1971 22-2 Flatback Refurb

[Jack Hart]

Back in October I bought a 1971 22-2 Flatback with the idea of a restoration. I ran it for about a month to check out how the boat handled with the changes and additions I planned. My restoration philosophy is a little different from most.  I like the way the boat ran as it was, and intend to use it for inshore shallow water redfishing.  It's never going to get too offshore while I run it.  I like the vintage look and appreciate the utility and simplicity of the original design. I don't want an enclosed transom, tower boat with a porta bracket as I think the extra weight aft and all the added gear distract from the shallow draft and low horsepower requirement of the original design. I did add a jack plate and trolling motor with batteries forward but that's the extent of the big changes. The boat gets up out of the hole like a rocket with a 150 hp 2-stroke Evinrude Ocean Pro.

After running the boat pretty intensively, I found the hull, deck and transom were solid, and there's evidence of a new transom and previous restoration work, so I decided to save myself a lot of structural work and concentrate on refinishing and re-rigging.  This decision was reinforced by the fact that I'm on a strict budget and don't have $10 or $15K to sink into a total rebuild.

Here she sits on the trailer before work started.  I refurbed the trailer with new bunk covers and LED lights, and it has new tires and hubs, so it's in pretty good shape.



The first step was to remove all old components, which included a few hundred yards of old wiring and over 450 screws and bolts (I'm not exaggerating). The 70 gallon tank was in great shape, probably replaced once already. Next came removing all the old paint. That job took $250 worth of stripper, $100 worth of sanding discs, and a few man weeks of labor. 1971 to 2015 equals a lot of layers of paint.  I borrowed jack stands from a neighbor who has also done an extensive Aquasport restoration, and with a lot of grunting and groaning got the boat up on blocks. I thought long and hard about flipping the boat to get to the bottom, but only found that Young Boats just down the road would do it for me after I'd already done most of the bottom work.  I highly recommend flipping a boat if at all possible if you plan to do any serious hull work.

[Capt. Bob]

Jack,
You're off to a great start. Knowing just what your boating needs/wants/use are is a tremendous help in any restoration project from full on to tank replacement or just adding a few goodies. IMHO it is the most important step in buying any boat, new or used.

Good luck and keep posting.

[Jack Hart]

Here she sits after a lot of sanding and a few coats of Awlgrip 545.  This stuff is toxic, so I found a good deal on a full hood that I could hook up to a remote air supply. 

[RickK]

Is the fella you're talking about that rebuilt an AS Capt Rick?

[Jack Hart]

Yes, Capt Rick.  He lives a few blocks away and generously offered me the use of his jack stands.

[Jack Hart]

Here's a shot of the console, all patched and sanded ready for primer.



and a shot after priming.

[RickK]

Nice work
Hey, tell Rick hi and that we miss his input around here. He did an awesome rebuild of his boat and I'm sure he is still using her in his guide business.

[northfork]

Are you spraying the primer or rolling. What is the plan for painting (spray vs roll)

[Jack Hart]

I started out spraying, but ended up rolling the last coats of primer and all of the paint.  I found that spraying was wasting too much material, and that with the right foam rollers I could get more uniform coverage.  The resulting finish with the rollers is glossy and very smooth.  The rollers that worked best for me were the small diameter foam rollers sold as "better" in Home Depot.  I tried three or four different types before I settled on them.  Here are some shots of the painting:







These shots were taken the same day the paint was applied.  Over time, it pulls even tighter, and continues to look better and better.  I think it takes about two weeks to fully cure.

[Jack Hart]

Nice work
Hey, tell Rick hi and that we miss his input around here. He did an awesome rebuild of his boat and I'm sure he is still using her in his guide business.

Yes, I owe him a visit to return his jack stands as soon as I get them cleaned up.  I see his boat frequently, and it's a beauty.  It's one among many types he uses for his operation and it gets frequent use during the right season.

[northfork]

Looks great. It is hard to believe you can get a finish like that without spraying.

[Jack Hart]

Just about any of the modern marine paints, Awlgrip, Perfection, Sterling, etc. will give a mirror finish rolled on if you do it right.  I think most pros prefer to roll on Awlgrip.  It's been said many times before, but preparation is the key.  You can't get a good finish over a crappy surface.   I spent a lot of time sanding and priming and sanding and priming and sanding, etc.  Here are a few before and after shots.  Because of all the irregularities, getting a good surface on the interior was harder than the hull.

The well.




Fish box and storage.




Cockpit.


After installation of braces/rod holders and first coat of primer and paint.

[CLM65]

That does look nice!

[RickK]

  Sure does

[Jack Hart]

Here's the final hull color.  It looks like Aquamist, but I really just mixed white and green until I got a color my wife liked.  It only took about 10 tries.  This final coat was rolled on too.