1975 Aquasport 22-2 Rebuild_PWH70

[pwh70]

This thread will document the rebuild of a boat I've owned for 10-11 years. End of last season I got fuel in the bilge on a refill and couldn't find any obvious causes. That, combined with a few soft spots, prompted me to remove the deck and think about taking the opportunity to update the boat based on my 10 years of use both fishing it and running the family around coastal NH/Maine and around Martha's Vineyard (same uses there - family for a week in the summer, fishing in the Fall).

Things I wanted to update:
Larger fuel tank. I thought it was 40 gals - turned out to be 55 gals, although I've never put more than 35 in it.... more on that later.
Better storage for everything, but mostly fishing related.
Close in the transom - Just too easy for water to come in under certain conditions and/or when backing down.
Add an Armstrong style flotation bracket - in addition to the necessity of a closed in transom, really liked the idea of cleaning up the aft portion of the boat, and maybe adding storage with a capped transom and possibly a live well at the transom.
Swap out the existing leaning post/livewell for an aluminum leaning post with under seat tackle storage. Open up the boat even more, while gaining functional storage.

Here's a few pics to get the thread started:

The boat (some of these pics go back a few years, some are documented from an earlier thread where I prepped and repainted the hull):













The demo:









This process is somewhat like an archaeological dig, unearthing a history of previous rebuilds. Turns out this was the third deck in the life of the boat, each new deck stacked on the remains of the previous one.





2x6's & 2x4's had been glassed onto the stringers and bulkheads to make up the difference for the new deck height.



The stringers hadn't been foamed in.



The transom had already been partially filled in.



At the end of the day(s), everything is ground down and cleaned up, fuel tank removed (had various locations of corrosion and a small corrosion hole by the fill elbow, which I assume was the cause of the fuel in the bilge), transom cleaned out and ready to start moving in a positive direction.












So now... while doing the transom work and tabbing/reglassing the stringers and liner, I need to work on the big question - proper selection and mounting of the flotation bracket. I've read a LOT of information here to the point of overanalyzing it. I'm nervous to make a somewhat permanent change in the boat that might negatively effect the trim and handling. When I saw there was an extra 1 1/2"-2" of deck on the boat, I was excited to bring the level back to the stringers and gain some freeboard. Now I think that (at best) I need to leave it where it was because of the outboard hanging off the back, and the eventual upgrade to a heavier 4 stroke. I will move the new fuel tank forward, but realize that it is dynamic weight. I can also move the console forward, but it's all still a guesstimate. Batteries and oil are already at the console location.

Anyway - thanks for looking. The next week will be minor touch of grinding etc before the glasswork starts. Not much for photos. I will also be cutting back the cap at the transom to allow the coosa replacement to be slid down in one piece.

Paul

[RickK]

Yeah, this was pretty lame


You have some filleting to do to fill that gap and then I would do a 4" and 8" lam to tie it in securely.

[pwh70]

You have some filleting to do to fill that gap and then I would do a 4" and 8" lam to tie it in securely.

[/quote]

Those stringers are present but not really accounted for. That pic showed one of the better views of their condition. Next week will be transom replacement and the beginning of tabbing and relaminating the stringers.

[pwh70]

Fuel tank arrived, and fits better than I thought it would. I'm not ready for it yet, but have been unable to find a Moeller tank. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a $1,200 55 gal aluminum tank with approx 5 week lead time, when I found this 52 gal Moeller on the shelf for $600 - so I grabbed it.

Transom rebuild and stringer rehab will take place over the next couple of weeks.

[RickK]

You have to allow 1-3% growth of the product once it is filled with gasoline, in all directions. Read the instructions that came with it. It'll grow once and not shrink.

[pwh70]

Yes, thanks - I did catch that in the tank specs and in various mentions here.

[pwh70]

First layer of transom replacement:

[RickK]

What is your plan for hull color and is it paint or gelcoat?  Reason I ask is you've got a little work ahead of you building up, tieing in and fairing the cutout from the outside.

