So I bought a "project" boat today--a 1984 14' AMF Trac cat. I took a chance for $300 and nabbed both the boat and trailer. What attracted me was the boat's decent Portsmouth ratings for its size (like a Hobie 14' Turbo) and its larger hull capacity (which was a priority for me for crew and avoiding pitchpoles). Anyway, lots of little things to address on the boat, but I'd like to ask about a few right off the bat.

1) It has some old vinyl striping that's partially scratched off and messy. Is it tough to restripe, or what's best to do here?

2) Has anyone ever repainted a hull w/ one-part epoxy paint and been satisfied w/ the end result and durability? (Something like EasyPoxy or Interlux)

3) The hulls were stored w/ quite a lot of water in them (I poured about a bucket out of each). I'm planning to find the leaks, but does the hull need to be dried out via an access port (of which there isn't one currently, just an end plug)? Or will it be OK now that the water is out?

4) Regarding access ports, is there any structural concern to go cutting into the top deck about a foot or foot and a half ahead of the forward crossbar? Is the end result after the port is installed just as solid as before w/ no port?

Thanks to anyone who can help on any of these. I'm sure more questions will be forthcoming!

I personally wouldn't cut any holes forward of the front beam; however, I do recommend an inspection port.

-Rob V.

I take it you would cut one in the middle between the two crossbars?

B O A T
BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND

Now thats out of the way we can begin !!!

1)The old vinyl stripes should come off fairly easy with a heat gun & a razor blade.. If not ,3M makes a eraser type tool that go's on the end of a dremel or drill.

2)There is no such thing as a single part epoxy paint in my opinion.. Yes "THEY" say it is but I beg to differ.. If you want a great shine and the durability for which a catamaran needs then you should make sure that you use a 2 part polyurethane or 2 part epoxy. AWLGRIP , INTERLUX.. Be sure to sand the hulls with 180 grit then prime with a 2 part high build.If you dont know how to spray or don't have the equipment then you can roll & tip..

3)Yes , the hulls need to dry thurally !! Do not put a port hole in front of the forward crossbar !!! Put a 4" behind the rear crossbar approx. 6".. wash hulls out with distilled water to rid them of salt build up... If not fresh water.. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

4)ask all the ?'s you like...

Old vinyl will come off easily with a windo scraper. $1 at any hardware.
Gel coat will be lighter there so easy to re stripe.
Two pots easy to use if you follow instructions and you can wet and dry for any dribbles.
To find leaks put water in hulls and check usual places. keels and board casings.
Invert hulls and repeat. This is when you will find the leaks. If the boat has been outside for any time a bnucket is not that much.
Make sure you can reach front beam and front of board casing and the chain plates from the inspection port. I have never worried about putting insection ports wherever I wanted them and have run into no trouble.

If the boat has been stored for some time, out of the weather, with water in the hulls, and the water was still in the hulls when you got it, they don't leak!

You could try a cutting compound to restore the existing gelcoat. Easier than repainting.

1200 wet and dry and a product made specifically for gell coat. This can be remarcably effective. A can of gel coat of the same colour will also go a long way to repairing dings and marks.

It is amazing how much water can accumulate through condensation, especially over a long period of time. Still, there has to be a way for it to get in.

To check for leaks: swab all deck joints and attachment points with a soap solution. Then, reverse the hose on a vacuum cleaner to blow into the drain holes. If you get bubbles, you have leaks.

Be very careful not to blow the boat up! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Seriously! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Don't attach the vacuum hose. Just hold it an inch or two from the drain hole. It takes minimal pressure to form bubbles!

Thanks to everyone so far. Regarding the striping, it's a little more complex than just horizontal pin stripes. AMF put fairly large letters (about 4") reading "TRAC 14" on the side as well as some funky curvey vinyl designs that then extend horizonally along the side of each hull. Would be impossible to duplicate cutting vinyl by hand, I guess, but I'm not sure how it will hide otherwise aside from painting since the gelcoat is definitely discolored where it has come off at. Hmm, I'll have to play with that a little.

Yes, the hulls were stored outside with no cover and with the drain plugs open. They must not be leaking along the bottoms, as Berny pointed out, but water was definitely getting in. The guy I bought it from said that it took water on while sailing or sitting in the yard. ?? Looks like the o-rings on the plugs are missing, so that would explain water while sailing. As far as when sitting, could rain be flowing down the transom and into the drain holes? I'll be able to do a thorough leak test tomorrow, I think, so well see if there are any other culprits...

