'61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

Get inside and drill core samples down low on the transom. If they are light colored and dry then the transom is good to go. You can use the solid wood if it's properly encased in resin and glass and maintained properly it'll last a long time. Not my first choice but if it's free and you want to use it, I'd do it. Just make sure your glassin is bubble and wrinkle free and any screw holes etc are all filled with resin.
Gelcoat is more durable but harder to apply IMHO. You can get it in the same color as my boat. Paint not as durable but easier for the DIY'er to work with. Again that's my opinion. Others may differ. I agree with you you should NOT do any cosmetics until you are 100% sure of the structural integrity of the boat.

Well I hit a new low point for the restoration. I opened up the little crack in the floor and OMG, it is all soft and wet. :-( The interesting thing, and somewhat of a good thing, is that there are no stringers in this area. It looks like little 1" thick boards all sandwiched together and then glassed over on top. The hole in the picture is about how much glass I could tear off. The wood starts getting hard and the glass is stronger at the edge of the circle. I'll have to cut from here on out. I hope it didn't get to the transom. Bad day.

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

The brightwork was too far gone to rechrome. So I filled the pits and painted them, and included automotive clear coat. At least they all match. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make the red/green lens for the bow fixture light? I was thinking that if I make a mold out of aluminum, I could use another larger lens and oven melt to my radius...know what I mean?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

post a pix of your bow light

You might find a matching light @ebay or elsewhere online & just get replacement lenses that fit.

You could cast new copies of your lenses if they are in good shape, so yep, if you can find lenses that will work, and make an aluminum mold, please post up the details if it's successful............

 

[greenbush future]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

Well I hit a new low point for the restoration. I opened up the little crack in the floor and OMG, it is all soft and wet. :-( The interesting thing, and somewhat of a good thing, is that there are no stringers in this area. It looks like little 1" thick boards all sandwiched together and then glassed over on top. The hole in the picture is about how much glass I could tear off. The wood starts getting hard and the glass is stronger at the edge of the circle. I'll have to cut from here on out. I hope it didn't get to the transom. Bad day.View attachment 215468View attachment 215469

The unknown floor situation kind of sucks, but at least you discovered this now, instead of later. And because your transom is solid, this wont be a huge job, just a dirty one. Let's hope the rot stops well before the floor ties into the transom. Rot usually starts low and and moves up. I have never seen the sub flooring system you have, so this will be interesting to see if this is factory or a previous owners work, as well as what you will replace it with. Keep us posted with pictures, I really like the bones on your boat.

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

post a pix of your bow light

You might find a matching light @ebay or elsewhere online & just get replacement lenses that fit.

You could cast new copies of your lenses if they are in good shape, so yep, if you can find lenses that will work, and make an aluminum mold, please post up the details if it's successful............

I don't think I'll ever find a bow light like this thing..... but I've been wrong before. It has the flag mast on top of it in the rear of the photo..

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

The unknown floor situation kind of sucks, but at least you discovered this now, instead of later. And because your transom is solid, this wont be a huge job, just a dirty one. Let's hope the rot stops well before the floor ties into the transom. Rot usually starts low and and moves up. I have never seen the sub flooring system you have, so this will be interesting to see if this is factory or a previous owners work, as well as what you will replace it with. Keep us posted with pictures, I really like the bones on your boat.

This is a factory floor, and it is an odd way to do a floor. But it is what it is. I found the subfloor balsa wood that is commonly used in boat construction. It is sawn and backed with mesh to keep it together and allowing it to conform to odd contours. When it comes I'll post a picture of it. I saw it on ship shape TV of all places. They were restoring a 1957 Glastron, cool!

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto


This is the bow light. I will take better pix when I get to the boathouse later today.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

I missed the deck post you made about a bad day.

I may be wrong, but this doesn't look like a wholly 'factory' deck to me:

Particularly where the glass has a ragged edge, & just kind of ends at the side of the hull in the top right corner of this pix:

And that the whole deck is white:

Plus the fact that there appears to be a masking tape halo around the edge of the deck where the gray Zolatone meets the white:

And where the seat bases 'used' to be mounted, the gray Zolatone is still evident ^^^^.

So work has been done by someone, and further evidence that you will NOT like what you find IN the transom, there's a piece of plywood under the OB motor mount:

And if you look at the 2 pix I posted that show your 'bilge' drain plug (pix #3 & 5) from either side of the transom, it tells me that the 1" boards you found are probably a balsa or wood core that was used to make a stronger &/or lighter boat then glass alone would provide.

