1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Re-skinning Tent Model XXX (for the last time?)

With the damage finally repaired from the big 2018 Nor’easter, I spent four days spread over a couple of weekends transforming and reskinning Tent Model XXX. The transforming part involves adjusting the height of the roof line, which had to be raised so the crew could fix gouges and re-paint the nonskid and Awlcraft 2000 shiny paint on the hard top. A lower roof line makes for a smaller structure that doesn’t catch wind quite as much. It’s our sincere hope that this is the last time I ever have to reskin this tent…time will tell. And for a little retrospective, check out the history of tent building over the course of this project.

Step One: roll out the top skin

Shrink wrap is heavy stuff. That 149′ roll weighs 210 pounds and it’s slippery as an eel. The boat’s 46 feet LOA, but the tent’s closer to 52. And the top skin has to go all the way from the front to the deck level at the stern. Previously I’ve lifted the skin up to the back end of the hard top straight off the roll, then tossed the leading edge over each frame while pulling more up from ground level. That reduces waste, but it’s a lot of work for an aging geezer. So this time, I’m cutting the top skin off the roll and schlepping the whole thing up the ladder. It’ll sit on the aft deck until I”m ready to spread it out from the top.

Next, start cutting off the starboard wall skin

She sure looks better from outside the tent.

…and then hang the new wall skin

You wouldn’t know it from the pictures, but it was scorching hot that day. The humidity in the Mid-Atlantic is bad enough during summer, but I was racing against the shadow of the tent as it grew smaller and smaller. Around 1:30pm, the sun is dead overhead and there’s no getting away from it. Fortunately, I’d finished hanging the starboard skin by then.

Next, the port side

Off comes the plastic

Signs of the Nor-easter’s power show up in broken scaffold framing

That piece of 3/4″ marine plywood wasn’t directly load bearing. I used it as a cross brace for the scaffolding to keep it square, so all it would normally ever be subject to is push-pull forces. But once the Nor’easter ripped off the big overhead vent, it left a gaping hole in the roof that the wind came through, providing lift to the structure enough to move the nose of the tent over 8″ or so. Something had to give, and that ‘something’ was the cross braces.

Another plywood cross brace snapped clean

The port wall skin is off

I don’t know if you can see it in the pic above, but the front of the tent was moved  over about 8″ from the storm. The uprights are all square to the ground, then they take a lean around the front salon window. To fix the scaffolding would require major disassembly and rebuilding of Tent Model XXX, so I’m going to gamble a bit and leave it as-is. The scaffolding is still solid and the exterior paint work is basically done. I just need it to hang on for another year or two.

Starting to hang the new skin

Bright and early the next morning

Today is Top Skin Day!

Top skin cut off, with frames up high

The top skin plastic was loaded with nonskid overspray. It’s very abrasive stuff, so I had to be very careful when pulling the plastic off the top.

Frames adjusted down

The boat looks pretty good from this angle!

That toe rail looks great in the sun!

Ready to drape the top skin

Clamps hold the plastic in place in a few spots

Next day, the top skin gets attached to the sides

First, use the propane heat gun to attach the panels, then cover the joint with preservation tape

I can only do about four feet of joint at a time. So I climb the ladder, work the heat gun, tape the joint, climb down, move the ladder, and repeat…and repeat…and repeat.

Next, a batten gets screwed into the board backing each joint

A few years ago, I figured out that I could extend the life of the tent skin by about 2x by using battens on each joint. That approach really helps keep the joint together, even if the tape and welded joint lose their bond.

Last step: shrink the side wall plastic

I was getting seriously sick of climbing that ladder.

Next, I did the back panel and port side

There’s nothing quite like working a propane heat gun on a 90° day.

Gotta hurry up…the sun’s going down

I really, really hate that ladder.

End of the day, the top is joined to the sides

My buddy’s outboard is in the way, so I can’t shrink the front

My buddy is doing a complete refit on a 25′ center console, and he was concerned about somebody stealing his outboard. So he put it near the tent, where the passive infrared alarm sensors keep a watchful eye out. Unfortunately, it’s in the way now that I’m reskinning the tent.

Next day, I shrunk the top a bit theninstalled the vent

When the big Nor’easter came along, it ripped the vent fan assembly off the roof, which left a big, gaping hole in the top plastic. So even though I like the idea of a roof vent to get rid of summer heat that basically turns the tent into a land-locked hot air balloon, I’m not cutting any more holes in the roof. Instead, I relocated the vent assembly to the side of the tent. To do that, I had to attach some 2×4 framing to the PVC pipes.

