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Torchie

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2013
Messages
8,101
Location
Northern Michigan
Still fighting with health issues but got a new project into the shop last week. Here are a few picks of it as well as a pic of it's twin that I did about 28 years ago.:D
Last pics shows what it should look like when finished.
I have started to take out the approx. 1800 brass screws that holds the bottom together.:eek:
1950 CC Riviera. 18'
Torchie
 

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Me too, Torchie. Glad to see you are back at it. Old wood boats are beautiful.

I guess your truck must have found a permanent home after all the reselling.
 
Thanks for all the responses Gang. Great to hear from all of you. :D
I know that the rules about different types of builds is pretty relaxed on here but for now I will keep it in the BS forum unless other wised notified.
This is my Bro -in-laws boat that he bought back when I was doing the other Riviera. I needed a new project so got him to dig it out of his garage tomb and drag it up north to me.
Once I flipped it I started to work on the bottom.
Sheet metal patch and bondo....:eek: I thought I was back working on a car for a minute.
Just a couple of reason why the bottom has to be replaced.
Each stripe in the hull represents a frame and each white spot is a old,soft, broken brass screws that has to be dug out.
Torchie
 

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If I was trying to save the boards for reuse I would use a dental type pick and a air nozzle to clean out the putty OI. Very slow and tedious work.
But since I am replacing all the planks and only need to keep them intact for patterns I can be more aggressive.
I use a 1/2" plug cutter to cut around the screw head. Then with a flat screwdriver I pop out the the wood and putty piece covering the screw head.
Then I use the pick to clean out the screws slots and then I back them out.
Only slightly less tedious...[dr
Every boat restorer seems to have their own method.....Sounds familiar.
Well over half of the screws have lost there bite so I use an upholsterers style forked tack puller to pry them up out of the hole.
I have been fortunate as so far none of them have been broken off. Just stripped.
Every frame or chine or keel area uses a different size screw so I keep them all separated so I can order the right size and count when the time comes.
Torchie
 

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A bit of boating trivia.
Even though they look like a standard Phillips screw CC used what are know as Frearson or Reed and Prince screws.
Takes a special bit as a Phillips screw bit will just booger up the heads.
 

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Love those old boats.. sure are pretty when all done...

BTW.. thats a solid looking mustache in that old photo! [cl
 
That wood is funny stuff, pretty easy to cut, but hard as heck to try and weld back! [ddd:D

Love those old boats myself. The former owner of the company I'm leased to had a 50's or 60's Chris Craft with a 289 V drive in it. Think it came out with a 292 that got replaced by the 289 later on. Beautiful mahogany I think.

So, what's the plans for power? See the stern is off, is it a inboard or outboard set up?
 
That wood is funny stuff, pretty easy to cut, but hard as heck to try and weld back! [ddd:D

Love those old boats myself. The former owner of the company I'm leased to had a 50's or 60's Chris Craft with a 289 V drive in it. Think it came out with a 292 that got replaced by the 289 later on. Beautiful mahogany I think.

So, what's the plans for power? See the stern is off, is it a inboard or outboard set up?

It's an Inboard Bama.
Original engine was a Hercules flathead 6. Pretty standard CC power plant. You could also up grade to the triple carb set up for these models as well.
At one point some body stuck a 427 Ford in it. :eek: Way too much HP for that Hull design plus to get it to fit they did some wood butchering that I will detail more about once the bottom is off.
My Bro-in-law has a Y block 292 from a past wooden boat project that was rebuilt but needs most of the Marine components replaced$$$$$
So it may just end up with a SBC. TBD...
Just like much of the cars and trucks that we work on these boats have not always been treated like the classics they have become.
Torchie
 
When I was putting together my 63 F100, I was finding marine y-block parts dirt cheap on ebay. Just checked .... not anymore! ow.
 
When I was putting together my 63 F100, I was finding marine y-block parts dirt cheap on ebay. Just checked .... not anymore! ow.

OW indeed Sam. :eek:
The marine parts for the Bro-in-laws y block were all destroyed in a garage fire that took his boat project as well. All of his exhaust mainifolds and mounting brackets as well as the oil pan and the funky (yet cool looking) sideways mounted twin carb intake were all made of Aluminum. That intake with carbs that need to be rebuilt goes for about $1000 now. And it is getting real hard to find the aluminum exhaust manifolds as well.
Cast iron ones go for around $800 that are in good shape but they also add about 80 lbs to an already heavy engine.
Torchie
 
I've always thought the early aluminum Buick engines would make a nice boat motor. Lightweight with a pretty peppy powerband for a small V8. I think it was Rover that bought the design from GM and used the same engine with a few changes well into the 90's.
 

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