TOPIC: Fireflite resto

Hello all I am reatoring a Fireflite.Now that cold weather has set in not having a garage as halted the project some what.I continue to do what I can inside but the major work is on stand bye till its warm enough to glass again.I hope to hear from those of you with previouse experance once you read this and hear your opions and sugestions.Here are just a few pics of many then Ill ask question and hope for answers enjoy and thank you

Gunnel wood

Transome fairing

Transome install

New transome height

Good luck not even close to late 50s early 60s.its kool but not the really big fins they are getting way to pricey.sent pics of sold 1958 19 ft performer , and a lot more that are desirable, more

looks like shes coming along nicely....love the hardtop...john

rayray wrote:

Good luck not even close to late 50s early 60s.its kool but not the really big fins they are getting way to pricey.sent pics of sold 1958 19 ft performer , and a lot more that are desirable, more

What? Thats so hard to read its almost unintelligible. Completely inaccurate and not helpful.


FinFever, nice Glastron, 1958, correct? Having thrhardtop is a great bonus.

Good luck w your project, lots of helpful folks hanging out here

Thanks guys I kinda fell asleep on the key board last night.I also apologize but grammer and spelling are not my strong suit.That said heres a little about the project followed by questions I would love feed back on.It is a 1959 fireflite with an orginal hard top.I am a big time hotrod and gearhead so this is going to be a slight resto modd.I decided I want this to be a very fun,safe,and reliable boat hence the modd part.I raised the transome to be 20inch to accomidate a newer outboard and help with over splash in the aft of the boat.The transome was also built 1/4 thicker than original laminated with 1708 for strengh.I will be running a 1986 75hp mercury clam shell style with power tilt/trim.This is going to be painted and chromed for that mark 78 look. Now for the questions.

1. Do any of you know if I can run this motor and mount steering and controls on my port side ? Not set but would love to make it port side steering for a automotive style look

2. The floor flexes under my weight and im 5'10 180 it only has two stringers and outside of them the foor flexes enough Im not comfortable puting family and friends in it.Does any one have experiance with fiber and foam cores? I'v done balsa before but that rots Iv been told fiber and foam are lighter and stronger than balsa?

3. The windshield is craked beyond repair and to short for the hard top to sit level ,whats my best bet for replacing it?

4. I am puting a belair stering wheel in it for more style and period flare ,but.... teleflex has a keyed shaft on there helms and the belair wheels are 13 spline shaft can I order one with spline shaft? I havent been able to get direct contact info for teleflex .

These are just the frist of what Im sure to be many questions soon as I remember all the other things Iv run into .Thanks all for reading and any and all input welcome.

hi matt, 1959 glastron fireflites are really cool old fined boats, but not impossible to find (we have one for sale here in Kansas)....nothing lost forever doing a restomod on one...the hard top, on the other hand IS extremely rare...please don't change it any....after 15 years of researching the redfish/ glastron style boats we have bought 3 redfish hard tops but have never been close enough to a glastron hard top of that style to touch it and only seen pics of about 4....changing to left steering would cause no problems....you can make your own windshield or use one from another brand boat as they were a purchased part (usually from taylormade)....just needs to be right with and height....don't know about the car steering wheel...would be cool to have a working horn ring!!

Looking good so far ! As for the other issues -

Steering - if you want to use the car wheel, you will need to cut a key way into the hub. You can use a chainsaw file or rotary burr to make the cut - The cut doesn't have to be perfect. As you probably know, the hub on the car steering wheels are usually VERY hard steel. I don't know of any boat steering shafts that are splined like a car - have never seen one. The taper may need to be reamed as well, it will just depend on how lucky (or not) the fit is. Also, be advised that the car wheel is probably a larger diameter, and you need to see if that will create a problem or discomfort. In many of these boats, there can be very little clearance between the rim of wheel and the thighs / legs of the driver. A larger wheel may also create a "knuckle buster" if the wheel is close enough to the windshield bracket, or to the edge of the deck. Be aware that there were many wickedly cool boat steering wheels produced at this time.