That’s ugly, but it works very well

Rain clouds were coming as I finished the battens

The starboard side is looking good

The little porch roof makes a big difference on rainy days…and that’s a wrap

Without the little porch roof in place, water runs down the tent skin and inside through the door opening. It makes a big difference having that in place.

It took several hours to fold up and dispose of the old shrink wrap and get the area back in order. The marina owner has been very understanding through all of this, and I do my best to keep things neat.

As I was driving away it started raining and was pouring buckets by the time I got home. I have to say, I was beat. It’s hard work reskinning the tent. But until the boat is weatherproof, it’s essential to keep it covered. The V-berth is weatherproof, since I installed the deck hatch. I’ve got the four salon bilge vents done, which makes the salon weatherproof. There are four more bilge vents in the aft stateroom that need to get done, and I have to install the swim platform. Once that’s done and I figure out what to do about the porthole seals, it will be weatherproof…after I have the aft deck canvas done.

There’s still a ways to go. But I believe I can get it all done before this tent needs reskinning again. Let’s hope this is the last time.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Back Into The Starboard Salon Cabinetry

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Repairing the Damage from the Big 2018 Nor’easter

This is the third time the project has been hit by disaster (fourth if I include the paperwork SNAFU). There was the bastard thieves who grabbed all of my portable tools, materials, and original Chris Craft parts in 2014. Then there was the boat next door that blew up, damaging the tent and my paint in 2015. There were some lesser disasters, too, but the next big one was that Nor’easter in March 2018 that whooped Tent Model XXX and damaged my brand new Awlgrip paint. After a time consuming and irritating claim process, we finally settled this week. The repairs have been ongoing for a while, but I wanted to wait to write about it until the work was basically done. After long four months, we’re almost there.

Step 1: wash the boat

A lot of dirt blew in through the gaping hole in the top during the storm, so washing the boat was the first thing I did.

That’s cleaning up rather nicely

I do like that Matterhorn white Awlcraft with the tinted windows

Next, the top skin was split so the roof could be raised

There was damage to the shiny paint as well as the nonskid on the cabin top and the hard top. I don’t want to re-skin the whole tent just yet, because once the nonskid gets sprayed the whole interior surface of the plastic skin will be covered with very coarse overspray. So instead I had the roof over the hardtop raised so there would be plenty of room for the guys to do the work.

The top skin over the hardtop is gone

That’s only the third time the sun has hit this paint directly.

Sunlight in the salon!

The tent frames over the hardtop need to be raised

Up go the frames

The new top skin got draped and battened by late afternoon

Next day, the new shrink wrap top got tensioned

Ventilator and filter box got set up

Then a lot of very expensive materials started showing up

Three cases of 3M 233+ tape, and and a bunch of Mirka Abranet  in various grits

With all of the prep work done and materials on-site, the repairs could finally begin

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fixing the Nor’easter Damage

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Tent Model XXX 3

With the vapor barrier between the gravel boatyard lot and the tent envelope, it’s much, much drier inside. Tent Model XXX is working out very well. I got the top frames re-positioned and the top skin on while the weather was nice and the wind was light. Booyah.

When I was last at the tent, the skirt was ready for shrinking

For the next step, I cut off the roof shrink wrap film and adjusted the top frames

The roof for Tent Model X was low over the cabin top but high over the aft deck hardtop so we could repair the hardtop and replace the windshield. Both the hardtop and the windshield needed work because of the bastard thieves who stole my stuff back in May 2014. With the hardtop work done and winter coming, I’ll drop the roof height there and raise the height over the cabintop. I need to do that because when the 34′ Searay gas boat next to mine exploded in July 2015, shrapnel from it damaged my paint…repairing that means I need scaffolding again. I can’t get a break!

Roof frames adjusted…ready to pull plastic

Lifting the shrink wrap for the top skin is heavy work!

Once I pull the shrink wrap up from ground level, over the back frames, and onto the hardtop, I walk it forward, tossing it over the frames all the way to the nose. This is definitely young man’s work.

Fortunately, there was zero wind

I used small clamps to hold the edge of the plastic tight at the joint where the top skin meets the side skirt. Next, I screwed a line of battens around the joint and trimmed the plastic to fit, leaving enough material for me to weld the two sheets of film together.

Battens are mostly done as the sun goes down

Rain made a big belly out of my tent!

I hadn’t shrunk the plastic yet, so when it rained a pocket of water collected over the hardtop. No harm, no foul though…I just pushed up and the water ran down the sides. Gotta get the plastic shrunk before it takes a beating.

