1961 Glasspar Citation Project

[andgott]

I finally picked up my project. This is my first fiberglass runabout, but I have renovated/restored about a dozen boats, mostly sail (18-27 foot), and a few woodies. I do it as a hobby- I have as much fun working on 'em as I do using them!

I found this Glasspar not too far from where I live. I love the looks of it- Great classic lines-

Yeah- She's a MESS. The floor is VERY rotten, my foot went right through. At least it'll be easy to remove for replacement!

All the original parts are there- Including a cool 1959 Evinrude Starflite 50 HP motor, that seems to be in great shape... It ran when the boat was last used, anyway. But- That HAS been about 20 years!

I plan to do a total restoration of this boat- Starting with separating the deck and hull, Removing what's left of the floor & stringers, and probably the transom... Put it all back together, and paint it.

Yeah, It's a lot of work, Some would probably say not worth it for this boat. But, the price was right, I've got some time on my hands, and a lot of epoxy...

I'll be updating the progress as I go on this page as well-

http://www.agott.com/glasspar/

I think I told myself about 1/2 way through the LAST one that I'd never do this again, But I'm an addict

-Andrew

 

[coolguy147]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

that 50hp will suck through your wallet on usage i hear

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Looks like a classy glassy project. Best o luck and have fun!

 

[NickyBFWB]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Woohoo at least I ain't the only crazy on here. Well I guess you have more experience than I do but I also have a lot of friends that have skills that want to go fishing.

She is a pretty boat with a classy figure and I can't wait to see the final results. I also hope you can get that engine working as I think putting something newer on it would make it look bad.

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Made some progress today- I removed MOST of the deck hardware, the windshield, and pretty much everything that's in the way of removing the deck other than the rub rails... Hopefully I'll pull the motor tomorrow.

The transom is shot, for sure- At least what I can see of it. In the top near the deck joint, the ply is just DUST. But, I expected that.

When I pulled the builders plate off, I finally got to read it (it had a lot of paint on it!). I have Hull # 16XV01001. So, It is a 1961 after all, AND it's Hull #1 for that model that year, too!

The engine is a 1959- I was told it was original to the boat, and I suppose that it could be. The dash has the original 1959 Evinrude panel-

Id'd by the '50 year jubilee' badge on it. It appears to be original- If it's not, it fit the same holes as the old one.

Now comes the DIRTY part... I can't wait

-Andrew

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

That's going to be a lot of work but it's a very cool boat. I really love the molded in seating.

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

I pulled the motor off today- It was a bit of a task, but not too bad... I used a shop crane to yank it off, then put it on this stand that I built from an engine work stand- It works well, an allows me to easily move the motor around as I need to-

After I got the motor off, I was able to remove the motor well cover-

And, I finally had access to the transom. As I suspected, it's rotten. VERY rotten.

It's curved, so I'll be laminating a new one in place from the inside using a couple of thicknesses of plywood, and glassing it all in. The outside 'skin' is thick enough that it holds its shape pretty well. When I'm taking things apart, I take a lot of photos like this for reference later. Often, as in this one, I use a measuring tape- That way I'll remember how thick the transom is supposed to be

Then, I drilled out all the rivets holding the hull and deck together- And separated the two parts-

Next up- Lifting the deck off, and removing what's left of the old floor.

-Andrew

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

I pulled the deck today, Using a block & tackle to lift the stern, and my shop crane to lift the bow-

Then, once it was lifted, I moved the trailer & hull out of the way-

Then, I lowered the deck onto waiting sawhorses-

And, Parked the hull/trailer-

It went well, Considering. Each 'half' of the boat isn't that heavy, but they are cumbersome. Things will be a lot easier to work on now that they are apart!

I have most of the floor out already, too... I was surprised that the stringers were actually fairly intact! They are solid mahogany, rather than plywood. There was some rot on them in places, but it was isolated, and I'll be able to replace the rotten areas rather than the entire stringer. The joint that attaches them to the hull has failed in a few places, but that is, of course, fixable!

