R Bow

Fore Deck - At the bow, the port and starboard side but joints on the cap rail were black with rot. The deck seams were open and the different deck fittings were loose. All in turn caused leaking into the sub decking and cabins below. The seat cushion on the top of the dunnage box was completely deteriorated.

Everything that was not fastened down was removed. Next came the initial cleaning and then a detailed inspection.

Side Deck - Starting at the bow the 1/2" teak decking was removed back to the beginning of the aft deck. Next, the original 3/8" plywood subdeck was removed. Then the cap rail from the bow back to the aft deck was removed. Any damaged, soft or rotting wood was replaced or repaired with West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thickened with West System 404 high-density filler. After the repairs a new 1/2'' marine plywood subdeck was fitted and screwed down with stainless steel screws and then sealed with West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thickened with West System 404 high-density filler.

Fore Deck - Abandoned screw holes were re-drilled and then plugged with hardwood dowels. The dowels were buttered with West System 105 / 205 epoxy and then driven into the screw holes. Later the top of the dowels were cut off and the wood sanded smooth with 120-grit sandpaper.

The running light on the bow-rail was not working. The light’s bronze clamshell was covered with assorted paints and patinas. The screw hole that holds the bow pennant staff was striped which caused the staff to wobble. In addition, the socket for the light bulb was held together with assorted layers of tape and goop.

The repair and renovation of the bow light began. First, the original bronze Perko clamshell and pennant staff was delivered to Wade Technology Inc. in Phila. PA for replating. Next, the striped screw hole was drilled out and taped to the next larger size. Last, the old bayonet style light bulb socket was replaced with a new one. Everything was then reassembled and tested.

Side Deck - The seam where the deck house meets the teak decking was treated with West System epoxy.

The joint was was painted with three applications of West System 105 / 205 epoxy. The epoxy was thinned 100% by volume with lacquer thinner to the consistency of water. The epoxy was applied with a foam roller and then tipped off with a brush to remove any bubbles. This process allowed the epoxy to slowly seep into and seal the wood. After each application had dried for 24 hours, it was lightly sanded with 120-grit sandpaper. The whited-out epoxy was then vacuumed and wiped-down with a cotton towel and paint thinner.

This produced a tight permanent bond that eliminated any leakage.

Fore Deck - The deck seams were reefed of all the old caulking using a laminate trimmer and a 1/8" straight cutting bit set to a depth of 3/16". A ‘guide board’ was used to keep the laminate trimmer moving in a straight line and there by reduce the chance of cutting more than the seam. The areas that the laminate trimmer would not reach were reefed using a Dermal tool fitter with a 1/8" general-purpose cutting bit. Other areas were reefed using a pocketknife. After the seams were opened a small, stainless steel bristle, parts cleaning brush was run through the seams in order to remove any burrs, dings, etc. and to generally smooth out the edges of the seams. The reefed seams were then taped on both sides with 1" masking tape. The tape was laid down just touching the opening of the seam. Next, using a toothbrush, the inside seams was scrubbed with acetone in order to remove any teak oil. The seams were then injected with West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thinned 100% by volume with lacquer thinner. 3M-4200 was then injected into the seam using a caulking gun. The new compound was pushed down into the seams using the flat of a tongue depressor. The tape was immediately removed and the newly sealed joint allowed to set up and dry for a week before finishing with a very light hand sanding.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - There were three known leaks on Independence. One was in the galley and dinette area. After a great deal of investigation it was determined that, the leaking had to be coming from the bow seat area. A careful investigation of the inside of the bow seat structure confirmed that there were many open seams and delamination. Some preliminary sanding and grinding revealed the over the years a great many people had worked on the inside framing and construction of the seat structure including some people from the “half-ass school of boat repair.” There were multiple random layers of 3M 5200, epoxy, glass mat, paint, polyester resin, ‘goop’, varnish, and all other manner of repair materials laired on top of one another. It was also clear that few people ever looked at, or worked on the underside of the top of the bow seat that was where the water leaking into the boat was starting.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - Some where in the annals of time, someone installed an audio speaker in the Saloon. The speaker was screwed onto the backside of a cutout board in the Saloon from within the bow seat. The speaker was then encased in a loosely fitted Luan shell. The top of the shell had a ½” gap that provided the opening for water to flow down to the inside of the boat. The shell and speaker were removed and a ¾” mahogany plug was fitted into the opening. The bung was glued in place using West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thickened with West System 404 high-density filler. After the epoxy had dried for a day the plug and epoxy was faired to the rest of the inside of the bow seat. The original molding that surrounded the inside edge of the bow seat that the lid / seat rest on was almost all gone with the exception of one small piece. That molding was constructed with a water runoff gutter. In place of the original molding were pieces of different types and sizes of wood strips that the seat rested on. This meant that rainwater would flow down under the seat and down the inside walls and in places down inside the boat.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - The repair work continued by removing all of the years of built-up repair materials. This was accomplished by using a combination of chisels, Dermal tool – with assorted attachments, grinders, knives and sanders, all with careful attention paid to the corners, joints and seams.