Climb ladder, weld plastic, tape plastic, screw batten, descend ladder, move ladder, repeat

I use my heat gun and shrink wrap tape to weld the two panels together, then I screw a line of battens over the welded joint. This approach has worked well and held up to snow storms and hurricanes even though for Tent Model X I only used battens every few feet. For Model XXX, the battens are pretty much continuous all the way around the base of the skirt and at the joint above.

Almost done…new door cover looks better than the old one

I finished shrinking the plastic the next day.

Tent Model XXX is done!

Hinged front door is much better than the old zippered one

The small breaks between the battens top and bottom are where the upright frames overlap. Otherwise, the battens are nearly continuous, and that’s keeping things nicely tensioned…far better than Model X with fewer battens.

Nice, dry space for my ShopSmith

Using old shrink wrap as a vapor barrier has been a HUGE improvement over Tent Model X. Some water vapor still manages to get up inside the tent, but it’s noticeably much drier inside. Now, if only I could get rid of the surface rust on the iron parts of my ShopSmith. I figure I’ll think of them as battle scars once the refit is done.

That’s a wrap for Tent Model XXX. It’s looking really good so far. Even after shrinking the plastic a week ago, it’s still tight as a drum. I’m about as ready for winter as I’ll ever be.

Next up on our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Making a Data Inlet

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Tent Model XXX 2

I got the vapor barrier installed under the boat and the uprights and scaffolding positioned on one side of the boat in my last article on Tent Model XXX. Now I need to get the other side done and lift the skirt/wall shrink wrap plastic into place.

Dawn Breaks on Tent Day 2

Explosion damage from the Searay that blew up

The tent frames are broken here, and the side and top skins got slashed by flying shrapnel. Even the top of the top skin got slashed by shrapnel that flew way up above the tent, then crashed back down on top of it.

First, cut down the old plastic, move the uprights, and add a layer of vapor barrier

The old skirt plastic makes a great vapor barrier, and it’s the perfect size to cover just past the keel to the edge of the new tent footprint.

Convert the uprights from “3rd leg” to scaffolding version

Position 2″x12″ scaffolding boards, then screw in the skirt strips along the top

I use separate pieces of shrink wrap for the skirt/walls and the top. Welding two pieces of shrink wrap together and taping while the plastic is hot makes a pretty strong joint, but eventually they fail if they’re not reinforced with wooden battens. I installed battens every 3~4 feet on Model X, but I eventually learned that it was a mistake not to use continuous battens all the way around. When I shrunk the tent, the plastic was nice a tight for a few days, but then it stretched at the screw holes in the battens and got kind of floppy. It got even looser when snow loads and wind had worked on it for a year. So for Tent Model XXX, I’m tying the top of all of the uprights together with strips of scrap 1/2″ plywood, and I’ll use continuous battens around the bottom of the skirt and over the top of the joint between the skirt and the top skin.

Roll out the new 26′ shrink wrap all the way to the front

In the picture above, you can see where the Searay’s hull blew apart from the explosion. That’s in addition to the hull to deck joint being blown out all the way around.

Slice the 26′ shrink wrap at the center for a 13′-wide sheet, and get ready to lift.

The sun’s going down…gotta get on it!

A batten or two on the nose and the bottom, and clamped along the top…time to go home

Dawn Breaks on Tent Day #3

What a mess! Time for some house cleaning

Secured with some battens, the skirt is 70% done …but the sun is going down!

Slice off the old skirt and get ready to hang the new one

I have to leave the top part of the old skirt in place because it’s fastened to the tent’s 1-1/2″ PVC pipe rafters. Without that, the top skin would fly away with a puff of wind. Because the old plastic is covered with grit, it can cause serious damage to the paint if the plastic is allowed to rub up against it. This all makes the process more complicated and labor intensive, but there’s only so much I can do in a day.

End of Day 3, the skirt is pretty much ready for shrinking

By splitting the 26′ shrink wrap, I was able to do the 12′ high skirt with practically no waste. Next time, I’ll finish up the battens, then cut off the top, reposition the rafters, and get the new shrink film top sheet installed.

Next up on our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Tent Model XXX 3

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Tent Model XXX

I hadn’t planned to still be in the boatyard this winter, but the 34′ Searay that exploded next to my Roamer in July 2015 threw me completely off schedule. In addition to blowing out a window and damaging my brand new paint, the explosion also shredded my tent and broke a few frames. With winter coming, I’ve got to once again remodel the tent into the version with scaffolding going around the perimeter so the paint can be repaired, and then I’ve got to put a new top on it. I’ve also got a few more tweaks I  came up with that should make Tent Model X even better than it is already. So I’m now calling it Tent Model XXX.

