60Clipper
Seaman
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2010
- Messages
- 69
OK, I'm new to Iboats and boat restoration. Sorry for the long thread but I wanted to give some background on the boat as I know it. My hobby is actually woodworking and I have a full blown shop crammed into a two car garage, but that's another story.
Anyway, I inherited this 1960 Wagemaker Empire Clipper. It was my grandfather's boat that he used for fishing. When he died my dad bought it from my grandmother. I grew up on this boat, more or less. It was made by Wagemaker furniture in Grand Rapids Michigan. Some of you wooden boat enthusiastes are probably more familiar with their Wolverine formed plywood boats. I've heard this boat called a transition boat, since it has a fiberglass hull and Mahogany wood bow/deck. It hasn't seen water since at least 1980, well that's the last registration for it. It's only been on fresh water lakes, i.e. Lake St. Claire, Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake, in Michigan. It's spent all it's life in a garage so it's in pretty good shape.
The following are some pictures I took after I stripped the varnish off all the wood. I forgot to take before pictures. The hardware and windshield were already removed when I picked it up from my stepmom's. Apparently my dad had already re-varnished it but he left a can of oil on the bow and it leaked. The varnish on the starboard side of the bow had peeled off and stained the wood. I decided to strip the whole boat and start from scratch. Wasn't sure what color filler stain he used etc, so I stripped the whole thing. I bleached the wood where the stain was and you can't even tell now that I've stained it. I did remove the windshield frame, left it on for the pictures.
The motor is a 1959 50hp Evinrude Starflite. It does turn over, I used the pull start. I haven't gotten into that yet. I also have three original Orange Evinrude metal gas tanks. It apprears that there is some gas (probably varnish now) in the tanks. Will dig into that later also.
I have stained the wood now using Interlux CC red mahogany. Like I said earlier, not sure what color he used and not sure what the company used but figured it was CC red since that was pretty popular back then and there was a CC assembly factory just a town over from Grand Rapids at the time, so I'm told.
I will take more pictures now that the stain is on and drying. I have 6 liters of Epifanes Gloss Wood Finish to put on once the stain is completely dry.
Bob
Anyway, I inherited this 1960 Wagemaker Empire Clipper. It was my grandfather's boat that he used for fishing. When he died my dad bought it from my grandmother. I grew up on this boat, more or less. It was made by Wagemaker furniture in Grand Rapids Michigan. Some of you wooden boat enthusiastes are probably more familiar with their Wolverine formed plywood boats. I've heard this boat called a transition boat, since it has a fiberglass hull and Mahogany wood bow/deck. It hasn't seen water since at least 1980, well that's the last registration for it. It's only been on fresh water lakes, i.e. Lake St. Claire, Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake, in Michigan. It's spent all it's life in a garage so it's in pretty good shape.
The following are some pictures I took after I stripped the varnish off all the wood. I forgot to take before pictures. The hardware and windshield were already removed when I picked it up from my stepmom's. Apparently my dad had already re-varnished it but he left a can of oil on the bow and it leaked. The varnish on the starboard side of the bow had peeled off and stained the wood. I decided to strip the whole boat and start from scratch. Wasn't sure what color filler stain he used etc, so I stripped the whole thing. I bleached the wood where the stain was and you can't even tell now that I've stained it. I did remove the windshield frame, left it on for the pictures.
The motor is a 1959 50hp Evinrude Starflite. It does turn over, I used the pull start. I haven't gotten into that yet. I also have three original Orange Evinrude metal gas tanks. It apprears that there is some gas (probably varnish now) in the tanks. Will dig into that later also.
I have stained the wood now using Interlux CC red mahogany. Like I said earlier, not sure what color he used and not sure what the company used but figured it was CC red since that was pretty popular back then and there was a CC assembly factory just a town over from Grand Rapids at the time, so I'm told.
I will take more pictures now that the stain is on and drying. I have 6 liters of Epifanes Gloss Wood Finish to put on once the stain is completely dry.
Bob