OK, regarding painting the hulls, I might be happy to leave them as is except for the striping problems already mentioned and some 2" registration numbers along the front of the hulls (which has been changed to a different number at some point and looks very poor, with the "ghosting" of the previous number very visible behind the current number). Anyway, those numbers are all coming off since Florida doesn't require registration of sailboat less than 16', but I'm again stuck with the problem of very visible ghosting. Can that be buffed out, sanded out, etc., or do you really need to repaint to hide it? I do have a few other nicks to fill here and there and I'd like the boat to look sharp in the end, but I don't want to go introducing future chipping/flaking problems with paint if I just needed to sand or buff or something instead... Anyone got experience here?

Again, thanks!

I would paint only as a last resort.

You should buff the gel coat first, start with a small area and see if it gets rid of the ghosting.

If not go to sanding. Again, start in a small area, you should be able to sand the areas that bother you and then wetsand (300-600) and then buff. If you sand you'll probably have to do the whole boat, but you have to sand also if you paint.

Plus paint (Interlux Perfection) will cost $60 per quart and you could use 3 quarts on that boat. Plus its very easy to get runs and sags with the roll and tip method until you get good at it. First time, I bet you'll not be happy with the results.

So
1. Buff
2. Sand
3. Live with it
Dont paint its not worth the effort or cost on a $300 boat in my opinion. Plus paint will scratch, so you'll need to baby it. Dont bother.

Oh and I just painted my boat with Interlux perfection, so I know what I'm talking about. Plus you'll a special mask - the fumes are very toxic.

dont do it on a $300 project boat.

Good advice Bill!

I had an old, dark yellow Condor with similar problems. We elected to sand the whole boat with 400 grit wet n' dry. It got rid of almost all the marks and we were very careful not to sand too far. We then moved on to 600, 800 and finally 1200 grit all used wet. It took two solid weekends, but when we finally switched to T-cut and then polish, the results were astounding! The boat looked like it was new. I kept that boat very proudly for two years and got many positive comments, I also managed to sell the boat for double what we originally paid, so IMO the effort was well worth it. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Again, great to hear from some guys who have been there. Anyone else have an opinion on the other side? As Bill suspected, this would indeed be my first hull painting attempt (although that doesn't scare me), and I would need to use the roller/brush method since I don't have a sprayer. Then again, how much would it cost to do the prep work and then have a pro spray it if I wanted it painted? But if I can just sand and buff, I'd prefer that for simplicity and durability.

Hey, I got the boat for $300, but it's not your average $300 junker. The sails are great, and it came with an extra tramp in good condition and a newer set of shrouds. Although I plan to keep it, I suspect it will be worth substantially more when I'm done fixing it up. To that end, I wouldn't mind putting some $$ in it and having a nice, unique boat for around $1000. Not that I WANT to spend $1000--about half of that appeals to my darker, "cheaper" side... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

BTW, attached is a pic of what I'm facing with the striping.

And here's one of the registration number to be removed...

From the original questions I assumed (wrongly) that your new toy had faded gelcoat and good(ish) gelcoat where the striping/letters were. However, from the photos, I see that what you are dealing with is staining to white gelcoat. I don't know that sanding/buffing will help in this case. The staining may go some way INTO the gelcoat as it's a porous coating.

I know that there are bleaching products available for GRP but have never used any. Perhaps someone else on here has experience with removing staining?

Try "Soft Scrub" first. Work it on in a thick paste and leave it in the sun. Should just rinse off, but try a small area first!

Get it at Publix.

Actually, the staining dripping down from the numbers is simply rust from well water here in Florida. I've had good results removing it from another boat w/ Lime-Away type products. Although it's hard to discern from the photo, there are two distinct issues--the rust stains (which are easy to deal with) and the ghosting of the old numbers and soon to be removed newer numbers, which is perhaps trickier.

And while we're at it, the second pic show another problem I'm looking for answers about. The crossbars are anodized, but the fitting that they slip into seems to have just been painted. As you can see if you zoom in on the photo, the paint has flaked off and the aluminum is quite pitted. What's the best kind of paint to use to repaint it, and are there any tricks to get a good stick with pitted aluminum?

The first thing I would try would be Snobol toilet bowl cleaner. Or you can use the expensive sailing product called FSR which is the same thing.

See how that cleans it up.

Oops, that pitted fitting is shown on the first pic, not the second. Sorry! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Anything with oxalic acid in it will remove rust and staining:

Zud, Barkeepers Friend, etc.

You need to wax it afterwards to seal up the gelcoat and keep it from happening again.