Wooden Boat questions....

[Ken]

Regarding my "new" project (the wooden Pelican sailing pram) I need some advice:
1. What kind of paint for the wooden sides and 'glassed bottom? What primer?
2. A lot of these boats use a rope rubrail (nailed on?). I want to use something more resilient and durable. Suggestions?
3. Does anyone have a modern 2 or 3 horse short shaft motor for this boat?
Thanks! -Ken

[Tim_Mattson]

Kiss.......

Hey Ken,
Figured you`d have some replies by now.....
First ,see if the old stuff will come off with acetone so you know whether to scuff and paint with similar or if primer is truly needed.
I used some 2-part Perfection over ugly green Glasspar sides and did it with no expensive primer just to see how it held.....$50 boat ,what the heck.
It hasn`t flaked or anything along the edges which I sorta expected to want to lift.It worked great and I`ll only do full primer for topsides and hulls with major repairs and plugged holes.
A good car/Boat painter ,Tom Casilas ,showed me a 1960+Suburban he used this technique since he has now realized most primers have Talcum powder of some sort for the leveling.This is the same stuff gymnasts use to keep their fingers FROM sticking to the bars,NOT for gripping.
Now he`ll only prime on new construction and over heavily faired and hole filled Cars and Boats.Show cars/Boats of course will get the full treatment of course.
Pretty sure you`ll find it is single part which can still be re-coated after some oil removal (from motors,and from the road) first,then simply scuffing with scotchbrite until fuzzy all over.
If you really want to prime,then use Brightside for one-part topcoats.No-Sand primers are available too.....Brightside needs some 220-320 action before topcoats,again more work......
You could do a test on the transom if in doubt of what you`ll get.The first coat is best to be thin ,then fuzz it up once more before another coat.A 3rd coat would make it very nice but you guys will use it so enjoy what you get,then stack the 3 rd one later when it shows some wear.
If you really want to save some time ,bring it by flipped over and I`ll sand it down for you guys with my dustless........1 hr and you`ll be on the way home.
You guys do the edges and buy the sanding Pads! And don`t forget the Beer!
2nd:Old Firehose can make a nice soft rubrail if found somehow.Makes it look older and not so shiny like modern rubrails.Or some White Rubber "D" shaped dock edging would be easy to screw right on with cupped washers.
3 rd Look for a 90`s 4-5 hp one cylinder Nissan/Tohatsu/Mercury as it will weigh only 37 lbs.....most 2-3 hp motors will only be forward only.The newer 4 strokes will weigh 44-46 lbs lbs in most cases.Some of these are still fwd and neutral only with no reverse.Some new 4`s have a remote fuel fitting AND built-in fuel tank options....5+6 hp won`t offer it.The 4 weighs the 46 because of the tank.
I know you guys will generate some good times with this gem.
TimM

[Lootas1]

Always wondered what to do with old firehose. I've got a lot of it that is about 30 years old. Got it to put as a bumper along a dock (which I never had). Anyone wants the hose (or part of it), it is free but you'll have to come to Bellingham to get it.

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Painting the Pelican

Ken -

It appears from your photo that the Pelican was built with fir plywood, which has checked from exposure...a common thing with fir ply, of course. If that's what I'm seeing in the photo--checking of the outer veneer layer--you might need to do some major prep work before applying topcoats.

After sanding down the hullsides and transoms--not to bare wood, just through the first layers of old paint--you could use a product like Evercoat LITE to do initial filling of the open cracks in the fir ply. Then I'd apply one or two coats of Interlux Epoxy Primekote, which is a nice and thick primer. Sand after each coat and basically keep going until the checks are filled-in, using more Evercoat LITE in fissures that reveal themselves after the first application of Primekote. (The nice thing about Evercoat LITE is that it cures fast and is very sandable, unlike other Bondo-type fillers.)

I'd topcoat the hull with either Interlux Brightside Polyurethane, or as Tim suggests, Interlux Perfection. The two-part Pefection product is a bit harder when cured, but one-part polyurethanes like Brightside or Pettit Easypoxy are less expensive, easy to appy and excellent in terms of durability, gloss, color retention, etc. (When using Brightside, we like to thin it about 10%, and also add 5-10% of Penetrol for better flow.)

You'll really love the Pelican, which sails well and offers more boat volume-per-foot than just about anything. (Old-time Scandinavians really knew what they were doing when they refined the pram design.)

- Marty

[Ken]

Thanks, Guys!

Good thoughts to help us look like we know what we are doing! -Ken