Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Table of Contents
Background How did you ever get it to look so nice! ............................................................................................................................... 1
Through the Shop ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Interim Repairs and Betterments ............................................................................................................................................................. 10
The Interior Challenge ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Mechanical Equipment ............................................................................................................................................................................. 23
Second refinishing of the hull ................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
NOTE: Although some photographs portrait a radar dome, the boat no longer has radar or chartplotter installed. New
owners can install up to date equipment to suit their boating areas.
Page 1
Ever notice the big square cleats on the back deck? They are in the shape of a post with a pin running through them. They are made
out of a hollow brass casting that is polished and chromed. They are held on to the boat by large and long bolts passing through the
whole deck and secured with large washers and nuts in the lazarette compartment.
Solar Pumps.thats what they are!!!!! Turns out that 40 and 41 Connies have a slight lift at the aft deck, which results in there being a
pool of water around these 2 cleats, at least most of the time. No matter how well they are sealed to the deck, the sun warms the hollow
castings up really hot during the day (pressurizing the casting, expelling some air.hot air expands).and then creating a vacuum as
they cool down overnight. Slowly by slowly, water is drawn in by the vacuum, then partially expressed out through the bolt holes during
the day in minute amounts until it cumulatively is enough to cause problems like this:
The problem. I repaired it twice and it kept coming backSo it
was obviously time for a new approach! When we removed them,
sure enough they were full of water.This time I was there to see
it personally, and able to plan a solution.
The first thing I did was to flip the cleats over and cut a vent hole in
the base with a hacksaw. The saw kerf is only just as wide as the
hacksaw blade but prevents vacuum or pressure from forming
inside the hollow casting. A small hole drilled into the casting
would work just as well.
Next I had a scupper installed to drain the deck overboard so no
water could accumulate.
Lastly, the cleats were mounted on a teak block to ensure the
problem would never recur.
Meanwhile, while expert Merv at Nautical Masters was completing the deck, I was busy taking the other corners apart so I could clean
them out, repair as necessary, treat them with preservative and renew the joints with modern materials and improved fasteners.
The outer chine corners were released, and the chine planking
removed on both sides enabling a very close inspection and
framing repairs. Some deteriorated and cracked gussets and
frames were found and replaced. The whole area was thoroughly
cleaned out, treated with multiple doses of preservative and then
painted up in preparation for re-assembly using our old friend
Sikaflex.
The original caulks and bedding compounds were oil-based, and
although they last a good long time, its not forever. Almost all
leaks and deterioration can be traced back to these failing oilbased materials..Thats why I dont use them in
repairs/renovation work like this.
New frames built and installedand the chines re-fastened to the frames.but not with screws but with stainless carriage bolts, and
sealed with modern Sikaflex sealant.
Carriage bolt
fasteners result in an immensely stronger joint/corner along both
chines.
Essentially, the old Avocado Green-inspired finish was stripped and scraped away throughout the boat to bare wood. Everything was
sanded, stained, sealed, coated with 3 coats of Pettit Captains varnish then finished with Pettit interior semi-gloss varnish.
ALL the hardware was taken off, cleaned and polished. Everything was taken apart and cleaned of old neglect and grime. The boat
looks feels and smells fresh from the factory. Cushions were all replaced. Carpet is very recent.
New industrial/commercial-grade (.54 wide----no seams) wallpaper, new carpet, new upholstery and cushions throughout.
Mechanical Equipment
We replaced the original 327 CID 210 HP engines with a pair of rebuilt 350 CID 260HP engines back around 1990. Since then, those 2
have also been replaced; therefore we are on our 3rd set of engines. We like to use the boat!
The engine on the left in the picture above was hand- built from all new parts on a reconditioned short block by a friend and
professional diesel mechanic. It runs like a charm and has around 1,400 hours on it. The motor it replaced had blown a head gasket,
ingested some uncompressible water, and, well, you know the rest.
