TOPIC: 1971 Glasspar Newport Cruiser - Rejuvenation

Thanks Terry. Means a lot coming from the owner of the beautiful Mamma Mia.....

Yesterday was a beautiful 66-degree November day, which I took a half day off work and frantically culminated a couple month push to repair/prepare the interior hull. (yes Eric, sleep was limited) I almost completed all goals, failing to complete the last one which will have to be picked up in the spring. As I continue my journey through re-engineering the boat industry, (thanks Jim A) the next 6 or 7 posts will take you through my experience learning to work with polyester resin, fiberglass, gelcoat, die, and floatation foam.

In a previous post I explained how I removed the cabin roof so I could give everything a good clean and restore the cabin windshield and sliding side windows. Unfortunately, I discovered a few serious sins were committed when the helm/steering controls were fitted.






It looks as if a drill bit was used to chip away and make the opening larger albeit horrifying. The gunwale (or is it gunnel in the mid-west) wooden stringer (if that's a real thing) was cut through and the exterior fiberglass/gelcoat damaged.


The cabin roof did not fare much better


View from under the gunwale. The boat was constructed by laying a fiberglass hull, spraying the whole thing with 1-2-inch-thick floatation foam, with a final layer of polyester resin and chop strand fiberglass shot out of a spray gun. Larson referred to it as "Blue Water Technology"


To start the repairs, I began working with the top. I clamped a straight piece of hardwood down as a straight edge and used a Fostner bit to drill nicely radiused holes in an effort to eliminate future cracking. Placement of the holes was determined by the radius of the existing rough cutouts.


I then cut out the rough material to the edges of the newly cut holes. The Fein Multimaster tool proved invaluable while working on the fiberglass projects. I was able to make clean and controlled cuts easily.


A small sanding drum and drill softened the edges nicely!


I used the same Fostner bit, Fein Multimaster saw, and drill sanding drum combination to clean up the gunwale


The Fein Multimaster and sand paper removed the foam and cleaned up the underside of the gunwale in preparation for repair and strengthening


With the foam removed I was able to see a previously made hasty repair


Additionally, my foam removal work pierced the paper-thin glass in a couple places. The cracked gel coat was part of the previously made repair


After years of watching Andy's Boatworks Today YouTube channel, I decided to try my hand at fiberglassing. I ordered Polyester Laminating Resin, Polyester Structural Repair Putty, Polyester Faring Compound, Wax, and glass matting from TotalBoat. (Jamestown Distributors) I appreciate there may be more affordable options out there, but these products are well documented by Andy, and proved to work well for me.


On the inside of the gunwale, I placed two layers of chop strand, two layers of 1708 and then two more layers of chop strand fiberglass matting. Initially, I was waiting 20 minutes between each fiberglass mat layup. As I got more comfortable with the materials, I was able to apply the fiberglass layers one right after the other. I learned quickly that Polyester Resin catalyzed with MEKP is only workable for ~20 minutes. To get through all my repairs and gelcoating, I needed quite a few chip brushes and disposable measuring cups, which I purchased on Amazon.


Yes, despite my attempting to use a piece of wood covered with packing tape as a backer board, I still ended up with a wavy product on the top of the gunwale. This required some sanding and polyester structural repair putty to smooth it out.


Finished product ready for gelcoat


A small glass and structural putty repair, restored the mating surface on the cabin roof.


Jumping months ahead, this is the finished product as of last evening, just prior to its return to the storage locker for a long winter nap. Keep in mind, the cabin wall and helm mate up against this opening, so I wasn't worried about my gelcoat sanding error....
More on that in the coming posts.

When I originally disassembled the boat for cleaning and repair, I was disappointed to discover the factory chose not to finish the bow deck cross-member. I added it to my to do list. So, why bother fiber glassing/gel coating something covered by padding?
1) Protect the wood and easier to keep clean
2) Add strength to the cross-member - there was some minor flexing leading to gelcoat cracks inside the front of the windshield area
3) Could practice fiberglass layup and gelcoat application in a mostly hidden space






This is what I started with.


I gave it all a good sanding. I feathered the gelcoat on side rails and relieved the edges of the cross-member inside and out. I also softened the port and starboard radiuses of the cross-member


Using CAD (Cardstock Aided Design) I created templates, which were traced onto chop strand and the heavier weight 1708 fiberglass mat.


The cross-member CAD template was a little harder to design properly. I needed to ensure enough glass was cut to allow for wrap around the underside of the cross-member.


For the fiberglass layup, I started by wetting the wood with polyester laminating resin, until the wood stopped absorbing it. (applied with a 2-inch chip brush) Using polyester structural repair putty, I filled the joint on both port and starboard sides where the cross-member meets the gunwale and created a nice radius for the glass mat to lay on through the corner.


