Just picked up this old Mckinze drift boat off Craigs list. Its a 14'8" drifter that needs some love. I'll need to replace the stem & do some bottom repair. It had an UHMV bottom that already had come off. All the screws had rusted off. I plan to strip all the old paint over varnish off, oil the interior, & glass the out side. Waiting for the bottom to dry out & see what repairs are needed.

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Hello Dan,

The major problem areas to check are the chines, the pieces of wood on the inside and outside of the bottom of the boat. The frames where they could have sat in water, especially where they join the floor, all the plywood along the floor and the plywood behind the plywood on the sides of the boat.

Looks like you will need to remove and replace the stem. If the plywood is rotted around the screws that held the UHMW on you might have to consider removing and replacing it. All these repairs can be done and have been done.

The bottom line is how much time, money and effort to you want to invest. The search engine on the top of the page can point you to what others have done with boats in this condition. The trick is asking the right question to get the results you need. If you need help ask, I have read almost every post over the last few years and can often help you find things. The other folks here have a tremendous amount of knowledge and love to help.

Post some close ups in the potential problem areas. See the little icon above where you type in responses that is next to the word LINK. Click on that to post pictures directly in your post.

Rick Newman

Thanks Rick, I have spent the last week going over all the old blogs relating to refinishing this boat.  I know I'll have to replace the stem & do some work on the transom.  I have only found one soft spot on the bottom so far, by just tipping the boat on its side.  I plan on turning it over & pulling the chine cap off & see what I have next.  So far it seems to have pretty good wood to work with.  I'll have to be easy on the side as they are only 1/4" ply.

Really looking forward to seeing your project come to life Dan as I have one much like it (see my photos) that I hope to start on this summer.  LOTS OF PICS PLEASE!!!!!!!

Thanks Vance, yea, we both have project boats.  I plan on taking plenty of pictures of this rebuild.

Dan, good luck with your resto. I'm in the same spot with a wood drifter I just picked up. See my blog for pictures. Theres alot of good info and help on this site. Like Rick said just about every problem you will run unto has been addressed at one tim or another on this site. I have spent hours looking thru the archives and still will post a question to get some follow up or new angle to the problem. Pick up Roger Fletchers book if you don't have it. A ton of info in it. Have fun and keep us posted.

Mark

THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE A JOKE   FUN WORK AHEAD   ASK ME HOW I KNOW????

Got some work done this weekend.  Made the front sliding seat base, & pulled the chine off one side.  The wood underneath looks pretty good. What was surprising is that it had been bedded with silicone.  At least it  came off fairly easy, compared to if it hade been 3M 5200.

Dan

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Dan, looking good. A little sanding, scrapping, fiberglassing, some paint and you'll be on the water!

Rick Newman

Dan your boat is the same color blue as mine. After I get all that paint off I hope I never see that color again!

Mark, how did you get all of your paint off?  I have been doing two coats of Citri-Strip & still cant get it all off.  I even let it sit overnight.  The paint isn't the biggest problem, it's the old varnish underneath.

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