My new MISCHIEF 15

[MisChief15]

ABOUT MY NEW BOAT
Today I bought a MISCHIEF 15 with a Yamaha F60 engine. I am really happy about this boat--it's in beautiful shape. I am cleaning the boat now. The gel coat condition above the water line is very good and has a shine. The gel coat below the water line is starting to come off. The hull may soon need bottom paint. The boat is missing the original equipment manufacturer cover.

Q1: can an original equipment boat cover be purchased?

Fig. 1. Overhead view of the cockpit and seating of a MISCHIEF 15 with red gel coat an uphostery.

OverheadViewMISCHIEF15Seating.jpg (52.32 KiB) Viewed 1468 times

CHANGES TO THE BOAT
I plan to add a radio.

I plan to add an audio amplifier and loudspeakers.

I may add a Bimini top.

I plan to remove "the bench" to create more room for angling.

I want to move the battery to the [forward part of the boat] from [the stern of the boat].

Q2: is my plan to move the battery a good decision?

ABOUT ME, MY LOCATION, MY USE OF THE BOAT
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, seven minutes from a slough that leads to the San Francisco Bay. I go to the slough and the bay for a joy ride.

My use of the MISCHIEF 15 will be mostly in San Francisco Bay and angling for Halibut and Strippers--when the weather allows.

REQUESTS

Give me advice.

Share your experiences with the MISCHIEF 15

Suggest more modifications to the MISCHIEF 15.

[Jefecinco]

[Your new MISCHIEF 15 is a] nice boat and a good find.

Q1: can an original equipment boat cover be purchased?

No. You won't find any OEM canvas. Carver Covers (http://www.carvercovers.com) makes covers fitted to several different model boats. They also make high quality Bimini tops, some of which would work well with the Mischief.

Q3: what is the purpose of moving the battery?

[jimh]

Q1: can an original equipment boat cover be purchased?

I don't think there is any source for an in-stock hull cover that is designed specifically to fit perfectly on a MISCHIEF 15. The market for such a product is extraordinarily small.

[jimh]

I want to move the battery to the [forward part of the boat] from [the stern of the boat].

Q2: is my plan to move the battery a good decision?

Yes. It will help keep the stern freeboard where is should be. Read more at

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... 552#p45552

under the sub-heading MISCHIEF 15 Down Flooding

If you actually decide to move the battery, start a new thread in the forum SMALL BOAT ELECTRICAL and ask for advice on what electrical considerations must be met in order that the power delivered to the engine will be sufficient. The process is more complicated than you likely suspect, and can only be properly handled in its own separate discussion.

[jimh]

Suggest more modifications to the MISCHIEF 15.

You should not make any modifications to the MISCHIEF 15 until you have had about a year of experience using the boat. After that time, you will have your own ideas about what might improve the boat for your particular use and location.

[jimh]

My use of the MISCHIEF 15 will be mostly in San Francisco Bay and angling for Halibut and Strippers--when the weather allows.

If you really intend to use the boat for angling in San Francisco Bay, I think your choice of a 15-footer and your choice of the MISCHIEF model are not very appropriate for the intended use.

[jimh]

The gel coat below the water line is starting to come off.

This is an extraordinarily strange problem. Gel coat should not be "coming off" under any circumstance. This problem needs very careful investigation.

[MisChief15]

Thank you very much Butch, and Jim.

Yes. I know the MISCHIEF is geared toward water sports, and it might be little small for the San Franciso Bay, but [I] intend to go out there only on calm days. Moreover, I've been in the bay with an AIRE Super Lynx Inflatable kayak, and with Hobie PA 14 around the Alameda Rock wall, and Oyster Point Marina areas.

Yes [the MISCHIEF 15] is a beauty, and [I] don't want to modify anything that could effect the original look.

As for the gel coat in the bottom, it just wears-off, [it is] not falling off. Sorry for my use of words.

Thanks again.

[jimh]

...for the gel coat in the bottom, it just wears-off, [it is] not falling off...

