TOPIC: Newbie to boating wanting to say Hello.

Hello everyone. After being a lurker on this site for awhile, I found myself a new to me project boat. One of those"Free boat and motor just pay for the trailer" type ads. Gave the guy $150 for the whole deal. It's a 1968 and that's as much as I know. Hope one of you guys can help me identify it. The HIN doesn't help because it appears to have been renumbered with the first three letters of SCZ. From what I have found online, this indicates a homebuilt from South Carolina. She should be a cool winter project. The floor is rock solid so it looks like just paint and seats and controls and wiring....easy, right? The motor is grenaded, so I'll sell it and try to find a good replacement.
Looking forward to lots of Fiberglassic fun next summer.

Here are some pics. This is right after I got her home.

Morning Javhunter,

Welcome to FiberGlassics!!! Congrats on your new boat. It looks like you scored a good one and the $150 price tag was a terrific find! Tis site is loaded with people who have more knowledge about boats than you can imagine and are willing to share.

There are several things you can do that are small projects to make the sport more enjoyable right off the bat - all of them relatively cheap.

I would pull the bearing on your trailer and check them out thoroughly. Replace them if necessary or, if they're good, repack them well. This will alleviate the headache of a bearing failure when you take the boat out to the lake.

Check your lights and rewire if necessary. Its really easy and will prevent a conversaiton with the local police on the way to the lake, again an event that will ruin your afternoon of enjoying your boat.

The winch strap is another cheap fix/replacement that can be done without much cash or time and its one of those safty items you'll be glad you maintain. While you're at it, the stern straps/tie downs should be checked, too.

I am a Harbor Freight fan and have gotten quite a few things from there to make this hobby more enjoyable. You can get the light kit for your trailer there for about $20-$25 with all the necessary wiring. They will usually go on sale for about $15 a few times a year. The LED lights are a few dollars more but hey're good quality, too.

You'l probably want to buff your new prize. Harbor Freight has a great 7" buffer/sander for the normal price of $39 and a frequent sale price of $29 that works very well as either a buffer or sander. They carry the buffing pads and, again pretty good quality considering they're made in China.

Good luck and welcome.

The XXZ numbers (XX = state abreviation) numbers are not only issued for home built, but also issued to production boats that had no serial number or nobody found a serial number, and in some states where the original SN doesn't match the current 12 digit foremat.

Cool boat, by the way. I'm sure someone here will know exactly what it is.

javhunter,

WELCOME! NICE boat, too.

yours, satx

welcome javhunter,thats a nice little runabout,i have one thats kind of close in looks,and still dont know what it is,lol,hopefully someone will know what yours is,john

Thanks for the welcome and all the good suggestions and info. I plan on getting the boat in the garage soon, getting her off the trailer and starting the restoration.
Todd, she show's better in pic's than she is. The finish is well beyond buffing. The topside especially is cracking and peeling so sanding and repaint is in order. The trailer is going to get all new lighting and bearings. And yes, the winch is looking pretty sad too. Lots to do but nothing that appears too hard. I come from an automotive background, so redoing a boat doesn't seem too bad.
Then it will be time to hunt down an engine.

You'll have to get used to some of the tongue in cheek comments here. Buffing is one that is used somewhat loosley. When I smashed my Jeep I was told it would "buff" right out. Welcome aboard, hope your voyage is pleasant.
Cal

Hey Javhunter,

Anything I can ever do to help you is just an email or posting away. I have learned a boatload (yes, the pun is intended) of things from the members here.

You have a distinct advantage over most of the other new members with your experience. I am very sure your boat will trun out top notch.

Cal's right though, the tongue in cheek comments between the members will sometimes leave you just this side of peeing yourself. They're all meant in good fun. It appears to me that everyone gives as good as they get.

Thanks again guys. I'm cool with tongue-in-cheek, although sometimes mine ends up being foot-in-mouth. I'll make sure to post update pics as progress is made.
For now I'll check out your boats snd get some inspiration.

So regarding everyone's else's boats, do most of your boats still have the original finish, or have they been repainted? If repainted, what is the most common way to apply the paint? I was surprised to see that boat paint is available that is rolled or brushed on. Does this give a smooth finish or does it need to be sprayed? I'm not looking for perfection, but I also don't want it to look like my four year old had his way with it. If brush/roll on works, that would be great.

Sadly, after 50 or so years of neglect, the original gelcoat finishes on the vast majority of these old boats is not salvageable. You can reapply gel coat, but the vast majority of do it yourselfers opt for paint, since it's a lot easier.

There are all kinds of paints out there suitable for boat use, and many of them perform quite well with brush and roller application. There is a method called 'roll and tip' where the paint is applied with a roller, then the bubbled are 'tipped' off with a brush, tha results in an excellent final finish. I sprayed the last paint job I did, but since then have used the same paint to touch up some areas with a brush. You'd be hard pressed to tell what was sprayed and what was brushed, it leveled quite well.


Of course, the key to ANY paint job is the prep- Even the most expensive paint won't cover a poor prep job

-Andrew

Hi javahunter, and welcome. In the toolbar across the top of the page you will find a "Research / Restoration" button. If you will click that, you will find several good articles there to read up on the roll and tip techniques, and suggestions on how to obtain a good result when painting. The rest of the gang here with experience is always glad to help, but thought you might find the articles useful. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

PS - You can also type "paint" into the search box in the upper right hand corner, there have been some great threads recently on which types of paint everybody is using, and different ways to mix and apply them.

Here's a couple;
www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/2-main-forum/49323-check-this-out.html#49337
www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/2-main-forum/46882-interior-paint-and-rubrail-insert.html#47118
www.fiberglassics.com/glassic-forums/2-main-forum/32965-rustoleum-boat-paint.html#42735

Hey Guys,

Not much progress on the boat other than trying to clear out a space in the garage. But I do have a question about motor size. Since the 70 that is on it is junk, I'll be shopping for a replacement. What horsepower should be sufficient on a boat of this size? She's measures in at 16 feet. I'm not looking to win any races but just a good cruiser that will plane out easily. By the Coast Guard standards it seems she could handle a 100 h.p. but that seems a little much. If that would work, I found a 1967 Evinrude 100 on C-list that would look cool on her.

35-50 would probably push it around just fine. If your going to cruise it I'd look for something not so thirsty. Now if you want speed, that's another story.