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1956 Chris Craft Sportsman 5200 Bottom

1956 Chris Craft Sportsman 5200 Bottom

We are just two coats of Pettit Old Salem Copper Bronze Hard Racing Enamel away from completing installing a True 5200 Bottom on this 1956 17’ Chris-Craft Special Sportsman.

While the Interlux Interprotect 2000E Barrier Coat Epoxy Primer cures for re-coating in five hours, the Pettit bottom paint wants sixteen hours at seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Since our shop stays in the mid-sixties, we will wait twenty to twenty-fours, or until midday tomorrow, to apply the second coat.

Her bottom will receive a third coat, but not until the balance of this preservation project is behind us. All of her topside and transom planks must be released. We do no know until then how many, if any, can be saved, and re-stacking of the topside planks is an absolute must, as is replacing at least one transom plank.

That said, on next Wednesday we will flip and load her onto her trailer, and place her in our storage facility until we and her owner agree on the path forward. His history with her – she was bought new by his family. He grew up with her as the core of family activities each year. She was sold and then banished to lying beneath a tree with a deteriorating canvas tarp as her only protection from the elements for forty years until he finally found her three or so years ago.

Those strong family and emotional ties are driving him towards investing himself in the balance of her preservation. We understand and anticipate a warm and compassionate conversation with him in the coming months.

But the best news is that, with her True 5200 Bottom in place and all structural elements now sound, we saved her. Mission accomplished!

Here are links to all the videos we shot to date:

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1947 Chris Craft U22 Sportsman in the Shop

1947 chris craft whiteside U22

Her owners were following their usual and customary route from their cottage to the broad lake, traveling along at a good speed when suddenly and abruptly, she slammed to a stop, nearly ejecting her occupants.

Her lake’s level had dropped significantly and rocks and ledge that had always been well below the surface over the season and in prior years was now just beneath the surface. The crash destroyed her prop, prop shaft, strut, rudder and rudder shaft log.

The force of the crash also destroyed the athwart bottom framing, the keel and the keelson in from the transom to at least two feet forward.

Topside plank fasteners failed under the stress visited upon them, popping rows of bungs in the process.

Two of the Chrysler Crown engine’s mounts failed completely, and a third was severely ripped under the impact. While we cannot diagnose engine issues unless and until the engine is torn down, that RPMs were driven from 2000 +/- to zero instantaneously cannot be good for it.

We will not really know the full extent of the damage until we empty and flip the hull over. The good news is that other than wanting a comprehensive cosmetic do-over, this U22 is in excellent shape, with nary a bit of rot discovered up to this point.

We will strip her completely inside and out and then proceed with refinishing all surfaces.

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1947 Chris Craft U22 Engine Leak Down & Compression Tests

1947 chris craft U22 engine leak down compression tests

Using our Abn Cylinder Leak Detector & Engine Compression Tester Kit we performed leak down and compression tests on our 1947 Chris-Craft U22’s original Chrysler Crown flathead six engine. It failed both of them miserably.

While we only taped leak down testing of the number four cylinder, which scored the worst of the six, all six were tested and scored very poorly. After using a wood dowel to confirm that the piston was at TDC, we adjusted the tester and then put 90 PSI pressure to it. The result was 95% leakage. With readings ranging from about 50 PSI to 65 PSI, he compression tests on all six cylinders returned similarly failing scores.

According to Robert Henkel, Peter Henkel Inc., “The Chrysler Crown is the best, strongest and most reliable of all flathead six marine engines built from WWII on, but all of them wear out.

“This one has served its owners for many decades without being rebuilt. Based on your leak down and compression tests, it’s just tired, worn out. It’s time to tear it down and rebuild it. It could be a failed head gasket, but with numbers as low as your results, I am guessing, but will not know for certain until we tear it down, that it’s reached the end of its useful life.”

He also reminded us that this engine went through a bottoming that destroyed its running gear. “It’s likely we will also find major damage to the lower end of the engine, especially the crank shaft, bearings and connecting rods.”

Crating and shipping it to him next week is our only option.

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1947 Chris Craft Cedar Plank U22 Hull Damage

1947 chris craft whiteside U22 hull damage

As introduced in her last video, this 1947 cedar-planked U22 ran hard aground last fall. We have now finished deconstructing everything in and on her hull, and finally can get a good look at and begin to understand the resulting damage to her hull and running gear.

Save for the last two athwart bottom frames, the rudder log installation plank, the final 3 – 4 feet of keelson and keel and the center transom frame, the hull ahead of the prop shaft log escaped damage. Indeed, structurally, this U22’s hull is as sound as any we’ve worked on to date.

