studlymandingo
Commander
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2006
- Messages
- 2,716
I spent the weekend in my Home State of Tennessee. Went up there for my grandfather's 80th b-day. While I was in town, I contacted one of my buddies I hadn't seen in several years. I asked him about a boat I sold him about 12 years ago; he told me he still had it and I should meet him at the lake for a spin. It is a 1966 ArrowGlass runabout that was my first boat, and my first restoration job. I replaced the stringers on the boat with cedar poles! They were glassed in, then a new floor installed. I sanded the entire boat, flipped it, then painted it with a white Imron with a pearl-coated clear top-coat. It had a 4 cylinder mercruiser that was jerry-rigged in the boat. I rebuilt the engine completely and found the proper motor-mounts at a marine salvage yard in Smyrna TN. I ran the boat for several years before selling it to my friend.
I was quite surprised upon seeing the boat. He had installed some new back-to-back seats and new carpeting inside, other than that, it looked very much the same as when I last saw it. The clear-coat had worn just above the control box, but other than that looked great! The floor was still very solid, and the boat looked great! He had replaced the starter twice in the past, 2 new water pumps, exhaust riser, and just this spring, bought a new carb. Other than that, still the same.
I restored that boat when I was 17 years old! I overdid it on the stringer replacement as that was why I pulled the hull apart to begin with. I didn't have a lot of money at the time, and the cedar posts were handy there on the farm. We had a large table saw that would rip trees to 12" X 12" posts so I used what was handy, seasoned cedar. Probably a great stringer material. I laid countless layers of fiberglass over the stringers, then painted the interior of the hull before laying down the decking which was also multi-coated and painted.
The boat ran great and my friend and his family have enjoyed it for many years! It was really cool to see that something I did with so little experience (there was no iboats forum for help then) is still holding up today!!! Makes me want to rebuild another boat. Don't know where I'm going to find cedar posts in Saint Pete though!
I was quite surprised upon seeing the boat. He had installed some new back-to-back seats and new carpeting inside, other than that, it looked very much the same as when I last saw it. The clear-coat had worn just above the control box, but other than that looked great! The floor was still very solid, and the boat looked great! He had replaced the starter twice in the past, 2 new water pumps, exhaust riser, and just this spring, bought a new carb. Other than that, still the same.
I restored that boat when I was 17 years old! I overdid it on the stringer replacement as that was why I pulled the hull apart to begin with. I didn't have a lot of money at the time, and the cedar posts were handy there on the farm. We had a large table saw that would rip trees to 12" X 12" posts so I used what was handy, seasoned cedar. Probably a great stringer material. I laid countless layers of fiberglass over the stringers, then painted the interior of the hull before laying down the decking which was also multi-coated and painted.
The boat ran great and my friend and his family have enjoyed it for many years! It was really cool to see that something I did with so little experience (there was no iboats forum for help then) is still holding up today!!! Makes me want to rebuild another boat. Don't know where I'm going to find cedar posts in Saint Pete though!