Keith Steele Restoration (Very Pic Heavy)

Hi all,

This is my first post on the forum.  However, I have been a long time lurker.  I thought for my first post I would share some pictures I took along the way of restoring my driftboat.  The boat is a 1976 16' Keith Steele boat.  I bought the boat about 9 years ago from a farmer who had it out in his field.  The boat was painted originally Orange and Brown.  I had to remove the false shoe when I bought it due to dry rot.  I redid the bottom of the boat with a fiberglass cloth and West System Epoxy with Graphite mixed in.  Since then I have fished the boat hard for seven to eight years since buying her.  However, last summer I decided it was time to restore her.  It was a big project and took several months to complete. Thank You to all who's advice and pictures posted on this forum that helped me accomplish this huge monumental task. So here she is!

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Permalink Reply by Jason Knight on May 17, 2011 at 7:20pm
Looks like a fun project. Nice work!
Permalink Reply by David Jensen on May 17, 2011 at 9:19pm
I have a couple of Keith boats, one of that vintage, one 15 years old when he died.  His sons, like Keith, are dear close friends.  They are the Beaver Bros.  The key to your renovation was to remove any vestiges  of orange on the boat.  It should now be river worthy, but if you have future problems, probably painting it Thunder Green and Lightning Yellow should solve them.
Permalink Reply by mitchell on May 18, 2011 at 8:06am

i don't think there's a chance he'll be convinced to ever put a spot of green or yellow on that boat!

 

Nice save Kyle.

Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on May 18, 2011 at 11:12am
great job.
Permalink Reply by Brant Jaouen on May 18, 2011 at 10:05pm
Besides relentless sanding, any other tips on how you got all of that paint off so cleanly?  Looks awesome, by the way.
Permalink Reply by Kyle M. on May 19, 2011 at 2:31pm
It was relentless sanding. Nothing else would take off the two coats of marine paint that was on the boat. Really tough stuff to get off.  I used everything from sanding disks on grinders, belt sanders, orbital sanders, a rockwell oscillating tool to detail sand, and even a dremel tool. No secrets here. Just persistance, time, and sweat. Oh and green paint will never touch this boat. If I ever sell her I will have a contract signed  ;-)

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