately put the vinyl down or do I need to let the glue set at all?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

I like to scuff the epoxy with 120 grit before putting the adhesive on, gives it something to grip.

For maximum adhesion apply the 88 to the decking and the vinyl.

Let the 88 dry a little on both pieces before sticking them together, 5 or 10 minutes. Then apply the vinyl to the decking and roll the snot out of it with the roller while applying as much pressure as you can, then flip the piece of decking and apply the 88 to the edges and back. Wait a few minutes and stick the vinyl to the back of the decking (edge wrap) roll and then staple on 2" centers or less. You want at least a 2" wrap of vinyl on the back of the decking so your vinyl should be 2 3/4" bigger than your piece of decking all the way around.

Like this:

Keep your decking pieces warm (the 88 has a week or longer cure time too) and check for air bubbles daily, if air bubbles form reroll the vinyl pushing the air out to the edge or a corner is best if you can. I had to reroll some of my pieces 2, 3, and 4 times. Looking at your piece on a sharp angle is the best way to spot air bubbles.

The inside of your hull looks great Mark, you did a good job of keeping the grain turned the right way.

Like I said, keep all of your glued pieces warm. You want all the adhesives cured out before you put the boat out in cold storage.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

I am almost done with my epoxy work so I wanted to post some info in the hopes that it might help someone in the future.

I have been having great luck with the epoxy. I bought it at U.S. Composites as so many here have. You can see in this pic that I also got the pumps for easy measurement....those pumps do make it very easy to measure. I put 6 pumps of resin in a solo cup then 2 pumps of hardener.



I then use a drill with a plastic fork in it and I stir for a complete 2 minutes.



Now I live in Massachusetts and this time of year it is getting colder, specially at night, so I have 2 oil filled electric heaters in the garage and I also have a dehumidifier going. I have found that my dry times are somplace around 12 hours but I have been letting the pieces go for about 24 hours just because I can't seem to get the time to work every 12 hours.



well I hope that info helps somebody out.

Tomorrow night should be the last coat of epoxy then I will start wrapping the decking in Nautolex.

-Mark

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

I've been wondering when you were going to drop by with an update!

Great info Mark, and I'm glad to see the epoxy is doing well for you... that wood is glossy!

What's your "pot life" at your working temps? How many minutes before your mix starts to thicken and become unuseable?

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

What's your "pot life" at your working temps? How many minutes before your mix starts to thicken and become unuseable?

I would say it's probably around 15 minutes. I have had no problem using all of the double batch that I mix before it gets unusable. I have noticed on 2 occasions where the temp in the garage was very hot that close to the end of the batch the cup was starting to get hot in my hand but I was still able to get it all down.

-Mark

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Well the last coat of epoxy should be dry when I get home from work today. Next step is to put the vinyl on the decking.

I will be scuffing up the epoxy on each piece of decking with some 120 grit paper.
I will apply the Nautolex 88 to the decking and to the vinyl.
I will let the glue set for 10 minutes.
I will put the pieces together and roll them using as much pressure as I can on the rollers.

I have a question after this... Due to the small working area in my garage can I then stack the pieces of decking on top of each other to dry? Maybe I would put some wood blocks between them so they don't sit right on top of each other. I would still check them daily to see if they need to be re-rolled.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Ok guys, I need some help.

Look at this picture, see how the carpet overlaps the decking?


Now look at this pic. See the gap? The decking will be wrapped in Nautolex.


What do you think I should do?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Build a fire out in the back yard and burn the decking and Nautolex, sell the boat "as is", and go buy a brand new boat!!!

I can't really see the crack, but if you have one you have 2 choices:

1. Try to "fir" the crack out with a strip of wood/decking to fit between the decking and hull, then attach it to the decking with adhesive and brads or screws... then wrap the piece in vinyl... or...

2. Say "frack it, it's just a fishin' boat" and kill/cover the crack with trim after the vinyl is on and the decking is installed.

I did both with my boat... then I did #1 and #2 in my pants when it turned out looking fairly decent.

 

[SierraMark]

Re: Marks 1991 16' Starcraft Fishmaster Restoration

Man Jigngrub, you crack me up

After posting last night I thought about it and I figured I would do something like #1. I am lucky as most of those sections are behind something, like a rod locker, so I don't have to worry about it.

I am starting to wrap my decking, starting with a small piece to see how it goes then I will move to the larger ones.

Thanks for all your help on this project.

-Mark