Restoring an Acecraft 16 footer

pgreeff

New member
I have spoken to a gent in the know, and according to him the new SAMSA regulations require foam to be applied by an accredited agent. Other than that, it appears I am set to go and start this project.

Foam and buoyancy certificate, about R3k
Kit required for COF, about R6k
COF, from other sources it seems anywhere from R250 to R400.
Skippers, about R1800.
 

thika

Sealiner
Following with great interest!

What bottles were below the deck? And in what condition?

Does the boat have a plate and serial number from Ace Craft Marine?

 
 

pgreeff

New member
thika, I haven't found a plate from Acecraft marine. Still looking though. The boat wasn't well maintained so it might be one of those things that got lost over time.

Below deck I spotted polystyrene, some of it wrapped in plastic. And a Schweppes bottle. The video will give you an indication of the extent of the work that will have to be done.

http://youtu.be/NjdW7dBrnns

Apologies about the orientation. I only realised afterwards that the phone needs to be held sideways when making 16:9 videos.
 

pgreeff

New member
Can anyone confirm the price for renewing COF annually? I haven't been able to find a consistent price for this.
 

thika

Sealiner
Should not be more than R400.00

Your deck had to be lifted before..ACE CRAFT never put junk like that for flotation

 
 

pgreeff

New member
Update on my boat project!

I finally got my act together and set aside an afternoon to take the deck off. As it turns out, it is surprisingly easy. Unfortunately though, a pry bar just doesn't cut it. The circular saw and jigsaw were out of the question as I didn't know what's under the deck or where the nails were. So grinder it was.

Cutting disk + wood means a lot of smoke, and much tears but nonetheless the deck was off in a couple of hours with plenty of rests in between.

Especially up front the wood was at times non existent. However, closer to the rear a lot of the wood was a lot better, so it is looking good for the transom and the rest.

I removed a lot of the bottles and polystyrene this afternoon, unfortunately, it took only 30 minutes for me to fill the old Venter trailer to the brim. It was late, so I'll post a photo later when the light is better.
 

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pgreeff

New member
Here is most of the deck removed. The nose bit is still intact while I decide on the profile for the nose bit.
 

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pgreeff

New member
I'm definitely going foam so the trailer contents will be dumped. So far its going to the boss's kid and the bottles will be chucked in the bin. Maybe he can build an igloo or something...

And its decided. Foam for buoyancy and center console in stead of the forward console. The center console is a much more ergonomic design, especially if there is a seat in the nose bit with storage compartments. Plenty of space to maneuver and a more comfortable position in the event that we get the opportunity to take her to the coast.
 

barryfish

Senior Member
I would do the same as far as c/c goes.

would toss that poly foam tho, water inside a dark hull, all kinds of bacteria lurking there, would be bit careful giving it to the kid.
 

pgreeff

New member
The polystyrene and bottles are out. And much of the wood, the bits that remained, are in the trailer as well.

I've also trimmed away the forward console and left only enough for a cabinet. I might trim that back further once I've decided exactly what I want to do.


What concerned me about this exercise was that I found foam under the cabinet in the nose of the boat. There was a small inspection hole with foam, and the polystyrene in that section was encased in the foam. I can only speculate, however I can now understand why SAMSA requires foam to be added by an accredited installer.

At this point I had to stop as I burned out the angle grinder in my enthusiasm. I never realised it had such a potential for generating smoke...
 

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pgreeff

New member
Here's a pic of the foam in the nose portion. Most of it is out already.

I'm also not sure about the bit of wood located there. I'll sand it down and see what it looks like but on the surface it doesn't look all that healthy.
 

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pgreeff

New member
Some more progress this weekend. I've removed most of the bulkheads. The only portion remaining is the center live bait box and tank area.

I used up my last cutting disk this afternoon with the new angle grinder so I started cleaning the hull. It's a big job as I suspected. I initially used a grinding disk but eventually switched to a sanding disk - what a pleasure! It rips through the fibre glass and roughens up the hull beautifully. Still, it is going to take some time.
 

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hamco

Senior Member
Think about where you want to put your anchor and ropes. Most of us with centre console put our anchors there in front.

 

I think that piece of wood in front is to support the bollard to winch the boat on the trailor or to tie down.

 
 

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pgreeff

New member
I've made a little bit of progress. Grinding down the old boards and glass takes a long time and I had some distractions preventing good progress. However, next weekend I should have some time to finish cleaning the hull.
 

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pgreeff

New member
Its getting there. Life appears to be fighting me on this but I'm fighting back though.

Most of the cleaning is done except for the piece of pipe in the middle of the boat. I kinda forgot about it with all the rubble and dust that accumulated. Its still a bit dusty but most of the powder is in the trailer. And here and there I missed a spot.

"Heerlike lente" indeed. The timid winter sun is no more as is evidenced by my red legs, arms and face. So tomorrow my clients will be confronted with a somewhat scorched looking me.
 

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pgreeff

New member
Oh, and also almost forgotten is the pipe leading from the bilge to the drainage hole at the back. That also needs to come out as I can't see it performing any useful function.

Attached is another view of the hull.
 

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