My new (and first) project... '61 Larson Pla-Boy 14 footer

[NoKlu]

Re: My new (and first) project... '61 Larson Pla-Boy 14 footer

Most guys are using ply for the stringers as well.

 

[tcindie]

Re: My new (and first) project... '61 Larson Pla-Boy 14 footer

But wouldn't it have a tendency to split when you screw/nail down the floor? I'm sure ply has a certain amount of strength advantage to a single piece of lumber, but screwing into the edge of it isn't generally as secure as screwing into the edge of a single solid piece. That's been my experience anyway, but then again I'm new to the boat world.


Anyhoo, here's my update. I got every last bit of flooring out, and ripped out all the stringers. Just need to knock down some of the left over glass that was wrapped around the stringers and then grind everything down and sand it to prep for the new stuff.

I'm a little concerned with my transom at the moment. It certainly feels solid, and all, but when I tore up a section of floor in the rear starboard corner the glass pulled away from the transom with it -- a pretty large chunk actually.. Behind that piece of glass the wood was wet. It doesn't feel soggy at all, just like there was a bit of water floating between the glass and wood.. I'm willing to bet that its from yesterdays adventure at the boat launch.

It was getting fairly dark by the time I got to that point, so I'll have another closer look tomorrow at some point when I have better light (and so it has time to dry).. While I was at West Marine earlier today I saw some kind of sealing resin that is supposed to penetrate the wood and protect it from rot -- even if it's already wet, etc.. Maybe that's my ticket if it's not rotted, but has gotten wet.

All in all I'd say it has been a fairly productive day. (And a spendy one as well.. a few hundred anyway)

I'll take and post a few more photos tomorrow.

 

[tcindie]

Re: My new (and first) project... '61 Larson Pla-Boy 14 footer

As I was afraid of, I think the transom will need to be replaced.

I hit it with a hammer a bit, and while it all feels very solid, there is a small section near the bottom port side that sounds a little more dull than it seems it should, and that area is pretty dark too, going to let it dry some more and have another look later... I REALLY don't want to have to redo the transom, but if it's got to be done I guess I'd rather take care of it now than to have to tear into the floor and whatnot again after this.

My goal is to fix this boat up such that it will last ~20 years or so more, that'll be plenty, by that time I imagine either I'll have found something else or lost my desire to be on the water...

either way I have decided I've got to pull the engine, so I'll be building an engine mount and getting that taken care of this week. Not sure how much else I'm going to get to this week, since I do have to put in a bit of time on the day job front, though as I work from home, having a boat needing so much attention in the garage is a big distraction..

Didn't get much done inside the boat today, I pulled it out to the yard planning to dive into grinding, but it was too hot for me, and I spent most of my time debating whether or not to pull the engine and separate the cap from the hull. I've removed the rub rail, and windshield (which unfortunately cracked a bit while removing it) and that's about it. I think I might try to build the engine mount tonight, but pulling it will have to wait until tomorrow when I can get hold of an engine hoist (there's no way I'd get it off otherwise). On the plus side, I suppose it might be a little easier to work on the engine if it's off the boat.

I know I promised photos, but I don't have any to share at the moment. Guess I'm slacking.

 

[tcindie]

Re: My new (and first) project... '61 Larson Pla-Boy 14 footer

Wow.. it's been a long long time. I shelved this project as I got busy with life, and funds were low.

But, I'm back! In the past four years since my last post about the project the only progress made was parking the boat in my garage. Pretty sad, really. But that's all about to change. My new wife is a fan of fishing, and having gone out a few times to fish from shore she's been giving me the look with regard to the boat. Well, not really, but she might as well be.

She wants to get out into the middle of the lakes to fish, and play around with a tube and whatnot -- as do I. I'm not much for fishing, but I'd happily take her out there, if only the boat were seaworthy.

We ran into a bit of a snag when I decided I should probably go renew the registration and realized that the guy I got the boat from on trade for my old motorcycle never gave me any documentation, and being four years ago I don't have any contact info for him.

So, I did a bit of research, and spoke with someone at the Minnesota DNR today and caught a bit of a break. Since the boat is under 16', it does not have nor require a title. After explaining the situation to him, he said I would simply have to fill out a Statement of Facts form and get the boat reregistered in my name. A bit of poking around the net I found the form, filled it out and took it to the license bureau.

Just returned home with shiny new registration stickers, and proof of ownership in my name. Now the plan is to patch that pesky hole in the hull, redo the floor that I previously tore out, build a new interior and get her out on the water. We've set a goal of having it on the lake by July 1. She won't be pretty by then, but at least we'll get some use out of her, and we can pretty her up later.

Having help from my wife will certainly make the whole process a bit easier to accomplish this time around. I'll keep you posted over the course of the next couple of weeks. Who knows, if things go even smoother than I'm anticipating, maybe we'll throw some paint on too, but I suspect that's going to have to wait 'til later, we're both eager to get out on the water as much as possible this summer.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: My new (and first) project... '61 Larson Pla-Boy 14 footer

glad you're back. better late than never keep us posted....