# 1955 Lonestar 14' rebuild



## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Great little project Noah but you are not even close to the record - there are many that have given up.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks & good point DuckNut. I have managed to keep hope alive, so at least I have that going for me.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Got a little more done this week.  Outside rails are now epoxied in place. Starting to look like a boat.  Here is before:


Here is after:




Been sweating about that step for a long time.  Was originally going to try to do inside and outside at the same time.  Too many moving parts and short pot life on the epoxy.  Wound up doing the inside first.  Instead of clamps i used screws from the outside in.  Worked really well because there were already holes in the hull from the old rails.  I used screws long enough to go all the way through the inside rail.  The holes left me with pilot holes to come back the other way with screws to attach the outer rail.  Worked out very well.  Buttered up the boat with epoxy/wood flour.  Started at the stern and just worked my way up to the bow.

Since I brought this boat home, it has been a bit asymmetrical.  It was flat on a long section of the starboard rail where the last guy to work on it took a few shortcuts on some repairs.  I assumed there was nothing I could do about it and that the hull had just kind of learned that shape.  Turns out I accidentally fixed it with these new rails. Love happy accidents. Looks true as can be now.  I have only eyeballed it. Don't actually want to know if it isn't.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Did a little more tonight. Scabbed together a few of the last remaining pieces of marine ply. This will become my front deck. After I glass the bottom with a scrap of 1208 it should be strong as new rope.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Got a few more steps done this week.

Rough cut the front deck


Shaped up the rails around the bow.  Made a template for the curve and traced with a router
.


Glassed the joints (12 oz biax tape) and the entire bottom of the deck (10oz cloth).



Epoxied the deck into place on the rails.



All went smoothly except when I was positioning the deck on the rails.  I was trying to work "wet on wet" with the epoxy and I let the deck/glass cure for about 30-40 min.  But it was not as set as I thought.  As a result, as I was positioning it on the rails, I pushed up a couple little bubbles in the glass, but it is on the underside and right next to the rails, so I am not to worried about it. Out of sight out of mind, and not important structurally.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Momentum continues.  Nearing the "paint this thing already" finish line has me pretty excited.  Here is the latest progress.  After gluing down the front deck, I trimmed it down using a flush trim router bit.  Gave a super clean edge. Then I rounded the edges using the router and a 1/2 in radius round-over bit. Then it was time for more glass.  



I used 10 oz on the top here too because I am spanning a 36 inch gap, and my plywood is butt-jointed.  Adding a little extra stiffness won't hurt me.  I used the poly to "clamp" the glass over the roundover on the back. 10oz isn't the most cooperative when turning sharp corners.  Same thing around the bow.





From there, it was time to clean out the boat and do some serious sanding.  Did a lot last night and have a lot more to do.  











Sorry about the lighting, but you get the idea.  One step closer to getting wet.


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## NoeSmyrnaBch (Aug 19, 2013)

Looks awesome. Can't wait to see it in color. Keep up the ood work


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## Dadvocate (Jun 26, 2011)

Good job keep on knock the steps out one by one and you will have her in the water before you know it.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Man your doing a great job. This will be a super skinny rig. Just add a push pole platform and you'll be stealthy. Can't wait to see how it sits in the water ;D


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## Shalla Wata Rider (Aug 14, 2013)

Wow!!! Really good job... rail came out awesome as well as the rest ... Are you going to add a support beam to the bow deck? Or is it stiff enough?...Again ,really cool rebuild. [smiley=1-thumbsup2.gif]


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2012)

I almost bought a 1957 vintage of this same boat a couple months ago..... but decided trying to justify a 3rd boat project wasn't going to fly with swmbo.

Your build out is looking great!


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Really looking good. Builds like these help others like me learn new techniques.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks for the encouragement all! I am pretty excited about the last couple steps. It is funny how you can work and work and then the last few things you do it all starts to come together visually.



> Wow!!! Really good job... rail came out awesome as well as the rest ... Are you going to add a support beam to the bow deck? Or is it stiff enough?...Again ,really cool rebuild. Smiley


I butt-jointed the plywood with epoxy/woodflour, then on the bottom of the deck I used 12oz biax tape (6 inches wide) across the joints, and then a layer of 10oz cloth over the entire surface. On the top, I did another layer of 10oz and wrapped it down over the rails. So far it seems pretty solid. I haven't stood on it yet though. But as of now, I don't plan to add any braces. I will know more once I climb up there though.



> Man your doing a great job. This will be a super skinny rig. Just add a push pole platform and you'll be stealthy. Can't wait to see how it sits in the water Grin


Definitely want to add a platform. It is on the wishlist, but will probably wait until later to do that. I have enough expenses between me and launch day without adding another 300-400 bucks.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

With your skill you could make one. I've seen a cool bamboo platform on this site that would look cool on that boat


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks for the vote of confidence Permit. I may have to look into that. Bamboo sounds cool. I talked to a guy about a year ago that was building bicycle frames out of bamboo & epoxy. He said it was super strong and light. Intriguing...


