Restoring a '62 Chris Craft Sea Skiff

14745 Views 141 Replies 24 Participants Last post by Kudzu, 6 d ago

Kudzu

Discussion Starter · Feb 26, 2021 (Edited)

Busy restoring a 1962 Chris Craft Seas Skiff. Almost have the boats hull sealed but had to take a break from laying on my back replacing, repairing and swearing at wood screws. You can replace a 100 screws, stand back and look and get ZERO feeling of accomplishment. It just doesn't show. You know you worked hard because you shoulders and neck ache so bad, but it just not satisfying work.

I have to stop sometimes and do something that 'feels good" when you stand back and look. I am going to paint the inside of the boat and needed to get at least one coat of varnish on the bright work in case there is any over spray. It is SO much easier to strip a little varnish off of bare wood than paint is. So I always put at least a couple of coats of varnish on before painting anything adjacent to it.

First I have to remove all the gauges and switches.

Stripping the bulkhead was no picnick either. Need to sand with 220 and then it will be ready for a good cleaning and some varnish.

Next is filler stain and then Varnish.

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BigJim

· #7 · Feb 27, 2021

Sometimes when looking at the over all picture it can be really overwhelming. At times I would get a really huge house to build that had a roof so cut up it would make a person wonder, why. When first looking at the house, as a whole, it would at times be overwhelming. But when going through each step of each operation, it just fell into place. Just one step at a time and it will work out, like it is supposed to.

I have been interested in restoring boats for a good while. It is admirable to see a restore such as you have undertaken. For years I have had the fantasy to build my own wooden boat from scratch, that would be so much fun, to me.

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BigJim

· #55 · Dec 12, 2021

Your boat is bigger than I remembered it being, that is a fun project. Looking forward to your project.

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BigJim

· #58 · Apr 7, 2022

THAT, is you boat motor? Man you don't do anything in a small way, that is going to be a super nice boat when you finish it.

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BigJim

· #60 · Apr 7, 2022

That is really nice, I see why you want to restore your boat. A very worthy project.

As high as building materials are today, have you considered using the Structured Insulated Panel System. I don't know the cost of SIP vs stick building but it sure goes faster and is super on insulation. A friend of mine built his house using this system and the heating and AC factor alone was a super pay back. Just thinking out loud here, I don't know the costs factor but by the time you figure labor at 55% less and insulation, building materials etc it is well worth looking into. Not to mention the time factor on a construction loan payback. I am not trying to tell you anything, just making a suggestion.

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BigJim

· #79 · 11 mo ago

I agree, it is looking good.

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BigJim

· #102 · 10 mo ago

If you ever want to see all the imperfections in anything, especially a sheetrock wall, lay a drop light with a shield against the wall, it will show every imperfection. It may work on your boat also. It sure does look nice, I would be proud of it.

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