If you really want to improve the boat, forget the rope tiller arrangement that it had and install a push-pull steering assembly. You could install a vintage "Ride Guide" setup, or pit in a new U-Flex or Teleflex helm and cable. It will be safer, cleaner, and will only require one hole in the sidewall of the splashwell. I like the Teleflex No Feedback II light duty system. It is small enough to hide behind the dashboard, and the price is reasonable. The cable attaches directly to your motor for a safe and clean install.

You can get creative about adapting a vintage chrome bezel to mount the new steering system, to avoid the "smurf" look that the new plastic stuff has.

As for the floor flexing, have you checked to see if the core is rotted? You can re-core with coosa board, balsa, or rigid foam. Rigid foam can be cut and shaped to fit just like balsa.

I agree with Bruce, but on the floor I usually use balsa but on this one it layes flat enough you can use the plastic waffle board stuff also, but I would put a couple knees from transom to to floor under the splashwell,, not big but 10in and laminate 2 3/4 to gether on each side of motor,when you take old floor out try to make it true and flat when replacing with new,, good luck Bill

Thanks for all the response so far.
redfishpirates you can put your worries to rest I know how rare the fireflite and surflite hard tops are and promiss to preserve it as is.I am talking to a buddy that dose auto body and were trying to figure out just how hard it would be to make another using this to make a mold.If you like the top youll love when I do a write up on my 59 seaflite .It is the only know retractable hard top !!!

Bruce thanks for the input i figured I was going to have to machine myself a adapter bushing.I just wasnt sure if anyone else found an easyier way as for the wheel they sell 15in reproductions on ebay that are the same size but way cooler then what I have.I completey agree with your choice in teleflex I had it in my last boat and loved it.If i ever figure out how to post more than one picture at a time Im going to post pics of the floor tonight.Surprisingly it is not cored at all.There are two what look like 3/4 by 6 planks layed flat and heavly glased to the hull.There isnt even a keel layed!! Its just the hull two planks and the fiberglass seats that also need and will be replaced.I didnt cut out any of the seats,stringer (minuse the last 6inchs to get the new transome in),or forward flotation so the hull wouldent deform or lose its shape. I used balsa in my last boat but making friends at the lake a few racers mentioned the fibercore that a shop near by does with a full vacum baging setup.I was curiouse to know if any one else had heard or liked it ?

Bilnan I had considered knees but havent done any before.What is the best steps/instalation method i should use? Are there major gains when adding knees vs not having them? I did do alot of crack repair befor even installing the new transome looked as though someone had run it with the rotten water logged transome.There were alot of stress cracks right were the motor would mount.

This is the floor you can see one of the planks ,it is layed flat side down not on edge like you would think. To the port is the floor witch is just the hull and this is whT flexes and i dont like it and this is why I want to core it. You can also kind off se were there should be a keel layed yet there isnt .This will also be addessed.

Here is a shot of the glass that was cut of the top of the stringer so it could be removed to install the transome .I used a fine tool man I wish I had this on the frist boat I restored. It has made such quick and neat work of this restoration as apoised to the scraper and griding I used last time. You can see just how thick it was layed on .

Heres two more shots not sure if they help everyone see the strange floor design

Another angle

Please keep us updated as you move forward. The Hard Top is so cool! What is the required width of the windshield? There is a gentleman in Northern Michigan that has been selling NOS Taylor Made Windshields on ebay. I have bought two, one for my Cadillac Constellation restoration and one for future use. You know, one is not enough when it comes to NOS Vintage Boat Parts! Anyway, he has both 57" and 60" ones available. If needed, you could possibly trim to fit your needs. Keep your eyes open for him on eBay, and bid accordingly.

Regards,
StevieB

I like glassing the knees in with the floor,make sure you cut a gap so water can go from side to side,,also make sure you grind the cracks clear down or they will come back in time,as far as the tops are concerned my theory is if you make some then your isn't as rare,,they have been made before,,I have only seen 1 other retractable,but that can be copied too, good luck Bill

The following is the seller for Taylor Made Windshields:

mihunter231

Right now he does not have any listed, but stay tuned.

Regards,
StevieB

Here we go, I noticed that he put another NOS Taylor Made Windshield on again!




