Wood is good.

[Torchie]

been trying to remember this for a couple of weeks now with a name like Thunderbird...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlutXubHdlI&t=111s

Yeah that boat is legendary among the vintage boat crowd, 23.
John Hacker started to build boats( Hacker Crafts) in 1908 in my old home town of Detroit. The company is still in exsistence. He and Gar Woods as well as Horace Dodge ( yes that Dodge.) built some of the finest wooden boats of their era. They were toys for the rich and unlike Chris Crafts and Centuries, were never considered "Production boats." And like some car Manufacturers of the day they were heavy into racing. Designing and building some of the early "Gold Cup" racing boats with stepped hulls and powerful Hispano- Suiza engines. Truly works of art.
Hacker designs are still being built as one off by boat builders today.
I had the chance to see one of his boats up close. It was a 40's era boat that was called a "Express Commuter". Looked like a cabin cruiser. It had twin Chrylser Crown 6 cylinder engines in it. One of a kind, it was built for a rich family as transport, that had a cabin on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan. Even as a cabin cruiser it had a certain elegance of design that was the Hacker trade Mark.

By all means Torchie, rub it in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEHtfdGElKo

.

I thought of you as soon as I pulled out that yard stick. Crank.
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

Fitted the first angled strip this morning. [cl [cl [cl
Was going to do more but my back is talking to me.
These strips are beveled on the long edges so they overlap I little bit. You don't have to do this as just using 5200 in the seams will work as well.
Looking to finish this side tomorrow.
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

Fitted the first angled strip this morning. [cl [cl [cl
Was going to do more but my back is talking to me.
These strips are beveled on the long edges so they overlap I little bit. You don't have to do this as just using 5200 in the seams will work as well.
Looking to finish this side tomorrow.
Torchie

I just had to go out and fit one more board.
That's it. I'm done for the day.[ddd
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

Moving forward......sort of.

More strips cut and attached to the bow hull frames.
My goal was to have this side finished today.....
My back had other ideas.
That last strip will have to be redone as I cut it too short leaving a big gap at the keel edge.
This is the difference between me doing this and a pro boat restorer. A pro would not have made that mistake and if they had they would not have shown it to you all.
Going to finish it tomorrow regardless.
Thanks for looking in......
Torchie

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I was wondering how the plywood fit in the puzzle, but it makes sense now. [cl

Too short? I think that yardstick is trying to tell you something...

.

 

[soltz]

Starting to look like a boat!!![cl

 

[Torchie]

I was wondering how the plywood fit in the puzzle, but it makes sense now. [cl

Too short? I think that yardstick is trying to tell you something...

.

NO doubt Crank.
Some of this stuff would be easier with a second pair of hands. The closer you get to the bow the more curves there are. Hence the strips. It allows the pieces to twist to conform.

Starting to look like a boat!!![cl

Yes it is.
BUT.... just the first of 3 layers that will be applied. Next will be a layer of 3M5200 Followed immediately by setting the new planks.

Well. You guys know how it is.......
Rather then lie awake till 3 am thinking about your screw up and going out into your shop in your jammies to fix it. I went out into my shop at 7:30 in my jammies to fix it.[ddd [cl
Re did the short strip. Patterned and cut out the final piece. It needs a little trimming yet but I'm calling it for today.
Supposed to be warmer here tomorrow so I hope to be back at it.
Keep on keeping on.....
Torchie

 

[I-R-POPS]

Torchie
I know a total of nothing about wooden boats but I can appreciate your dedication to this project and your wood working talents.
I can relate to the aches and pains tho.
Stay after it![P[P

 

[Torchie]

Finished up fitting the inner ply on the port side bottom today.
On to the other side now.
Once both sides look like this the next step is to coat the ply with 2 coats of CPES (Clear penetrating epoxy sealer) and then bed it to the frames with 3M 5200 also putting a bead of 5200 in all the seams. That will take care of any gaps due to my less then perfect cuts.
That's it for today.
Thanks for visiting.....
Torchie

 

[Burgerman]

Nice work Torchie. [cl [P

 

[soltz]

WOW

++[P++

 

[DozerII]

Man that's a lot of work. When ever I work with 5200/4200 it's just like baby s??t, you get a little on one finger and before you know it it every where. [P[P

 

[Torchie]

Man that's a lot of work. When ever I work with 5200/4200 it's just like baby s??t, you get a little on one finger and before you know it it every where. [P[P

LOL Yes it is Dozer. [cl[ddd
I'm getting a battery powered Caulk gun for the next steps after this.
My wife asked me why I didn't buy a cheaper air one.
I explained to her that when it comes time to do the actual planking I'm going to enlist some help( Most likely her brothers) and I don't want to come out to the shop the next day to find that my retractable air hose is glued together on the reel with 5200. [ddd
Here is a pic of what the hull will look like right before I start the final planking process.
Pic is not of my boat.
Torchie

 

[dutch]

nice nice work Mr.T [cl

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Nice to see some assembly. Are you done repairing things?

I don't want to come out to the shop the next day to find that my retractable air hose is glued together on the reel with 5200.

You just know that's gonna happen, don't you?

.

 

[Old Iron]

Nice to see some assembly. Are you done repairing things?



You just know that's gonna happen, don't you?

.

[cl[cl[cl

 

[Torchie]

++[P++

Thanks soltz.

nice nice work Mr.T [cl

Thanks dutch.

Nice to see some assembly. Are you done repairing things?



You just know that's gonna happen, don't you?

.

As far as the bottom goes I am. Crank. (barring any more screw ups on my part)...

[cl[cl[cl

Thanks OI.

Sorry for the slow response gang and thanks for all the comments.I stayed off the computer today. [cl
I started in on the Starboard side chine yesterday. I figure maybe 2 more hours of work on it and I'll be ready for the final install.
I have the last known tube of locally sourced 5200 waiting for me , so that's taken care of.
After about an hour I realized that I really needed to clean out the inside of the hull. I can't remember the last time I did it. My little shop vac wasn't up for the challenge so I called the local hardware store(open for phone in/ curb pick up only) and got a 16 gal. with a 2-1/2 inch hose. I wear ear protection when I'm using it to preserve what hearing I have left.
Pics tell the story. Way too much sawdust and crap in there.
My bro -in-law lost his first boat project to a shop fire and I'm not about to repeat that.
This is going to take a while and involved me down on the shop floor ,yet again.
Remember. You are looking down into the boat thru the side with out the plywood on it yet.
Last pic show what a good shop vac can do.[cl
Torchie

 

[Old Iron]

Much better'
What is the pipe/bar in the 4th and 5th pic?

 

[Torchie]

Much better'
What is the pipe/bar in the 4th and 5th pic?

That's the attachment for the bow lift ring, OI. It goes right down to the keel.
These boats were not designed to be trailered, or really left in the water.
In the old days they were either hung from these hooks in a boat house or in slings.
If stored for long periods they were lifted up and put on bunks.
When I was a kid all of the local boat yards had a provision for lifting wooden boats as well as a under cover boat well with a hoist system.
I've seen more then one old wooden boat with the bow almost pulled out because someone put a "Nose Ring" on it like fiberglass boats have.
The pics below show the ring at the bow as well as the transom.
Torchie

 

[Torchie]

Minimal progress today as I have been battling a toothache since Friday night.
More clean up and some trim work on the Starboard side chine.
You can see where that bow lift ring connects to the frame work.
That dirty piece of wood is just one of the many shims that the factory used when building this boat. I have been able to do away with some of them.
As wooden boat builderGuru Don Dannenberg says. "Rebuild it better then new."
Keep on keeping on....
Torchie