The gaps, seams and voids were then filled with a fairing compound made up of West System 105 / 205 epoxy thickened with System Three - Phenolic Microballoons. After the fairing compound had dried, it was smoothed using 120-grit sandpaper producing a clean smooth finish.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - The base of the bow seat where it meets the teak deck was always a source of leaks. A thorough inspection revealed that the original teak corner moldings were replaced with shorter and very poorly constructed plastic and mahogany pieces. The decision was made to reconstruct the original teak moldings.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - With the old molding remover a piece of Luan was used to make a flat template of the shape needed to construct new teak moldings that will wrap completely around the base of the front of the bow seat to the side deck.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - After the template was trimmed to create a snug fit, a full size pattern was cut from 1" pine stock. The pattern server two purposes, one to learn how to create the compound shape with a changing back-cut and two to test how the final teak molding will need to fit.

The pattern needed to be cutout to allow for not only the horizontal pitch of the deck but also for the continually changing vertical angle of the bow seat.

The pattern board and the bow seat were both scribed every inch and then using a bevel gauge the angels at each increment were lofted onto the pattern board to provide the compound bevel for cutting out the underside of the pattern board.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - Using the pattern board and the knowledge gained in creating it a new 1" teak molding was cut.

The soft curved serpentine shaped of the molding was scribed with the use of batten to help define the outer curve. The molding was then cutout on a band saw. With the shape of the molding cut the outboard edge of the molding was then rounded-over with a 1/2" round-over bit.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Seat - The side of the deckhouse where the side-deck and the cabin meet was covered with 1" x 7/8" molding. A bevel gauge was used to determine the average pitch of the side deck to the deckhouse. The molding was then back cut at 19� off vertical. The outboard edge of molding was then rounded-over with a 1/2" round-over bit.

Fore Deck - A thorough inspection revealed that the leaking hatch on the fore deck was caused by the joint where the teak hatch is fastened to the bronze hatch frame.

Fore Deck - First, the hatch was disassembled from the frame.

Abandoned screw holes were re-drilled and then plugged with hardwood dowels. The dowels were buttered with West System 105 / 205 epoxy and then driven into the screw holes. Later the top of the dowels were cut off and the wood sanded smooth with 120-grit sandpaper.

The inside of the hatch where the bronze hatch frame is fastened to the teakwood hatch was then sanded flat and smooth with 120-grit sandpaper. Three beads of 3M-4200 was then applied to the bronze hatch frame and the inside of the hatch. Last, twenty-four new 5/8" stainless steel screws were used to fasten the hatch to the frame.

The old gasket material was completely removed and the channel cleaned. Bob Bothum of LPX Sales & Service supplied the new hatch gasket. The new gasket was fitted and secured with contact cement.

Fore Deck - After nearly forty years of service the large, ten-inch, Ideal electric windless on the Bow was removed, disassembled, cleaned, inspected, serviced, lubricated, tested, reassembled and reinstalled. The old foot switch was removed and a new foot pedal switch was installed and sealed into the teak deck.

Side Deck - Over the years and owners many different types of stains, colors, tints, sealers and varnishes had been used on the boat. The net effect was that the exposed woodwork did not have a uniform color, texture or finish. The choice was made to try and achieve a level of consistency.

Side Deck - The removal of the half-round stainless steal rub rail strake revealed an eclectic mixture of fasteners. They were of differing sizes, lengths and types. There were slotted, Philips and square drive all in lengths from 1/2” to 2 ½”. The screw heads in half of the fasteners were striped. Those screws were removed with three different types of screw extractors and vice grips. The flat underside of the stainless steal strake was covered with what looked like years of accumulated caulk, bedding compound and paint. Everything was cleaned by scrapping and sanding with 60, 120 and then 220-grit sandpaper. The rub strakes that were fastened to the caprail were removed next. The rub strakes are polished stainless steel guards that protect dock lines from chaffing on the caprail.