[pwh70]

What is your plan for hull color and is it paint or gelcoat?  Reason I ask is you've got a little work ahead of you building up, tieing in and fairing the cutout from the outside.

You're right... short answer is I'll probably paint the transom to match the hull similar to what I did a few years ago, documented here: https://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=15128.msg148120#msg148120

I know it's a stretch given the amount of work to be done, but I'd like to get her in the water this year to see how she sits on the waterline, given the changes being made. Then take one more off-season to finish things like livewell placement and a few other features, including a rehab of the casting platform. Once that work is done, I'll clean up the hull and do a new gelcoat finish.

I don't know a lot about that (gelcoat) process yet, open to hearing any thoughts.

Thanks

[Ulysses485]

Gelcoat has quite the learning curve but I would imagine that paint has a similar curve. However, where people shy away from gelcoat is in the finishing process. Unlike paint where prep is absolutely critical up front, gelcoat just requires a flat surface because the "prep" and the final finishing (which is fairly labor intensive) is on the back end (obviously within reason). However, there are product like Duratec High Gloss Additive that thin the gelcoat for the last few coats to help it lay down. The upside to paint is the long term gloss and the upside to gelcoat is its durability and longevity. I personally have decided to do all my rebuilds in Gelcoat for durability and longevity while keeping colors light so the gloss is easier to keep. If your going with the same dark green on the hullside, I would stick to a good quality paint unless you are good with the upkeep of polishing and sealing the gelcoat every other season or so and are willing to pay someone to soda blast ALL the paint that's already on the boat (because gelcoat wont adhere to paint, it has to go straight to fiberglass or original gelcoat). Hope that helps.

[pwh70]

Ulysses - that's helpful info and good advice - thanks

Paul

Gelcoat has quite the learning curve but I would imagine that paint has a similar curve. However, where people shy away from gelcoat is in the finishing process. Unlike paint where prep is absolutely critical up front, gelcoat just requires a flat surface because the "prep" and the final finishing (which is fairly labor intensive) is on the back end (obviously within reason). However, there are product like Duratec High Gloss Additive that thin the gelcoat for the last few coats to help it lay down. The upside to paint is the long term gloss and the upside to gelcoat is its durability and longevity. I personally have decided to do all my rebuilds in Gelcoat for durability and longevity while keeping colors light so the gloss is easier to keep. If your going with the same dark green on the hullside, I would stick to a good quality paint unless you are good with the upkeep of polishing and sealing the gelcoat every other season or so and are willing to pay someone to soda blast ALL the paint that's already on the boat (because gelcoat wont adhere to paint, it has to go straight to fiberglass or original gelcoat). Hope that helps.

[pwh70]

It's been a while since I've posted, but through a very busy summer, work has been proceeding on the boat. I don't have a lot of pics, but here are a few things going on:

Stringers and bulkheads etc under the deck have all been glassed, two storage lockers, port and starboard have been added (about mid-length of the hull). Also a centerline locker, mostly under the leaning post.



Transom is close to fully faired. New Armstrong bracket is in, and the fit is clean.



I removed the bulky leaning post w/30 gallon livewell, and had a custom leaning post made, to include tackle storage and room underneath for cooler slide-out tray.





I'm currently working on building up the console, to allow for a flush mount of the 9" Garmin chartplotter.



Thanks for looking - Paul

[RickK]

Moving right along 

[pwh70]

Been working on things a little bit this winter... sanding the hull, test-fitting the outboard bracket.

I wanted to float it with some simulation of the new outboard on the new bracket  (I placed 500 lbs on the back of the bracket) and the relocation of the livewell to the transom... before I started glassing the deck in place, to be a little more confident that the deck would still self-bail. I stuck my son at the aft end of the deck to simulate the weight of the 26 gallon livewell.

Took advantage of some balmy New Hampshire weather on January 1 to do this today. I feel pretty good about her sitting properly with the changes being made.

[RickK]

Looks to be sitting on her lines. Have you decided where the scuppers will be?