The other one developed a blow-by problem and although running OK, was simply replaced with a brand new GM Goodwrench factory
crate long block engine around 2008, and currently has around 700 hours on it. As you can see the exhaust manifolds were replaced
with new ones, and while we had the whole shebang out of the boat, that transmission was also rebuilt with all new clutches and plates.
Carburetors have had rebuild kits installed. The ignition system has been upgraded to electronic ignition using the existing distributors
in order to preserve the use of mechanical Tachs. Ignition cables, caps and rotors are all fresh or new. The engines run perfectly. One
ammeter and one temperature gauge do not work, but the rest of the instrument panel is functional.
A rebuilt Onan 6.5 KW genset replaced the old Kohler in the late 90s and runs like a charm.
The Genset is installed forward in the engine room, very accessible for service. House bank consists of 4 golf cart batteries for 440 AH
capacity. The heavy marine grade Heart Interface inverter/charger functions are controlled from the electrical panel. The inverter is
rated at 2,000 watts, with an integrated 90 AMP (approx.) charger for very fast charging.
The inverter/charger is a very smart machine. It incorporated an automatic transfer switch. Provided it is properly set up, this means
that as soon as the boat is plugged in to shore power, the transfer switch makes shore power the source for the boat, automatically.
Conversely, as soon as shore power is removed by unplugging or switching the power to OFF on the electrical panel, the unit switches
the boat power source to the inverter. If the charger is in automatic ON setting, as soon as either the genset or shorepower energizes
the boat, the unit immediately starts charging the batteries. The whole setup is matched for situations where we can anchor out for
about a week at a time, and run the genset an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening and fully replace the 200 AH per day we
usually consume with the LED anchor light, refrigerator, freezer, coffee maker, computers, internet hub, toasters, lights, water pump
and other accessories.
A week out is the limit for provisioning.because of the need for fresh fruit, vegetables, wine, fresh water (50 gallon fresh water tank),
and waste (28 gallon waste tank capacity). Weve spent 2 full summers on the boat, and the system and capacities work just fine for our
purposes.
Another couple of good photos showing the Benchmark at anchor for a week in the Benjamin Islandsone of the top cruising grounds
in the world.
The boat is equipped with the best modern sanitation system available, composed of VacuFlush heads powered by a (2010) Sealand
HTS-VG-28 vacuum/tank system. Works great..no funky smells.pleasant boat..happy crew.
Instead of taking it to a shop for the job, I decided I would put my by now many years of experience to work and tackle the job myself.
After all, most of the process is not particularly skilled although labor intensive, I had the time, the knowledge and was able to rent a
shop space on reasonable terms for the time required to do the job.
This will document the steps taken in the hull restoration in the interest of recording and explaining the process, pitfalls and techniques
used to achieve some pretty spectacular end results.
Hopefully this document will prove helpful to others planning or doing their own boat restorations.
I hasten to add that this is not the only way the work can be done, but simply my chosen path to achieve my goals for the preservation
of this fine motor yacht weve taken so much pleasure in over the last 30 + years.
Step 1
The first step is to remove all the hardware, moldings, emblems and lights possible to preserve them from damage. The use of small
zip-lock bags labelled and taped to any removed object at this stage will make re-installation a breeze at the end. Take the time to do
this step rightit will be repaid in spades.
In order to strip the hull of 6 coats of an extremely tough epoxy paint system, I tried any and all stripping chemicals I could lay my hands
on, including professional automotive and aircraft paint strippers. Nothing worked satisfactorily, so as a last attempt before grinding it
off, I tried a heat gun.
Eureka, it worked, and although slow because of the quantity and quality of the paint, I was able to scrape the paint off over the course
of 14 days. The remaining patch of paint you see on the next picture represents most of a days workbut it all got done.