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Look on fishing reports, mosquito lagoon and the guide has a bamboo platform. His handle is Ridiculous


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## NoeSmyrnaBch (Aug 19, 2013)

I think the bamboo idea would be awesome on this build. I have looked at that thread more times than I can count admiring that damn tiller handle. I ALMOST did mine the same way on my project.


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## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

I'm not a guide, I'm a carpenter. You can go the bamboo route, but there's allot more to it than one would think (price wise and skill wise). And every time someone over 200lbs, gets up there I'm nervous. I made it as structurally sound as possible and it has held people 250lbs, but it's still wood and could give at any time. Don't get me wrong I love it and it's unique, but in hindsight aluminum makes more sense all the way around. If you get the aluminum, cut the pieces and take it to a welder. It will cost the same, save you time and last longer than the bamboo. That's my advice.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Thanks for your help for this guy and his build. I like the bamboo but understand the weight limit. Mine has an aluminum platform that I just polished up and am reinstalling it soon. Can't u put some thing inside the bamboo to make it stronger. Hope I see you down at mosquito some day soon


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## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

1.43 a day.  Painful.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Just checked out the bamboo platform. Super cool. I appreciate the candor about it maybe not being the best material for the job though. My priority for now is just to get to floating. After that, I will start looking at options for the platform. At this point scouring Craigslist for a couple of months is the most likely choice.


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## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

> Thanks for your help for this guy and his build. I like the bamboo but understand the weight limit. Mine has an aluminum platform that I just polished up and am reinstalling it soon. Can't u put some thing inside the bamboo to make it stronger. Hope I see you down at mosquito some day soon


 You have to put something in the bamboo, to make it stronger. Bamboo can split extremely easy from certain forces and directions.


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## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

> Just checked out the bamboo platform.  Super cool.  I appreciate the candor about it maybe not being the best material for the job though.  My priority for now is just to get to floating.  After that, I will start looking at options for the platform.  At this point scouring Craigslist for a couple of months is the most likely choice.


It is definitely not the best material... but it is super cool


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

> > Thanks for your help for this guy and his build. I like the bamboo but understand the weight limit. Mine has an aluminum platform that I just polished up and am reinstalling it soon. Can't u put some thing inside the bamboo to make it stronger. Hope I see you down at mosquito some day soon
> 
> 
> You have to put something in the bamboo, to make it stronger. Bamboo can split extremely easy from certain forces and directions.


Out of curiosity, what would you put in the bamboo to strengthen it? At first guess, I'd cut the bamboo in half, fill the halves with epoxy thickened with chopped strand and silica and then put the halves back together, but it would take forever and the result would weigh a ton.

Nate


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

If I was going to do it, I would probably not fill, but rather wrap the bamboo in glass. Double wrap of 6oz would add quite a bit of strength and you could do a clear finish. Would be fun to play around with anyway.


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## habanalure (Feb 6, 2012)

Beautiful work!

I want to do a wood rail on my 16 skiff. Could you tell me how you did yours. Other than Teak what do you recommend.
Thanks
HabanaJoe


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

> If I was going to do it, I would probably not fill, but rather wrap the bamboo in glass.  Double wrap of 6oz would add quite a bit of strength and you could do a clear finish.  Would be fun to play around with anyway.


You could fill it with Seacast or some thing like that and make it bullet proof


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

> Posted by: HabanaJoe Posted on: Yesterday at 5:21pm
> Beautiful work!
> 
> I want to do a wood rail on my 16 skiff. Could you tell me how you did yours. Other than Teak what do you recommend.
> ...


Thanks! I am breaking the rules a little bit on what I used.  I used a 16ft pressure treated 2x8 and ripped it down to size on a table saw.  Using pressure treated wood is generally not recommended due to potential problems with the epoxy sticking to it.  I did some research first and it appears that there are two things you can do to combat the problem.

1. Use really dry wood. Most PT boards have a really high moisture content from the treatment. Some are so wet that you actually get drops of water coming off by the saw blade when you cut.  I chose a board that was really dry to begin with (sorted through a lot of stacks to find an old one at the bottom that was very dry.)  Then, because I am a slacker, I let that same board sit in my garage for 2 years to dry out the rest of the way.  Before putting the rails on, it was as dry as any good hardwood.

2. Don't sand the bonding surface very well.  Use rough paper and leave some saw marks.  Epoxy forms a pretty strong mechanical bond and the nicks and gouges help that along.  I did a test on a couple of pieces of this before going ahead.  When stressed to the point of breaking, the wood broke, not the glue joint. So I feel pretty good about it.

If you don't want to roll the dice on the PT like I did, untreated southern yellow pine or douglas fir are other recommended (cheap) woods, but again make sure they are pretty dry.  Those should be ok as long as you cover every surface with epoxy and dab some 5200 on any screw holes. Another option is to rip pieces of marine ply into thin strips and laminate them together (you can find info on that on boatbuildercentral.com).

