Restoring 82SN in South Africa

Congrats and looks like some nice work on the boat!

I think you skipped over a few frames though...I really like seeing how others get to the same finishing point!

Hey Naut

Congrats on your daughter ! It's a true miracle when a baby is born.

My daughter turns 16 now and my son 13, so I know what it's like to have two kids in the house.

I'll keep you posted on the rope.Did not have time this weekend to get to the Vaal. A CC reunion sounds cool !

Ever looked into buying a second hand boat from the States and importing it ?

Wonder if you'll get an import permit for a second hand one ?

Duane

Congrats on the new baby girl, Donovan.
My daughter turned 14 on the 16th.

Mike, Duane:

Having daughters seems a challenge, especially seeing that i grew up as the eldest in a home full of boys, all our pets were male too. I may have to tap into your advice going forward.

Also, i have a new most annoying thing while doing the restore....dust from sanding down the foam makes the boat helluva slippery. I've seen my naut a few times slipping on this stuff.

Mike:

I know you repainted your dash. Not sure whether i should do the same. Mine has a few scratches in and i'm undecided as to polish out or respray. The scratches are deep in that you can feel them when you run your finger nail over them. What paint would work best in terms of look and adhesion?

Mike:

Thanks for the tips. I'll give it a wet sand when i do the top deck/superstructure and hope that removes the scratches as mine hasn't been painted before. If not i'll go the paint route and definitely use genuine chinese bristle with a thicker consistency paint. Hopefully that will do the trick. I'll let you know of the end result.

Some motivation to pick up the pace:

Just up the road..

Hi Mike:

I've really battled to find the appropriate battery box. The standard one seems to be US specific and i cannot find a local replacement i.t.o dimensions and the way the lip of the box is made. I also haven't found any box which will provide and alternative opening which will result i a neat fit and finish.

I thought of laying two layers of heavy mat, then shape smoothly with filling epoxy and seal with fine cloth. I believe this will give me the strength to hold up the battery together with a basic ply frame (sealed and laminated of course). Outside of cutting the box shape into the foam, i haven't progressed on the box so i can always refill the hole if i make another plan in the meantime. Let me know if you've seen any other solutions.

It really is odd that i've battled to find vent hose and a battery box. I would never have thought at the outset.

I could find vent hose at aircon distrubutors or pvc pipe at plumbers but all are too thick or too thin in diameter based on ruling construction legislation in SA. Frickin' wierd.

Unfortunately the prime of summer is ticking away but we can comfortably ski well into May here. June, July and August are cold (well for us that is at around 16 deg C at it's worst) but we'll still go out and braai (barbecue) and just cruize around the lake while tinkering and fine tuning for the new season. I also plan on spending some time sanding down the trailer and giving it a repray or powder coat over that time.

However, i should be finished with the floor soon. At the same time i have my gardener helping with the wetsand every Thursday while i'm at work. I only have the final grit to go then i can begin repainting the striping.

Also, here are the templates from the signwriter for the decals. May i have your honest opinions? It looks good to me. I did say to him at the outset that if i's not EXACTLY the same it's back to the drawing board at his cost. I'll measure this against my mates 2001. As a note, the lettering is all that's being cut on the sides (not the stripes), the gold 2001 decal is for the dash exactly as presented.

Mike:

Thanks for that offer. I might just take you up on that. Super.

Hi Donovan
Glad you're back! Thought you'd be quiet for a while with the new baby.
Artwork looks great. Site even greater ! Finally brought the boat back from the Vaal for some maintenance. I replaced the rope(rubrail), added a 12" sub,2 6x9's,new Pioneer USB stereo, moved the positioning of the boat back on the trailer and serviced the motor and gearbox. What a mouthfull ! I'll give you some details later.
Cheers

Clew:

I had mine cut by a signwriter after he measured it all up. Perhaps you could take the pic i've posted and do the same. If you're keen i'll mail you the scale file for your signwriter to use. Just supply me an address.

Block:

Great to hear you're also getting all your checklists done. Don't be shy to share pics of your stereo install. Where did you get your boat serviced and what was the damage if i may ask (wallet damge), also, what work did they do?

Eric:

I also think the horns are a bit cheesy. My daughter is very mellow and peaceful, i've hardly heard her cry at all. Mrs Naut is also a dedicated mom when it comes to night feeding. Naturally she has the goods so i'm not of much help.

Just a note...i've recently got into watching Nascar. I'll follow this season a little before i choose a driver or team to support. I'm leaning toward a ford powered car based on the heart of my boat. All the commercial breaks drive me nuts though.

I usually chose an underdog.

I've always been into NHRA, only top fuel and funny car though.

Don

Do all servicing myself. Real easy. Bought a pump in the US to suck out old oil. Works like a charm. Also replaced the teak on the step plates. My brother in law does woodworking as a hobby an has some serious machines. I'll post some pics later.

Hi There:

After reviewing Mike's post and considering hours, it has really brought home the fact that i have grossly underestimated the hours to finish. I have adjusted my thinking and time frame based on Mike's post and put my mind to rest that this is taking a lot longer than i had planned. I originally looked at around 120 to 150 hours but 200 seems more like it.

Although he lives in another province, My Dad has mentioned coming over for a week of solid time on the project to fast track it a little. I've also put in a weeks leave in April to do the same.

Here are some pics of the bits and pieces worked on this week.

I filled with foam around the floor supports. My carving and shaping skills aren't too hot with foam so never ask me to shape your next foam surfboard.



I also cut out the bow floor section, rear floor section and bow kick plate out and began sealing these. They are now ready to go in. This is quite a milestone for me i.t.o having all the below floor wood sealed and placed into the boat before my Dad arrives to help. We can the focus on getting the floor boards down and sealed in with finishing work thereafter.

Rear removable floor



Bow floor section



An odd one when reviewing the site is the setup of the floor section around the pylon. Is this unique to my boat? Not sure...but i stuck to it none the less.



Another departure is to extend the driver footwell kickplate across the hull and fill with foam in the bow section. Thus will give me extra bouyancy and push me well over the limits prescribed by new South African marine legislation.



Perhaps we won't have more rain this weekend and i can post more progress pics early next week.