I also started pressure washing the inside of the hull- I was THRILLED to find that most of the paint comes off with moderate pressure- Which will save me a lot of time- And, I really prefer pressure washing to the dust of grinding!

The fun continues!

-Andrew

 

[spudshaft]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Great boat, and good work. On another note, my family is from Signal Mountain. Let meknow if you need a hand around Christmas.

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

I got the rest of the floor out today-

And, After a good pressure washing, MOST of the paint is off on the inside of the hull. It came right off with moderate pressure, Which is going to save me a LOT of time and trouble!

I'll be grinding the old glass on the stringers next, then I'll let them dry out. In the mean time, I'll take the transom off from the inside, and start rebuilding it.

I think that I am going to make a small modification before I replace the floor- As the boat was built, there is no access to the bilge at all once the floor is in place, other than the drain hole in the transom. I think that I'm going to leave an access open underneath the motor well- If for no reason other than to provide a bit of ventilation!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

That bilge access is pretty standard. A nice 12-24" box oughta do it. If you decide to add a bilge pump you'd need that access to get to it. Strange it didn't have that to begin with. Your progress is looking great. You aren't foolin' around.

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

You know that your transom is rotten when the primary tool that you use to remove it is a Shop-Vac!

There was not much left of it. The original was 4 pieces of plywood laminated together, and all but the last 2 laminates in the first layer had completely rotted away. There was a little solid material in the center of the transom, but it was all saturated with water, so it was only a matter of time...

I used a chisel to cut the 'glass around the edge- The fiberglass covering the transom came off in one piece, which will also give me a rough template for the replacement plywood panels.

I still have to sand/grind what's left of the plywood off, then start laminating a new transom in place. The epoxy is on it's way!

Frankly, I'm amazed that the motor stayed on while I was trailering the boat!

 

[cjreents]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Hey Andrew -

Looks all too familar! In fact, I used an old engine stand to mount my Merc on - looks identical to yours. Hang in there, there's a lot of work ahead but a lot of satisfaction once you finally get to the put that first coat of paint on!

- Chris

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

The plywood is all out of the transom now, and it's sanded down, ready for the new wood- My epoxy just isn't here yet!

I'm going to try to get the plywood cut to shape in the next few days, so when my order from U.S. composites arrives, I'll be ready to go!

The majority of the grinding and wood removal is done in the hull. Most of the stringers are largely intact, however there was some failure in the 'glass used to bond them to the hull. I have removed most of it- I still have a bit more to do. The failure is in the bond between the old poly resin and the wood stringers- Poly isn't the best for adhesion to wood (which is why I NEVER use it when I am building a wood boat!), Epoxy will be a much better bond.

I still need to let it dry out a bit more, then sand/grind it a little to clean it up...

I have also stared on the deck... I've got all the hardware and trim off now, and I flipped it over to work on the bottom-

I pressure washed it, and much like the inside of the hull, MOST of the paint came right off! There are only a few 'problems' with the deck- The stiffeners under the foredeck need to be reattached to the deck, the fiberglass joint failed much like the joint on the stringers did-

But, its nothing that a little epoxy and glass tape won't fix.

 

[TojosMojo]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Looking good you are moving right along...

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

I got my epoxy from U.S. Composites today, And used it for the first time. I glued up some plywood with it- I am replacing the wood stringers with plywood, but the main stringer was 12 feet long- I laminated 4 pieces of 3/8" plywood together to get both the required 12 foot length as well as the 3/4" width.

I started to play with the transom today as well- It's going to be a little tougher than I had hoped. Because of the curvature of it, I'm going to have to laminate it in strips, at least for the first layer, so it holds it's shape. It'll be kind of like building a boat by cold molding.