That said, encountering the ledge and stones on the bottom visited major damage from the prop shaft log aft. Save for that shaft log, all of the running gear was destroyed. Indeed, we will not even be able to release the rudder shaft log unless and until we release at least the bottom transom plank, but it was distorted beyond repair as well.

Later today I will strip the transom, release the bottom plank and probably the next one up in an effort to expose the rudder shaft log enough so we can release it.

At the very least, we must replace sections of the keel, the keelson, the last two athwart bottom frames, and the center transom frame, which means also releasing significant sections of the bottom. (We cannot really understand the full extent of the hull damage before she is flipped, her bottom is stripped and we begin releasing bottom planks.)

The good news is that I have been able to source all of the running gear components, save for the strut, which will be cast anew in bronze in Michigan, thanks to Robert Henkel and Peter Henkel Inc.

Yes, this video is long and detailed, so I will allow it to speak for her rather than asking you to read endlessly here.

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1953 Penn Yan Swift CZT Varnish Update

1953 penn yan swift czt varnish

We are sooo close to completing the varnishing of this incredibly original 1953 12’ Penn Yan Swift CZT!

Once today’s coats of varnish have cured, Joe will hand sand the decks, rub rails and coamings one more time using P500 grit paper. Then she will be moved to the paint booth’s dust-free interior for a final two coats of varnish using Pettit Hi Build, (which has now been replaced by Pettit Flagship High Build Varnish 2015)

Reassembly will be next, after which we will set her back on her Tee Nee trailer for a trip to Marine Canvas of Vermont, where Chris Hanson, working with her owners, will fabricate two sets of seat cushions.

When she returns, we will move her to a different trailer so we can restore her Tee Nee to this standard.

While all these activities are proceeding, Fran Secor of Otego, NY, who consistently wins class Best of Show awards for his outboard engine restorations at the annual ACBS show in Clayton, NY, is working apace to restore her 18 HP Johnson Sea Horse to as-new and show-ready condition. We will finish this wonderful project by spring and be ready to transport her to her home waters in Seattle, WA.

We will not ship her before we can enjoy doing a thorough sea trial on Lake Champlain, so fingers are crossed that we get an early and warm spring!

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1953 Penn Yan 12′ Swift CZT Hull Preservation Milestone

1953 penn yan swift czt hull preservation

Yes, our bad. We’ve been silent on our preservation of this incredibly original 1953 Penn Yan 12’ Swift CZT for several weeks.

Our defense? Applying coats of Pettit Easypoxy jade green topside paint to her canvas exterior, while other crew climb beneath her flipped hull to strip, clean and apply multiple coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine varnish to her interior surfaces is just not the stuff of informative video reporting. However, this morning we blew through this milestone and have flipped her aright so our attention can turn to her decks, gunwales and transom trim.

Anthony has been preserving all of the released interior seating and other components while we have been attending to the hull.

Our next task involves folding small strips of 80 grit paper in half and sanding every seam just enough – so that we have nicely sharp edges and have cleared all old varnish and stripper residue from them.

Would it be “OK” to just sand the surfaces fair, run the vacuum along the seams and call it good?

No. Doing so means shortcutting, something we will not do. More critical, however, is leaving all that residue in the seams risks spreading contamination throughout the varnish.

Once we’ve cleaned the seam channels and sanded the decks and all related surfaces fair, they will be bleached, stained and then sealed with at least three coats of Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES).

Varnishing is next. In that connection, Pettit has updated its product line and replaced its EZ-Poxy Hi-Build varnish with 2015 Z Spar Flagship High Guild Varnish. We cannot see much, if any difference between the old standard and this new product, but Pettit seems to believe it has reinvented the wheel, particularly as regards UV protection:

2015 Flagship Varnish is considered the traditional standard in the marine industry, with reliable service, versatile application and tough yet flexible durability.

Flagship’s blend of resins and oils achieves excellent brushing performance that levels and sands with the same outstanding characteristics as 1015 Captains Varnish. Flagship boasts the highest screening of damaging UV rays for longer varnish life. This is accomplished through an ultraviolet light filter in conjunction with a hindered amine light stabilizer.

These filters warm woodwork to a light amber hue which will enhance the rich, classic brightwork appearance. A deep rich mirror-like finish increases with each coat of Flagship Varnish, which has the highest build and film depth per coat. Each coat also increase the outstanding abrasion resistance of Flagship Varnish.