As far as actually installing the rails, I did it in two steps.  I used epoxy thickened with wood flour to about the consistency of peanut butter.  I applied the epoxy to the whole rail.  Then I started at one end and worked my way along.  It is good to have a helper to hold the extended end of the rail so that it isnt into the epoxy. They also can help raise or lower it to keep the height consistent. (A wife makes a good helper but not after she gets epoxy in her hair. So, I had help on the inside rails but on the outside rails my helper was a hand truck with a 1x4 clamped on to it.)  :-/

I started with the inside first, using screws to go from the rails (outside to inside) and all the way through the inside rail.  By going through, I gave my self a pilot hole that I would use to go back the other direction (from inside to outside) when installing the outside rail. I put a screw about every 8 inches or so, more if the rail wasn't holding the curve. After getting it all screwed in place, go back down the line with your putty knife or mixing stick and clean all the drips and push as much epoxy as you can into any gaps etc. You will still have to come back and putty everything up later, but this gives you a headstart on that operation.  After the epoxy cures, go over the top with a belt sander to level the inside and outside anywhere they are mis-aligned.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

So, after a 2 year hiatus, I am dragging this project back from the edge of the abyss that so many boat projects sink into.  It was close. I almost lost her.

Back on track now though.  Prepping interior, sanding off the old spray can paint job. 





Bottom job with epoxy/graphite.



Doing a little fairing and sanding now.  Going to be a workboat finish for sure though.  Want to get in the water before another 2 years go by.

Oh, and my favorite step so far: new Suzuki 20hp for the back.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Got the first coat of primer on last night.  Felt good to see all one color.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Got the primer done and a few better pics. Topcoating tonight/early tomorrow morning.  Dodging thunderstorms, 95 degree temps and the insect hordes makes painting a boat in the summer in FL an interesting endeavor.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Wow, nice rescue. I didn't know they had fiberglass boats 60 years ago.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

This may have been the first one ever made Devrep.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

So, tonight I had a flash of brilliance, followed by a flash of "nope still an idiot." I had my moment though. 

In grumbling about the heat, rain and bugs killing my finishing process, I thought, "Man, if only I had an air conditioned garage."  Then I went up to the attic and pulled the a/c duct off of the room next to the garage and did this:



It worked amazingly well.  Last night I painted without sweating, or bugs.

Interior is topcoated.





Here is where the nope I'm an idiot part came in.  I had only ordered 1 qt of paint.  Don't know why I thought I could do the whole inside and outside with 1 qt.  Not that big a deal.  I ordered some more from boatbuildercentral and should get it this week.  

The problem is that the topcoat is supposed to be cured for 2 weeks before splashing, and last night was exactly 2 weeks before my desired splash date.  We are going on vacation in the panhandle near Apalachicola and I desperately want it ready for that trip.  

Anyone have any experience with splashing a System three WR-LPU paint job with less than the recommended 14 day cure time?


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Launch day is Wednesday!


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## erikb85 (Jun 13, 2014)

Lookin fishy man


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Pretty pretty! Great job on the boat DLB!


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks guys. Can't wait to see her in the water tomorrow.


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Wet test completed.  I spent the last five days in Lanark Village (about 35 miles east of Apalachicola on the gulf coast).  The boat performed well and all in all I am pretty pleased.  







I did manage to get her slimed.  Two 14" trout. 



And a bunch of ladies. One of which ended up a lot shorter than she started.  Sharky waters are fun.



I still need to do some adjustments to the engine height.  I am using a fixed jackplate and I am getting some spray off the lower unite up and into the boat.  The AV plate is running just above the surface when on a plane, but the leading edge of it is creating the spray at mid range RPM.  Also, I have it on the lowest trim setting. Any higher and I start getting cavitation.  I think I need to drop it a little to run just under the surface.  Wishing I had sprung for the adjustable plate.

Anyway, I am sure I will get that sorted out.  Any advice on that is welcome.  Still to go, lights and wiring, possibly a grab bar, and definitely some rod holders. All in all, stoked. And I fished all weekend on 3 gallons of gas!!


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Told you that you had skill. Were is the poling platform 
Nice boat. I know about those sharks man[ch128513]


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

Looks great D! Years ago I spent some time on St. George Island and sure want to go back!

Great job on the boat, it's awesome to have a piece of history you saved from the landfill.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Did you see any poons in Lanark


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks gentlemen. Permit, I am undecided on the platform. It may happen, but it isn't a priority now. As for tarpon this weekend, I saw a few roll but they were a good ways off and I didn't get close.


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

That's a good looking boat. I for one think you made a good decision keeping it simple and light, perfect for the creeks around Jacksonville. Lanark is a beautiful area, was that your first time there? Did you do any scalloping?


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## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

Nice job! My family has a place on St. George. I really love that area!


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## DLBjaxbeach (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks JaxLax & Tomahawk! My wife's mom lives in Lanark, so I have been there a few times. But this was the first time with a boat. I did do a little scalloping for about an hour and a half. Water clarity wasn't too good though. I got 14 in that time. So not too bad, but also not amazing.


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