Well, my first try was a failure for several reasons.
1) I cut the cross-member glass mat at one piece which was too large for me (an amateur) to handle
2) I performed my layups in the mid-day sun on a warm day which dramatically cut my laminating resin working time
3) I ended up with numerous air pockets and failed radiuses


I had to grind it all back and start over. This actually proved to be a blessing as I discovered further manufacturing imperfections. Turns out the top of the cross-member was not laminated to the bow deck. There was a 3/8" gap across the majority of the cross-member. (red circle) I cleaned the area out with screw drivers and compressed air and then using a tongue depressor (went through a hundred of those for mixing etc.) troweled my new friend, polyester structural repair putty, into the void. Once dry, I radiused the edge with a sandpaper block and set off to layup fiberglass again.


This time I achieved much better results. 5 layers of chopped strand mat installed one right after the other. The cross-member was divided into two pieces. I did a better job overlapping the port and starboard pieces with the cross-member pieces in the corners and my chip brush wetting/tapping air bubble technique greatly improved. I was more delicate when saturating the mat layups with laminating resin and thus didn't distort the fiberglass mat. Additionally, this helped me more successfully transition the air pockets out from under the layups leaving a solid bond between each layer.


I didn't have a lot of sanding to do once the second attempt was complete. The one main area was the center of the cross-member where the port and starboard layers overlapped. A long sanding block with 80-grit successfully leveled it while causing me to break a good sweat.


Once I was happy all was leveled, including a couple resin runs, I applied a layer of polyester fairing compound, which I hand sanded using a sanding block and dowel for the corners. I then set my sights on spraying gelcoat.

As I made my way through September, the pressure to spray gelcoat mounted. Like my experience with laying fiberglass, I unfortunately had to do the job more than once to get it remotely right. As you'll see, Mother Nature ended up leaving a mark on my project.


On 18 September, found a nice afternoon and spent a couple hours masking the hull (inside and out) to spray gelcoat.

I had done my share of study and had all the components I needed from TotalBoat.
1) wax free white gelcoat (Polyester)
2) MEKP Catalyst
3) Styrene (to slightly thin gelcoat for spraying)
3) Blue, Yellow, Brown and Black die
4) Wax

Disposable paint suit with full face respirator
Anest IWATA KIWAMI4-13BA4 1.8mm HVLP Spray Gun with 3M disposable cups (1.8mm needle/cap a little on the small side)

As the professionals know, I struggled to properly mix the dies into the gelcoat to get a close match the blue hull.
The best way I found was to initially mix some black into the white gelcoat to get grey. Then a fair amount of blue and once close, some yellow to shift the color slightly to the green side. I was pretty close!


Well, the disaster of inexperience struck again. I read numerous posts on gun pressure settings, which technically is unique to each gun. As gelcoat is thicker than automotive paint, more pressure is required. I set my gun pressure at 25lb (regulator on the gun) and shot some cardboard which looked okay.


When I hit the boat, I quickly learned the pressure was too high. The orange peel as bad as it looked could be managed but the pin holes, could not be overcome. I lowered my gun pressure to 15 - 17 lbs. and completed 2 more coats 15 minutes apart hoping for some self-healing. (3rd coat had wax mixed in)


No luck.


I had to sand it all back. The one piece of good news was my color match was acceptably close.


A lot of sanding and some re-masking was needed to ready for another attempt


After sanding everything back, the weather started giving up on me.
I found another nice afternoon early October and did a much better job of spraying the gelcoat this time around.
In my haste to get done though, my color match was horrible, particularly inside the cabin area.


Once sprayed, the boat was moved into my garage. Without the cabin roof on, it barely fit length wise and had just enough ceiling to work.


Too much yellow, not enough black in the die department.
My weather window had gone, so I had to live with what I have for now.
Padded upholstery covers/hides this area, but I wanted better.


Started by gently using 220 grit paper on a random orbital sander to knock down the high spots


Over the course of a couple nights, wet sanded progressively through 320, 400, 600, 800, 1200, and 1500 grit paper, rinsing frequently. Finished up by working through aggressive to fine polishes, using a random oribital automotive polisher and foam pads. This left me with gelcoat as smooth and soft as a baby's bottom with beautiful, deep shine. I just fell short on the color match.

This is where the professionals like Nautilus are worth their weight in gold.

Due to the mess made by all the sanding, I couldn't take finished pictures until I removed the boat from the garage for a wash. Results will be shown in later posts.

In the area of the bow where larger boats have an anchor locker, this boat, as part of its ‘Blue Water Technology’, has the area filled with foam. There was no drain installed in this area, so water just sat on top the foam and eventually evaporated or a small amount would seep out the bow eye ring holes and dribble down the keel leaving a rust stain. This needed to be fixed. This post is devoted to the removal and replacement of the bow eye ring block.


Starting point for re-engineering the under-deck bow area.


Using a Fein Multimaster tool with a two-inch blade, I removed the foam in sections.
The red circle identifies the bow eye ring block which has broken on the high side.


The block was apparently bed in using epoxy laid over the top of heavy gauge wire.
The wire was rusting which produced the staining I was seeing on the keel.


