14' Sea King build "Quacked Skull"

First and foremost, Im Kyler, Im a noob to the site, but I love all the free advice. I picked up a late 60's early 70's Sea King a couple months ago. Got the boat and trailer for $500. I plan on doing a lot to the boat, but due to a budget, I'll have to spread out the build over a few months. My goal is to have it completed by next spring.







So the first thing I wanted to do with the boat, which my 2 1/2 year old nephew dubbed "Ghost Duck".... now
"Quacked Skull", was paint. So she's currently flipped in the garage being prepped for paint.







Here is a quick drawing of the layout I'll be going with. I also plan on outfitting the Ghost Duck with a 25hp tiller, and eventually a bow mounted trolling motor. As of right now I have a transom mounted trolling motor... and for those windy days, I bring my 100lb friend to keep the bow weighted down :lol:





Updates to come as soon as I get her primed and painted. I plan on roll/tip painting with gloss white topside paint.

Wow I think I need to resize my pics a little bit smaller next time!

Spent my days off working on the boat. Stripped, sanded, and wiped down the boat for about 8 hours yesterday, and finally got her primed today. I still need to sand down some of the areas, and touch up the primer. Hope to start painting next Thursday or Friday.

Well the girlfriend and I split up, so now my holiday is open.... so... its time to paint (probably take a break and go fishing too).... picked up 4 quarts of topside gloss white and all my supplies for rolling and tipping.... can't wait to get this one back on the water!

Well I've finished coat three on the boat with Rustoleum Topside paint, and its starting to come together. Going to put on the 4th and final coat in a couple days. The first two coats I put on seemed to be drying very quickly, so on the third coat I thinned it with some mineral spirits and it seems like I've gotten a smoother finish. Can't wait to get this thing out in the sun to see really come to life. I've also been thinking about transom ideas. I plan on replacing the transom when I get it all painted. The wood plate on the back of the transom was rotting away, and I'd like to replace it with something that won't do the same. I've seen that some of you have been using poly cutting boards? What are the pro's and con's with them???

So no one has used a cutting board, or no one is willing to give free advice??? Put the 4th coat on the boat today, as soon as I get the new bunks on the trailer I'll post more pics.

Can't say on the cutting board idea never tried it, but it sounds like it should work and you'd never have to worry about rust or rot! As for the paint, looks good. I am working stripping my old 14' Lone Star and hope to get that part done this weekend and then start thinking about paint. Just wondering how happy you are with that Topside paint? I just started looking at the various paints out there and the Topside is one I am considering. Anyway, your boat is looking good and I look forward to seeing the finished product.

Paint is looking good.

Thanks guys, it def. turned out a lot better than I expected it to. I would suggest topside paint to anyone, its very easy to work with. The only bad thing I noticed was that it dried really really fast in the hot weather. If you use it, I would thin it first, or if you have access to an air compressor, spray it on. As of right now, the new bunks are on the trailer, but Im going to let the paint sit for a few more days to make sure its hardened completely before I load the boat. After that I'll be replacing the transom and painting the interior with the leftover paint.

Your boat looks good, as far as a poly transom, I have never seen anyone do it. Talk about it yes. I think mostly because most people think it is too flexible, not enough rigidity.
Tim

earl60446 said:

Your boat looks good, as far as a poly transom, I have never seen anyone do it. Talk about it yes. I think mostly because most people think it is too flexible, not enough rigidity.
Tim

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I replied to your question about the poly transom motor plate not to be confused with actual transom.

I used solid cedar coated with 4 layers of spar urethane for the transom and a poly cutting board for the 12" x 8" transom motor plate. You can click the link in my signature for reference/pics.

I have not mounted a motor yet to it, however as mentioned above I used poly to last for years of water exposure. I cannot speak to the how it will hold up from motor abuse yet, but I figure if it takes sharp knife abuse then it should hold up to a few outboard mounts. Hope that helps in your decision making.

Thanks for the response panfried. I plan on doing the same as you, but I'm not sure what type of wood I'll go with for the transom... I know eventually my deck frame will be cedar due to its tinsel strength and natural mildew/mold resistance.

I am new to the site and totally inexperienced with boats, but I would think a transom made entirely of poly would flex pretty bad. If it were thick enough with a small motor, it seems like a great idea though. Let us know what you decide and keep the pics coming.

kylerprochaska said:

Thanks for the response panfried. I plan on doing the same as you, but I'm not sure what type of wood I'll go with for the transom... I know eventually my deck frame will be cedar due to its tinsel strength and natural mildew/mold resistance.

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i went with cedar based on recommendations from wood craftsman (which I am not) in my neighborhood for those exact reasons. I also thought it would look more appealing once spar urethaned. Although some of the plywood ones I've seen looked nice as well. Just keep asking questions and lurking around. Lots of good advice out there. Good luck and keep the pics coming.

The boat is back on the trailer and ready for more work. I plan on adding another coat of paint on the hull that will be above the waterline. Until I get time to do that I spent my day tearing the bench seats and transom out. The front and rear bench seats are going to be replaced, but I'll be leaving the middle seat out. Also Im prepping the interior hull from the seats up to the gunnel for priming and painting. Everything below that will be below the decks and out of view. As far as waterproofing the new bench seats and the new transom.... Will rustoleum topside paint seal them from moisture, or do I need to use spar? Also, if I do need to use spar, can you paint over it?









Just incase anyone is wondering, the trailer looks bad, but is in pretty decent shape. My main focus right now is on the boat, but I do plan on getting the trailer fixed up eventually... that or I'll look for a used galvanized trailer, I haven't decided yet.

Updates?

Duck season opens in a month and a half, will it be ready?

Will be posting pics in a few days, not a duck boat though, mainly just for fishing. The name came from my 2 1/2 year old nephew lol.

Yeah, i saw that, I just figured it was going to be multipurpose. Look forward to more pics.

I have to apologize, it's been a while since I've updated this. Right now, Im one step away from putting her back in the water, but still no where near being complete. Since I last updated, I replaced the transom, and worked on getting some paint on the inside of the boat. I also replaced the front bench seat, and the rear bench seat. They will be the main supports for the casting deck in the bow, and the deck in the stern. I left the middle seat out. The only thing left for me to do right now is getting my registration numbers put on. I have a buddy who does wraps/lettering, and he's basically giving them to me for free. I also went through the trouble of making some boat cover bows out of 1/2" pvc, which was a lot cheaper than buying supports. Really simple to do, and there are a few video tutorials on youtube. Once I get my registration numbers on the boat I will be using it as is for the remainder of the fishing season. Once late fall/winter hits, I'll have the boat back in the garage, and I'll start framing for the decks. Stand by for pics.

Cutting board transom plate. I also modified some ratchet straps by attaching the ratchet directly to the trailer. It should prevent any scratches in the paint.