Abandoned screw holes were re-drilled and then plugged with hardwood dowels. The dowels were buttered with West System 105 / 205 epoxy and then driven into the screw holes. Later the top of the dowels were cut off and the wood sanded smooth with 120-grit sandpaper.

Side Deck - In order to achieve a uniform look the decision was made to strip, sand, stain and refinish all the wood. The woodwork was first painted with multiple applications of Strypeeze paint and varnish remover followed by hand scraping to remove the accumulated old finish.

Any nicks, dings, scratches or blemishes were repaired using Famowood mahogany wood filler. With the surface repaired, the wood was smoothed using 120 and then 220-grit sandpaper producing a clean smooth finish.

After sanding, the woodwork was painted with the grain with Interlux – #573 C.C. Red mahogany Wood Filler Stain that had been thinned 50% by volume. After the stain had set-up for approximately 5 minutes the excess was rubbed off against the grain with a cotton towel.

The wood was sealed with three applications of West System 105 / 207 epoxy. (The 207 hardener dries to a clear finish.) The first coat was thinned 100% by volume. The viscosity of the second coat was thinned 50%. The last coat was not thinned at all. The epoxy was thinned with lacquer thinner and rolled on with a foam 1/8� foam nap roller and tipped with a foam brush to remove any bubbles. This process allowed the epoxy to slowly seep-into and seal the wood. After drying, the hardened epoxy was smoothed using 220-grit sandpaper. The whited-out epoxy was then vacuumed and wiped-down with a cotton towel and paint thinner.

Side Deck - Using a 1/8" nap foam roller and a 2" foam brush the woodwork was rolled and tipped with six applications of Interlux - #95 - Goldspar Varnish. Before the last coat was applied, the previous coats were block sanded with 220-grit sandpaper and then everything was vacuumed and wiped-down with a tack-rag and paint thinner.

The project was completed with the reinstallation of the half-round stainless steel rub strake molding with #8 - 1” stainless steel screws.

Fore Deck - The chrome platted bronze line chocks and air scoops that were removed from the caprail were weathered and scratched, likewise with the port and starboard navigation lights. Given their general condition and appearance the decision was made to send them out to Wade Technology Inc. Phila., PA for replating.

The replated deck hardware was reinstalled and beaded with 3M-4200. The tops of the screws and bolts were all smeared with Davis - Slick Seam before the were tightened down. Afterwards the tops of the screws were all treated with Capt. Tolleys - Creeping Crack Cure. All of this was done to help stop water penetration and rot.

Fore Deck ~ Life Ring Buoy Hook - During the decade that Independence laid abandoned in Florida, many parts were striped off the boat by unknown parties. Among the missing parts were a pair of chromed bronze life ring buoy holders. Through continuous monitoring and bidding on eBay a pair of NOS Perko life ring hooks were acquired.

New mahogany mounting brackets were milled and sanded. After sanding, the woodwork was painted with the grain with Interlux – #573 C.C. Red mahogany Wood Filler Stain that had been thinned 50% by volume. After the stain had set-up for approximately 5 minutes the excess was rubbed off against the grain with a cotton towel.

The wood was sealed with three applications of West System 105 / 207 epoxy. (The 207 hardener dries to a clear finish.) The first coat was thinned 100% by volume. The viscosity of the second coat was thinned 50%. The last coat was not thinned at all. The epoxy was thinned with lacquer thinner and rolled on with a foam 1/8� foam nap roller and tipped with a foam brush to remove any bubbles. This process allowed the epoxy to slowly seep-into and seal the wood. After drying, the hardened epoxy was smoothed using 220-grit sandpaper. The whited-out epoxy was then vacuumed and wiped-down with a cotton towel and paint thinner.

The life ring buoy holders were then mounted on the port and starboard forward stanchions at the bow.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Staff - The stainless steel bow staff was missing the wooden ball on top. After a long and exhaustive search, the correct size ball was identified. The correct ball size ball for Independence is 1 ½” diameter mounted on a 3/8” diameter staff.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Staff - A trip to the local craft store produced a 1 ½” Poplar ball and a 3/8” Oak dowel. A 3/8” x ¾” hole was drilled in the ball and then the dowel attached using West System 105 / 205 epoxy. The wood was sanded and stained using Interlux – #573 - C.C. Red mahogany Wood Filler Stain that had been thinned 50% by volume. After the stain had set-up for approximately 5 minutes the excess was rubbed off with a cotton towel.

