I have just returned from another junket to "The Boatyard in the Woods" (home of mcknightmare racing) in Cortland. Weather Gods don't like me at all!  Got a lot of sunshine, coupled with temperatures in the 40's and 50's.  Anyway, got a fair amount of work done. The wood repair, replacement, strengthening jobs are almost all done. All that's left there is to turn her right side up again and strengthen the sponsons.

I finished the bottom work, including "popping" the bottom away from the stringers and injecting epoxy between them and the bottom to replace the dried out resorcinal glue from 40 years ago. Skip Gillam had told me of the strong possibility of losing the bottom due to dried out glue and non holding screws. I had loosened all 300 screws in the bottom prior to flipping her over, so that if the bottom popped, there would be some space created between the stringers and bottom. He had warned me not to be too physical with the hammer and 2x4, and if it would not pop, don't force it.  In the long run, she popped 3 stringers wide on both sides, but not along the keel, chines, or transom. I also added several stainless steel screws to the bottom as additional support.

Also trimmed off the sponson sides and bottoms, and did a thorough coat of epoxy on the entire inside of the hull

Built some new wood parts: 
cockpit floorboards, battery platform, tail fin supports, and a few smaller pieces. 
Still polishing aluminum and stainless steel hardware and feeling very good about the outcome.
Then rightside up and start putting hardware back on prior to decks....
 
 

We flipped her bottom side up again and wet sanded her down for a full coat of epoxy on the outside.

 
 
 

Then wet sand again and a primer coat of paint on the hull.
 
 

Finally, a first coat of a pretty sapphire blue on the hull,
to be followed next trip by wet sanding...
 

.....and a final spray coat of blue.
 
 

The picture would have me going right through the bottom!!

The restoration has been a labor of love and has "wiped" me!
At 64, I can't go as hard as the old days.

Click here to view the next restoration page of my Charles Lloyd built 145 ci class hydroplane.
Media & Specification webpage.
© 2004 Bill McKnight
 

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