As for the epoxy- So far, I am impressed! I have always used West Systems, but this stuff is a fraction of the cost, and seems to be very similar in how it 'behaves'. I'll let you know how I like it once I'm done with the whole project

-Andrew

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

I got the first layer of plywood on the transom today. This boat has presented some unique problems... The transom is curved outward, and when I tried to test fit a piece of plywood to it, I found it nearly impossible to hold the curve- the transom kept going flat. So, I decided to 'piece in' a transom-

It is hard to see in the photo, but the center of the transom at the top is deflected about 3" or so. That 2 x 4 with the clamp is wedged into the keel of the boat, and is providing outward pressure while the epoxy cures to hold the transom in shape.

Right at the top of the motor well, I laminated a 6" wide piece of plywood. Under that, there are 13 pieces of 6" wide ply, cut to fit the bottom. They conform to the curve of the transom pretty well.

I attached the ply to the transom with copious amounts of Epoxy, thickened with Phenolic Microbaloons, to fill any gaps between the existing fiberglass and the new transom. I thicken it until it is about the thickness of cake batter- Thick enough to bridge a gap, but still runny enough that it'll flow a bit.

To get things as TIGHT as I can, I used every clamp that I have, and then screwed through the transom into the plywood. I used 1" drywall screws with plywood 'washers' to spread the load-

I'll have to fill the holes from the outside later- But it's really the best way to make sure that they are held good and tight while the epoxy cures!

One thing to remember- I coat the drywall screw AND the plywood washer with some Silicone spray lubricant before it goes in- That way the epoxy won't stick to it, preventing it's removal later! They can be a real pain to get out if they end up glued in there (ask me how I know this! ) .

If the transom will hold it's shape, I am going to try laminating a whole piece of ply in next. But, if I need to, I can do another layer like this.... It is just as strong as a whole sheet if done right- It just takes a LOT longer!

-Andrew

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

I've got 2 more layers of plywood in now, so I'm up to 1 1/8" thick. One more layer of 3/8" to go, and I'll have the 1 1/2" I am looking for.

The last 2 were single sheets of plywood- Once the resing cured in the first layer, it was more than strong enough to allow me to clamp the subsequent layers to it without deforming.

I used screws again as 'clamps' to hold it all together while the epoxy cured. It worked very well- Held everyhing good and tight in places where I could never get a clamp.

I've only got one more full workday to get the transom done before I have to start thinking about packing things up for a while- I am a Merchant Marine officer and I'll be heading back to my ship soon... I have to fill the bank account back up

 

[83vert]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Do you think there is any down side to using the drywall screws instead of running a bolt all the way through and nut , washer on each side? Just curios because I am getting ready to do my transom.

 

[andgott]

Re: 1961 Glasspar Citation Project

Do you think there is any down side to using the drywall screws instead of running a bolt all the way through and nut , washer on each side? Just curios because I am getting ready to do my transom.

A Bolt, nut, and washer will provide you with WAY more clamping power- You can really wrench down on it if you have to. Drywall screws provide an amazing amount of 'pull', but you DO have to be a little careful to make sure you don't overtighten them, or they'll strip out.

I use a plywood 'washer' on both the inside and outside with the drywall screws to spread the load out- I coat them with silicone lube as well, to help get 'em off later. You WILL get resin on just about everything!

One word of warning- If you are trying to replicate an outward curve like this, You probably won't be able to rely on the fiberglass to hold the shape- When you put the bolts/screws through it, rather than conforming the plywood to the curve of the transom, the plywood will probably force the transom flat- This will also 'deform' the hull, making the deck not fit when you try to put it all together!

You'll need to use some sort of a clamping system to push the transom out- You can pull it from behind, using a strap or a comealong or something similar, or do what I did, Use a 2 x 4 that runs to something solid in the forward part of the boat. Cut it so it's an inch or two shorter than the transom, then put a wedge in between to clamp it tight.... hopefully that makes sense!

-Andrew