I know…it’s goofy naming tents, but with all of the exploding boats, thieves, fabricator incompetence, and window problems I’ve been having, I’ve got to get a chuckle in where I can. 😉

I learned way back when I started this project that poorly made boatyard tents can take more time to fix over and over again than just doing it right and making a strong tent from the get-go. My article on all of the various tents I tried before settling on the current one–Tent Model X–explains the evolution of the design. Though it would be nice to just make one tent and call it done, the modular design makes it fairly straightforward to convert it from a tough winter tent that can withstand a snow storm to a giant paint booth that can hold up to hurricanes.

The basic tent upright…inspired by the pyramid glyph in ancient Egyptian

12′ and 8′ 2x4s are screwed together to make the basic upright.

3/4 plywood triangles add stability

“3rd leg” stabilizes the upright against wind and tension from the shrink wrap skin

I use the 3rd leg version when I don’t need scaffolding. It makes a tent that’s just a bit wider than the beam of the boat, which is good in winter when snow loads are a concern. Smaller roofs have smaller snow loads.

In “scaffolding mode,” height and width of the scaffolding are easily adjustable

I’ve been using these uprights for five years, and they’re holding up well. Time to swap out the old shrink wrap film and change the tent from 3rd leg to scaffolding mode.

Dawn breaks on Tent Transformation Day 1

One thing to note in the picture above is that there are four exhaust fans running near the top of the tent. Like many boatyards, my tent is sited on gravel and it is near water. The surface of the gravel dries out during the day, but dig down a couple of inches and the gravel is always wet from water vapor leaving the water table and condensing on the gravel on its way to the atmosphere above. When I put a plastic film over the top of my tent frames, it captures all of the water vapor inside. Without the fans running, my tent drips like a rain forest. So one of the improvements I’m going to do in the transformation from Tent Model X to Model XXX is to re-use old shrink wrap as a vapor barrier under the boat from stem to stern.

Re-using last year’s clear shrink wrap as a vapor barrier

Scrap pieces of 2×4 and plywood hold down the edges of the shrink wrap all around the perimeter.

Every scrap of plastic sheeting gets layered across the gravel

With the boat already blocked, I can’t just lay out a single continuous sheet of plastic. So instead, I put layer after layer of plastic sheeting under the boat, with scraps of wood holding everything down. Most of the water vapor should be stopped by the first layer, but each subsequent overlapping layer will help. Needless to say, the best approach would have been to lay out a sheet of plastic in the shape of the footprint of the tent structure, then block the boat and build the tent from there. Hopefully I’ll never need to do this again, but maybe this information will help a reader of this article who is similarly afflicted with a big boat refit and needs to make his own tent.

July 2015 explosion damage to the tent skin

That Frankenstein-looking stitching on the top skin was where I repaired the plastic after it was blown apart by the exploding Searay. There’s no way that repair will hold up to a snow storm.

Remove battens from the sides and bottom of the skirt and start slicing

After the theft in May 2014, I’m very leery of just taking down the old tent and building a new one, since doing that would leave the boat wide open to intruders. I’ve got great alarm systems on board now, but I’m a fan of “out of sight, out of mind.” So I’ll start by relocating the uprights and replacing the skirt plastic that makes up the walls of the tent. Then I’ll cut off the top, reposition the top frames, and reskin the roof.

Good looking Awlgrip paint job!

Disconnect uprights from 1-1/2″ PVC pipe roof frames and move outwards

Leaving the PVC roof frames in place will hold up the old roof skin while I relocate the uprights and reconfigure them for scaffolding. Fortunately, we got a warm spell with zero wind while I was doing this. Finally, the goddess of the seas is smiling upon me. Either that, or the bitch is setting me up for another zinger like she’s done so many other times on this project. 🙂

Reconfigured for scaffolding, and note that vapor barrier all around

Access door zipper is worn out

Zipper doors are fine for shrink wrapped boats that are visited occasionally over a winter, but they suck for a big project like this. This zipper door at the front of the tent is how I access my ShopSmith Mark V table saw/bandsaw/sanding station/router/shaper/planer, so I’m going to use a hinged door here instead.

End of Day One

Uprights are repositioned and skirt framing is done

I used strips of scrap 1/2″ marine plywood to tie the tops of the uprights together. They follow the shape of the gunnel and provide a top attachment point for the walls/skirt sheeting, which I’ll install next. But it’s been a long day, so that’ a wrap for now.

Next up on our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Tent Model XXX 2