Miserable wet and cold Bank Hol Sat here- typical, thank goodness I have the Runabout to occupy my time. Car rally scrapped due to weather, so had my head in the hull today with paint stripper.

Last lot I got from Wicks I took back and got my money back - reported on here last year - it was useless and all the bad things which make stripper good had been taken out by the elf&saftey brigade.

Not much progress since my last report as I have just got back from 7 weeks in France and whilst I was there I bought this stuff - see piccie with link below, it's easier then describing. So restarted work today.

http://s1342.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... r/library/

It stinks like proper stripper and works resonably well like the old Nitromors, plus it was not expensive at about £7 for a litre at the Bricolage. So if you are out there for hols etc it might be worth trying if you want a small amount to do a job without having to resort to internet etc.

Happy days - bank holidays!

In true online fashion, I think I now ought to retitle this project 'Barn Find' - well I did find it in my 200 years old barn this morning! And seemingly these days finding anything in a garage or shed has to be called a barn find.

Well it's over two years now since my last post and I don't blame anybody reading this to think it had gone down the pan.

But, a house move to Norfolk last year and selling up my old place in Yorkhire months before that meant I had to put everything into store along with lots of other stuff. So this morning for the first time in about 18 months we have managed to get the boat out and home temporarily.

Since my last post, I have stripped and painted the inside of the hull and finished my trailer to move the boat. So now it's back to the rebuild. First thing is to turn it upside down and then start on the hull coatings. We are hoping to get this done before the builders turn up to demolish my current garage prior to a rebuild - So still not out of the woods as far as finishing is concerned, but it will eventually be finished and on the water. Hopefully I might get it to the static display at Oulton Broad part done in September. I am hoping my next posts will be of a painted hull......never ending story after nearly 4 years!, but I thought I would update as somebody is reading this - 8500 hits tells it's own story - so thanks to evierybody who has taken an interest!

Shot of boat 'as barn found' this morning link below:

http://s1342.photobucket.com/user/Bront ... sort=3&o=0

Help......Question on paint for final hull finish:

I have been using an Acrylic base marine paint for my hull. Primer and Undercoat is done, but not happy with the top coat supplied, so thinking about trying another make. This will probably elicit various views, but that's fine - everybody has their favourites in everything!

Covering my Acrylic undercoat, what would be the best paint to use? I am rollering onto prepared ply with a top quality velour 4" roller specifically for Acrylics etc (as suggested by a boat builder in the club) in my garage. The finish so far is quite good so want to stick to that method in one part colour finish top coat. My choices - assuming you think they are suitable for covering over my Acrylic undercoats are: international Toplac Gloss, Hempel Brilliant Gloss, Epiphanes yacht Enamel. I can buy these locally so thought would stick to these, but any other options would be gratefully considered.

Any advice on this would be very welcome, from the experience in the Club - I am a member!

Thanks in anticipation.

Depends very much if the boat is left in the water. Don't go mad with the costly stuff if not.

Boat will always be taken out of the water and onto the trailer.

So is the stuff I have listed the 'expensive stuff'' in this context. Or should I be looking elsewhere?

Cheers.

I used International yacht enamel (now superceeded by Toplac) when I first painted my Yarecraft over 20 years ago. I repainted the hull with toplac about 4 years ago when I made some repairs but the deck is still the old enamel and still looks good with only small signs of oxidisation. Both paints are easy to use traditional straight from the tin types. I think it pays in the long run to buy quality paint if you plan on keeping the boat. Based on my experience I would certainly recommend the Toplac, easy to apply and a good durable gloss finish. Make sure you choose a paint that will flex with the movement of the wood. Polyurethanes like Brightside are hard wearing but can crack on a wooden hull.

I used Toplac too. Its quite easy to get a good finish and the colours seem classic.

Thanks guys that's great. Interestingly I called into an outboard workshop today and they were painting a small cruiser by brush. When I asked, they told me they were using International Toplac!

So I might just go with that.

Again I genuinely appreciate your help on this. I wouldn't have got this far without the club help

Yesterday I put a tiller arm on my engine, to test it and then run it in a friends boat, Having posted a request for info on fuel lines, tanks etc, I now have that resolved by the kind attention of a club memeber. This club never fails me so thanks.

This has prompted me to do another post as last year my queries were all around paint finishes. In the end I bought Epiphanes from a good local supplier and boat builder. It went on very well and I am pleased with the result for a first attempt at boat painting. I put it on with the green velour 4" rollers bought from Toolstation on the advice of another club member and boat builder. They worked well, with a decent flat glossy finish.

Next stage, when my builders eventually pull their finger out and finish building my new garage, will be to finish the topsides, get a windscreen made and fit out the boat. Trailer is ready to go and now so is the engine. The build had to stop in a August last year when my garage was demolished, hence the big time lapse.

Heading to Norwich boat jumble next week, is anybody else is attending?

Picture enclosed of the painted hull..

I hope this updates things as I have noticed that this blog has had over 10,000 views! Thank you everybody who has taken an interest.....the rebuild is still alive and kicking...!!

Well folks, it’s been a while!

If you thought this restoration was dead, it’s not! Eight years now since I started work, but I’ve never failed a restoration yet and this is not going to be the first. Life, 2 house moves, illness and a lack of a windscreen supplier has stalled this time and again.

However, it’s back in track and I hope to get it in the water before the end of next month.

Windscreen problem solved by a friend with a bottling and canning factory of all things.

Awaiting the deck drying off for another coat of varnish and then hopefully fitting up. I have collected everything I need. The engine & gearbox are overhauled and was running well earlier this week in the tank.

I now need somebody knowledgable just to help me please with the following wiring question for the kill cord:

When the emergency kill cord is inserted in the switch the circuit ‘I’ is made
When it’s pulled out the circuit I is broken.
Visa versa for circuit ‘M’

Question is:
Do I have to replicate the way the Mercury 200 stop button works

I.e. put live to earth through the switch or do I just have to break the live circuit through the switch to stop the engine, when the cord is pulled?

I’ve read somewhere on here I think, that wiring this incorrectly can blow Thunderbolt ignition system.

Please see my picture above.

I have tried to compress a picture to less than 700k of the boat without success. I will try again and post if I succeed - well I’ve done it, next page! In fact it’s gone on twice!