IE: 2 layers of glass, a layer of balsa & 2 more layers of glass (total @ 1/2" thick+/-) would be stronger then 'just' 4 layers of glass w/out the balsa core. And be lighter then however many layers of glass would be required to build to 1/2" thick.............

A cored hull presents a whole new set of challenges to fully rehab & restore. Not many current threads have attempted or finished an entire cored hull rebuild to the best of my knowledge.

You have made a few posts since my last, I'll read thru those & take a look at your bow light, then come back & post if I have anything to add based on your new posts.
John

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

View attachment 217005
This is the bow light.

I don't think I'll ever find a bow light like this thing.

Isn't this your bow light, just no burgee (flag) pole:

Evil-bay, currently $16 delivered. All you 'need' is the lenses, correct? Well there ya go. Looks like you might be missing the base plate too.....

If the lenses aren't in near perfect shape, repair them & make castings of them. Somewhere online I've read about casting the plastic nav lenses, but I can't seem to hunt it down.....

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto


This is another boat just like mine, it is the same construction.

Same plywood behind the engine mount. The floor was painted, that is all that was done to it. I am almost positive this floor is original. When the balsa wood is removed, the bottom layer that is visible in the photo is the hull bottom fiberglass.


HOLY S*** I JUST SAW YOUR POST OF THE LIGHT!!!! AWESOME I just bid on it!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

I have a very similar bow light:
But out w/ the old:

And in w/ the new (at least new to me):

It may not be an exact copy, but it's supposed to be in extremely good condition. We'll see.... For what I paid, it'd better be in really great condition. :facepalm: Not real happy w/ the decision to buy it and what it cost. But it'll be here in a few days so we'll see........

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

I have a very similar bow light:
But out w/ the old:

And in w/ the new (at least new to me):

It may not be an exact copy, but it's supposed to be in extremely good condition. We'll see.... For what I paid, it'd better be in really great condition. :facepalm: Not real happy w/ the decision to buy it and what it cost. But it'll be here in a few days so we'll see........

I wondered how you found that light so quickly. Thanks, I really appreciate it. What are you going to do with the old one?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

I need to sort thru the 6 or 7 bow lights I have & make sure none use the lenses. If the new one arrives & is as nice as it's supposed to be, then I'd let the light go.... If it's lenses are 'good' & fit another light I might swap lenses around & keep the best set.

I prefer the burgee pole on the old one, and it appears to be the same base & mount as the new 1, so it may get swapped too..... IDK, not really an answer.

But I'll PM you if I ever decide to get rid of it.

There are actually quite a few similar bow lights online, not just at ebay. I bought the new to me bow light off a member on another forum I frequent..........

Parts & pieces pile keeps getting bigger :facepalm:

I haven't forgotten about the Fat50 'exhaust' ports.

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

Well here's my attempt at saving the original bow light. It was horribly pitted and was almost laid to rest. But it was bead blasted semi-filled and painted and cleared like the rest of the brightwork. I can always make them better in the future. The flag adds a nice touch. But I'm going to have to make some kind of bracket to make the flag fly straight...??...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

I 'think' originally the burgee flag was made askew so it flew correctly.... I've not seen a flag sold cut that way for mine either.....

I have seen people use a larger (longer) clip to attach the lower grommet on the flag so that when the flag flutters, it's 'straight' like your mock-up in that ^^^ pix... <<<That make sense??

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

Hey, I found this today while looking for a motor manual:

I'd say you did a great job:

Nice work, if the nav lights get similar attention to detail, they'll look great too!

BTW: The silkscreen'd version I found was nearly $100....

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

That is way cool. I see that the center section is a sticker with a printed image. I shared both my finished pic and the one you just sent me with the manufacturer. He hasn't seen this one yet, but below is his response from seeing mine.



Good Morning!

Thanks for sharing these pics.....looks like you did a great job on the restoration....I think these castings were prob produced way back in the early 60's....the dies have long left our faculties....I was not with the company back then.....

I assume that you are going to sell these or put them on a boat from the time period??

Once again. thanks for sending....

Charlie

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

BTW here is the electrical box now and what it looked like before

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

Oops, no pix attached.....

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '61 Crestliner Arabian Deluxe resto

don't know why those pix didn't load..............