1959 Seafair gut and rebuild

[Dave H]

As you can see we purchased Tim Mattsons Seafair. We told Tim that we were going to gut the boat and rebuild it, its just we do with projects. We just completed a total rebuild in May of the 1965 24' Airstream which is our third vintage trailer rebuild. Our plans are to change the color from yellow to light green the same color that was an option in 1959. It will also match the 1965 Suburban that I took down to bare metal with extensive metal replacement and paint.
The following pics are the tear down. We have got allot completed and will keep adding pics as this thread goes on.

[bham-rick]

Get Er Done !

Boy you are going to town - I just posted for you to send pictures and keep us posted and look right below and you are off to the races ! Looks good - take lots of pictures it really helps when you go to put her back together !!

Good luck Dave CutUp1

[Helmar]

Looks like you got right after it for sure.

Interesting...pull toy.

[Dave H]

I like the early duel head lights, it is something I have wanted to do to ours. I built the burb as a daily and as a tow rig for our vintage airstream. Power is a 350 with a 350 turbo 4.11 gears with a gear vendor overdrive. We just completed a 5000 mile plus trip towing the airstream to all of the national parks in the 4 corner states.
I will post more pics of the Seafair tomorrow.

[TheBronze]

Boy, you work fast!

My only advise would be to leave the color alone. There are a lot of Sea Fairs out there, but this is the only one I have seen with Surf Green (matches my Jammie Dodger). It's a unique color of gel coat that suits the era quite nicely if you can keep it.

[Dave H]

Here are more pics of the removal process. The floor removal went easy it was only 3/8" three ply plywood and all of the fiberglass was delaminated from the wood. This also went for the stringers, they were fir and saturated with water (yellow submarine). The stringers only had soft spots where the cross supports attached. Removed allot of weight with the wet wood and saturated foam. The stringers were only attatched to hull in one 18" section they just lifted out after cutting the glass. One evening of grinding cleaned out all of the junk and loose fiberglass.

[ChuckB]

Dave;
The Seafair has a weak spot right around where the cabin bulkheads are located. Some of the Glasspar guys have added "sisters" on each stringer, and one on each side of the keel stringer. Glasspar in Olympia didn't use the best materials and didn't always glass them well to the hull. Do those two things and the hull will stiffen up nicely and ride the rough water really well.
Good luck.
Chuck B

[Dave H]

Chuck
The stringers are already in I used 7/8" thick Marantie. I radiused all of the bottom edges that hit the hull. I glued and fastened all of the stringer assy and then removed it from the hull I then layed down large beads of 5200 and bedded the stringers in that. After the 5200 set up things are real firm. I then fiberglassed the stringers in with matting. As you can see from the pics I also made a dry well under the engine dry well, pics of the bildge pump and float switch later on that installation. I epoxed and screwed the floor to the stringers and cross supports. I glassed the edges with a 6" wide stranding and then covered the deck over lapping the edge taping with a heavy sewen layerd glass cloth. I had purchased 5 gallons of resin and have less than a gallon remaining.

Dave

[bham-rick]

Dave the Magician !

You've done all that in 3 days ? :Shocked: Where did you get the quick dry shop ?? Amazing work , and very fast - or is this time lapse Photography ? If Sarah see's this she is going to ask me what my problem is , I've been on the flyer for two years !

Looks very nice !

[Steve_Kiesel]

Like Rick said, your not messing around. You should be back on the water in a week. Nice work Dave.

I also have a 59 Seafair. The deck isn't rotting anywhere, but it is coming loose in a couple spots. I drug the boat up from California, so it's been setting in the sun it's whole life, not rain. I need to do what your doing in the next couple years.

Like the dry well. Will you be able to get to it for that last bit of water the bilge pump always leaves behind? Want to do that to mine as well, but want to keep access to it.

Thanks for all the progress photos Dave. Now I know what to expect when I crack mine open.

[Dave H]

Rick and Steve

My wife and make a good team and progress projects quickly but not as fast as this thread may appear. we are further along and have been showing a little at a time. Our last project was a total gut and rebuild of a 1965 24' airstream. This project was taken clear to the frame with frame repair and new floor plan in 7 months. The following pics are of the new bulkheads, I used marine grade 5/8 Marantie and 4/4 Marantie lumber to construct them. I also replaced the header piece because it was cracked in two places and had separated from all of the fiberglass. The old bulkheads were totally rotted out at the bottom. Also shown is the bilge pump and floot switch install. The motor dry well is only sitting in place, will reinstall it after paint.

[Bflaherty]

Wow!! Looks great!!

I've never replaced a floor before and I get to do half of my Chris Craft this winter. I am curious, how do you deal with water that might get in below the floor? My Chris came from the factory with several inspection/pump out hatches, your floor looks solid like most others in the club...

[Dave H]

Brian
The under floor area on the Seafair is a sealed area, I drilled a 1" holl in lower transom area and installed a brass drain plug. I used the factory nylon type 1" drain plug in the forward floor in the cabin in its original placement. No water should get in but I now have a way to drain it if it does. I also coated all of the stringers and cross supports with resin as well as the bottom and edges of the marine plywood before laying it down so dry rot will not be a problem for as long as I have the boat. I believe with your Chris you dont want to seal it up you want it to breath.

[Dave C]

Where do you get your marine grade Marantie plywood ?
Approx. cost ?

Dave C

[Dave H]

Bflaherty, Bryan
Have you decided what type of deck material you are going to use on your Chris. There is a plywood to look into called skid Guard it is a yellow paper type clad with cross hatching comes in 1/2" and up. I used this material on a 16' x 50' boat shed that I built for our 32' Bayliner MY when we had for ten years. I have also used it for deck flooring and an engine cover for one of my customers old Chris Craft. The material holds up real well I built the Shed in 1998 the floor still looks good and the Chris is open and hangs on a bouy all summer into early fall every year. We missed the chance on one of those 17' Cavallers that a naighbor had a long time ago. Good luck and have fun with your project, just passing on some experiences that I have had use what ever material fits your budget and it is what you want.

I also build cars and have a cartoon that I have had for years that is fitting for boats also. It is two guys looking a 36 Ford coupe with bullit holes a tree growing out of it and the caption is "Are you handy with money!"

Dave