1960 (?) Cherokee Mckenzie Restoration

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Hi All,

For some reason can't post pics yet ;(

10 years ago I was starcrafter65 and redid a StarCraft Holiday 1964....been away for a bit. I sold the Holiday last year after many years of fun. Couple of observations after being away:

- Glad to see the "Splash of the Year" lives on!!! Awesome!
- Everyone got promoted for cripesake - I mean Cheap boat Kev is an admiral or something now!!

Anyway - my new ride is a 1959 or 60 something McKenzie Cherokee Catalina (aluminum of course). She has a 25 HP Gale. This little gem has spent its life on Lake Champlain - which is a big lake for such a little boat - she must be tough!

I found it on CL for $575 and bought it over the phone!

The great thing about this boat are its lines...which in pictures make it seem much bigger than in real life. Anyway - wanted to get the thread started - I have already done quite a bit and look to bring back to near original with a newer motor!

Cheers!

Clark

 

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Pic try

 

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[Corjen1]

Welcome... or welcome back as the case may be. Nice looking boat!

 

[Watermann]

Welcome back :wave:

Yeah that old Cherokee deserves a second chance at being on the waves once again.

 

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Ok - trying to get better at posting pictures here - hopefully here are some more before pix:

 

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Clearly have to work on posting pictures - but going through the basics - gutted it and actually the main flooring piece was still solid after 57 years: The original motor is a 59 Gale 25. My aim is to restore it as close as possible to original with a newer power plant (that I just bought but can't show you yet as it would be out of sequence!!). Now that i know how to post pics i will be much better at keeping up with progress!

 

[Watermann]

Oh man stop with the teasing and post a pic of the whole boat! What I can piece together tho she's a cute little tinny alright :eyebrows:

 

[kcassells]

That is 1 handsome boat!

 

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OK - I am back - The good thing about the boat was all the bright work is there and nothing is missing - the only blemish is the outrigger clamps put on the rear of the boat:

 

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I have done all the usual stuff that everyone sees here: I have stripped the topsides only as the hull paint is still in good shape: I used the usual stripper with steel wool and elbow grease. I had contemplated a light yellow/wheat color scheme but then came across the original color - something i had never though about - COPPER - you can see it under where the window clamp.

 

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So:

Boat - $575
Paint Stripping: $100

My previous boats I used self etching primer and then Rust Oleum Enamel thinned out and had decent results - but I am determined to have a great paint job this time. Stripped and primed - I used epoxy filler for bumps and nicks.

 

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This boat is TINY...TINY....of course I took out the old floor pieces - of which there were three - the main section was in perfect shape and I will re use it. The other two were templates. I know there has been much talk about marine ply etc - I used exterior grade plywood and urethane 3x all pieces. At this time I also filled the boat with water and found one small leak which I fixed with PL caulk on the inside. Of note - the transom wood is mounted on the exterior and I kept it as is. I have used Nautolex flooring for my other two renovations and would not use anything else.

So - Floor sections/glue/Nautolex - +$300 - The floor sections are loose and I will rivet them in place after paint.

 

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Here is what I am shooting for - I am thinking I have a "Playboy" model!

 

[hvymtl939]

What a sharp looking hull!! Can't wait to see how this one turns out.

 

[Watermann]

Small boat but with lots of character tho.

Hey what sort of leak did you find and why use PL caulk to repair it? Reason I ask is you can look at 100's of rebuilds here and see what the accepted methods are of repairing leaks in old AL boats. Did you seal the seams too, even though they don't leak now it's normally a preventive step that's taken using either gluvit epoxy or coat-it.

 

[ssdale]

Clark,
Responded to your PM. Congrats on the great looking Cherokee. I especially enjoy the chrome nautalloy accessories, steering wheel, etc... You are so lucky that yours still has the center cap and emblem! They were designed by an immigrant named Tom Faul. Google the names and you might still find the same info I found a few years back. I see you must have found the Cherokee section as I recognize the photo of one of the brochures in your post.
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I traced the Cherokee decal and had my neighbor, who is a vinyl sign maker, recreate it.

Nice find and yes I agree, They have fine looking lines! I'm coming aboard so if you have any other questions, I will be following along?
Dale

 

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Back from a busy summer - try to pick up and finish my story.

The original motor was a Gale from late 50's - which I did not have the gumption to try to restore as my first outboard - so I came across this on the CL and bought it in June: This is a 1974 J40 - PULL START and the owner who had extensive OB fix m up experience had a starter and flywheel to turn into a electric start. It is in very clean - I can't beleive it has been used at all - $600.

 

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So - much talk about paint and I was determined to get a good paint job. I went to the local automotive paint and they matched the original color with a current mix (Suntan Orange) and I bought 5-6 rattle cans of the automotive stuff they custom mixed (will get specifications when I get home). I stripped the top clean, primed with self etching primer, wet sanded, cleaned and applied the top coat. Some lessons: It took a good 5-6 applications to get a good deep coverage and I ran out of cans. THE ONE THING I LEARNED IS YOU HAVE TO WAIT A WEEK BEFORE HITTING FRESH SPRAY WITH A NEW COAT. So it took me a little longer...

I see the carcass of the old Gale is in the background ;(.

The paint turned out great after I rubbed it out with rubbing compound the polishing compound - looks awesome.

 

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I wanted to have the boat look as original as possible so I went about building some wood seats. With the floor in I test sat - I am quite sure people were smaller back in the 50's.



I made the seats from finish grade 7/16 plywood painted with enamel paint and hinged the bottom for a small storage area under the seats.