1980 Ski Nautique Total Restoration

Good reminder, 8122pbrainard. I already purchased the CPES, so I am ready.

I have found wet foam all the way up at the nose. I dont like leaving any of the foam- especially the old stuff that absorbs water. It seems much more straightforward to form the air box from scratch rather than trying to leave it in place or reuse the old somehow... but thats just me.

On the boat that I did in the original style (glass over foam), it had the air box that spanned the entire width. After the floor and PVC pipes were in place, I poured the foam in several small batches, which allowed it to "grow" above floor level in front. I then trimmed it with a hand saw and angle grinder until it was in the proper shape, then glassed over it.

On the boat that I rebuilt with coosa, I formed the side and front of the air box with the boards, then poured from the top until it was full... then trimmed the height and laid a board on top, then glassed over the whole thing.

I think the latter approach using ply or similar would be fairly straightforward and would be my recommendation for this build. The ply will give your screws holding the carpeted panels in place something to bite to.

I agree with TRBenj. If you look back through the pictures you will see discoloration on the hull below the air box and battery box locations. The foam was totally soaked, so much that the rot trail is still obvious after much grinding. The breach was the result of the combination of 3 things. 1-the failure of the dryer-vent style ventilation hose and, 2-The sucky non-sealed black pipe which carried the control-cables, wiring, and steering cable. 3- the failed battery boy drain line connection. When the bow dipped into a wake or wave the resulting wall of water could easily enter the bow mounted air intake, enter the deteriorated vent hoses and find its way to the foam. On this boat the black ABS type of pipe that was used as a conduit for the cables and wiring was cut and snapped over the wires rather than the wires and cabled threaded through it. Not to say anything of the missing elbow where the pipe made the transition down the downward angle towards the stern. The pipe was just cut and lapped together at that point. Instant water entrance point. Seems to me that if CC would have invested $50 of additional time and materials these boats wood structures would have lasted many more years.

Gun-runner: your method obviously worked for you-that's cool. I want the satisfaction of going all the way. And to insure the integrity of the bow lifting eve and bow ring. How did you replace the support leg that was attached to the right stringer? Do you have any pictures? Seems like if you only plowed a channel out that you would not be able to get the replacement stringer with attached leg back it there.

Nice work, Gun-Driver.

I read a post on this forum that identified the former CC employees as monkeys with chainsaws. I wouldn't go that far, but once you take one of these boats apart piece by piece and reveal how they were built it does make you wonder. I think the design was relatively good, but the production quality was substandard overall. Lots of cut corners, likely driven by production scheduals. I used to work with a carpenter whos building quality was inadequate. When challenged his response would normally be, "carpet will cover it". I think that is what was going on at CC back in those days. The finish was always good, but the underlying work has often inadequate.

Having said all of that, I wouldn't consider another brand or type of boat. Still the Harley-Davidson of mid-engine tow boats.

I think if anyone of us that's rebuilt old Correct Crafts pulled a new boat apart, they'd be full of ideas how the new boat could be made better. I pulled our 03 Malibu's coaming pads and back seat out when it was 2 years old to get at the gas tank, and wished that I'd ordered the boat incomplete so that I could have finished it.

Tending to my Hurricane Sandy worksites, Moore Oklahoma worksite, new responses in Washington Il and now Oso Washington leaves no time to work on this boat. Good thing I am not in a hurry.

Got the top edges chamfered, the drain cut-out half circles cut and chamfered and the first coat of CPES brushed on. Hope to get another coat on tomorrow afternoon.

Starting bedding in the primary stringers this weekend. Do you folks recommend installing all of the bulkheads and supports before beginning laying the mat?

Watauga wrote: Do you folks recommend installing all of the bulkheads and supports before beginning laying the mat?

No, definitely not. Stringers need to be fully glassed down first for structural reasons. It will also make the job a lot easier not having to work around any ribs yet.

Bulkheads and ribs should be shaped to fit against stringers with glass on them. I do not recommend grinding off the structural fiberglass in order to gain an easier fit- that is backwards logic.

I've used 2" hard PVC in place of 3" dryer hose on a Ski Tique (3 lines, 302ci) and 2.5" flex PVC in a Barefoot Nautique (3 lines, 454ci). Both boats run well in excess of their factory RPM and speed, and run no faster with the motorbox up (or off). They're not starving for air, so take that for what it's worth. Older boats only had 1-2 vents and I've seen several larger engines installed that run high rpm without starving. It's highly doubtful that CC engineered the Cfm of the vent hoses- just installed what they could fit- and it's overkill. I will say that the flex PVC is a lot easier to route and is worth the extra cost vs the hard stuff.

Thanks, TRBenj & Morfoot. I will take your advice. I got the primaries bedded in and they look pretty good. They seem to be solid, therefore I am inclined to bed in the secondaries before I start glassing in the primaries. What do you think?

Jamestown back-ordered the 4" glass and will not ship until June 15th. I guess I could do the first 2" layer and wait for the 4", but I think I can go ahead now with bedding the secondaries and rough cut the ribs and bulkheads and begin figuring out the conduit placements.

Another thing has become apparent. While I was bedding in the primaries I noticed the steering cable has a cracked outer plastic jacket in several places. I need to investigate replacing it, and probably the control cables as well while I am doing this. Don't want to try to snake the old cables out and snake new ones in later on. Really not complaining since they are 33 years old.

Began bedding in the secondary stringers last evening and got the port side finished. Hope to do the starboard side tonight.

I found no additional bulkheads in that area marked just foam,if you add some may be good to keep them lower so you can add thickness to the underside of flooring panel for better seat fixing.

Watauga wrote: Thanks for the help, UK1979. It appears your SN is a few years older than mine. Yours obviously did not have the sculpted primaries that allow access to the motor mounts on the cradle...based on the picture above. The boats that were late in the series (with cradles) before the 2001s were introduced had some components there which provided some support for the floor, which was cantilevered towards the engine enough for the doghouse to rest, but also allow access to the motor mounts horizontal bolts. I would really like to see a picture of a similar boat that underwent new stringer installation.

This may help it’s an 81 with cradle it looks like they just shaped the foam to the newer design and glassed over to make the floor just as the older ones... if you’re not using foam time to use your imagination.

Hope this helps

Yes.
That gave me more support and contact points for adhesion for the floor in between the ribs and also helped tie the floor to the wall, a weak spot on these boats.