1957 Chris Craft Sportsman

In late 1996 I began looking for a mahogany powerboat. With one daughter still at home, I expected that it would be used for family outings and therefore decided on a utility. After several months of searching around the state, I located a 1957 Chris Craft Sportsman 17' in my own back yard (Sumter, SC). Owned by the same family since it was new, the boat had spent it's entire life on a 40 acre pond. I purchased the boat knowing that this would be a long term project as I was also in the process of overhauling a 26' Chris Craft sail boat. The boat, hull number CC-17-3424, was in decent shape and for the most part, original. The KFL 131 hp engine was original and operational. A few pieces of hardware, including the windshield and bowlight, were missing. The boat was structurally solid and appeared to be all original wood. The most noticable problem was the condition of some of the bottom planks. Years of contraction and expansion and the repeated use of caulk to address the leaking had caused some of the planks to buckle. Also, the bottom plank of the transom was in bad shape. While I had years of experience in woodworking, I was new to boat restoration. After reviewing as much as I could on bottom work, I decided to combine several practices which allowed me to retain the planking but still take advantage of the virtues of epoxy. I did so knowing that there would be people out there with more experience who would quickly tell me it was a mistake. I took into consideration, however, that there seems to be almost as many ways of doing a bottom job as there are people doing it. As this project progresses, I will continue to update thru this website. The intital entrys cover the bottom work. I leave out alot of the detail work but readers can assume, and I will hope, that I did not miss anything during the processes indicated

The boat was moved to our house and located under a shelter in our driveway. All that could be removed was taken off/out. The engine was lifted out and put on a dolly. The boat was then reinforced so as not to lose shape and was then lifted off the trailer, rolled, and set on four large tires.

All paint, stain and varnish was removed using heat guns. All seams were cleaned out. The bottom was then cleaned with a cleaner to remove grease and oil. The bottom transom plank was removed, and replaced, using 3M 5200 as bedding. All topside and deck planks were solid and were refastened where needed. Frames, keel and chines were determined to be in good shape.

In inspecting closely the bottom planks, it was determined that a total of 6 would have to be replaced (2 closest to keel on each side and 1 middle on each side). These were removed, along with the canvas underneath. The ply- wood inner bottom was in surprisingly good shape and all screw holes were filled with plugs and epoxy. Where planks were removed, the ply was sanded and cleaned. New planks were then cut, beveled as needed, and steamed. Bedded heavily in 5200, they were secured using silicon bronze screws. On original planks that were left on, screws were checked and replaced where needed. Some refastening (additional screws) was provided in some areas. Once the replanking was done, the seams were cleaned out, the bottom was sanded and then washed down with solvent.

The sides were covered up to the waterline, which had been marked and measured. The bottom was then saturated quickly and several times with Smith's penetrating epoxy. (see below). This was also applied liberly to the seams, which at no point exceeded 5/16 inches. Epoxy was applied until no more could be taken in by the wood. This allowed to dry and was sanded. Seams were then taped off and polysulfide caulk was used to fill. The bottom was again sanded and then bronze bottom paint was applied. The boat was then returned to a upright position and planks were refasten- ed from the inside, using 1/2 screws thru the ply inner bottom as done originally.

Some might question my approach, first that I did not remove all planks, secondly that I maintained the caulked seams (which was done primarily because I retained many of the original planks). This boat had apparently spent lengthy periods in water followed by lengthy periods out of water, causing the resulting damage to the planks. In my case, the boat will be removed after each use. Given this, I determined that if I could reduce or eliminate the taking in of water by the planks for these short periods of time, I would not realize the plank damage and could get by with caulked seams. Smiths penetrating epoxy comes in 2 parts and mixes thin like water. It soaks into the wood as such and while it has no structural value, it reduces and/or eliminates the woods tendency to take on water. I have also found this product to be a excellent primer for varnish and my own experiences indicate that it greatly extends the life of varnish. This was confirmed by a article in a 1998 issue of Practical Sailor. To use as a primer, you clean the wood well and apply the epoxy until the wood is saturated. As soon as the epoxy flashes, and while it is still tacky, you apply your first coat of varnish. This provides for excellent adherence and assuming following coats are applied properly, will result in much greater varnish life.

I am currently working on the interior and will update this website accordingly. I welcome suggestions and comments from those who have more experience at this than I.