TOPIC: Identifying Classics

Hi everyone,

By luck I found this site. I'm new here,to my surprise there are so many like minded individuals into classic boats like myself. I can't afford a new boat but I can sure fix one up myself. I have a 22' sterncraft and a 15' something. I just bought it a couple days ago AS-IS.

outside shot

Plenty of space on the inside.

This is my other unidentified boat.

Second project

Hey guy , structurally that is awsome, and talk about the beef ( wood )but........ my first concern is....... does it come apart , and the reason being is ........doing a layup on something like that can , and will be a bitch , and from the looks of things .from what i can see at this point there are no rounded edges on any part of the stringer system which can lead to a poor lay up because fiberglass does not want to roll over sharp edges very well thus....... causing air in the layup .

Well I haven't thought of that I'll start laying the fiberglass next weekend and I'll round the edges. This is the first time hearing this.

Yeah it comes apart I just have a few tack nails holding it all together. I just didn't like what the guys in my area had to offer as far as quality. They said it was over done but I could do this kind of work no sweat. Plus I saved like 2000 dollars.

Well the blue and white one with the stripe on the side looks like a Larson as that was there trademark design.Check out the library.

Rasta wrote:

Yeah it comes apart I just have a few tack nails holding it all together. I just didn't like what the guys in my area had to offer as far as quality. They said it was over done but I could do this kind of work no sweat. Plus I saved like 2000 dollars.

Hey guy , first off .....have you decided on what resin you are going to use, fabric ext ,ext ,and have you ever done anything thing like this before....... because trying to tackle a job that size can sometimes be very overwhelming considering that stringer system over all is pretty elaborate which can ,and will be a real pain when doing your layup as is.......................

Mr. 88 You are correct, early 60s Larson All-American(note the shape of the seats under the blanket) Anyone else catch the green treated wood? Green treated wood makes a great deck, not so much for stringers.

Well I am not sure I should even start this but. Here is the other side of the coin. You did say you are a newbie. Now please do not take this as negitive but just something to think about.
My fist thought is why do you want to do either of those boats. Did you have one once, did some one you know have one, was there one on the lake and you liked it. You know nastalgia. Or do you just really really like them. If so then don't read the rest of this post.
Boats like those are often given away. The previous owner usually tried to sell them and could not so they then sell the motor and list the boat for free with a three hundred dollar trailer. Just watch Craigs list for a couple weeks and you will see what I am saying.
To do a boat like those takes every bit as much work as any boat. But when you are done you better be happy with it cause more than likely you will not get your money or labor back. A good guess is that it will take from one to five thousand dollars to do a nice job on one of those boats - if you do most of the work. Depends on what you do. Motor, trailer, new gel coat, interior etc.
If you were to restore or rebuild a car. Which do you prefer a two door or a four door. But you think well I can't afford a two door. Tell you what watch the glassifieds right here and some super boats show up with excellent prices. Take your time and chose wisely.
Sometimes free and cheap are very expensive.
This was not ment to put either of those boats down.

Del

Del , i agreee with you 100% and to tell you the truth that is the best piece of advice i have seen posted on this forum at this time. Rasta , my comment was not meant to be rude or reflect any negativity in your direction .

in my experience, green treated lumber and polyester resin is not a good combo. My first retore/floor I used it, about the 3rd ride and it came unlaminated.

Unless you've had your green lumber around awhile it will still be a high moisture content. I used it but mine is open to the air. It does circulate under my floors. It was also dried over a long period, sealed and painted with multiple coats after it was cut. It is not glassed in and never will be. I set it up for easy deck removal for wooden keel inspection on a yearly basis. I just take two lag screws out and two people can lift the whole deck out with pedestal seats and all.

I just like fixing up old stuff and bring them back to life. I just found this one sitting in the field then went boat shopping and saw the prices then got scared. I went back and bought the boat and trailer for $100 bucks. The trailer was junk. So I've decided to take my time and build it from scratch. I have over $4000 dollars of fiberglass that I bought for $100 bucks from this fiberglass plant that went out of business. So far I have about $600 in the boat.

Great post Del ! I remember trying to buy a 30' Wooden Monk design cruiser years ago and had a surveyor come down to look at it . His comment was " Unless your Grandfather built this boat with Hand tools and your Grandma made the curtains - Walk away" I walked away and went to Fiberglass. I really get up-set when I see a post for a turn key boat that has a realistic price on it knowing what the owner has into it for materials and LABOR and people comment about how crazy they are for asking that much. My first Fiberglass boat that I restored I had over $10,000 into it when it was done and sold it to my neighbor for $5,500 and that did not give me anything for hundreds of hours of labor and he didn't have to get his hands dirty or breathe Acetone. I think you are well off to pay a bit more for a classic and spend the time and alot less money improving it and keeping it up, especially when it comes to Stringer , Transom, damage. Unless you just like the punishment ! Nothing wrong with just going boating. I now have one boat that is a complete restoration but I also have one that is done and I can take out when ever the weather permits. Bottom line is if you are new to this hobby take it slow and don't bite off more than you can chew get something that you can take out and enjoy and make sure you even like boating and it's also very important to make sure your better half (If you have one) buys into the program because that really seems to help in the long run.

Another thing, if you like the boat and are going to enjoy it, regardless of what it is I say to fix'er up. Seldom do we ever get our investment back as money in hand. It is a labor of LOVE.

I bought my Power Cat for 200 bucks, no motor or trailer. Experts said I didn't do something (or a number of things) correctly, but after about 2000-2500 more dollars (over 3 or 4 years) we have a blast with this boat, and I am NOT interested in selling it! 2nd season may or may not be over yet, but it will be even better next year.

Best of luck to ya.

Frank