Cold Fusion - Windsor Boat Works limited

Cold Fusion is a 1939 Streamliner in for a new bottom . The boat did go back to Greavettes for a new bottom sometime in the 1970’s at which point the outboard rudder was removed and the boat had been converted to an inboard outboard . In the 1990’s the I/O was removed and the outboard rudder was re-created and a V6 Crusader with V drive was installed , along with a re-finnish , chrome and upholstery . Now in 2019 that “New Bottom” installed by Greavettes is almost 50 years old . The plywood inner skin with only paint as a sealer starts to decay after 30 years . The new bottom here will be sealed with penetrating epoxy and the inner and outer layers will be bedded in 3M 5200 . The goal here is to replace the bottom without having to varnish the boat . —That is if it’s possible to do that without leaving any decay in the boat

With the V drive the V 6 crusader is about a foot longer than the hatch

The owner was good enough to remove most of the seats and floors before bringing the boat , lessening the number of pieces that I have to deal with , but there is still a lot of stuff to come out before the new bottom can comence

Discovered a nest under the gas tank . These are really bad for rotting out the stem

A boat in pieces takes up 3 times as much room as the finished boat

The V drive makes the engine quite long .

The floors and floor framing being removed and cataloged

When you turn a streamliner upside down there isn’t really any deck to rest the boat on in an inverted position . These stands will support the boat when it is upside down

To get the engine out of the hole it had to be tilted about 45 degrees

The boat stripped out and ready to roll over

Using two straps one side goes up and the other down

a skill saw is used to cut the planking off in sections around the frames

The idea is to keep the old frames intact for reference

Some areas are glued and need a bit more chopping

with the old bottom planking removed it’s time to replace the frames one at a time

When the boat was built in1939 The frame parts were joined with copper rivets shown here . Any repairs done in the 1970’s were done with bolts and screws . This frame and a lot of others were probably OK and left in place when the bottom was re-planked in the 1970’s

The old frame patterns . Some of them needed a bit of interpretation to replicate

The chine was pretty bad on the Port side . It will need to be replaced

New Keel with rabbet being faired into new stem

Intermediate frames are added between the frames . This gives the outer planks more ability to be pulled tight and complete a void free squish of the two layers when bonding them together with the 3M 5200

6mm mahogany plywood fastened to the frames with temporary screws and washers . These will be removed in a couple of days after the 5200 has cured

Some of the old frames one side not too bad

Where the two pieces of wood werejoined is where the problems started , this is why it’s important to properly bed two parts together

The outer planking is milled from mahogany. The wood starts at 1 1/2″ thick and will be split lengthwise and planed to yield 1/2″ thick planking

The outer planks are bedded to the inner skin with 3M 5200 . The 5200 will form a tenacious bond and a waterproof membrane between the 2 layers

Stainless steel screws are used to fasten the planking

The planks are initialy fitted tight to each other , and then the top edge is beveled before final fitting to create a caulking seam that will eventually filled with flexible Sikaflex

Half way back there is a transition in the planking from a bevel fit , to an overlap

Getting ready to fill the v grooves . I mask the seams to make clean up easier and the sikaflex doesn’t wind up filling the grain .

Tape removed and another quick sand before applying Penetrating epoxy sealer

A lot of people just slap a couple of coats of paint on top of the bare wood . To me the finish plays a critical part in the water absorption into the new wood and the overall longevity of the new bottom

After sanding the sealer 2 coats of High build Epoxy primer are applied

The High build primer is sanded and top coated with 2 coats of enamel

The new wood below the chine is prepped for stain , then it’s stain and at least 9 coats of varnish to this area .

This Post Has 2 Comments

Scott Baker
20 Mar 2020 Log in to Reply

My father in-law Dr. W.C. Vaughan used to own the family boat. I’m so pleased to see the future enjoyment taking place.
You are a true professional, and thank you for the wonderful pictures!
Chris
25 Mar 2020 Log in to Reply

That boat looks gorgeous.
My grandparents owned that boat from 1972 ish till about 1994 when Robert bought it.
if you would like more information on this boat, I might be able to fill you in on it.

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This Post Has 2 Comments

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