1982 Clackacraft

Irish11

Steelhead
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Looking for some advice before I dive into some fiberglass work. Has anyone replaced the thwarts on an older Clackacraft? Looks like mine are rotted out. I was poking around at it today and hoping it would be a simpler job but I think my core is gone. I was hoping they had some wood left so I could just use penetrating epoxy and solidify them, but there is pretty much dust in there Looking for advice on where to go from here? Cut out the fiberglass, replace the core, and reglass, or something else? Maybe there is a cool filler like carbonbond or something people have been using.

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Eastside

Life of the Party
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I took my 1985 Clack to a shop in Mollala, Oregon that refurbishes boats for Clackacraft and also does private work. https://pnwflyfishing.com/forum/ind...ve-you-done-for-your-boat-lately.2324/page-11. Previous posts on the thread show the before pictures. The anchor holes for my bench seats had expanded over time being towed on the Lower Deschutes Access Road over washboards. He is a good guy and may be willing to offer advice. PM me if you want his contact information.
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Irish11

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Thanks guys. @SurfnFish, that other post was me as well. I planned on just epoxying it all, I actually bought all the stuff to do it tomorrow since it was going to be nice. But there's not really any wood left in there after probing around, so I think I would need something more substantial on the inside to epoxy to make it solid again.

@Eastside, I'll shoot you a PM. That boat turned out very good looking!
 

SurfnFish

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Thanks guys. @SurfnFish, that other post was me as well. I planned on just epoxying it all, I actually bought all the stuff to do it tomorrow since it was going to be nice. But there's not really any wood left in there after probing around, so I think I would need something more substantial on the inside to epoxy to make it solid again.
lol..hey I may be old, but at least I'm slow :)

if going for it, I'd cut off the edges to expose the core, remove the wood until only the glass shell was left, make cardboard templates matching the voids, cut the fill pieces from Crezon waterproof sign board, coat the boards in epoxy and slide them into space, and depending on how snug the fit was, use stainless screws top and bottom to compress the repair together.
Once secured I would seal edges with a couple wraps of glass including a layer from underneath the thwart to up the side 6" to lock it all in. It wouldn't look as finished as a pro shop repair, but it would get the job done.
Either way, it's a Clack, which 'Fear No Rock'
 

Irish11

Steelhead
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Thanks, I shot Performance Fiberglass an email yesterday asking about it as well. Reviews for them and PNW fiberglass are very positive.

I'm debating doing it myself. I have to do some more reading on it, but seems like a good learning experience. I have a friend who is in to sailing and has some experience fixing boats so I just need to talk him into coming over, haha.
 

Irish11

Steelhead
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Update. I dropped it off with PNW Fiberglass this weekend. Should be back in a few weeks. I'm excited to actually use it at some point. In the meantime I gave the trailer a once over. New hubs, bushings, new bunks, and paint. One coat of red oxide primer and two of matte black tractor paint. Should keep it looking good for a while.

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Eastside

Life of the Party
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Update. I dropped it off with PNW Fiberglass this weekend. Should be back in a few weeks. I'm excited to actually use it at some point. In the meantime I gave the trailer a once over. New hubs, bushings, new bunks, and paint. One coat of red oxide primer and two of matte black tractor paint. Should keep it looking good for a while.
Excellent! My trailer is next. Planning to paint and replace the very heavy solid metal roller in the back with a lighter weight one. I have the parts and my nephew will help with welding on the new roller hangers.
 

Irish11

Steelhead
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Excellent! My trailer is next. Planning to paint and replace the very heavy solid metal roller in the back with a lighter weight one. I have the parts and my nephew will help with welding on the new roller hangers.
It looks like we have the same trailer. That roller is solid, a lighter weight one would be nice to have for sure.
 

Eastside

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It looks like we have the same trailer. That roller is solid, a lighter weight one would be nice to have for sure.
I agree. I bought the 5/8 round steelhead rod that will hold the roller today. It will be much nicer. For a while, I have worried about the heavy roller and what would happen if it wore through the bracket while driving down the freeway. The old roller will be recycled at the metal shop when I am done.
 

Eastside

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Last night I treated the frame with a rust remover. Also used my new angle grinder and cut the old roller and bracket off the back of the boat as well as rounded the welded fender supports. How I never cut my knee or waders on those corners, I’ll never know. Two coats of Por-15 and a top spray coat of the same brand for UV protection. I brushed the first two on. Will let it cure for a couple of days and then reassemble the trailer. The paint is supposed to be durable and resistant to rock chips. The before photo shows how the rocks have removed a lot of the paint. I gave up painting with regularly spray paint but waited too long to redo it. Should be good to go. The 19 mile gravel lower access road on the Deschutes below Maupin will be a good test, although I drive the 20 mph (or less) speed limit.
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Irish11

Steelhead
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Also for reference the core was totally gone. This is what they looked like inside apparently:

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A reminder that ANY time you drill into something with a wood core you need to seal it.
 
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Hoofer

Steelhead
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Got it back and it looks brand new inside! Its super solid now. Cannot wait to get it out and use it.

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Wow!! I’ve got an old Magnum in poor shape, which hasn’t been getting much use. Mine must have some of the sawdust in the glass —maybe a bunch — but this makes me rethink things. The new ones cost an awful lot…
 

Irish11

Steelhead
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Wow!! I’ve got an old Magnum in poor shape, which hasn’t been getting much use. Mine must have some of the sawdust in the glass —maybe a bunch — but this makes me rethink things. The new ones cost an awful lot…
I called around to a few places and some of them were pretty expensive. I ended up going with Clackacraft and a few people on here and Facebooks recommendation and it was a lot less expensive, but he also knows his way around these boats (Clack sends repairs to him). Compared to a newer boat the repair costs were not that bad at all.
 

SurfnFish

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Wow!! I’ve got an old Magnum in poor shape, which hasn’t been getting much use. Mine must have some of the sawdust in the glass —maybe a bunch — but this makes me rethink things. The new ones cost an awful lot…
have posted pics multiple times about the Magnum I rebuilt from bow to stern, likely 80 hours or so of labor when all done. Worth every hour..
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PhilR

Whale Shark
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This is great. @Irish11 and @Eastside (and anyone else, really) did you sandblast or grind down any of the rust? I have a trailer that needs a lot of tlc, including rust removal and paint.
 
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