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1953 Penn Yan Swift CZT Hull Painting

1953 penn yan swift hull painting

Working from a Benjamin Moore color card supplied by her owners, George Kirby, Jr. absolutely nailed custom mixing and matching the rich green color chosen by the Swift’s owners.

The second coats of the Kirby topside paint had just been rolled on as I shot this clip, so it has not flattened out as it will when cured.

We are treating this painting process much as we would were we finishing the hull bright. Three to four build coats will be applied, followed by hand block sanding with 120 grit. Additional coats will follow, with block sanding using ever finer grits after every three-coat application segment. Once we are satisfied and the paint has a week to cure completely, we will flip her upright and begin working on the decks and gunwales.

Assembly will likely commence before the New Year. Yahoo!

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1957 Lyman Runabout Helm Seating Milestone!

1957 lyman runabout helm seating

Today we blast through another milestone, well two, actually.

Our 1957 23’ Lyman Runabout helm seat reconfiguration challenge is behind us, and we are ready to disassemble her interior, ceilings, seating and lockers for final sanding followed by staining, sealing and varnishing.

That’s all well and very good, but what is far more worth celebrating is that RJ stepped into his Dad’s shoes and proved himself equal to the challenge of fabricating the port side of our new pair of helm seats and lockers. Knowing him as I do, I was absolutely confident he’d cross this personal milestone and prove to himself in the process that he’s ready to tackle our fabrication challenges. And all on the day before Thanksgiving! He and we have much to be thankful for, especially when it involves personal growth,, as this challenge has for RJ.

Congratulations RJ! We could not be prouder of your personal accomplishment. You’ve always been a can-do guy around here, but now you know you can contribute mightily to Snake Mountain Boatwork’s quest to deliver only the highest standards of craftsmanship.

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1937 20′ Lyman Varnish Prep Milestone!

1937 Lyman Varnish Prep Milestone

Ready for varnish is a huge milestone, and the prospect of applying the initial four to five coats of Pettit Hi-Build Varnish is generating lots of excitement in the shop.

Even though we currently have six other wonderful woodies at various stages of preservation in the shop, the 1937 20’ Lyman Runabout is iconic and more.

We will apply the first four to five coats and then block sand by hand with 120 grit. Sanding after each group of three coats will follow using ever-finer grits.

She and her stately beauty, which is so typical of Pre-War wooden boat design, will emerge, slowly at first, but then at an accelerating pace.

Robert Henkel, Peter Henkel, Inc. in Marine City, MI, has, as always, executed a masterful comprehensive tear-down and rebuild of her engine.

Stay tuned for updates as we move towards completing her preserevation.

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1953 Penn Yan Swift CZT Filling & Fairing the Canvas

1953 penn yan czt filling fairing

This 12’ 1953 Penn Yan Swift CZT, hull number CZT 251, continues to impress us with her originality and excellent condition. We have yet, and now will not, sighted any rot anywhere in the hull.

While the exterior paint could not be saved, and simply began flaking off down to the canvas as soon as we touched it with 100 grit sandpaper, her canvas is in excellent condition, is tight on both the hull and transom, and appears to be original.

We stripped the paint and filler using Jamestown’s Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint and Varnish Remover, a process that loosened the canvas a bit as it was wetted by the stripper, but once dry, it is drum tight over the entire hull and transom.

As she is the first canvassed Penn Yan Swift we’ve preserved, I reached out to Charlie Santi, who is renowned for his preservation of Finger Lakes, NY region boats, including scores of Penn Yans, for guidance in filling and fairing the canvas Penn Yan used.

Based on his advice, we are priming the hull and its canvas with TotalBoat Topside Primer. Fairing with 3M Marine Premium Filler, followed by two to three more coats of the TotalBoat primer will complete the topcoat preparation. Her owners, who live in Seattle, WA, chose a very rich British Racing Green for her hull. As I type, George Kirby, Jr., George Kirby, Jr. Paint Company, New Bedford, MA, which is renowned for its marine paints, is custom mixing semi-gloss marine topside paint that match the owners’ choice for us. (You should think about Kirby the next time you need paint. George and his wife, Sheri, offer a wide array of modern and classic colors, and are simply fantastic to work with).

We will have her ready for topcoat painting as soon as George can get the paint to us. We will keep you in the loop as we progress toward the day we can flip her over and continue working on her decks and interior. (We have cleaned and scuff-sanded her bilge and interior hullsides, and applied the initial coats of Sikkens Cetol Marine varnish to them, but must wait until she is upright to complete these tasks.