Search results

  1. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Some more pictures from the maiden voyage. Thanks for the voyage support Mom!
  2. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Drum-roll please..... WE HAVE A SPLASH!! I struggled with getting the rebuilt motor running, it would start but not idle and die after a few minutes of running, not wanting to restart for a while. Also had issues with the carbs leaking fuel and the recoil starter not playing nice. After...
  3. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    A post on a few of the pieces I made for the project: The first is an aluminum bushing set to adapt a 10mm stainless bow eye. This one proved difficult to make as once I turned the outside on a lathe, the v-cut was free-hand cut with a hack saw and final fit with a file. Then came a...
  4. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Here you go! 1959 Lunesta El Dorado. I actually just sold it this spring. Lone Star Restoration
  5. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    It was finally time to start getting the controls installed, I am using an aluminum steering wheel from my parts bin, it was part of a dash mounted cable and pulley steering system, but the taper on the steering wheel is the same as a modern teleflex-style system, so I opted for a rotary helm...
  6. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    The trailer restoration went great, I was able to get the entire trailer sandblasted for about $125. I painted it with Sherwin Williams Kem Kromik primer and 3 coats of SW Sher-Kem with hardener for the topcoat. The assembly was pretty straight forward, I used Grade 8 and Stainless hardware...
  7. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    I also tore down the TeeNee trailer to get it ready for sandblasting. A previous owner made some tasteful "custom" risers for the mast, and in the process drilled quite a few extra holes in it. I also found one fender to be cracked near the mounting plate as well as quite the thin spot near...
  8. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Among other things, I have gotten my aluminum castings polished and mounted, marine plywood transom finished and mounted and started running electrical. For the electrical I decided on a 4 gang panel that has 2) detented switches for my navigation lights and bilge pump, a momentary switch for...
  9. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Cut up the 1x4's, routered the corners, and attached with stainless steel trim screws. I am using Varathane oil based Spar Urethane, the first coat was thinned 50% with mineral spirits, the second coat was thinned about 15%, both of these were sprayed with an HVLP gun. The final few coats, I...
  10. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    No way! Untreated Red Cedar
  11. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    And all of that brings us to this week! I started building a floor for the boat using cedar. I used 2x4's and 2x6's as cross members. Each one I was able to fit to go around the stringers with minimal slop. I haven't used a hand saw and chisel this much in a long long time. My plan is to...
  12. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    I decided to paint the interior using Tuff Coat rubberized non-skid paint. I've used this same paint for the last two aluminum boat restorations as the interior paint. I've found it to be easy to apply, durable, and not too hard on bare skin. I have plans to eventually try my hand at...
  13. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    The last piece of fabrication was to recreate the front glove box. It was a pretty straight forward build and riveting back onto the dash and deck. Looking back, I should have been more patient and used a finger brake to get sharper corners, but it worked and its in the boat.
  14. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Once I got the shear up and running, I started installing the seat, constructed of some scrap .100" 5052 aluminum sheet, and 6061 extrusions, assembled with 2117-T4 rivets. Since a previous owner had, for some reason, completely removed the rear seat, it was long gone before I got the boat. I...
  15. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Once I got the boat polished, my focus turned to recreating the rear seat. For this I decided I needed to get a nice shear so i wasn't doing everything with a hand nibbler. I knew right where one was sitting (In the back of an old boat salvage business in Detroit) So, I bought it and did a...
  16. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    I am a member, but I haven't posted there yet, but ill be sure to do that! I don't think Ill make it to Arrowhead this spring, but would love to head down there in the future! I also have a Ranger III as a future project!
  17. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    The next big step was to sand down and blend in all the weld repairs. For this I used a 2" right angle pneumatic grinder. I started with 36 grit and worked my way all the way up to maroon scotch-brite discs. After this, it was onto everyone's favorite! sanding and polishing the aluminum...
  18. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    The next step was to repair the damage to the hull: bends, dents, hole and gashes and some fused in steel on the keel (not sure how it got there) For fixing the dents I used a slide hammer around the gunwale, and to get the deck back into position from years of people walking on it, I used a...
  19. Luke000

    1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II

    Hello Everyone! Its only been 5 years, but I'm back with the final stretch of my current project, a 1956 Feathercraft Vagabond II! It has been a busy couple years: bought my first house, built a workshop from scratch, getting a career off the ground, and a whole lot more boat projects 🚤. But...
  20. Luke000

    Congratulations on the 2017 Restoration Splash Of The Year - Ned L's 1957 Hubert Johnson Sea Skiff

    Congratulations on the 2017 Restoration Splash Of The Year - Ned L's 1957 Hubert Johnson Sea Skiff We have a winner! Congratsulations Ned L! Your wood boat project has been voted as the 2017 Restoration Forum Splah of tge Year! Thank you to all the other nominations, ypur work was great and...
Top