Project - Aquasport 246CCP, 1979, Captain Koz II

[kaptainkoz]

Hatch frames are finished and await installation. They will be ground to a taper and seamlessly glassed into the floor. The doors will get another coat of gel coat with anti skid additive

[RickK]

A nice job with a nice ending Steve  

[kaptainkoz]

Great day and good times!!! Stole the 2nd half of the day to open the tarp and gut out all the stow away parts so I can get cracking again. The current project focus is screw hole filling and sealing, for both utilized and non utilized holes. We are fairly famililar with how boats are made and in most places the fiberglass you see is backed by wood you cant see. Through screw holes and cracks, water drips in drop by drop and soaks the wood over time to a rotten mess. My boat has been tarped for over a year now and has cooked in the blazing sun all summer. I am confident that any of the semi exposed and lightly glassed in stiffeners peppered through the cap are as dry as they will get and its time to keep it that way.

I started by removing everything over the anchor locker. The cleats and the rope guides that go with them are going to stay so they will get removed, backing plates will be fabricated, and they will get bedded in a layer of 3M 4000UV before reinstalling. There wasnt a bow light on mine just a plastic light pole socket which is coming out and getting replaced with a LED bow light. The bow light will cover the hole and imperfections that were left so I dont have to do much about it other than make sure the wood exposed by the hole is sealed.  There was also a second older chrome socket type thingy on there which is coming out, getting glassed over and gel coated. The yellow rope is currently anchoring my tarp frame through that hole.





Somewhere in my 246 CCP's life there must have been a wave dodger covering the bow. They affixed it with 47,954.7 screws and these things that I dont know what they are called but you would place an oval grommit over it and turn it to keep the grommit in place. Well anyway, point is there are alot of holes on the top horizontal surface of the cap. It is these holes that worry me most as they are direct pathways to the wood stiffeners. I will Dremel out every imperfection so the gel has something fresh to bite on, fill every hole with a gel coat/west systems 404 paste, and sand to perfection with a multi tool.







Along the same vein, the grab rail mounting brackets have seen better days. They were cheap chrome plated zinc so they are cracking up and pitted. I will temporarily fill the grab rail mount holes with 3M 4000UV as I will be using those holes later. I want to seal out all of the potential water intrusion for now. When the time comes, i will be thru bolt installing full stainless rail hardware, but I may look into a bronze/brass rail to give it that wicked salty briney patina look. Bright stainless mounts with dingy patina rail. It could look awesome or terrible. Im just thinking about it for now. If not then I will go with a stainless rail but im not going back to aluminum.







Lastly while on the gel coat repair parade, i have to pay attention to the crap molding work my poor boat endured at the factory 35 years ago. These photos show pock marks which are the result of poor backing with fiberglass of the gel coat that was sprayed in the mold when they made my boat. I am going to grind out any imperfection and do my thing to make them disappear

[kaptainkoz]

More of a diary entry than progress but here goes...

Today as I removed all the stored parts I had under the tarp, I got to evaluate them again. Interesting how things change with confidence and experience. I took a look at the gas tank cover which is in disasterous shape and concluded that I will make a new one from scratch. It would take me probably longer to get the original one back in any order than it will take to make a new one. This revelation comes only after the experience of making the hatch doors and came with a deep sigh as I mumbled " here we go again". The tank cover is simply a larger hatch door.

Secondly, the bilge livewell/fish hold. Ive determined that not only will modifying the existing one to fit take alot of time, I am also leaving alot of wasted space as it does not span stringer to stringer. Chances are I will be casting a custom tub that fits exactly how I want it to.      

[kaptainkoz]

Today I Dremeled out any screw holes or gel coat imperfections that were on the cap to give the new gel coat a clean fresh surface to bond to. I counted 80 of them! I will fill them with gel coat tomorrow.








I prepared the 2 larger holes for fiberglass repair




I set in 1 layer of 1.5 chopped strand to start. I may do another layer tomorrow. These are not structural repairs so im not worried about making them super stout.

[fishinonthebrain]

Steve I would really consider on all the screw holes if you want a permanent fix is to grind down and fiberglass the holes up. All the vibration the hull receives the gelcoat will just crack and start popping out of the holes. I know it's a lot more work but you won't be disappointed later.

[kaptainkoz]

Thanks for the heads up Fish. I agree that could be an issue. I intend on mixing the gel coat into a paste with west systems 404 which should greatly strengthen it and prevent the cracking pure gel coat could endure. Most of these holes are so small that it would be near impossible to glass them first. If I get a crack here and there later on then I will address those differently.

[RickK]

Hi Steve, any updates on the rebuild?  Seems you lost the summer somehow  

[kaptainkoz]

Hi Rick. Yeah, slow going. The money just didn't show up to take the next big step of the floor and poured transom. I'm sick over looking at the boat unfinished. I want it done in the worst way. I hope to have a better year this spring/summer and get it done. It will happen!!!

[RickK]

We know it will

[kaptainkoz]

Hello Everyone. Long time to see. Ive been busy working and dealing with everyday life. Nothing new to report on the boat as I do not have the funds right now to go forward. I haven't lost the passion to see her sail again someday, it will just take time. Hope all is well with everyone and ill be back soon!!!

[Capt. Bob]

Great hearing from you again Steve.

We patiently await the continuation of our most documented rebuild.

Good luck.

[CLM65]

Great to hear from you, Steve!  I'm glad to hear you haven't given up.  Sometimes a break is good.  Gives you time to plan ahead and think about what you are going to do.  We'll be here when you are ready to continue with the project!

[RickK]

Wow, glad to hear from you again Steve and happy you still have the passion to get it done.
I am slowly getting closer to finishing up mine. When I get to the point where I am not fabricating anything anymore (I am about there) you can have the remaining supplies I have, if that will help you.  It's mostly glass - I think you were using vinylester?