Gel coat should not "wear-off" from normal use in the water. Water generally does not abrade away gel coat resin. If water caused gel coat resin to abrade away, then boat builders would have stopped using gel coat resin about 70-years ago and tried something else.

[MisChief15]

[The wearing-off of the gel coat] maybe due to beaching, or normal wear. See illustrations below.

Fig. 2. Hull bottom showing numerous layers of different colors.

2a.jpg (45.67 KiB) Viewed 1427 times

Fig. 3. Keel rash at the bow.

keelRashBow.jpg (22.98 KiB) Viewed 1427 times

[jimh]

There are so many layers of different colors seen in Figure 2 that I suspect that the current glossy red color is a paint top coat, not gel coat resin. There appears to be a dull red layer below the bright glossy red layer which might be the original gel coat layer, now very dull and oxidized, and then a yellow layer below that which could be some of the original hull layup resin. The is also possibly some old bottom paint layer appearing here and there.

If this were my boat, I would begin to investigate how many layers of different color exist on the hull. To do that I would begin wet sanding on a layer of the glossy red finish in an inconspicuous area, and observe how many layers I had to sand off until I get to the basic fiberglass layer, which should be a bit of a greenish white.

The abrasion of the keel seen in Figure 3 may be in part due to the broken roller seen in the same illustration or from abrasion or striking something very hard like part of the trailer steel. This area looks like pieces have chipped off, and the basic laminate layer is now exposed to water. The basic laminate layers which were under the gel coat are not water resistant. This damage needs to be repaired soon before water gets into the laminate layers.

[MisChief15]

jimh—you have eyes that can see through the history of this boat. Spot-on assessments on the colors.

I was surprised, but didn't question on the beautiful, glossy, red color on the hull— it looks like a Ferrari that one of my friend has.

Q4: when people re-paint their boats, is that a good thing or not so good?

For me, before buying a boat I just check the hull for any serial cracks or damages.
Also I went around the boat, tapping with my hand on the fiberglass to detect any soft spots—but didn't find any.

[jimh]

Q4: when people re-paint their boats, is that a good thing or not so good?

An older boat whose gel coat surface has many so many defects that individual repair of each defect would be unworkable might be restored by a complete resurfacing of the hull, sanding, fairing, and then a high-quality marine glossy paint would be applied professionally. A process like that is demonstrated in a TotalBoat presentation at

https://youtu.be/4tZDBOYqdfA

For a hull gel coat layer whose surface was not particularly damaged but had just lost a high-luster appearance, the usual approach to restoring the finish would be to restore the original gel coat, by removing oxidation, using a restorative compound, buffing, polishing to a high luster, then waxing to preserve the finish. Doing an entire boat will be a lot of work, but in most cases with classic Boston Whaler hulls the results can be amazing.

The advantage of a gel coat top layer finish is the thickness: gel coat resin is typically sprayed on to a thickness of 0.020-inch or more. This allows minor surface imperfections to be polished out.

To assess what has been done to this red MISCHIEF 15 from one photograph is not possible, but a bit of further investigation that will only take a few minutes of wet sanding may reveal more insight.

Several years ago Boston Whaler began to offer new boat buyers the option for alternative hull colors by applying very high quality marine paint finishes. This approach is common on high-end yachts. Their hulls are painted, but by very skilled professionals using specialized equipment and with very expensive marine specialized yacht grade paints. That is not “a bad thing.”

Judging any restoration method is always going to be based on how it turned out and how durable the new finish will be—and compared against the original construction and how well it looked and lasted.

[MisChief15]

ANOTHER MODIFICATION TO BE DONE
I need to transfer my Minn Kota Riptide bow mount trolling motor (24V, 80lb thrust) [and a very high capacity lithium battery pack once used in a TESLA automobile] from my kayak to the Mischief, and I will drill four holes to mount the quick-release plate.

MAY DECIDE NOT TO MOVE ENGINE BATTERY
[Under the foredeck of the MISCHIEF] I will put a battery for the trolling motor, [and this added weight in the forward part of the boat may offset the engine starting battery weight in the stern] so I may not need to move the starter battery.

