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5200 bottom

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Dadio
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5200 bottom

Post by Dadio » Fri Sep 05, 2014 4:21 pm

Hi all... just acquired 1957 18' Continental and bottom is original. It appears not to have any rot on the bottom or transom but a couple of spots on the stem. I have read restorers who have removed a bottom to fix some ribs then reused old bottom planks while only replacing one or two boards and sealing with 5200. Is this the proper thing to do? I like the "no soak" but want to use all the good planks from original bottom.
1957 Chris Craft Continental
CL-18-271

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mbigpops
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by mbigpops » Fri Sep 05, 2014 8:34 pm

Dadio,

Welcome to the forum.

If you can get your hands on the September / October Issue (181) of Classic Boating Magazine there is a detailed article by Don Danenberg titled "What is a TRUE 5200 Bottom?".

What you are describing is well short of what would be involved in this process and would likely achieve disappointing results.

My answer would be "no" that is not the proper thing to do. You will most likely be re-using oil soaked planks and run into countless broken fasteners trying remove them which makes not ruining them almost impossible. I am currently restoring a 1953 runabout and have seen these issues firsthand.

Good luck !

Mark
1953 CC Rocket Runabout "Rocket Man"

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mfine
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by mfine » Sat Sep 06, 2014 6:25 am

Chances are pretty high that you don't have any "good" planks, just OK ones. 5200 is a nearly permanent glue so anything you bed in it is going to stay there. You can use it to bed new planks treated with CPES that may last another 70-80+ years, or you can bed your old planks that may have 10 more years of life left in them.

Also, before you squeeze on any 5200, I would strongly consider replacing the bottom frames and chines. They are likely old, oil soaked or otherwise weakend, and once you put down a layer of 5200, you are looking at an extremely difficult and expensive job to replace them.

To me, a proper 5200 job is all new frames plywood and planks below the waterline. Using old wood is a short term fix that will likely lead to the boat getting junked when something fails and the fix is too costly compared to the remaining hull value.

joanroy
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by joanroy » Sat Sep 06, 2014 7:07 am

If you do the 5200 you have to go all the way. Another option is to do the bottom as originally constructed by CC in the fifties. It would be easier to repair down the road.

Dadio
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by Dadio » Sat Sep 06, 2014 5:12 pm

Thanks for your replies however, I’m still not convinced that re-using original wood is not a good practice. I think I know the process to install a new 5200 bottom and plan on following it. After removing the bottom and inter-bottom I planned on repairing or replacing whatever damage I find including oil soaked frames. This Continental was stored under cover in a building for the last 13 years and the previous owner only worked on the engine which runs at this point. The bottom, hull sides and transom are in remarkably good shape but deck planking will need some help. I guess I didn’t phrase my question correctly but let me try again: I would like to do a 5200 bottom to get the no soak effect but want to keep as much original wood as possible. If that is not a good idea, then I remove the bottom, chine planks and replace all the frames. It’s kind of like if it ain’t broke don’t fix it kind of thing. I won’t know the extent of replacement until I get the bottom off.
1957 Chris Craft Continental
CL-18-271

kleiner
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by kleiner » Sat Sep 06, 2014 5:24 pm

That approach doesn't really make a lot of sense given the amount of labor and the expense of all other materials. I would either repair the bottom the original way to keep as many original planks as possible (which allows for easier future repairs, which you or the next owner will be doing if you go this route), or go with an entire new bottom - new frames, inner plywood and all new planks bedded in 5200.

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mfine
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by mfine » Sat Sep 06, 2014 6:18 pm

I suggest you research the lab testing Don D did with Carnegie Mellon on the strength of old wood vs new. Your bottom planks might look good to you but they could be half as strong as when new.

What you are suggesting is going to...

1) Save you a few hundred dollars in new wood expense and replace it with significantly more labor expense carefully removing and refinishing the old planks.

2) Replace the worst LOOKING frames but leave others that are weakened with age and with may have hidden damage.

3) Make it extremely difficult and expensive to make any future frame (or plank) replacements

4) Leave you with a much weaker bottom that will have a shorter life with both a higher initial cost and an extremely high cost to repair down the road.

There are good arguments for saving topside wood, but what you are proposing has no upsides. What do you think you are going to gain by reusing a few below water planks?

Dadio
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by Dadio » Mon Sep 08, 2014 5:24 pm

OK, I'm convinced! New bottom it is. Thank you all for solid advice. :D
1957 Chris Craft Continental
CL-18-271

dreed
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Re: 5200 bottom

Post by dreed » Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:49 pm

You made the right choice.
1953 CC Riviera 18-R-927

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