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47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
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📝 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman (
Lieutenant Commander)
Lieutenant Commander)✧ 98 Views · 2 Likes · 6 Comments
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I was "gifted" this USCG Lifeboat at our club's annual swap meet. As I was walking out with my new "prize" I was informed by one of the members, with more history in the club than I, That I should be aware that the hull "leaks". Upon inspection, there was indeed signs of water intrusion (aka mold!).
I decided that before I use it, or invest any time on cosmetic upgrades I should find and fix the leak. Here are some before pictures, and I will post progress pictures as I go.
As you can see, the hull was filled with spray foam insulation, which had to be removed before I could see any signs of leakage. Once I was down to the actual hull, I could identify seveal areas where I believe water could be coming in. I am trying my best to get back down to bare wood using picks scrapers and my Dremel.
At first I wasn't sure if it was a wood or plastic hull. However, as I dig in I have discovered that it is indeed a wood hull. That makes me believe that it is a Midwest Products 986 kit. My current plan is to expose problem areas, and coat the entire interior with 2 part epoxy.
This is my first "build log", so please be patient with me. Being a newby, If anybody has suggestions or comments as to how I should proceed I appreciate any advice ... but please be kind.
I decided that before I use it, or invest any time on cosmetic upgrades I should find and fix the leak. Here are some before pictures, and I will post progress pictures as I go.
As you can see, the hull was filled with spray foam insulation, which had to be removed before I could see any signs of leakage. Once I was down to the actual hull, I could identify seveal areas where I believe water could be coming in. I am trying my best to get back down to bare wood using picks scrapers and my Dremel.
At first I wasn't sure if it was a wood or plastic hull. However, as I dig in I have discovered that it is indeed a wood hull. That makes me believe that it is a Midwest Products 986 kit. My current plan is to expose problem areas, and coat the entire interior with 2 part epoxy.
This is my first "build log", so please be patient with me. Being a newby, If anybody has suggestions or comments as to how I should proceed I appreciate any advice ... but please be kind.
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Colin H
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💬 Re: 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ (
 Captain)✧ 59 Views · 1 Like
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I am still working on the boat. Last night I added some gasket material underneath the superstructure to help seal it off. Don't know whether I will get to test it tomorrow at our bi-weekly model boat meet as it is raining quite heavily today. I will post an update in a few days.
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DWBrinkman
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Remove Ads 💬 Re: 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman (
Lieutenant Commander)✧ 66 Views · 0 Likes
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LewZ,
WOW, a lot of good information on your website! I now suspect floatation is why mine was filled with spray foam insulation. Thank You, Dave B ▲
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💬 Re: 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ (
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This boat, has a rounded bilge to it and a big superstructure. It heels quite a bit on hard turns while going somewhat fast. The problem with just every one of them is that they have a step down on the sides which acts as a scoop to push the water up over the deck which then seeps through any openings.
I know because I have one and I've done some research on it. Mine is the Pro boat with a fiberglass hull and the last time I had it out in the water is sank because of this. I am currently. rebuilding it with a lot of flotation and adding seals and some of the information I have my own website might be of help to you. Link: http://lewsmodelboats.org the click on the photo of the US G 47 ft MLB. Lew ▲
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DWBrinkman
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💬 Re: 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 Peejay (
 Midshipman)✧ 86 Views · 1 Like
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That comment should have been made for the minesweeper post, but coast guard ships and most boats also have dark gray decks.
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DWBrinkman
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💬 Re: 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 KevinH (
 Chief Petty Officer 1st Class)✧ 88 Views · 1 Like
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The 47' MLB are bare aluminum with black or dark gray non-stick pads. They did make a total of three that had white paint but were sold as surplus in 2006-7. I was their caretaker.
Oddly, we just had a FRP 47' MLB darn near sink at our pond last month. Good Luck. Enjoy you extremely rare boat. ▲
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DWBrinkman
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💬 Re: 47' USCG Lifeboat - Rebuild
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 Peejay (
Midshipman)✧ 90 Views · 1 Like
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I was on active duty from 1967 to 1977. Each of the ships I was on had darker blue-gray for the decks, as opposed to the haze gray bulkheads. The decks, upon which people and equipment move around would show much more dirt and wear if they had been painted haze gray like the bulkheads.
So use the darker color. ▲
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DWBrinkman
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📝 I did a little more work on the hull.
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman ( Lieutenant Commander)
Lieutenant Commander)✧ 84 Views · 3 Likes · 1 Comment
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I think I am ready to expoxy now!
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dave976
Peejay
Colin H
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💬 Re: I did a little more work on the hull.
