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MX15 Project

P

Pelly

New member
Hi everyone.
I have been lurking for about a year now, and decided to start posting. I have an mx15 project which I've had for some time now (pics soon to come)which needs considerable work. I had it stored at a friend's house for a couple of years when my job relocated me. When I went back to retrieve the boat, there was about two feet of leaves, mud, sludge, etc... in the boat. practically the entire interior was rotted and had to be tossed. My questions are:
1)Are there any structural parts that I should have looked at that could have been rotted or damaged?
2)I have seen the terms "stringer" & "knee", please define these terms (and any other structural terms you think may be helpful to a novice.)
3)I have read that some boats have foam in the hull somewhere. Do the mx15s have them, and if so, how would I check if they are damaged?
4)The gelcoat on top is in pretty bad shape, I can practically wipe off the metal flakes.I have read about Imron paint being used with moderate success in refinishing these boats. What would be a good primer to use to adhere/seal the gelcoat?
Any help would be great. Also, please suggest any sites that may have good documentation on overhauling these boats.
 
:welcome: This is a good place to start. I'm sure that several of us can help you through it.

Stringers: long pieces of wood that strech from the rear of the boat forward attached to the floor.

Transom: The wood across the back of the boat. Check this for soft spots or hollow sounding areas when you tap on it.

Knees: Triangular pieces attached to the transom and to the stringers meant to keep the transom from flexing too much. Check these for rot.

Seat boxes: This should be where your foam is.
Drill a hole in these and see if the foam is wet.

Check the underside of the deck for a balsa core these rot out from water getting in through the fittings. Tap and listen for hollow spots.

Use a strait edge on the bottom to check for any sag or hook in the bottom from sitting on the trailer for years.
 
Thanks, I'll be checking those things, once it stops raining here though. It doesn't seem like it's going to warm up here until spring. What is the minimum temp to lay fiberglass? The temperature highs are in the mid-40s right now.
Also I noticed a pair of trim tabs on ebay with checkmate logos on them (item #2497313185.) It looks like my boat used to have a pair on there but were removed. They are a bit pricey in my opinion, ($99 + $25 shipping)but then again I don't know what going prices for those things are. Think they are a deal? Would they help the boat any, and if so, what are the benefits? TIA
 
Well I found a soft spot on the floor about two feet in front of the transom. Great. The wood of the transom seems to be halfway decent, it isn't 'glassed over, it seems to have some kind of black coating on it. Kinda like rubberized undercoating or something. There aren't any seat boxes to speak of, so I guess I don't have to worry about foam. The wood frames that hold the seats look like they are pretty rotted though.
With regards to paint, companies like Interlux and Awlgrip have different paints for top and bottom. Since this boat won't be in the water for extended periods of time, can the same paint used on the top be used on the bottom? I've read that Imron can be some nasty stuff, any recommedations for a paint that is a little more "lung friendly"?
TIA
 
JUST A QUICK REPLY; the most important thing about refinishing a boat is prep work. DON'T TAKE ANY SHORT CUTS. IF THE GELCOAT AND METAL FLAKE ARE THAT BAD, SAND THE BOAT TO BARE GLASS AND HAVE IT REGELCOATED PROFESSIONALLY. IT WILL LAST MUCH LONGER THAN PAINT AND LOOK ALOT BETTER TOO, CONTACT CHECKMATE ABOUT THEIR OFF SEASON REFURBISHING AND MAKE THAT BOAT "NEW" AGAIN!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by cooperider:
I don't know of a Lung friendly paint. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

sure you do coop, those are the paints that DON'T WORK!!!

The move environmentally unfriendly the better it works. Now that i think about it, that is a real shame.
 
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