1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Canvas

Back in September 2018, I had a canvas crew come in and make the windows for the transom enclosure. This is all part of the process of making the boat weather-proof in preparation for that tent finally coming down and the boat splashing.

First, they installed flexible canvas track, then slid this skinny strip of canvas into it

The little strip of canvas has the track bead stitched into it already

There’s half of a zipper sewn onto the canvas strip, too

Hopefully, they don’t plan to leave that huge gap in the corners

From the outside, the white Stamoid Top canvas looks great!

Next, they attached some plastic pattern material to the strip of canvas

The other half of the long zipper got installed next

Then they started marking everything with pencils. We decided four panels would be best.

I’d never seen the process for making canvas…it’s pretty cool

The tape line shows the arc along which I’ll install the snaps

These guys primarily work on fiberglass boats, where corrosion concerns aren’t much of an issue. Because the transom is made of aluminum plate, I’ll drill and tap the holes before applying Tef-Gel to the threads to keep the stainless snap screw isolated from the aluminum.

I do not like drilling holes in my Awlgrip paint job

Tef-Gel is expensive, but well worth the investment if you own an aluminum boat

I use the Tef-Gel as the tap lubricant when cutting the threads

My theory for using Tef-Gel as the tap lubricant for aluminum is that aluminum oxide forms immediately if bare aluminum is exposed to air. Based on my experience with the formerly hateful portholes, I want no aluminum oxide forming in or around these screw holes. Tef-Gel has teflon in it, so it has lubricating properties, and a layer of it remains behind as the threads get cut. The aluminum threads are never exposed to air, so aluminum oxide never has a chance to form.

The crew is coming back with a panel to test fit, so I put some snaps in temporarily

That looks good!

With the center panel fitted, next the guys used more plastic sheeting and marked off the next panels.

I resumed tapping holes and installing snaps

With the snap installed high up, there’s only a very small gap at the corner

We’ll use little pieces of velcro to close those corner gaps completely.

Two more panels back for test fitting

The tinted Strataglass window is just slightly lighter than the side glass windows

The transom door is now finally installed

Hinges and the latch are caulked and done

Roll-up canvas window panel looks great!

Nice!

The crew came back one last time to pull the flexible track and install it with caulk. I’d specified caulked installation when I got their bid, but they apparently don’t usually caulk the track so they forgot. Unfortunately, their caulk application method wasn’t what I expected.

I like fillets but not with caulk

It’s been my experience that caulk works best when it’s bonding two surfaces together. Any caulk that squeezes out should get removed with a plastic squeegee and cleaned off with solvent before it starts to cure. Any caulk that’s exposed to weather eventually loses the bond to the surface, and that’s when water starts coming in and attacking the rest of the caulk seal.

But this pro team of canvas installers just put a fillet on the caulk that squeezed out. It actually looked OK, but I know that edge would eventually start peeling back and lifting clear of the hardtop. Then it’d peel back more and collect dirt, and eventually it’d be a maintenance project. I wanted to avoid that, so I got busy with a plastic squeegee and started removing the excess before the caulk started to kick.

The caulk is still nice and fluid, so it comes off easily enough

After removing the bulk of it with a squeegee, I wipe it with Pettit brushing thinner to remove any caulk residue

By the time I got to the interior, the caulk was starting to kick and was harder to remove

Two hours later, I’d fixed the problem left by the pros

Then I had to deal with an uninvited visitor

This thing was terrifying. Where I’m from, wasps don’t get this big. Apparently, this is a Maryland Cicada Killer wasp. At 1-1/5″ long, my buddy here wasn’t quite as big as an Asian murder hornet, but it sounded like a helicopter squadron when it flew past my head while I was removing the caulk.

Then, in a panic, I had to do the math: do I escort the Maryland murder hornet out so it doesn’t kill me, in which case the caulk might cure to the point that I couldn’t remove it? Or do I keep going with the caulk and hope the murder hornet takes a tour of the front of the boat while I wrap up the caulk removal? Which would you do? Comment below please!

I kept going with the caulk removal. The Maryland murder hornet buzzed me twice more but never stung me. I finally caught it in a resin cup and released it outside so it could go kill cicadas like it’s supposed to.

The last step for the canvas was to remove all of the snaps and get ready for final install

Next, I wiped the paint with brushing thinner to remove Tef-Gel from the surface

Add a little dab of caulk

Reinstall the snap, then wipe up the excess with brushing thinner

And that’s a wrap for the canvas. I don’t want it to get dirty or scratched, so I’m storing it at my house until the tent comes off.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Stateroom Doors