1950 CC Junior Utility Restoration

juniorwoody wrote: I was contemplating scarfing a little ply in .

Jack,
You may be a great woodworker but maybe not thinking too much about the scarfing of modern day ply and the problems it creates with finishing. Today's plys have at best a 1/64" face veneer - you have NO room for sanding!!!! (the old plys came in to the boat builders with over 1/8" mahogany faces!!) If you scarf join the "new" plys with any adhesive (epoxy is my choice) any surplus on the face will seal that surface preventing you from doing ANY grain fill and stain. What needs to be done if you must reskin a ply boat and scarf with ply is to pre fill, stain and pre finish the ply with a couple coats of varnish, cut the scarf, make the joint with the epoxy, wipe off the excess off the sealed surface and go from their. You had better have a BIG fixturing table set up for the cutting of the actual scarf as well as the gluing/clamping since the procedure needs to be PRECISE!!

Sorry but I'm now questioning your woodworking skills or at least you finishing skills???? YOU MUST think the whole process though from start to finish!! Cut the ply back and make the stem to fit!! Please fill us in on your ACTUAL skills!!!

I still feel (as well as Al) That you are making a big mistake with not pulling that ply skin.!!

The old stringers have been removed and the new are in the works.

juniorwoody wrote: ....regarding my skill set sir it would behoove all contributors to bring to the table a liberal offering of diplomacy a quality I find myself in want of in your last entry. With no desire to create a great debate I can't help but note I find it appalling that you would suggest a drastic alteration which changes the very profile of the vessel as an alternate to a well executed repair.

Jack,
Sorry but sometimes diplomacy is hard to convey in words. I do have that problem at times and I know everyone has. I really was not questioning your woodworking skills but also please understand that we have not seen any proof of that skill level yet. I feel I have.

Again, the point I was trying to make is fininshing the scarf joint with the problem of excess adhesive on the face veneer. You are corrrect that the scarf is easy for any good woodworker. I actually made a router sled and guides for panel scarfing since they are not available commercially.

Please keep the pictures coming and again, I'm sorry for what I beleive to be a misunderstanding of my intent.

You will find that I'm probably the biggest "keep it original" member here but, do not feel cutting back the ply at the stem roughly 3/4" and trimming down the forward frame a little will create a "drastic alteration". Tell us more about your thoughts on the repair.

dip wrote: Jack, Please keep posting your project. Don't let an arrogant, condescending SOB keep the rest of us from seeing your progress. I'm looking forward to seeing your skills exhibited. One day I hope to tackle a similar project with my kids.

hi dap, there is no greater reward than working on a project with your child. I always marvel at the aptitude they develop over the years and getting to enjoy the final outcome together is an added bonus. My son and I have rebuilt a couple old tractors and last year installed a new floor in his Nautique. We share the same enthusiasm for wood boats, specially the models not so coveted by the elitists. I don't wear starched shirts either. Will be posting pics as we progress and I thank you for your interest.

Jack

Hey Jack. A number of us are looking forward to seeing your handiwork. I'm a shadetree wordworker myself and enjoy seeing how others do their magic. Make sure to include pics of any shop built jigs you use.

And please try not to take Pete the wrong way. He only means to help. My guess is that if yall ever swapped a story over a beer, you'd both be looking forward to the next time. Heck, I'd even let him use my front door.

Pete, I apologize. I came home grouchy from a long day and I took your comment too harshly. I have things I'm very good at, things I'm okay at and things I'm downright bad at but I'd never question someone else's ability or degrade their skills, even if they were questionable (not that I'm suggesting that here). I do appreciate the obvious experience and perspective you bring.
Jack, I made my living as a furniture maker for a decade. I will be particularly interested to hear how your skills apply to a boat project. Woodworking has many, many specialties and being a master at one or two doesn't make one even a novice at another. It's precisely the ability to learn another set of skills using the same tools I look forward to. That plus I hope it helps my kids connect to boating as passionately as I have, which I credit my grandfather for.
Hope y'all have a good day. And I do hope to make more reunions

juniorwoody wrote: I do want you to note that repairs made in an area that is to be painted are much more forgiving that areas that need to be clear finished. In the case of painted areas, and as long as they can be made to have structural integrity, leveling off the area can be accomplished by various means such as bondo, wood fillers and even epoxy and fiberglass cloth.

Jack,
Absolutely a painted hull is pretty easy to fair however, you have a bright hull which makes repair more difficult. You hopefully aren't thinking about paint are you?

Any fairing under paint or on the bottom, stick with epoxy and the needed filler. Bondo is a polyester and is hygroscopic. You don't want it with wood. Also, stay with the 5200 system and not a "west" bottom if you do decide to tear into the hull that far. The "West" bottoms are failing big time!! It should have never been used for wood boat repair. It just doesn't flex enough and our old hulls do flex plenty!! I made the mistake on my 54 and there are a couple areas where I do see hairline cracking. The epoxy system when it came out was "easy" but really designed for veneer cold molding a hull. Many fell into the "trap"!!

"You can not put a price on this guy's knowledge and willingness to share it. That said Jack, he doesn't beat around the bush when he has an opinion either but I think you've wise enough to see it for what it is. Enjoy the project and keep us up to date, these threads are very enjoyable to watch unfold."

Hey 81Nautique, The threads are interesting and informative only with the interaction from other members like those I have been fortunate enough to have heard from. Certainly a good deal of the fun is in the posting and sharing.

Jack

Jack,
Keep the pictures coming! Did you decide on a wood species yet? purchased?

This weekend progress was made toward the stringer replacement. Started carving into that very nice, virgin growth douglas fir plank I picked up on Friday. They had my choice of Sitka, mahogany, wh oak or d fir. The fir was the most affordable and came highly recommended here so it was a no brainer.

Today I removed, cleaned and reinstalled half the mahogany triangular gussets and prepped the two stringers for the final fit. Ten years storage in an airplane hanger has left her high and dry. A pleasure to work on.

lewy2001 wrote: Jack loving the pictures just wish they were a bit bigger. When you resize them 640 X 480 pixels is a good size for this forum. Also check out your camera as you may be able to lower the resolution down to 640 X 480 and then there is no need to resize before posting.

thanks, i will work on getting the optimum size. noticed the detail was a bit lacking.

8122pbrainard wrote: They were ether painted or most came through from the factory bright.

What do you mean by "bright?"

8122pbrainard wrote: Jack, Considering your Junior is a 1950, I'd say it was bright from the factory. Later years is when paint would have been more prevalent.

To be sure the information on finishes seems to be lacking. History has escaped our records on that one. I really can't find much mention of my boat at all. This may be one area where the decision is made in favor of the boat reconditioner and considering what there is to work with. I do not plan on buying new ply for the hull at this point.

8122pbrainard wrote: Jack, Considering your Junior is a 1950, I'd say it was bright from the factory. Later years is when paint would have been more prevalent.

Hi Pete, I have contemplating the possibility of making a larger or wider stem that would allow me to trim some bad plywood without altering the boat length. Ever seen that done?