After seeing some of the fine restoration projects on this forum, I decided to take the plunge and start on of my own. Thought I'd share it with everyone. I've tinkered with some boats in the past and they have all turned out very nice, but none were what you would call a "keel up restoration". I decided that if I'm going to do this I had better do some homework and find a boat that would meet my needs and be practical. I looked at everything from 25' "go fasts" to 15' runabouts. I wanted something large enough to accommodate my family and to handle the wake on Lake of the Ozarks. I came to the conclusion that "practical" meant somewhere in the middle. During my search, I was educated to the fact that in most cases, if you are looking at a boat that is over 20' the trailer it is sitting on is EXTRA! (Oh, you want the trailer too...Well that it'll cost ya another $1200.00 bucks.) I also learned that there are no project boats in Missouri. Makes sense, we've only got one lake that you can't throw a rock across and one river that you can. (Just kidding) "Where'd you say the boat was, Seattle?" "Tell ya what, I gotta drive up to Alaska to look at another one, what ya say I stop in for a look see on my way through?" Well, with some diligence, sweat, a few tears and a small dent in my wallet I was able to find the project boat I was looking for. And it was only 375 miles away. It's a 1975 Larson Commander 21'. It's powered by a 188hp V8 Mercruiser I/O, which I'm sure is going to need a complete rebuild. The interior is, well..take a look at the pics and it will explain itself. First on the list is removal of the engine and all of the floor. This will give me a better idea of how to plan my strategy. I'm sure over the next few months you will see many postings from me asking for advice. A big "Thanks" in advance goes out to all. Stay tuned for progress reports and additional pics.<br /><br />Kevin F.<br /> Share Project
But really, you are going into this planning to re-do all so it should be a lot of fun. That hull has some great lines and I'm sure it's gonna look A+ when your done. Have fun.