'76 Seafari Restoration

[bassriverdoormatt]

Hey everyone, I finally got serious about working on getting this old girl seaworthy. With the time off available from the current situation, it lends to an agreeable solution between me and the wife. Convincing her that the boat would be a great way to socially distance ourselves wasn't too difficult. So I did the gas tank hatch repair last fall but just got around to posting the pictures. When I bought the boat, the previous owner told me the hatch needed work and used plywood and liquid nails for a somewhat temporary fix. I fully realized this when I was moving the hatch for the first time. The fiberglass was completely separated from the hatch core. I bought some 1708, balsa core, and West System epoxy to start the repair. I used a heat gun to remove the old glue and balsa. Once that was cleaned, I measured the balsa for a solid fit then I sanded the edges down to a less aggressive edge. I mixed some epoxy then laid the balsa core on it. I should have mixed a filler material in with that epoxy but hindsight is 20/20. I laid it down and added weight to ensure it set. After that, I laid the 1708 and epoxy. Other than the epoxy leaking out through the screw holes, it came out pretty good.

I'm going to be working on the wiring next with a new switch panel and fuse panel along with all new wiring. The transom is the next big project as I found some rotten wood starboard of the engine.

[Xcomunic8d]

Sounds like a good use of time to me...My wife’s a teacher and my kids are still doing school via zoom and conference calls.

Weird my kids tell me to be quiet they are on a call?!

Looks good from what I can tell. At least far better than what I’ve seen on the island.

[Bikecop1]

Looks great. Post some more pics of the whole boat. I’ve got one to restore also.

[SailorChlud]

Interesting that you have almost sharp 90 degree corners on that hatch. Mine in 1972 was much more rounded:

[bassriverdoormatt]

Sailor, I like the look of the more rounded corners on your hatch better than the sharp corners. Xcomunic8d, I can imagine its a little more difficult out there in the middle of the Pacific. I am pulling inspiration from both of your build threads as well as the wealth of information on this site.

I pulled the old switch panel and steering wheel off to clean up the backside of the bulkhead. I found some soft wood around the switch panel and started digging... I pulled the trim for the door off and the wood was soaked. Time to add to the list! I took the fiberglass off on the cabin side and cleaned up the old, rotten wood. The other side needs to be done as well. Both sides of the bulkhead had this hard red putty along the bottom and up the sides attaching it to the rest of the boat along with screws. Is it like a bondo type material?









The step down is very soft too so I'll tackle that soon. My plan is to use the dremel to cut the skin off then dig out the crap wood and lay in the other balsa core I have from the fuel tank hatch project.

As far as the transom goes, I'm leaning towards using Arjay. It is less invasive than a coosa or baltek replacement and also cheaper.

When I was waiting for the electrical supplies to come in, I did some sanding on the teak to prep it for the varnish. It was in rough shape and probably hasn't had any sort of TLC in 15 plus years. The grain was raised and took some serious sanding to get even with the rest. I'll be working on this periodically when the weather doesn't allow work on the boat itself.

[Xcomunic8d]

Ah yes, you bring back many memories. None of them very good.

My best tool for getting that plywood off was a grinder with a sanding disc attachment. I used this and got some really heavy duty sand paper. I’d recommend templating before you get too far into demo. That could have saved me lots and lots of time and materials.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-4...S01G/202830887

That red stuff is potter putty. Essentially peanut butter fiberglass. Teak looks really good. Mine was in far worse shape. Yours should look even better. That Pettit flagship varnish is thick enough to cover the grain and level it out with numerous coats applied. You must seal the wood first or it will crack on you. Shellac makes a good sealer. You can buy many brands of sealers too. But the dirty secret is most of them are alcohol based (just like shellac).

[SailorChlud]

Man those bulkheads are toast! In 1972 the bulkheads were seperate components bolted on top and screwed on the bottom sides, and free-floating on the outside edges by the hull. Here are before and after photos of my bulkheads for comparison:

[bassriverdoormatt]

Nice job on those! I ripped out the port side today. Since the weather is supposed to be crappy tomorrow, I'll cut out the replacements and if I have time/feel like it, put the first coat of varnish on the teak.

[bassriverdoormatt]

I finished the bulkheads and installed the new switch panel and fuse block on it. I decided to go at the transom from the back. That is now cut and all of the old, rotten plywood is removed. In addition, I started on the stepdown area since that was very bouncy. I made a slight mistake in cutting through the bottom fiberglass so the entire thing came out. How would you go about putting the floor back in? I was thinking of creating a few braces to install on the bottom and epoxy them at the proper height so the floor goes back in at the right level.

[Xcomunic8d]

I’d put cross braces (2?) and vertical supports. 3-4 per side. Definitely below the cross braces.

Everything else sounds good. Keep up the good work.