TOPIC: 1962 Lone Star Vacationer - new to site

Hi folks,
I am a brand new member and happy to find this site.
I have been boating for many years and my main boat is a Pursuit 2460 Denali which I have owned for 10 years. I recently acquired a 1962 Lone Star Vacationer from the widow of a friend who passed away last year. The boat has been sitting outside untouched for 40 years and it shows. Much of the deck is rotted away and the transom is rotted. It has a 1961 Evinrude Lark III 40 hp that "broke down" 40 years ago and was the reason it was parked. I replaced the trailer wheels and tires, bearings and one hub, put on new lights and towed it home to the Albany NY area from Eastern Long Island NY. Once home, I cleaned out the mess that was just as he left it 40 years ago including the wooden water skiis in the cabin. I also started to poke around the engine and found it had compression of 95 psi and clean oil in the lower unit. I cleaned it up and replaced, coils, condensers, points, plugs, and wires, rebuilt the carb and fuel pump, replaced the thermostat and impeller and changed the lower unit oil. It started right up and ran good. Then I repaired the damaged cowl and painted the engine. Now its time to attack the transom and the rotted floors and bulkheads. No rush but it will be a fun project. I will try to attach some pics and I look forward to picking your collective brains on advice.

Cheers and good health to all!

Hnt

Welcome aboard HNT and beautiful find. She's going to be awesome when your done. There are plenty of folks here who can help as you go through your restoration. Post your questions and we'll answer them.

Bob

Thank you Bob,

Hers goes with a few...

Is 40 hp enough for this boat? It is rated for 90 hp but it came with the 40 hp. It had water skis in it and the previous owner's widow said he used to take the kids skiing but it seem it will be really under powered. I don't need or expect a speed demon but I would like it to be able to plane with a few folks in it, The boat came with two props. No tach on the boat but I have an optical tach that I can use to check the WOT revs. The engine is all ready so I think I will just try it and see.

I removed the transom today. I cant' believe it but the transom plywood is laminated to 1.75". That seems very heavy for a boat this size. I would have expected 1.5"..The outer transom skin is .2" which I will bond the new transom to. The inside only had one layer of glass and tabbing of one or two layers onto the floor and hull sides. The glass on the transom itself only went about 3/4 to the top and the splashwell had a .1" glass skin that went to the top of the transom. the only holding the splash well to the inner transom skin was a bit of adhesive.

I am doing this project on a budget because I have another boat that always seems to find my wallet and drains it. I know that marine grade plywood and epoxy is the gold standard but I will be using BC ULX Exterior Plywood from Lowes and Polyester resin to save $. (The original transom was not marine grade plywood either). My plan is to use 2 3/4" sheets coated in resin to seal. I will then bond them together with resin and a layer of 1.5 oz CSM. Then I will bond the transom to the outer skin with resin and a layer of 1.5 oz CSM and clamp and screw to dry. Then I will put filets and two tab layers of 1708 to the floor and hull sides on the inside followed by 2 or 3 layers of 1708 over the entire transom inner face extending onto the floor and hull sides. Then bond the splashwell to the transom and glass in place. Does that sound like a good plan? It is not quite as thick total plywood but much more glass on the transom compared to original.

Thanks for any advice you can share
Hnt

Really great find! Dr. Go is probably drooling over those skis. The 40 would be "adequate" but unless the kids weighed under 50# I wouldn't think skiing was an option. I would think a 75hp would be a good fit for cruising and skiing. Neat that it even has a pooper in it.
Your transom plans look spot on. There are plenty of threads here that can get you over any humps.
Glad to see another restore.

Yep I agree with Cal, 40 won't be enough to really do what you do with your other boat. 75hp or slightly large would be good. As far as the plywood plan, agree it sounds good the only thing I would caution is when marine ply is recommended it is because there should be zero voids in any of the layers within the ply. Now I can't say for sure if the BC ULX exterior doesn't have any voids but I would expect it probably has some. You just don't want voids in ply that's going to be that important of a structure as you transom. The rest of the plan is very solid.

