posted 02-28-2002 03:18 PM ET (US)            

Your boat is a Katama.

If you can possibly restore the gelcoat finish, please don't paint it. Touching up gelcoat is not difficult, but un-painting a boat is a real . . .um . . . difficult task.

Good luck. I look forward to regular reports on yur progress.

posted 02-28-2002 06:26 PM ET (US)            

Had you given any consideration to cleaning up the original console? The Katama is such a neat classic, with the windshield as such. There is some expertise on this site to help you fix it up... particularly from more han a few folks that jealously guard the concept of retaining a classic whaler as a classic.

Had I known of this site prior to starting the re-hab on my '69 Nauset, there are more than just a few things I would have done differently.

Good luck in your restoration. You will have great fun.

posted 02-28-2002 08:49 PM ET (US)            

Hey Bigshot,how do I find Twin Cities marine?
And for you true purist's...This is a 1969...will I be allowed to put on a black rubrail rather than a white one???

Chesapeake,what would you do differently??

posted 03-01-2002 11:53 AM ET (US)            

Not knowing about classics and owning the boat well before the internet, the first thing I did was put on the three piece, all black rub rail from the Montauk anniversary edition. It looks great with the blue interior and white exterior, but it isn't original. It's like putting Cragar mag wheels on a 66 Mustang -- looks cool, but not original. You can still get the one piece, glue on rub rail somewhere -- check out the OEM section of this sight. Also, I know that Jim Knight of the Classic Whaler News offered them for sale in his newsletter.

Next, the previous owner painted the mahogany console and RPS and I didn't know any better. The RPS was so trashed and I build a new one, then epoxied and all-gripped it. For all of that trouble and if I had known better, I would have rebuilt the RPS from mahogany veneered marine ply and varnished it.

Without much detail, I ended up doing the same (awl-grip) when rebuilding the console base and refinishing the console. Now, it looks great and has retained some of its glory as a Nauset, but it is not original, it is a hybrid between a Nauset and Montauk, a Nautauk, if you will. I love it, but would do it differently next time.

As you start to re-hab, go back to some older threads, there are some great threads on how to bring back the shine and finish of the blue interior. LHG provided that 3 step process and it is unbelievable what the results are. You can make the blue interior of the hull look like it was 1969 all over again.

Don't know how your wiring is and if your bowlight still works. If it does... great! If it does not and you want it to, then you might be wise to go with the three piece rubrail because you can hide all of the new wiring back to the console behind the vinyl insert. That is pretty slick.

Last advice, if you need to do any gelcoat repairs, the little spectrum kits work really well. Don't be afraid if you haven't done it before, it is easy and takes patience. Two pieces of advice there, which I got from everyone on this site: 1) Don't cheat by skipping sandpaper grits and go all the way to 2000 (if you find it) grit and wet sand; and 2) if you're repairing the blue, buy the blue and some white also to tint as the blue will never match perfectly out of the little jar.

posted 03-04-2002 10:11 AM ET (US)            

Spectrum is the company that sells the gelcoat paste patch kits. They contain an ounce or two of gelcoat and a small bottle of activator.

Paint is paint. For marine purposes, there are marine paints, rather than using exterior latex or oil paints. The better paints are generally some type of polyurethane paints than can be two or even three parts that you mix together. Some apply best when sprayed (Awl-grip), but there are others that do well when rolled or even brushed on (Interthane, etc.)

Gelcoat is a bit different. It is a solid color substance that is applied to the fiberglass mat that gives your boat its shiny finish. Compared to paint, which is just a thin surface film, gelcoat is generally applied as a much thicker surface. I would guess that your console is glass, covered by gelcoat.

If the Katama console is in really bad shape as you say, I would want to know why. Is it dirty / dull or are there many chips or cracks. If the former, try the three step process of compound / polish / wax to see how it cleans up. If it is the latter, you could either try to patch with Spectrum gelcoat paste or patch with epoxy and then paint.

Good luck.

posted 03-04-2002 11:35 PM ET (US)            

I bought my 1971 Katama last year from a fellow who restored it. Instead of gelcoat, he used WestMarine epoxy to paint the hull (inside and out) it looks great.