Regards,
StevieB

Just to clarify a bit on the knees, they are braces, like shelf brackets, that tie the transom to the floor to eliminate flexing when using heavier or higher HP motors than the boat was built for originally. Since you are doing both of the above, make them a must-do. Add two, go 12-24 inches on the floor, and as high up the transom as your design allows. As suggested, cut a 2" notch at the corner to allow water to pass to the drain. Also, DEFINITELY use a Transom Saver when trailering.

How thick is the new transom plywood? Because you have already cut the back out of the splashwell, it is a good time to make it more robust if it is of questionable thickness. If you go ahead and cut the splashwell all the way to the bottom, you can simply trim the bottom pan "forward" to allow the deck to fit. Then you can glass the deck / spashwell area to the new transom face.

Also, with the splashwell tub in the way, I'm not sure knee braces will be practical. The strength of knee braces comes from the formation of a triangle. A knee brace in this boat would be an "L" shape, which while better than nothing, isn't the best brace. A triangular brace that is too low on the transom face (to clear the splashwell) won't offer much additional strength.

In a case like this, I believe that a lateral brace offers more support and better way to couple the transom to the rest of the boat. A panel of plywood can be fitted just below where the splashwell belly will be. This is tabbed and glassed to the transom face, and the sidewalls of the hull. The wood is tied to the transom and hull only by fiberglass - no hardware is needed.

This is all just my opinion, and as everyone who has ever worked on one of these knows, just about anything you do to this boat will be better than the way it was originally built.

I would definetly not cut splash well but put knees under it,, easy and makes you sleep better,but I put knee bracing in every boat but I can run anything on them and we do,these are under transom and are small ,Bill

I would definetly not cut splash well but put knees under it,, easy and makes you sleep better,but I put knee bracing in every boat but I can run anything on them and we do,these are under transom and are small ,Bill

Hey all,
Im really wishig I had a garage right now with all the resposnse here Im dyin not being able to go out,measure,tinker and build.Theres alot to talk about.First up Bill that is one very sexy south sea samoan I remeber following a build thread I had know idea it was yours.It was such a cool boat and project I dont think I ever look at the user name. By any means great job!! I hope to have the same type of results.When it comes to my seaflite I spoke with a man I'm sure you know.Kevin Muller is really into Glastrons.He said far as he knew mine was the only retractable hard top(so far as he knew).I would love to get a hold of the owner of the other you spoke of .It is my pride and joy and before I begien the restoration on it Im trying to gather as much info as possible.

When it comes to the top it will be treated very delicatly it is thin and isnt very sound on its own.It really is the cherry on top, but I was hoping to make another to use.Then this one can safely be stored.In its curent state the original fiberglass suports have cracked along with the edges being a bit rough from years of use the edge trim will need to be reatached.

As for the transome it is two layers of 3/4 marine plywood laminated and glassed in front and back with 1708 for strength.After doing crack repair a layer of 1708 was layed against the hull then the firsh sheat was layed in.Once that was bolted and set another layer of 1708 was layed agaisnt it and then sandwitched between the new lay of 3/4.It was again layed with 1708 and tabed into the hull in all directions.With all glass layed the transome even before glass was 1/4 thicker than original.

Here come the questions
1.The boat was rated at 70hp in 59 and 58. I was told the hulls are rated in not only hp of the motor but the weight is this true?

2. If true from what I have been able to dig up a short shaft mark 78 was just under 300lb and my 75hp with Power T/T comes in around 330 will this afect weight and extra 5hp be that much strain ?

3. I like the thought of the Knees even if small vs not having them.Should the floor be cored before the installation?

4. Steve thank you for the seller info.If I buy one in this manner how and what do I use to trim and fit it to my boat ? There is a body line that is the rasied to create the dash above the bow This is covered by a trim peace to mount the wind shield.Are the curves hard to make ,cut,create?

Keep in mind your Merc is 75 PROPSHAFT horsepower- its actually the 85hp from the 70's rerated to the new standard. Consider it 85hp from a design standpoint for your boat and be safe.

Just get out your trusty hand held power saw and have at it. Remember to tape the metal runners so they do not scratch your glass, or widely tape your glass itself and draw the cut line on the tape.

Regards,
StevieB