2 years ago by 🇬🇧 dave976 (
Captain)✧ 65 Views · 1 Like
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Hi DWBrinkman
Looks to be a nice model. The area you have cleaned show evidence of plank on frame construction and I suspect the planks have split at the glue joints. I have models built in the 1960's that show the same damage. You have not shown the outside of the hull so it is difficult to say that the damage may extend much further along the hull underneath the paint. If you can see or feel any horizontal ridges on the hull then suspect the joins underneath. Models made of wood and stored for many years can and do split due to the nature of the material. Sealing the inside will help make the model more watertight but if there are hidden cracks they will allow ingress. I have tested my repairs when complete by floating the model in the test tank for several hours to see if any leaks appear. Looking forward to seeing the restored model dave976 ▲
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DWBrinkman
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📝 Exterior of the Hull
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman ( Lieutenant Commander)
Lieutenant Commander)✧ 56 Views · 0 Likes · 2 Comments
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Dave976,
I was at my shed today and took some pictures of the outside of the hull. As you suspected, there is evidence of places where water incursion could be occurring.
I've posted pictures in a Blog update.
Dave B
I was at my shed today and took some pictures of the outside of the hull. As you suspected, there is evidence of places where water incursion could be occurring.
I've posted pictures in a Blog update.
Dave B
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💬 Re: Exterior of the Hull
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman (
Lieutenant Commander)✧ 58 Views · 0 Likes
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Lewz,
The boat was given to me for free by a fellow club member, with the knowledge that it needed "some work". To be honest, I didn't expect to have to go this deep. BUT if I hadn't taken it, it was going in the trash. I'm looking at this as a learning experience for me, and I saved a boat that otherwise didn't have a bright future. I think it's a cool boat, and if I can get the serious problems tended to this year, I can keep tweaking and upgrading. Some day it might be close to the quality of some of your folks' boats. Even though it's tedious, I'm enjoying working on it. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Dave ▲
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💬 Re: Exterior of the Hull
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 LewZ (
Captain)✧ 52 Views · 0 Likes
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Dave, too bad you're going through all this trouble on that boat.
I have a wood hull on one of my boats, tow boat, and it developed a split in one of the joints. It doesn't take much for water to creep in once the wood gets wet and swells up. You might want to go beyond where you see the cracks. Check for soft wood all over. As for painting if I had an option I would stick with an aluminum color paint. Just about all the boats were made with aluminum. Also know you might think about some black oxide sandpaper cut to the shapes that you need for the deck anti-slip pads. I thought about repainting mine silver but that would be an awful lot of work. Almost everything on the boat is made of aluminum. Lew LewsModelBoats.org ▲
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📝 Checking Hull Exterior for cracks/leaks
2 years ago by 🇺🇸 DWBrinkman ( Lieutenant Commander)
Lieutenant Commander)✧ 57 Views · 1 Like · 1 Comment
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Dave976,
I was at my shed today and took some pictures of the outside of the hull. As you suspected, there is evidence of places where water incursion could be occurring. All of it seems to be at the point where the sides of the hull and the bottom meet.
It looks like somebody along the line tried sealing the cracks with glue or some kind of clear epoxy or paint or??
I will be sanding these areas down to inspect and seal those points as well.
Thanks for the suggestion.
This brings me to another challenge. Once I start sanding and repairing the exterior, I will need to find a color match for the white and black. I considered repainting the entire exterior, but then I need to deal with the black anti-slip areas. I wonder if those are available precut anywhere?
Dave B
I was at my shed today and took some pictures of the outside of the hull. As you suspected, there is evidence of places where water incursion could be occurring. All of it seems to be at the point where the sides of the hull and the bottom meet.
It looks like somebody along the line tried sealing the cracks with glue or some kind of clear epoxy or paint or??
I will be sanding these areas down to inspect and seal those points as well.
Thanks for the suggestion.
This brings me to another challenge. Once I start sanding and repairing the exterior, I will need to find a color match for the white and black. I considered repainting the entire exterior, but then I need to deal with the black anti-slip areas. I wonder if those are available precut anywhere?
Dave B
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Colin H
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💬 Re: Checking Hull Exterior for cracks/leaks
2 years ago by 🇬🇧 dave976 (
Captain)✧ 43 Views · 1 Like
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Hi Dave B
I agree there has been some attempt to seal the multitude of cracked joints in the hull. I suspect this was not that successful and similar patching may not be much better. You have the option to sand back (or paint strip) all the hull and repair any damaged areas. You could then cover the entire outside with fine glass cloth and laminating resin. Or just paint the whole hull with a sealant. This will ensure you have a smooth watertight and solid hull that can be repainted to the original colours. I appreciate this will involve removing any strakes on the hull and quite a bit of work but the end result will justify the time and effort. As regards paint Rattle cans are quite popular and are available in white and black, but if a good varnish or enamel would also be OK. I always give a coat of silk or matt lacquer to my hulls - it helps to keeps them clean. Looking forward to see how you progress. Good restoring! dave976 ▲
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Colin H
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