Bob

Thanks,

I know a 3 cylinder OMC 70 hp or a 3 cylinder 90 hp Yamaha would be a good fit but they just don't have the right look for the boat. Plus I have my Lark III all fixed up so "plan A" will be to try it and see if it gets on plane okay and can move along. If that does' t work then its off to Plan "B".

The hull weights 960 lbs dry and has a pretty flat bottom, LOA is 16'9".

I would be interested in hearing from anyone with a similar hull powered by a 40 hp.

I don't want to ski. Just cruise and maybe a bit of fishing with a buddy. Most of the time I will be solo with my dog.

I am proceeding with the transom rebuild. I bought the plywood so I will get that cut and fit while I wait to get the fiberglass supplies.......whenever that will be.

Cheers!!

Great project and love the style. Too bad the boat isn’t a bit longer as it seems some late 50s and early 60s cruisers sometimes had twin 35 or twin 40 outboards or that could be your plan C to find a matching lark. Also gets you back to the dock if one stops running. Never take my ideas too seriously, as I don’t always come up with wise ideas... just always loved the look of twins. Good luck with pursuing your own ideas!

Twins!!! That would be awesome!!! It would be less weight than a single, modern 4 stroke.... and a whole lot cheaper. Hmmmm

I'm starting to think I should find a larger motor and set the boat up for it as I build it out. Especially if the 40 hp is going to be a disappointment performance wise. I found a late 70's ? Mercury 800, 4 cylinder, 80 hp that supposedly runs good close by for a reasonable price. I might pick that up if it has good compression. Not exactly a tower of power but kind of retro styling that would fit the boat.

Any idea what a tuned up and freshened up Lark III is worth?

Hi again folks
I found a 1976 Evinrude 85hp V4 with controls, steering, gas tank and a SS prop that runs good for $400 so I bought it. Compression is at 90 psi which might be low but they all at 90 so its even. Runs nice and idles well. I cleaned the carbs, changed the LU oil, impeller and plugs. Was't crazy about the look of the 1976 so I painted the motor and "borrowed" the cowl hardware from my 1961 Lark III to get it to look a bit more like early 60's and match the boat better, I know the purists likely wont approve but this project is all about fun for me and not winning any prizes for authenticity.

Anyway. Its been too cold to glass in my new transom so I am just fiddling around. I have the new transom ready to go as soon as the weather cooperates.

Like many I am working from home and not spending 2 hours a day commuting everyday frees up a lot of time.
Stay safe

before and after of engine and a transom pic or two

Nice! It's your boat as long as your happy with it that's all that matters.

Bob

Nice move. The older OMCs are great for the cowl switches. Most in the 70's are what you might call plug n play. My '76 Johnson 85hp cowl is a perfect match with the '77 Evinrude 140hp. Same lockdowns. Can't beat the price for a running motor. Not to worry too much about the compression. The 140 in the picture was pretty much free that came on a junker boat/trailer. Compression is in the high 60's but it starts and runs great. Like you did the impeller, starter, carbs, etc. were replaced. Only difference is trim and tilt on both.

Thanks,

Glad to hear about the compression. I know you don't want more than 10% or maybe 15%variation on outboards but I found it really hard to find actual recommended minimum readings. Some said not less than 100 psi others said not less than 120 psi on these older V4's still others say it really doesn't matter as long as they are nearly equal.......anyway it seems to run real nice but I wont know for sure till I get her on the water. I have a little work to do before that happens.

On the engine, I used the original 1976 85hp cowl but modified it a bit to accept the stainless "wings" from the 1961 Lark III 40hp.

I showed a picture of it to a buddy and he said it looks "outdated"....... I said...... Perfect!!!

I had a pair of 140's on s 22' Whaler in the early 1990's . Great engines !

I like the retro throwback you did! I am also thinking the Whaler with twin 140s would be sweet!

hnt,

WELCOME ABOARD.

I LIKE your LONE STAR, too.

yours, tex