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73 MX-16 resto/mod, 1 broke high school teacher

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redstrat

Well-known member
Hi guys, Inspired by the guys in Texas, I've decided to share my MX-16 project with anyone interested. I started about a year ago (slowly) but I'm moving more quickly now. I was given the blue 1972 by a friend 6 years ago, then found the 1973 with the transom replaced and a better trailer. As it turns out, I am now replacing the transom again.

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I been building boat interiors for many years now but this is my first attempt at structural repairs. This is the interior (Baja I believe) that was in the boat. I will only use the front seats. I plan to replicate them in the rear.

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The back seat didn't fit the opening. It's in the trash. After stripping out the interior I found a hole in the floor, the first sign of trouble. I don't think gluing down rubber backed carpet is a good idea. Moisture gets trapped.

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After poking around I decided a section of the floor had to come out.
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Now I realized that the stringers were just laid in epoxy with no fillet or tabbing. I cut them and then snapped them out by hand.

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Here are the new stringers and replaced floor. Much stronger.
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I then turned my attention to the transom and motor set up. I bartered upholstery work for a couple of Force 125s. I'm in the process of a bore and port rebuild. You can see I'm using a 5" manual jake plate.
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At this point I realized that the replaced transom was not holding up. So off came the deck.
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I guess I've filled my quota for pics so I'll stop here and pick up later.
 
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Here is a bit more. After removing the inner skin and brace from the transom the damage to this five year old repair was apparent.
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I think the big mistake made by the previous owner was not replacing the brass hull throughs on the drain and splash well. What he did was smear silicon with his finger. He also moved the motor down and used the same method.
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[/IMG] Only the outer corners came out in one piece.
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I decided to glass up the holes I wasn't using including the well holes. My plan is to cut the well out and fabricate a panel that will slope to the transom. Since I am using the set back plate I will not need the clearance for engine tilt. I think the well holes are a problem area. Any comments on this would be appreciated.
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So I made some clamps, a pattern, cut my first piece of 3/4 AC and epoxied it in.
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Today I epoxied in the second layer of 3/4. Bracing tomorrow. Thanks to all who have gone before me. I'm spending a lot of time reading your work. Mark
 
Thanks for sharing, I will be staying posted. I am in the middle of complete overhaul and need all the pointers I can get... Nice boats...
 
I finished up the transom. First the 2nd layer of 3/4 ply.
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Then the 2 by 4 on edge and a piece of 1" by 4" solid yellow pine. Also full knee braces.
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I then turned my attention to the floatation foam. I ran I piece of 3" hose down the bow so that air can get under the floor. I didn't want to put the foam back under the floor. I determined that I needed 4 gallons of foam and came up with a plan to put it for and aft. It will stay in the bow. I experimented with pouring on plastic trash bags and it peeled off easily. I used a box and some cardboard covered with trash bags to create a form for the bow.
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The box was used to create an area for life jackets.
I then created forms to pour under the deck in the aft. I used more 3" hose to vent the bilge.
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I lined the cavities in plastic so I can pull the back seat and remove them. This way no moisture will be trapped next to wood. Here is a shot after the pour when I started to remove the forms.
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Here is the result
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They fit nicely and come right out.
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I pleased with myself, but my dog was unimpressed.
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I forgot to mention that I removed the splash well.
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progress report

I spent some time working on the trailer. A lot of sanding, primer and finally getting some color on it. I'm using Algrip paint and I wanted to hone my spray and stripping skills on the trailer before I started blowing paint on the hull. I painted it once but unfortunately the paint had not cured before the evening dew settled on it. The next morning it looked like crap. I let it sit for three days, re-sanded and painted again. I also changed the color in the process. The plan was to use International Orange and Off White. I ended up mixing about a half gallon of Off White with the orange to create a softer, more 70's orange. I call it "Cheese Wiz".
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After filling any larger scrapes with epoxy fairing I have primed the hull and stared to focus on the many dings and scratches. Oh yea, no more painting outside for this project.
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update

I've spent the better part of the last week sanding on the hull. 2 coats of epoxy primer, fairing compound, another coat of primer, more fairing, last coat of primer and finish sanding. I think I probably sanded off 2/3s the primer I shot on it. The more I worked the more blemishes I found. It's no where near perfect now, but it's a far site better than it was.
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Yesterday I finally shot the color. You can see that the top panels near the gunwales are still in primer. These will be off white with most of the deck. I'm pleased with the result. I picked up some dust in the finish due to spraying with the door open. Algrip is pretty toxic stuff. When I spray the deck I may fashion an air filtration system. I've done this before using furnace filters and fans. Here she is!
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While waiting for the algrip fairing compound to dry (17 hrs) I worked on reassembling the trailer. All I need to do is wire the lights. Oh yea, I did spring for a set of baby moon hubcaps that should arrive soon.
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I took the time to clear lacquer all the new hardware I put on it. We'll see how long it keeps the rust away. The trailer will go back in the shed until next spring. I plan to let the hull cure for a couple of days, then flip it back over on the cradle. I was hoping to have the paint complete before I go back to my full-time teaching gig, but I don't think I'll make it. If I can get it done before my shop gets to cold I will be happy. I plan to spend the winter stitching the upholstery and reassembling my partially rebuilt motor.
Thanks to everyone who has offered their support. Most people around me don't understand my obsession with this little boat. :banana:
 
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