TOPIC: 1960 Sangstercraft Huron 2 Project

First time posting and hoping I do it right! This boat is the reason I joined here. After a few years of trying to find a reasonable project that we could handle, I finally came across this in a field near Merrickville, Ontario. Bought it for a steal, with its original trailer. It's a 1960 Sangstercraft Huron 2, with a 1960 Johnson Super SeaHorse 75hp on it, and a 1959 Super SeaHorse 50hp for parts. Information on this boat seams to be very scarce, so anyone with any insight or knowledge of where to get info is appreciated!

Welcome, don't have any info, but thats a cool looking boat. good luck with your project madbohunk safe boating

Smartin welcome aboard. Have you checked the Glassic Library here at the site? www.fiberglassics.com/library/Sangstercraft

Bob

Thanks madbohunk and Waterwings! It is a very cool boat in person... Waterwings, I did check out the link and the brochures are really nice to have, so thank you!

Glad I could help.

Bob

Hey guys... So I started the restoration. Just before anyone says I'm putting too much time and work into this boat, I should be clear that I am not restoring this boat for profit, or resale. I am restoring it because when we found it, my wife and I both really loved the style, and it was different from anything else we had looked at.

I'm hoping to use this forum to show others who may be interested in these old Sangstercraft boats how they were built, and what materials they used.

There is no good information, pictures of, or even old brochures that show anything about what they should look like.

Here is a photo of the boat before any teardown started.

The interior as it was.

Windshield, hardware removed.

Rubrail removed and top cap lifted ready to be removed. The frame was build right on the trailed in case I need to move it around. The deck and transom are soft. The framing keeps the fibreglass from sagging when the cap is removed. The bow is no longer very strong, and the bow stringer supports definately were installed quickly and cheaply. You'll see that soon.

Top cap removed by myself, my wife, and father0in-law. It has been turned over temporarily in order to access the bow stringers closely. The plywood in the cap is 1/2 inch, and simply tacked in with fibreglass. This was likely solid at the time, however somewhere in this boats life, someone has had to place a 4x4 as a post to support the wiehgt of the windshield and bow.

The supports have come separated from the cap, and some of the places where the plywood is not covered by fibreglass are cracked.

My goal is to redo all of this and add more support, and cover them completely with fibreglass so it can support the weight of the very bulky windshield and frame.

Closeup of bow underside showing the inferior support, and cracking.

smartin1970,

WELCOME ABOARD. = NICE rig too.

yours, satx

Great work, glad you got at it!!!!!!!!!! That's going to be a great boat when you're done, keep up the good work.

Bob

Thanks guys!! I'm so happy to get it underway! I also am rebuilding the 1960 Johnson 75hp in my basement. Every bolt! Speaking of that, the o rings and gaskets in the lower unit appeared to have sealant on them too... Should I use a sealant with the o rings and gaskets? Especially in the gear case. Any advice is welcome!!

Here, the transom wood has been removed, and the transom fiberglass on the hull is ready to grind down to clean fiberglass. Note the transom plywood didn't span the entire height of the transom. My new transom plywood will span behind the new stringers and deck all the way to the bottom of the hull. It's 1 1/4" thick, and a thin layer of fiberglass was sandwiched in between the 3/4" and 1/2" pieces of plywood. This came out extremely easy with just a sharp chisel and thin pry-bar. The plywood was wet around most of the transom holes, and dry rot had set in just about everywhere along the plywood. I'm expecting the same for the stringers, but I actually have no clue what's under there. Could just be foam for all I know.

A close up shot of a section of the plywood transom.

Cut the fiberglass off the deck... not to find any wood except for the strip across the back to attach the gas tank and storage cover to the floor, and the boards set in the foam to mount the seat brackets to.

This is a completely foam core boat... everything inside is soaking wet, wood was literally squeezing out water, and as I started to dig into the foam near the back, the smell of gas, and all the water dripping out was nearly unbearable.

Anyone with suggestions as to whether to add wood stringers and foam for better hull support, or is this going to have to be all foam core?