TOPIC: Speed Queen Restoration

I'm starting the restoration of my Speed Queen this week and I think I have the first few steps figured out, but am looking for some guidance.

The transom is rotten, both bench seats are cracked (rear isn't bad, front is pretty severe), and the tips of the battens are exposed with cracked fiberglass. A note on the benches, they are built with a support located on the back of the bench that goes from the floor to the top cap/deck, and just a support beam is fiberglassed on the underside of the bench. I'm mentioning this because when I rebuild them I'd like to add some more support so they don't crack again.

How do I go about removing the cap? I'll have to saw through the bench supports as they are fiberglassed to the floor (wood core) and remove the rub rail, but the transom looks like it's fiberglassed to the cap (see the last picture). How do I get past that?

After the cap is removed I can replace the transom from the inside, fix the batten caps, and repaint. Then I put the cap back on, replace the bench supports, and prep for paint. I know this is simplified but is this pretty much the road I need to take? I have a 1961 Merc 500 50 hp for power.

PS - I had a thread up a few days ago on this but it seems to have went missing

In my garage



Bench support (wood core)



Front bench crack



Rear transom to sheer gusset

Your best friend during this stage of de-construction is the oscillating "multi-tool" type saw - very reasonably priced at Northern Tool, Harbor Freight, etc.. (Pro quality tools are much nicer, but the cheap ones work great for this type of project.) They work great for separating the under splashwell from the transom, seat supports from the floor, any deck to hull areas that may be glassed together, etc..

It appears you already have the rub rail off, so remove any screws or rivets holding the deck onto the hull, free the splashwell from the transom where it's glassed together, and hopefully the deck will come off with a little "gentle persuasion".

Looks like a fun project, keep us posted on your progress and take lots of pics!

Amreame, Sounds like a fun project. I have the 1960 45 Hp Merc on my old jalopy. Is your motor in good shape? I'm new to this hobby, but have learned quite a few things about my motor already.

West Systems makes a good epoxy specifically for boats. You can find it on the web. I have a pretty good amount of experience with it fixing rotted windows in my house! Would have been way more fun to fix a boat, but hey, you gotta save a buck when you can.

Gadabout

MarkS-

I spent the greater part of my morning looking into oscillating multi-tools. This looks like something I should have purchased a long time ago. It should also be easier to cut the bench support than trying to get a circular saw in there.

The rubrail is actually still on but half the screws are missing so it won't take long to come off. I'm a big fan of documentation so I'll be sure to post a lot of pictures.

Gadabout-

The motor is in decent cosmetic condition, no dents or scruffs, and it has the brass prop and cone. I haven't gone through it yet or tried to run it but when I purchased it the seller said it ran.

Once I make some more room in my garage I'll put in new gear oil and replace the impeller and see how it sounds. Do you think I should go through the carb too?

I have West Systems fast hardener on order but have used the slow hardener on my other project (Glen-L Squirt). It's a great product.

amreame wrote:

Do you think I should go through the carb too?

Most definitely! Some folks don't, but it's always one of the first things I do when trying to "revive" a motor. You've got to remember that the lubrication for these old girls is mixed in with the gas, it's easy to score pistons and do other internal damage if she's not getting enough gas.

Just my two cents, hope it helps.....

Thanks Marc, I'll add that to the list.

Duel cockpit? Lucky dog! She'll be a sweet boat when your done!

matty83 wrote:

Duel cockpit?

Yup! This picture from the ad shows the cockpits better. I sat in it last night and was surprised at the depth of the cockpits, nice and deep.

The dirt on the hull was bugging me so I took a power washer to it, looks much better. I also set my '61 Merc 500 on it. It's a nice fit but I'll keep looking for something from '57 or '58. Cap comes off next.

Got the cap disconnected from the hull. Waiting on some help to move it out of the way. I also found an old fire extinguisher under the center deck between the two benches.

I removed what was left of the bench supports (bulkheads?) and took out the transom. The boat has been dry for at least a month but the wood in the transom was soaked. Imagine that.

One area I didn't think there'd be any wood was the stem, I thought it was just heavy fiberglass tape. With the cap off and getting a closer look I noticed the fiberglass tape was cracked so I went to investigate and found there to be a thin layer of what looked like cardboard behind the tape. I'm assuming this was just used to support the tape when it was placed but it was like mush so I cut everything out and will be replacing that as well. Might use some scrap okume I have.

Next I'll sand and start replacing the wood I removed.