PLAN FOR NEW COVER
I will have someone do a custom-made cover.

Q5: what is the part number for a snap fitting that will fit the snap studs on my red MISCHIEF 15 boat?

FABRIC FOR NEW COVER
I may buy the AIRE PVC material [to give to the person I hire to make a new cover to use as the material for a new cover]. I have owned a few AIRE kayaks, and the quality is incredible. The PVC will not such out moisture, but I will have air flow in the cover some how to take care of that.

OPINION ABOUT MATERIAL USED IN CAR COVERS
I have bought high-end car covers, but they rip easily. The last one was made from “Sun-DURA” or something, [said to be] second best to [the Glen Raven Mills SUNBRELLA fabric].

[jimh]

Q5: what is the part number for a snap fitting that will fit the snap studs on my red MISCHIEF 15 boat?

Typically a skilled boat canvas artisan---which I hope is whom you will hire to make the new boat cover--will replace any existing snap fittings on the boat with new fittings that will exactly match the fittings the skilled boat canvas artisan will be installing on the custom made canvas he is making for you. If you think about this, there really is no sense in trying to preserve the existing snap fitting studs already on the boat. In the total cost of making a $1,500 new cover, a few dollars for new snap fitting studs is not much of an added cost, and by using new studs that exactly fit the new snaps, the installation will be much better. If you can accept the reasoning on that basis, then you don't really need to worry about finding a matching snap to fit the snap studs already on the boat.

Also, to avoid making dozens of new holes in the boat, the skilled boat canvas artisan you will hire will plan to reuse the same holes that are already on your boat.

As for making the boat cover out of a particular material, I would expect that any skilled and experienced boat canvas artisan will already have material in mind that he has been working with for years, for which he has the proper cutting tools, has the proper sewing machine, and has the proper thread to be used for the stitching, and he will be skilled and experienced in using those tools and his usual materials to design, cut, and sew a boat cover.

Even if the person you are going to hire is willing to work with a new material that you will supply, then you will have to buy a large amount of the material so that in the process of fabricating the cover there will be enough material to complete the project. Typically a skilled boat canvas artisan will have rolls and rolls of material already on hand, and he will only charge you for the actual amount of material he needed to make the cover.

In the realm of boat canvas, the Glen Raven Mills fabric SUNBRELLA has been the choice of skilled boat canvas artisans for many decades and has a very well-established track record. SUNBRELLA is more or less the gold-standard, so when another material is proposed to replace SUNBRELLA there are usually claims made about the suitability of this other material in statements that compare it to SUNBRELLA. Generally all the other materials are usually cited as having the additional benefit of lower cost.

[jimh]

The PVC will not such out moisture, but I will have air flow in the cover some how to take care of that.

Here I do not understand what you are saying. Please review this comment and perhaps clarify your intended meaning.

[jimh]

To hear about your growing list of plans for changes to the red-hulled and red-upholstered MISCHIEF 15 with long foredeck covering all of the bow area in order to make the MISCHIEF 15 suitable for you to use for angling for large species like Halibut in the open waters of San Francisco Bay while being propelled by an powerful electric trolling motor supplied with energy from a huge electric automobile used battery pack has been quite interesting, but I feel an obligation to remind you that before you embark on all of these changes, you need to immediately address the hull damage that exposes the underlying laminate layers of the Unibond hull, and to do this before you put the boat in the water.

For expediency, you can remedy the exposure of the underlying laminate to the ocean waters by covering the damaged areas with some high-quality water-proof tape.

Please add this task to your list of plans of work to be done, and move it to the top of the list.

[MisChief15]

Thank you so much Jim for your safety reminder.

Q6: does J-B Weld Steel Reinforced Epoxy work [for repair of] keel rash?

[jimh]

Q: does J-B Weld Steel Reinforced Epoxy work [for repair of] keel rash?

I have never used that product so I cannot answer your question.

