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View Full Version : Mattyboy's Deck Lifting Party....well sort of......a must read!



Scott Pearson
04-27-2003, 07:41 PM
Ok....so all of us head to Matty's for the Deck Lifting Party. Chris, Cliff and Myself get there about 9:00 on Saturday...I was a little late...got lost...bad directions!

So...we head over to the garage with beer and JD in hand. Matty's 16 is there waiting for a deck lift so we can replace the tank. Well....when Matty's say's something is ready...its really not. We learned this pretty quick. So we start to disconnect and undo..and cut tabs etc. Ahhhh its ready....Yea right.

Turns out some "HACK" who if I ever find will be severly beaten with a roll of 25 ounce woven roven! Did a real butcher repair job on the port side rail area. This was done before Matty owned the boat. Anyway... This HACK repaired a hole that must of been caused by a stationery object that did not move when the boat hit it. The deck and hull where glassed together buy this big easter egg of a repair that was about 4 inches of... what looked like a big wet roll of toilet paper! It took forever to get this area cut so that we could remove the deck. See pictures below:

Chris cutting the easter egg....but it didnt work from the inside....we needed to move to the outside...long story. I really wasnt happy about the whole thing...but it was the only way.


http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt2.jpg

Easter egg with deck off...


http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt10.jpg

Ok...so now the deck is off. Then we find the hull # 16-410.....strange...we believe this boat is a 1967...but why such a high #...only Don Knows!

http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt7.jpg


Now we go to remove the old tank....Easy right? No frigg'n way....this thing didnt want to come out. So Chris comes up with this idea....I really think he use to be an Egyptian who build pyramids way back when. Needless to say it didnt work....he almost lost an eye!

http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt12.jpg


Now,it gets better....we really need special tools to fix the HACK job on the hull. This was a weekend plan to do the whole thing at Matty's...it didnt turn out that way.

Soooooo we have to sober up and tow the whole shabang down to my ranch.... well at least the hull. So Saturday night all of us head down to my house. Chris wimps out and comes up with some stupid excuse.

Well....Sunday Morning and we are at it again....I fix the HACKS easter egg. See pictures:


http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt17.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt18.jpg

And we get the tank set in...after I almost threw the damn thing in the woods! F**K'N Thing! I'm still pissed off! Long story...one of Cliff grand idea's...didnt really work....Dont know why the hell I even listened to him!

Anywhoooo...it turned out great in the end! See picture...the masking tape will be removed after the 5200 dries.


http://www.donzi.net/photos/spearmatt15.jpg


So we still have to finish the other half of the HACK's repair on the deck and do a spot in.

Stay tuned.......


(NJ)Scott

CDMA
04-27-2003, 09:01 PM
The "Hack" at work...
http://www.donzi.net/photos/100_0153.jpg
Chris

Ducking...

Ranman
04-27-2003, 09:01 PM
Nice work there gents. How long will it tae you to get to Michigan? :)

ToonaFish
04-27-2003, 09:36 PM
Where are the dancing girls?

Bunches,

Celene 'a more frightening sight has rarely been seen'

Scott Pearson
04-27-2003, 10:10 PM
Like I said.....I wasnt happy eek! eek! .
Im the last person to cut something...God.....I hate Digital Cameras :mad: .


(NJ)Scott

mattyboy
04-27-2003, 10:15 PM
Well first , Scott, and Cathy,Cliff,and Chris I can’t thank you enough I am eternally grateful, and they treated my Donzi as if it were their own!
I will always remember this( I’m sure you guys will to)
Let me start at the end and work my way back to the beginning
Sun 9pm. Black cat dashes out in front of me on the mountain pulling into Greenwood lake, well I think it can’t get much worse after this weekend right??? Wrong now I gotta clean felix out of my tandem wheels.
Sun 5 pm don’t talk to anyone in home depot they couldn’t find their ass with both hands.
Sun 4:30 break last aluminum strap go to home depot for strap and magnet
Sun 4:25 hide 2 wrenches under tank a magnet can find them
Sun 3 pm @#$%% &^%$#@ this boat Can you say that on Sunday
Sun 2pm new tank won’t go in
Sun 1pm ding dong the easter egg is dead
Sun high noon a warrant is issue to find the hack
Sun 11 am do termites eat resin??
Sun 10 am what a beautiful day gotta be better then yesterday
Sun 9 am nice breakfast ,boat us, to work
Sun 8 am not a dream my boats topless
Sun 7 am It must have been a dream my boat can’t be in 2 states???
Sat ??? pm go to bed Cliff gets the cool room
Sat 9pm Scott and Cathy are great hosts
Sat 8 pm pass the SARS
Sat 7pm Scott says “Matty pull over the strap holding the drive broke”
Sat 5:05 Matty makes a run for it and is safely out of greenwood lake but still has Scott,Cliff and Chris following him. Matty Can't hide DEAD MAN WALKING
Sat 5 pm Matty says “ bye honey I’ll call when I get there”
Sat 4:30 pm Matty says ": Marie cancel the rooms where's my over night bag and the registration for the trailer, is the van gas up???DEAD MAN WALKING
Sat 4 pm Matty’s on thin ice
Sat 3:30 Chris get's the tank out, Cargo strap on and all
Sat 3pm the old tank won't come out
Sat 2 pm who the @#$#% would do a thing like that to a Donzi?????
Sat 1 pm to 10 am Scott says” yeah Matty’s ready” like a heart attack
Sat 9:30 Scott gets there even thru “bad directions”
Sat 9 am Chris and Cliff get there
Sat 8 am Boy it’s gonna be a good day!!!!!

