1967 48' ChrisCraft Constellation Restoration

[robster]

There was latex paint on my Chris from the waterline up. The water had soaked right through it. I am not sure how long the previous owner had been using latex paint on the boat but I can say one thing for sure, I replaced 95% of all the original planking, ribs, battens, deck bows, all the bulkheads and inner framing of the boat because it was all rotten and water-soaked. Latex paint should never be used on a boat, it cannot handle the weather conditions, movement and moisture.
There is one thing about letting the wood breath, but I would rather have bare wood, than wood with latex on it.
There are some professional "Waterborne" paints that are design for marine use and some automotive paint that can be used for topside.

[michael pierzga]

Originally Posted by gonzo

If the cotton was driven properly it will be Ok.
Oil base paint allows enough humidity through to swell the planks. Latex, or better acrylic/latex, can work above the waterline. It has a life expectancy of about ten years on a house and boats usually get better maintenance.

Gonzo..YOU ARE STUCK ON STUPID...this is a batten seamed.. NON COTTON CAULKED HULL...REPEAT...NON COTTON HULL.

[gonzo]

Michael Pierzga: you have been insulting in several of your posts. If you put aside your asinine attitude and read what the question to my response was, you would realize the poster said he caulked the BOTTOM. I have extensive experience with Chris Crafts. You read a couple of obsolete books and think that gives you the right to talk down to people that actually work on boats and know what they are doing. Grow up!

[robster]

I agree, even if we dissagree which we will on sertain issues, this forum should not be used for namecalling and insults. Dissagreement is ok, thats how we learn from eachother. The reason that I started this thread is so that people can have input and get ideas from eachother. if I dissagree with anyone then I should be able to state my opinion constructively.

As far as cotton in th seams of my battens, I saw some cotton but was not consistant through out the hull when I was taking all the planks off. I am not sure if it was origional or someone repairing it from the past.

Interesting enough I saw some cotton on the bottom where it is double planked. Given that my boat is a 1967, it could have been done at the factory.
My advice is that if there is cotton on your boat seams, and you are just doing repairs, then repair it with cotton so that the movement and expansion will stay consistant, the only way you could change systems is if you are stripping it down completely and converting it to a different method such as I did.

[gonzo]

All the diagonal planking I've seen on those boats had some caulking in it. I think that cotton may be needed when the the plank edges have been crushed which makes the seams too big and the swelling won't take up the gap. Sometimes that happens from using hard compounds. Age, and many wet and drying cycles, will also make the seams wider than what swelling can take up.

[PAR]

A common trick employed by all of the era manufactures in batten seams, double planked builds, even lapstrakes (typically at the rabbit seam) is they would lay in a length of cotton string, usually at back and bottom of a joint. Even if the joint was to be clamped tight and fastened without traditional caulking (fibers and compound). The idea is the string (usually fairly small in diameter) would crush down when dry, but swell when wet, pressing against the faying surfaces of each plank and making a seal.

As far as real pounded in cotton, this isn't very common, but sometimes was used to fix irregular seams as an economic option. The alternative would have been to remove the plank and make a cheater or better fitting plank, which of course is a much more costly, even if proper, approach.

Michael Pierzga has been challenged in dozens of different threads to explain his many claims and suggestions. With rare exception, he has proven he "over speaks" what he actually knows and has become more then a bit helpless (or maybe hapless is a better term) possibly feeling rebuked, once too many times. Personally, I'm sorry the forum has to suffer from his incessant dribble about things he knows little off, but hey it's a free discussion board and this freedom to speak, may be more then he's accustomed to.

[Tobin]

Robbie, that sure is a lot of work you are putting into that old boat! I think your ideas are pretty sound and interesting. I have a 63 42' CCC big pile of junk I have been working on for years. I have been restoring old stuff for a while..I built my first boat when I was twelve to fetch golf balls out of the golf course lakes for my pops...well it floated and didn't take much effort to keep it that way. I think the way the ribs and battens are originally designed in these old woodies give you a bit of room for improvement. Look at at how much technology has changed in the last 50 years...I think she'll run longer than we will if your motors are sound! I've got twin Lincoln 430s..they are sitting in my machine shop right now as I am a major gear-head...I've spent the last two years debating a re-power with some small v-8 diesels (Just put a crate 502 in a 69 z-28, but I don't think it'll float!!) ...something compatible to my personal needs and desires...gas too in-efficient..parts tough to find. Its a bare hull now and no hurry, sits inside year round. "What the hell am I doing!!!" I wonder sometimes...but it sure is a fun escape!