Step 2
Next, we needed to rid the hull of the root cause of its problems, that is the job of removing all the old seam compound originally meant
to seal the hull between individual mahogany planks. This material had by now lost all its elasticity, had dried out, was cracking
everywhere and was as hard as cement. Several approaches were tried, and in the end my friend, mentor and inventor Merv at
Nautical Masters Inc. devised and made a special tool to carry a saws-all blade wedged in a housing with adjustable depth capability. I
went through a dozen of these blades, but with the help of the heat gun to soften the compound, it became malleable enough to remove
without herculean effort and without having to resort to a router for the job (and all the guides and gouging dangers that that approach
entails.hand tools are best for amateurs!).
Notice the before and after shots of the blue seam above. The new rake does an excellent job of cleaning out the failed seam
compound.
Every seam on the hull was cleaned out using the newly invented rake tool. The depth adjustment meant I only reached the bottom of
the seam and no further, preventing damage to the batten behind the planks. You can tell by the residue spread by the tools shoe,
(because it all comes out as a powdery dusty mess.wear a good dust and vapor mask with new cartridges if you are going to do this),
which seams have been done in the picture to the right.
During this process, you become intimately familiar with every single plank of the hull, and its the right time to mark any bad wood that
will need to be removed and replaced to complete the above-water hull overhaul. And that of course will become Step 3.
Step 3
By feel, by color, by smell, deteriorated wood needs to be identified for removal, and a clear plan for replacement is needed before
going further..one does not want to remove a 9 foot plank to discover that only 6 footers are available at a reasonable price. Miss this
step at your own risk, as they say!
Use whatever method appeals, but mark the areas that require repairs clearly and take them apart for renewal.
Carefully review the whole hull, make decisions on whether or not action is required, and then execute the master plan. The plank
identified on the right was a bit dark but not bad enough to require replacement. A good preservative treatment will be applied and
special attention paid to sealing the area to extend its life.
Step 4
Even though the deteriorated wood is gone, there are inevitably spores of bad things left behind. So it is a great practice to clean up the
areas through scraping, sanding and vacuuming, and then to apply a wood preservative to any exposed wood before sealing and
painting everything before new wood is installed. Clear wood preservative can be found and used to great advantage. It is invisible but
very effective. The material I used was called Zinc Napthanate. The green stuff we usually see is a close cousin, Copper Napthanate,
and works very well if you cant find the other product.
Prepare as good a foundation as you can
for the new wood. You dont want to do
this again for a long, long time.
Notice the long, flexible plastic clear tubing
that you can buy at Home Depot. Its the
perfect size to extend a ShopVac hose and
to snake down the inside of the hull for a
thorough cleaning, anywhere you have
access like this.
The planks you see have already been
fitted, drilled, and fastened to the boat for a
trial fitting and final adjustment. Then they
are removed and take a few days off while
they are treated with preservative, sealed,
and painted twice on 6 sides prior to final
installation. The same has been done to
the frames and battens.
Step 5
Im just not handy enough, nor do I have the tools for this, so I enlisted a master craftsman ( Check out
http://www.nauticalmasters.com/index.htm for more examples of restoration genius).
Step 6
I thought I was now ready to start priming and painting and boating!
But.NotSo.. Fast..On Mervs absolute insistence, the hull needed to be completely faired in his opinion, so that the boat
could look its very best. He could either lend me the tools for the job, at my peril, or take a couple of days out of his busy schedule to
help me out yet again.Wisely, I chose option 2.
This step is especially messy. Check out the top right hand photo.
About 20 lbs. of dust were created and had to be cleaned up from everywhere.
Notice how the boat superstructure has been bagged.
Even the shop area containing the ship had to be sectioned off with large tarps hung from ceiling to floor, such was the quantity of
sanding dust created by the high speed disks and large wheels used to remove almost all the usual lumps and imperfections inherent in
a big old wooden hull built in a different era.
The rough float sanding was then finished off using a pro 6 inch autobody air powered sander to further refine the surface.
This is the basis of how the Benchmark looks to-day. Its hull shape is both exquisite and exceptional because we took the few extra
days and dollars to do the project justice in terms of preparing the surfaces to be finished.
