Wood replacement questions

[sclapsaddle]

Rubber surrounding windows, Plexiglas tinted, I'm sure there has been many mods alterations.
Ya, Bruce we'll have to get together some time I would like to see your boat also, I haven't seen a working complete Skagit 20 yet.

[bruceb]

Pretty sure from his history of the purchase in Marysville that the boat didn't leave the factory like this. Owners previous to the father altered the boat heavily- rub rail, changing cabin windows, upper windshield (may be evidence of holes from original windshield detectable), transom cutouts, brackets, step pads, color of paint, etc. Still a bit rare to find original Skagit hull ID plate attached to boats. Plus, so many are registered with wrong year. A beauty worth restoring, for sure. Would love to look it over.

[Kelly]

Are the cabin windows surrounded by rubber or was the aluminum painted over?

[Kelly]

Interesting, it has the later model windshield (61, right Bruce?) and later rub rail and the step pads along the sides were either removed at some point or never installed.
Cool pics, thanks for sharing!

[sclapsaddle]

Yes, I didn't realize there was a difference on the transom cut out widths, interesting. Mine has been cut out even more, I will be glassing it back to how its supposed to be.
Attached are a couple pictures after my parents brought it home from the used car lot in Marysville. The aluminum plate on the back is attached to 3 more plate sandwiching the transom and splash well with what looked to be with RTV that did not adhere to the aluminum. Then there is this fiberglass fabricated engine extension/mount that was bolted to the transom with 6 3/4"bolts. It was quite the repair, I think it would have been easier to replace the transom and splash well.
The windshield is also visible.

[Kelly]

Bruce it looks like this was a burgundy offshore. Look at the stripped sidewalls.

[Kelly]

20160823_175554.jpg

Your transom, along with the transom on my hardtop, have a narrow splashwell compared to a later production '58 like Bruce's boat that doesn't have the inside "platforms" on either side of the transom. Look at my blue one compared to my burgundy one. See the difference?
My theory is the narrow transom boats are early '58s and a few may be leftovers from '57...at least the top half of the boat. Again, my theory...no one has backed that with proof, especially since the tags never seem to stick with the boats.

[sclapsaddle]

No problem with opinions, I don't mind.
Swiss cheese. At some point before my parents bought the boat, it had an extensive aluminum plate sandwich trying to tie the soft transom together(I will post a couple pictures of the contraption as soon as I can get my printer to scan photos again) with a outboard extension that moved the motor back 8-12" for what ever reason, that is what most of the holes are, I'm not worried about the holes they will be filled during the transom install. The pictures I have will also show the windshield which is different then the one shown above.
Thanks for the info on what some of you have used for resins.
My boat has been painted at some point, not great but I should be able to polish it some, I'm not to concerned with cosmetics at this point though. It has been used that's for sure.
No i.d. tag that I saw, not sure about the transom being narrow, can you elaborate?

[Bflaherty]

I might have to compromise based on Chuck's experience though. With my slow progress it will be awhile before I will have to decide.

For the upper windshield, Chuck used the Chris Craft brackets that can be acquired thru Classic Boat Connection or eBay pretty easily. The hard part is getting a glass pattern. You can either make your own based on the height you want, or you can talk to one of the many ACBS-PNW members who have this style windshield as many of them have templates already made up! I know my father has two different templates made from cardboard that he has successfully used to generate replacement glass, he used Perkins Glass (mostly cause we know the Perkins family from Hydroplane racing so we get the "family" discount).

[Kelly]

I also just noticed the narrow transom...thinking it's an early '58, probably Mar-Jun.
Is there an ID plate on the inside of the transom splashwell on the port side?

[bruceb]

Wow, Kelly and Stephen, he does have a ton of holes !! My 14 sportster had 15 holes, developed a true appreciation for the proper technique (beveling the holes) and thickened eresin as a filler. Can't tell the holes were ever there, now.
So I don't have any of the experience of others here on restoration of glass boats. Did an entire resto of a 14' Skagit and the transom on my 20 express. As has been posted here before, I've only used SystemThree resins and paints purchased directly from the factory in Auburn, Wa. The resin/hardener ratio is 2:1, making it easier to attain a perfect chemical ratio as opposed to the West System ratio. Have experimented with small batches of West System for a non-boat related project and the WS sandwich of glass/resin cracked under the psi of the item after 6 months. Re-resined and just added one layer of cloth using S3 resin(silver tip) and 2 years now with no failure.
Have used the WR-LPU paints, primer that are compatible with their resin with great success.
The thickened resin product from S3 (Gel Magic) is my choice for bonding the new wood to old original fiberglass, and bonding the wood sandwich together. Filling voids, general fairing, shaping certain areas, it works super well with a tenacity and feel as solid as a rock. I like the idea of having a super waterproof seal with no question about the bond, no matter what the materials are.

[Kelly]

And I thought I had some extra holes in my transom...I just noticed yours! Wow! There must have been every accessory known to man hanging off the back of that boat at some point.
Sorry, I'm not being negative. You will definitely be a hole patching expert by the time you're done.

[Kelly]

The pics look good and the gelcoat looks good from I can tell...should buff out nicely.
The upper windshield frame Helmar and Bruce are referring to looks like the one I've attached...
Do you have that frame?20161108_144419.jpg

[sclapsaddle]

So I called and talked to fiberlay' s tech department today and was told polyester resin sticks to wood. So I think I'm going to quit over thinking it and go with it. He did say vinylester below water line. That may be my only consideration.

[sclapsaddle]

I do have what I assume is the original windshield, I believe thin aluminum bottom and curved Plexiglas, no complete surround. However the looks I like about these boats is the tall bow and short cabin height, and the original glass while sounds like they are very functional alters the look to me, I might have to compromise based on Chuck's experience though. With my slow progress it will be awhile before I will have to decide.