Matt
Topless in greenwood lake

BERTRAM BOY
04-27-2003, 11:29 PM
Soooo,
I'm finally back, after being stuck in traffic for 3 hours, and paying about $1000 in Jersey tolls......
Here is what Scott's reaction was, after I gave him the great idea for mounting the tank http://www.donzi.net/photos/cwind11.jpg

After that, For some reason, Scott was feeling good about himself. http://www.donzi.net/photos/cwind12.jpg

Lastly we needed someone to find something interesting in 30 years when they go to put in a new tank..... http://www.donzi.net/photos/cwind13.jpg

Matty and Scott....... It was fun
BERTRAM BOY :D :D :D

Eugene Nahemow
04-28-2003, 01:36 AM
What is the spec on that tank?
Is the tank for the 18 any larger?

Thanks.

Scott Pearson
04-28-2003, 05:40 AM
The real writing on the tank..........

http://www.donzi.net/photos/speartank13.jpg


(NJ)Scott

mattyboy
04-28-2003, 05:45 AM
Eugene the tank is a florida marine tanks fmt-23-dz, it's a 23 gallon tank for a 16 or an 18, the old tank was abbco 25 gallons, I guess they used a different mfg at times, the tank was great except it had no ears to mount to the stringers,
I'll call FMT to see what's up with that today

Matt

mattyboy
04-28-2003, 08:17 AM
someother things I realized this weekend...

it almost went from a deck lifting party to let's bury Mattyboy party!!! eek!

it's not an altonateher it is an alternator, I guess we talk funny Scott

little ole ladies get real upity when you park on their property

dremmel tool the new rotozip JR.

if anyone says it cracked jumping a wake turn and run.

car tools ain't boat tools

Mattyboy was never a boy scout,so therefore Mattyboy is never prepared, but always has the beer cold.

if things can go wrong, they happen to me twice as often

If my Donzi was in distress, I can think of no more able hands to have it in then Scott,Cliff and Chris

when your hands are full of 5200, don't go to the bathroom eek!

Scott, Chris and Cliff, don't like putting the sawsall to the deck of a Donzi.

If 2 guys grinding glass, the dust always drifts to the 3rd guy with no mask

Scott is the glass man, what a job!!!

Chris is the rubber man, how did he get in there

Cliff is not a bad glass man either and is the calming influence that stopped the world from spinning off it's axis

Mattyboy is very grateful and can't thank these guys enough

Matt

Rick
04-28-2003, 08:42 AM
You guys are pretty funny. Sounds like my single days. Hope you put Chris's number down for a piece of Ass. Rick

Dredgeking
04-28-2003, 09:18 AM
thanks for posting the experience. :D

pmreed
04-28-2003, 09:57 AM
I've read with great interest the various restoration projects that involve popping the deck off an old Donzi. I've thought that it might be an interesting experience to pick up an old, rare Donzi and do the number on it. I'm now convinced that would be a big mistake eek! !! I'll continue to watch these mammoth tasks you guys take on with "awe", but there's too much "shock" involved for me :( . I have a lot of respect for those of you who can do it...especially those of you who remain sane wink .

Phil

BERTRAM BOY
04-28-2003, 02:07 PM
Phil,
Who said that we were sane?
Matty,
You are a Boyscout. Isn't having cold beer, being prepared?
I have to say, Matty is the real sport here. I saw his face a couple of times when we mentioned "Sawzall", and "I think we should bring only the bottom half to Jersey". He went along with everything, and bent over backwards(which incidentley is something no one really wants to see)to make sure we had everything we needed....
:D :D :D

Scott Pearson
04-28-2003, 07:35 PM
Man...5200 on the PEE-PEE...I hate it when that happens....... :p

I must say...it was a blast...good friends, Cold beer and a Donzi. It doesnt get better then that! Well....unless we had some naked women helping us.......... :D :D


(NJ)Scott

TuxedoPk
04-28-2003, 08:31 PM
Don't give Chris a hard time...