The wood was sealed with three applications of West System 105 / 207 epoxy. (The 207 hardener dries to a clear finish.) The first coat was thinned 100% by volume. The viscosity of the second coat was thinned 50%. The last coat was not thinned at all. The epoxy was thinned with lacquer thinner and rolled on with a foam 1/8� foam nap roller and tipped with a foam brush to remove any bubbles. This process allowed the epoxy to slowly seep-into and seal the wood. After drying, the hardened epoxy was smoothed using 220-grit sandpaper. The whited-out epoxy was then vacuumed and wiped-down with a cotton towel and paint thinner.

The finished staff and ball were then fitted inside the existing stainless steel flagstaff.

Fore Deck ~ Bow Staff - The process was completed with the installation of two new Skipper Clips. Bob Bothum of LPX Sales & Service supplied the new Chris-Craft pennant.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - Chris*Craft stopped making dunnage / bow boxes for their cursers in the late fifties. Storage of fenders, dock lines, fender boards, etc. was relegated to other areas of the boat. At some point in time Independence had been outfitted with a large after market dunnage box. The old after market dunnage box was not fastened to the deck the only thing holding it in place were four teak corner brackets. At best, the dunnage box was in poor condition and had a great deal of wood rot.

The decision was made to construct two new dunnage / bow boxes. When Chris*Craft was making boxes there was no uniform or consistent pattern or size. An extended survey was made of the many different models of dunnage boxes from many different wooden boat makers.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - The decision was made to build the boxes using 3/4" mahogany plywood with 7/8" mahogany bread-board edging. The finish size decided on was 40" W x 20" H x 20" D. The process began by cutting the 3/4" plywood panels that would fit inside the bread-board edging.

A key factor in deciding on the final size of the boxes was that each box will be used to store two Polyfoam F5 fenders and assorted dock lines while underway.

The front and back panels were finished cut to - 36 1/2" x 16 1/2"

The side panels were finished cut to - 16 1/2" x 16 1/2".

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - Chris*Craft used an �L� Bracket assembly, part number 1809 to secure dunnage boxes and tables to the deck. An original Chris*Craft hold down assembly was borrowed from another boat owner and used to create and exact duplicate hold down assemblies.

George at B & W Woodcrafters took over and managed the work of casting four new bronze "L" brackets and the four base fittings, washers, nuts and knurled knobs that were manufactured from 316 stainless steal stock.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - A 1/4" tongue was cut on the four sides of the plywood panels.

The long bread-board pieces were all finished cut to - 40" x 2".

The short bread-board pieces were all finished cut to - 16" x 2".

A 1/4" x 5/16" rabbit was then cut into all of the bread-board pieces.

Number # 0 biscuit slots were then cut into the four corners of the bread-board pieces

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - The tongue edges of the plywood, and the rabbits in the bread-board, and the biscuit slots and biscuits were all painted with West System 105 / 205 epoxy.

With all the pieces joined together and checked for square clamps were applied and the piece allowed to dry overnight.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - A 1/8" reveal was achieved for the front side of the assembly through the use of the 7/8" bread-board and 3/4" panel. With a light sanding of the bread-board and plywood the panel was ready for assembly.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - The four corner posts were buttered with West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thickened with West System 404 high-density filler. The four panels were then fastened to the corner posts with 1" stainless steel screws using a 4" screw pattern. The box was checked for square and allowed to dry overnight.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - The bottom was cut from a piece of plywood and fitted to the inside of the box. Next, the four corners of the bottom were cut off on a 45� to allow for drainage.

The edges of the plywood were painted and sealed with West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thinned 100% by volume with lacquer thinner.

After drying overnight, the bottom was fitted to the insides of the box with West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thickened with West System 404 high-density filler. A 4" screw pattern was then used to fasten the bottom sides of the box to the bottom using # 8 - 1 1/2" stainless steel screws.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - The lid was cut to allow a 1/4" overhang on the front and sides. The back of the lid was cut flush to allow for hinging. All the seams on the lid and the box were then filled with Famowood mahogany Wood Filler. After the filler had dried over night the filler was sanded using 120-grit paper.

Fore Deck ~ Dunnage Box - After sanding, the woodwork was painted with the grain with Interlux – #573 C.C. Red mahogany Wood Filler Stain that had been thinned 50% by volume. After the stain had set-up for approximately 5 minutes the excess was rubbed off against the grain with a cotton towel.