1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 refit

[jim rosenthal]

I waited two years for the marina where I haul my boat in the winters to paint just the topsides. They never did, and kept evading me about when it was going to get done.

I finally told them to put the zincs on, touch up the bottom paint, and throw her in. Last summer I moved the boat to Piney and painted the topsides myself. it is an amateur job- it has runs in it, some places where the nonskid looks thin or isn't there- but it looks a lot better than it did, the boat is clean and shiny, and it's the best thing I have done for myself and my boat in decades. Plus I saved a lot of money doing it on my own.

These deals where you get entangled with some mechanic or tradesperson who is dancing the McPherson Strut all over you are horrible (that's my name for the dance that mechanics do when they are NOT working on your stuff, but just screwing around and leading you on) In my life I have seen the Strut danced a lot of times, as I have boats, cars, a house, etc. Hope you can find someone to install your engines, line them up, etc. You might try Dependable Marine Services- I think they might do that kind of thing.

 

[q240z]

"Dependable Marine Services"

Given a few experiences I've had, the name makes me a bit leery. lol

Thanks for the reference, Jim. I'll give them a call.

The mechanic also claimed to be a welder. He had very nice Snap-on welders (MIG & TIG) in his shop, and his TIG work on some thin gauge supports looked pretty good. I've got the equipment to weld aluminum in the boatyard and can weld OK, but for shafts and other mission critical areas I wanted a pro to do it. The last straw on this fellow was when I saw a weld he FINALLY did on the hull. OMG! I sent him an ALL STOP message as soon as I saw it.

So, I've been interviewing welders for the shaft install for the last week.

Oh, and the mechanic also has a very well equipped machine shop. He was going to do my new shafts. So I'm looking for a shaft shop as well...

Butterfly effect, indeed.

Anyway, he's gone and the job will be better for it. Thanks again for the reference.

Q

 

[bobk]

Check with Bob at Millers Island Propeller. I'm pretty sure they do shafts as well. Good shop in Dundalk, MD

Bobk

 

[q240z]

Thanks, Bob. I'll give him a call.
Q

 

[q240z]

We've got the cabin top final sanded and ready for the shiny Awl Craft 2000. Just two more days of prep work and we'll spray early one morning before it gets too steamy.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final sanding the cabin top

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

It's like Christmas in July!

A box arrived from Kocian Instruments and a bunch of sparkly stuff was inside.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Shiny Gauges

Back to the boatyard...

Q

 

[q240z]

I took a week off from my day job to get the topsides all painted only to get sidelined by yet another SMIB-ification. The Southern Maryland "fabricator" who created my aft enclosure (a different guy than the mechanic/welder I fired earlier this month) welded it all together with twist in three of the six window frames. gak

Anyway, my latest article covers my solution to the window problem he created. 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft enclosure windows

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

Finally, at the end of a looooooon 14-hour day, we laid some Shiny Awl Craft 2000 on the cabin top and decks last weekend!!!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Awl Craft 2000 Matterhorn White on the Cabin top

I'm all giddy.

Q

 

[gbharrington]

Wow! Just beautiful.

 

[q240z]

Thanks, Greg!

Things have been busy. It's been a while since I've had time to write anything up on the refit. My most recent blog article is on making the old mahogany hand rails pretty again using lots of Mirka Abranet sanding disks and West System 207 Special Clear Hardener.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Refinishing the Mahogany Safety Rail

Cheers,

Q

 

[q240z]

Today's article is on applying the final prime coat of Awl Grip 545 to the aft enclosure.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Final Awl Grip 545 Primer on the Aft Enclosure

Cheers,

Q

 

[q240z]

More shiny! Next is Awlcraft 2000.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer Refit: Shiny Mahogany Moldings on the Aft Enclosure

Cheers,
Q

 

[jim rosenthal]

This boat will be too nice to put into the water. Unless it's in a shed. Maybe you should just give it to a museum and buy a Hatteras you can drive around on the Bay....

 

[q240z]

Thanks, Jim!

Hey, maybe I could pick up that Hatt that sank on the ICW...

The latest blog is about more shiny...this time, it's on the helm dashboard and aft deck interior.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Painting “the Shiny” on the Helm Dashboard

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

The latest installment of the topside paint series on my Roamer 46 covers painting the aft enclosure exterior.

I'm all giddy.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Painting “the Shiny” on the Aft Enclosure

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

I cut window patterns over the weekend. It'll be nice to finally have the boat weatherproof, though delivery of the aluminum framed windows will take 6~8 weeks. I also made a bow pulpit for the anchor roller I'm installing on my other boat. That African mahogany is some pretty stuff out in the sunlight...not bad for scraps from the toe rail on the Roamer!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Window Patterns

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

We're getting closer to having the paint phase of this refit done with each passing weekend. My latest blog article is on taping off the boat for the non-skid. Once we paint that, we're about three "paint days" from being done.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Prepping for non-skid

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

The boatamalan painter called the other day around 8:30AM...said he was just leaving the tent, having sprayed the non-skid...that wasn't scheduled to be sprayed until this weekend.

Gotta love the Boatamalans.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Non-skid!

Cheers,
Q

 

[eze2bme]

Really amazing work being done - can't wait to see her floating and cruising along!!

 

[q240z]

Thanks, eze2bme! Propulsion is up next!
Cheers,
Q