When he helped my tow my GT a few weeks ago he treated it as if it were his own also.

He's still got the GT's rudder that he drove home with in his truck!

That's the real reason I had to by my X-18 today.

Donzified
04-28-2003, 09:02 PM
Thanks for the info---with pics.

I hope I never have to do that to my Donz......But if I do my work will be guided by your efforts.

ZF-Mac
04-28-2003, 09:23 PM
Damn, my friends ran when I pulled my deck.

MOP
04-28-2003, 10:21 PM
Question are you guys going to foam that tank? Maybe a dumb question! If its not going to be foamed in, it leaves me real qweezy having been trained in fuel tank and cell install!

CDMA
04-28-2003, 10:25 PM
Scott Pearson:
unless we had some naked women helping us.......... :D :D


(NJ)Scott Now you see why I went home wink wink

Scott Pearson
04-28-2003, 10:33 PM
MOP,
No foam. To many problems with foam now. One of the biggest tank builders for all the Big boys...Viking, Buddy Davis, Egg Harbor...etc. Is totally against it. Most big boat builders are getting away from it now. Lots of problems with Galvanic Corrosion. At his shop I have seen tanks only a year old rotted through because of foam. None of my restorations have foamed tanks...and never will. Once foam gets wet or has been exposed to gas it never leaves.

I petty the fool who foams a tank..... :D

(NJ)Scott

MOP
04-28-2003, 11:06 PM
All true about "poor" foam jobs! And I was kind of sure by the pic's that you were not going to foam it. You do not have proper support, the placement of you rubber blocks will cause the seams to crack prematurely. You need longer and more solid material, we use Star Board with a strip of roll rubber roofing glued to it, it is important to spread the load equally. The strapping should also be of a heavier grade or adequate blocking from above and fore and aft. Even though I to hate foam but you can not beat its support and strength, if the tank is properly prepped it will not go bad in the foam. Our tank guy epoxies them quite heavily and we apply a couple of coats of under coating. Honest get mad if you like but if you put that deck back on without doing a proper job you are asking for problems. We beat our little boats 175 pounds can and will get loose.

BERTRAM BOY
04-29-2003, 06:13 AM
Guys,
I guess when you take your take time and do things right, someone is always going to find fault with it,even though it's been done before......succesfully.
BERTRAM BOY :mad: :mad: :mad:

Digger
04-29-2003, 06:16 AM
great thread guys, thanks for all the pics too.

sawzalls rool!

MOP
04-29-2003, 08:00 AM
A lot of hard work is not being knocked, and looks darn good. I do care very much, have seen to many fires and explosions, I've been in the working end of the marine business over 40 years. I will fight tooth and nail for safety, I have to get off to work so I am putting a few URL's up to get peoples minds working. This is one of the most serious issues and should be addressed. A tank must be fully supported and blocked, the blocking shown in the pic's will over time and not that much time cause the seams to split. Not to mention the oil canning the bottom will do from improper support. Anyone else that has done a support job similar should do it over. Judging from what I see that tank needs six 1/4 inch or better two inch wide strips full length glued to the underside of the tank. The hold downs should be of a more rigid type. Also for our applications plastic tanks should be considered they will out preform metal any day, you will find some good info in the URL's that will bear that out.

Check these few out for now, I will try to get the NFPA303 reg and post it also, this is not a light issue please look over the materials that I will gather over the next few days.

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/fueltank.htm

http://www.bertram31.com/proj/tips/fuel_tank.htm

http://www.boats.com/content/default_detail.jsp?contentid=1189

Off to work will continue later!

<small>[ April 29, 2003, 10:16 AM: Message edited by: Harbormaster ]</small>

ZF-Mac
04-29-2003, 11:01 AM
Thought for the day.

One thing I have learned in my 21 years in the Marine Industry, regardless of who is right or wrong, Tact and delivery goes a long way. People don't remember what you know, they remember how you display it.

Just my opinion, I may be wrong.

MOP
04-29-2003, 01:14 PM
100% Right my Tact at many times Sucks when it comes to safety. I know it sounds like I am picking on the guys, but what I am really trying to do is save their butts, or the guy that buys the boat from them.

RedDog
04-29-2003, 02:36 PM
Yes all have differing opinions - I don't know enough to have one but like to learn.

2 of the referenced internet articles say don't use foam, 1 says use foam. If foam is used it seems that a closed cell type of product would be a must to prevent absorption or fuel or water

Ranman
04-29-2003, 02:54 PM
Am I the only one who sees the irony in MOP's signature? :p


safely staying out of it...

ZF-Mac
04-29-2003, 03:34 PM
I don't think I can use 5200 anymore.