The epoxy resin that I use to make minor repairs to the gel coat layer on my boat is epoxy that is provided in the WEST System K-105 Fiberglass Boat Repair Kit. The repair kit provides the WEST System epoxy 105 RESIN and the 205 HARDENER in pre-measured packets (like packets of catsup provided with take-out food from a fast-food restaurant) which insures a perfect mix ratio. All real epoxy products consist of a resin and a hardener which must be combined in precise ratios in order to produce the proper stoichiometric chemical reaction to form an epoxy adhesive of the highest strength.

Products that do not provide a precise means of mixing the resin and the hardener are probably not the best sort of adhesive to use. Those products are probably trading on the name "epoxy" but are not really true epoxy resins. Products like J-B Steel Weld are usually sold at auto supply chains or big box stores.

The WEST Systems company more or less invented the use of epoxy resins in boat building in the 1960's, and their products are often used in the building of high-end custom boats. WEST System spawned the market for marine epoxy, which now has many similar products available.

When using the K-105 repair kit, I follow the instructions in the WEST System Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintenance 146-page publication, which is available for free download from WEST Systems at their website. The URL is

https://www.westsystem.com/instruction/ ... intenance/

ASIDE: like almost everything in the world, the price of the WEST Systems K-105 Fiberglass Boat Repair Kit is now about three times greater than it was when I last bought one, maybe ten years ago. It is similar to the cost of a hamburger, now $18 up from $6 ten years ago.

[MisChief15]

Fig. 5. An aluminum fuel tank.

IMG_5578.jpg (185.37 KiB) Viewed 1313 times

The fuel tank on my MISCHIEF is aluminum.

Q7: was an aluminum fuel tank an OEM option?

ASIDE
Painting the aluminum fuel tank red would be nice.

[capewhalers]

Q1: can an original equipment boat cover be purchased?

You can find the OEM cockpit cover here

http://cf.millscanvas.com/cfml/Product_ ... oductID=72

Since the Mischief is a standard 15-foot hull from gunwale to keel, a whole boat cover from here will work. See

https://www.specialtymarine.com/collect ... -1976-1999

Just be sure to order the option for boats with SPORT railings; that will give the added material needed to account for the slightly raised deck and cockpit railing of the Mischief.

[capewhalers]

As for the gel coat in the bottom, it just wears-off…

I dare say it is not "wearing off". The area in the pics shows evidence of having previously been worked and repaired, so I would take it down past previous repair layers should you want to fully restore its integrity.

[capewhalers]

Q7: was an aluminum fuel tank an OEM option?

Most dealers rigged a MISCHIEF with portable 6-gallon fuel tank (or tanks) with fittings matched to the engine the dealer installed.

[The aluminum tank on this MISCHIEF] is an after market tank. A full tank will weigh a fair bit more than the battery you are planning to move. For weight and balance concerns, it may likely be easier and simpler to move the fuel tank to the bow side of the divider panel which sits just aft of what would be the anchor locker on a standard 15 hull. If it works to your liking, you could later add a through-deck fuel fill fitting.

[MisChief15]

Capewhaler—thank you for the information.

The aluminum fuel tank measures 36 x 17 x 7-inches = 4032 cubic-inches, which is about 17.5 gallons capacity, and thus about 106-lbs of gasoline.

In the bow area two batteries totaling about 100-lbs are now there. An added trolling motor is about 50-lbs. An added entertainment system weighs about 30-lbs.

[MisChief15]

[Please start a new thread in the PERFORMANCE forum to solicit advice on adding performance enhancing accessories to the boat. THE GAM forum is not for discussion of how to improve the performance of Boston Whaler boats.

Also, please use the thread you have already started in REPAIRS and MODIFICATIONS forum to solicit advice on making further repairs or modifications:

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... f=6&t=8157

The above existing thread about your boat is the best place to carry on further discussion about future changes.

Also, you can get more ideas for modifications and ideas from other owners of 15-foot hulls by reading their threads in which they have already described their work. This will be more effective than soliciting other owners of 15-foot hulls to join this general discussion in THE GAM to repeat what they have already described elsewhere.

A good thread on 15-footers can be found at

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... +15#p43945

Or

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... 484#p39484

Or

https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... &start=100



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