As usual, absolutely spot-on advice from Nautical Masters.
http://www.nauticalmasters.com
Step 7
To protect the renovation for as long as possible, the hull seams were treated with Zinc Napthanate. Anyone doing this must remember
they are working with poison, and must wear protective clothing, rubber or nitrile gloves and a full face respirator with
appropriate cartridges. In this case, the preservative was applied by hand spray and took about a gallon of material. Remember..its
a poison.protect yourself fully before working with this material.
Apply preservative to
all seams, including
the vertical butt joints.
Concentrate on getting
the material to the
back of the seams, all
the way to the battens
behind the planks.
Saturate the wood.
Two applications were
used on this hull.
Step 8
Remembering that all the seams had been gouged out by a saw blade, destroying any previous seal, special attention is paid to
ensuring this area is re-sealed when applying the excellent Pettit 2018 Old Salem clear sealer to the hull.
First, take a fully loaded brush and
carefully gob the sealer into each
seam.
Then apply the sealer with a small
roller, as you would normally do.
Finally, brush the sealer in vigorously
to ensure it gets into the bottom of all
the grain.
Step 9
Prime time 1
The first coat of primer is applied to the hull plank faces. No need to work it into seams yet, because more machining work will be
needed later to make the seams straight and even. The main purpose of this primer coat is to enable you to see and deal with
remaining defects and imperfections in the hull.
You can now see all the little divots and imperfections, as well as how good a job was done in sealing to the bottom of the plank seams.
Shiny reflections from there are good.
This is the stage where you can use a fine fairing putty such as Pettits Z-Spar glazing putty to fill and sand smooth any imperfections.
The putty is hard to find, however.
You can make your own by going to the drugstore and purchasing some med-grade talcum powder. It has no scents or fillers in it. You
dont want baby powder. Then you simply mix some into a small quantity of primer and Voila!, you have DIY putty that is guaranteed
compatible with the primer..because it IS the primer.
The first thing to do is to make up a V-block to help shape the seam and chamfer the edges. Make it from hardwood so it will keep its
shape through the project. A deeper V shape gives you better control of the width dimension. Ensure the sanding will not reach the
batten and destroy the seal. Make it as long as the sheets of sandpaper you will be using. In this example, a stout sanding belt was
purchased and cut to fit. It really is very tough because of the fabric backing and the strong resins used to adhere the grit to the belt.
Lasts forever compared to ordinary sandpaper.
Length will also help control depth of cut, the longer the less aggressive the cut, the more control. This block is about 9 inches long.
Make up a gauge for your width target. I used a Vernier caliper, but any gauge will do the trick in helping achieve consistent seams.
Dont forget to clean things out again, removing all the sanding dust to prepare for the next step.
Time to make up another tool, a small 1 inch brush is cut back to a V shape, but left thick to carry lots of product. Working in sections,
sealer is applied liberally to the seams and plank tops to make certain that a full seal is achieved.
While the sealer is still wet, blow it in so it gets into every nook and cranny possible.
Then, using a solvent-dampened cloth, wipe away the excess. The other photo shows a nice reflection from the seam
bottoms..exactly the result needed for best caulk adhesion.
After paying in the caulk in a seam, establish a consistent depth and radius by making up and using yet another tool, created by using
the crushed dollar-store teaspoon-in-a-vise trick.
There will be overflow onto the plank faces which can be cleaned up with a putty knife and a solvent-dampened rag. It is important not
to leave any caulking lumps because they will show as uneven areas in the finished painted hull.
The Benchmark was in the Thousand Islands area over the summers of 2010 and 2011, and was entered in the Antique Boat
Museums Annual Boat Show competition. Benchmark won her category both years. The following pictures show the boat on the Mary
Street dock adjacent to the Antique Boat Museum during the show in 2011.
The following are scans of the original 1967 Chris Craft catalogue pages
that were devoted to the 40 foot Constellation model:
The Benchmark
The best of both worlds:
A thoroughly modern and capable Yacht.
A true Classic Wooden vessel rebuilt to provide all the comforts and charm of yesteryear in a long lasting modern structure that will
remain easy to maintain. The heavy lifting has been done!