1966 Crestliner North Star project

Mark, you are a wealth of LED info. Thanks for the education on the subject. I am impressed with the construction of the Cree product. It feels very well made and robust. I need to play with them at night to see just how strong, bright, and broad the beam is. So far, I'm happy with them.


Dave
 
Good morning, Dave~

It must have gotten a bit warmer down your way! Ten degrees here this morning.

re FLOTATION: I would definitely use 2-part closed cell urethane foam - probably 2 pounds per cubic foot. BUT, you should do some calculations to figure out how many cubic feet you need to float the weight of the fully-rigged (and powered) vessel with gunners, gear, etc . While some floatation will not hurt anything, too little will allow the boat to sink just as fast as no flotation. I am guessing you will need to fill the spaces in the bilge - while providing ways for any water to drain aft. (And, it will certainly make the hull quieter!)

One thing I have thought of - but not yet tried - is to make my poured-in-place foam removable by lining each compartment with plastic before the pour. Each compartment would be a custom female mold. That way, if you did need to remove it - for maintenance or to make sure water can move beneath it - you could extract each compartment's foam in one piece. Again, this is just a dream of mine thus far - I wonder if anyone else has done this? I envision taping down some half-round stock on the inside bottom of the hull - beneath where the foam will be poured - to form generous drainage channels and tributaries.

I have used foam from RAKA - and I know U S Composites sells it as well. It is both temperature-sensitive and time critical - once you add Parts A and B together, you need to stir thoroughly for a set time then pour it right away! Since your purpose is not structural, you can pour each compartment in a few "lifts" and avoid waste.

BTW: With all those nice galvanized nuts and bolts - I'm a big fan of Anti-Seize.

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve....great info and suggestions. I have been on a couple sites and have been doing the formulas to "guesstimate" floatation requirements. Most calculations come up with around 14.7 square feet of floatation. When looking at other examples, that seems about right since my boat is relatively light. I will do some more calculations and also some research on exactly what kind of 2 part will give me the most "bang for the buck" as far as buoyancy. My idea is to add the foam to the two compartments on each side of the floor. I will also add some in the bow area and in the rear area (leaving the center bilge area open). I would think this would keep everything pretty balanced and keeping the floatation to the outside should help with stability. The pic should give you an idea of where I want the foam to go. The center compartments I want to use for decoys/gear. If my floatation estimates are correct, I have enough room to put in WAY more than what is required. I am still a little leery on pouring it directly into the boat because I don't want swelling to bow the bottom. I like your idea of having it removable, but the compartments have lips at the top which would prevent them from being pulled out. I might make a box of a smaller dimension and just make blocks outside the boat and then add them in. Still thinking it thru.

Dave
 
Steve, I rolled on the paint today. Still needs a second coat but I like the way it looks. I used Duralux Marine paint in Dead Grass.
I also was able to finish sealing the interior floor, fix/adjust/repair all centerline rollers on the trailer and do some more priming on the inside. This was after I got up early, cleaned the kitchen, brought in some wood, fed the dogs, made some breakfast and changed all the rotors and brake pads on my friends truck. My posts earlier were quick since I was trying to get myself cleaned up to take the wife out for dinner....Happy Wife....Happy Life!


Dave
 
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Good morning, Dave~

One more thought: It looks like you might be able to mount your spare on the winch stanchion - opposite the handle. This way water will drain out of the spare. (I do not have the room on my duckboat trailer so have to mount it flat on the tongue.)

Keep 'em comin"

SJS
 
Steve, you need to take down the cameras you set up in my woods! That was literally the first thing I accomplished this morning!

I also added the horn, finished the second coat, and painted the interior.


Rain is coming in so I need to work on projects inside the shop like wiring up the "T" block, etc!


Dave
 
Dave,

Like Steve said, you may want to move the spare so it is sitting on the OPPOSITE side of the winch handle.
 
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Dave,

Like Steve said, you may want to move the spare so it is sitting on the OPPOSITE side of the winch handle.


MLBob
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Might even want to replace that spare with a new tire. The one in the picture looks to be a bit beyond it's serviceable life. :>)
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Ha! Well I was so concerned about the tongue jack handle being in the way (it's on the right), that I didn't even pay attention to the winch handle. Thanks Bob. So I moved the tire to the other side.



Then I needed to unbolt the tongue jack and move it to give the handle some clearance.





So, a little progress was made in the right direction with the help of some scrutinizing eyes. Thanks again!
I did a little here and there in the shop while it rained. A young guy that lives down the street came down to swap out some tan cork for some of my tighter cork sheets. I have helped him over the last few years get into carving and he has really done well. We talked about his duck season (since I didn't have one) and he wanted to know all about the boat project. After he left, I worked on some brackets and wiring for this, that, and the other. A million little things to tie up before this is ready to set sail.


Dave
 
In time Dave. This was one of the original tires that came on the trailer. It's just a "placeholder" until I pick up another. I don't even have the lug nuts tight on the holding bracket.


Dave
 
Dave,

Like Steve said, you may want to move the spare so it is sitting on the OPPOSITE side of the winch handle.
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That's EXACTLY what I thought too! Beautiful work and you're fast too.
 
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OK OK can't wait to see it in action. Nice work on the boat, love the paint. It sure is shaping up to be a good rig.
 
After work I got started on a couple of items that I had done the prep work for yesterday. I received the new Plexiglas and installed it into the frame. I took out the old screws which I doubt were factory and installed rivets thru the frame and into the plexi. Installed it into the boat....wow...what a difference 50 years makes. I will do my best to polish as much of the scratches and dullness out of the old stuff but I doubt they get much better. In time, I might be better off just trying to find an old bow rider or cuddy that is rotting in someone's yard (like that will be hard to find) and see if I can get a more modern windscreen (with glass) for a few bucks. I just need it to fit since I doubt I could ever replace the original Plexiglas.

I had pre-drilled the holes on the bow for the spot lights and installed them today also. I wanted to get them as far forward so I wouldn't get any glare off of the bow but still keep them out of the way of the anchor line. The bow light is getting ready to be removed and a newer/smaller nav light will be put in its place. Once I have most of the electrical stuff installed, I will begin wiring everything up.



Dave
 
The weather is supposed to be crap for the rest of the week with severe weather starting Wednesday. I need to get out to the lumber yard and buy the flooring and I still don't have any direction on what to do with the floatation. I have read all kinds of forums regarding different thoughts on floatation to the point that I have no idea what to put in the boat. Some of the forums nearly ended up is fist fights as guys argued over why pool noodles were or weren't a good idea. Some guys say you are taking a chance of splitting the floor with expanding foam, others say it will cause the floor to corrode.................I am totally lost on which way to proceed. I used 2 inch foam sheeting when I built my Kara sneak boat and it seemed to work just fine. Between the arguments on what floatation to use and which type of plywood to use, I am at a standstill. Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Dave
 
I still don't have any direction on what to do with the floatation.

Dave
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Dave,

When I refurb'd a 1978 StarCraft the foam under the floor was white bead foam blocks. The same stuff is still used in riveted boats under seats and decks today. I replaced mine with 2" thick pink insulation board glued up with carpenter adhesive. I figured if foam blocks were good enough for the manufacturer it was good enough for me. Many guys here have used the same insulation in the floatation areas in Devlin boats and many others.
 
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