TOPIC: My "new" 1965 Niagara Custom!

I had posted below but figured I would start a new thread now that I have her...

Here she is!

Beautiful boat! Try vortex direct.com for covers, they have all kinds. I just bought a cover for my Niagara. I didn't put it on the boat yet, but it looks like a really nice cover for the price, and service was excellent. enjoy your boat.

Interesting. The seat bottoms have been replaced with custom-made metal ones. The ski racks are different from the original, as are the seat backs. MFG used wood-tone contact paper on the side storage "cubbies" and the ski racks. The cubbies look original - just have the contact paper removed.

But overall, the boat looks great!

See picture from 1965 sales brochure attached.

BP: I will definitely try Vortex for the cover...

Davnau: The ski rails are "original" the previous owner removed the faux wood paper and cut stainless diamond plate to re-cover. I'm going to have to sand and paint the horizontal boards that make them up.

I'm going to re-fabricate the rear seats the same way the front seats were done, with the addition of new lockable bearings for the swiveling seats. Then I am going to take the cushions off and have them all redone. The old vinyl is very brittle and needs to go. I also have to re-power the air horn in addition to a few other things. I was able to get a compressor dirt cheap so the air horn will be a cinch.

The only other thing I need to address is the cracked windshield. Don't know anybody yet in the northeast who specializes in that...Any Ideas?

For a windshield, check the parts section here.

There are also a number of firms that make replacement windshields - just search "replacement boat windshields" on the Internet.

Still have not put her in the water yet... I had to replace the leaf springs on my trailer which was not too hard and only cost $100.

I do have a new question though...
What are these recessed textured areas on the sides of the boat for?



There are also these two clips on the inside rails...I assume they are for the original convertible top.... any chance I'll be able to use those again?

And lastly, her speedometer is black with a chrome bezel. I want to add a Voltmeter, Water Temp Guage and a Fuel Guage. Any ideas on what is out there to closely match the old speedo?

The textured areas act as step pads - cheaper than installing separate ones. Early ones were sometimes colored black or white. Later ones were the same as the deck color.

The Niagara had them for the first 7 years or so. The Edinboro has them for the first few years. The Westfield never had them.

Try to post a larger picture with better resolution, but it looks like they might be supports for wood bows to support a canvas cover. My Niagara came with them, and I still use them.

Hooray! Finally put her in the water!

She ran well, took a little tweaking with the throttle to get her started and away we went. Started up easy everytime after that...I think I may have over primed her initially.
We had her out for 3 hrs, mostly 3/4 throttle and no odd sounds form the engine. Had one mishap when the steering cable bolt popped off of the engine but I had brought a tool box with me and was back up and running in 5 min. My only concern is that reverse is very unresponsive... had to go almost 3/4 throttle to make any headway at all in reverse. I think that has more to do with the type of prop she has but I am not sure.

I also have to do a little reinforcing of the steering hub. The large nut started to loosen up and the steering column got wobbly.

Anyone know where I can find or who can make one of these original Convertible Tops?