Once I cut the bow eye ring block out, this wire was left.
I'm guessing it may have been used to move the hull around the manufacturing facility, but unsure. It did need to be removed.


I screwed a vice grips onto the end of my slide hammer and pulled the wire out of the epoxy base.
(I use this slide hammer more than I ever imagined I would)


The results


To create a replacement block, I glued two 2" x 3" x 3/4" pieces of construction plywood together, using Titebond III which is water proof.


I made two blanks in case I made a mistake on my first try.


The first step was to drill the eye ring holes at the drill press, while the block was still flat.
Next, I needed a 45-degree angle cut on the bottom of the block.
I used the bandsaw for this as the block is too small to safely control on the table saw.


Once one 45-degree edge had been cut, I was able to return the table to 90 degrees and complete the second cut.


Test fit of the 7/16" eye ring was perfect!


I appreciate this will make some fiberglass guys cringe, but used a die grinder with a carbide cross-hatched bur to grind out the factory epoxy originally used to bed the block. Had to be cautious as the bit could easily cut through the hull.


Came back with 2" sanding disks on a right-angled die grinder which cleaned the hull up nicely for bedding the new block and pouring replacement foam.


After polishing the original eye ring, it was wrapped in box tape, to keep the bedding compound from sticking to it.
I chose to bed the new block in place using Polyester Structural Repair Putty, which is thickened Polyester resin with glass fibers mixed in.


To help properly locate the bow eye ring block, the eye ring was installed and held in place with tape.


Ready to have the block bed in.


Quick test fit.


I coated the block, including the ring holes with three coats of polyester laminating resin prior to installation.
By the 3rd coat, the plywood was no longer absorbing the resin.


Mixed up eight ounces of Polyester Structural Repair Putty, troweled it onto the hull using a tongue depressor and then pressed the block in place.
I then used the tongue depressor to smooth the edges.


Over the course of the next hour, applied two more layers of Polyester Structural Repair Putty to completely encase the bow eye ring block.
Once hardened, (it gets hot while hardening) I removed the eye ring and sanded with the 2" sanding disk.

Continuing the work in the bow of the boat, it was time to install the new foam.


Starting point.


As noted in the previous post, I used a Fein Multimaster with 2" blade to remove the original foam in layers.
The old foam was surprisingly dry.


Once all the foam was removed, the hull and cross member were sanded with 2" rotary disks driven by a pneumatic right-angle die grinder. Additionally, using a 1”-holesaw, I drilled a hole in the cross member where it meets the keel. This is needed for my newly engineered drainpipe.


Using CAD (cardstock aided design), I made a template of the cross member and covered it in two layers of 1708 fiberglass cloth.


I picked up some 1" PVC pipe and cut it to length.
Using a heat gun to warm the PVC pipe I was able to shape it to conform to the keel.
My idea is to have a drain pocket just below the bow eye ring block.


Then, a bed of Polyester Structural Repair Putty was troweled into the keel and the PVC pipe pressed into the putty


I used 2lb floatation foam to fill the cavity. I underestimated the amount needed and ended up purchasing three of these quart kits. Could have saved money by getting a gallon kit up front.


As you can see, my first pour fell far short of need.
Additionally, as you know by now, my best laid plans eventually run afoul.
I meant to plug my newly installed drain tube so foam could not enter it.
Well, it didn't happen, and I accidentally poured some of the liquid foam down the tube.
The tube did a great job of draining it, until the foam started to expand. My new drain tube was now completely plugged.
This was devastatingly frustrating, and I walked away from the project for a couple days.


After taking some time to think, I was not going to dig all the new foam and Polyester Structural Repair Putty out, so I devised a plan to clear the foam out of the pipe. $65 in tooling later along with some modifications, I put together this setup. I cut 36" of drill rod into four pieces and placed couplers on them. I needed to do this because I only had access to drill from the bilge up. The floor only gave me 12 inches of access in the bilge.


Section by section, I was able to push the boring bit from the bilge side of the pipe up to the eye ring block entrance. I worried one of couplers would lose grip, leaving me no choice but to remove everything and start over, but this did not happen. I was then able to use a shop vacuum to suck out all the shavings and retrieve the tooling.

Interesting discovery, the foam did not stick to the walls of the PVC, it just blocked them.


With the tube unblocked, I resumed adding more foam.
Using some cardboard, I created a dam around the top of the drain tube to create a pocket/basin for water to collect.


I covered the dam in box tape, so the foam would not stick to it.


Dam in place and drain tube now plugged, I shaved a few high spots of the previously poured foam with the Fein Multimaster tool.
A quick vacuum left me ready to resume pouring foam.


A couple more pours left me with this.


Using CAD, I created templates of the foamed area, so I could fiberglass it in.


Five layers of tab-in pieces and four layers of floor chop strand glass pieces cut and ready for install.


Using the Fein Multimaster and a 6" random orbital sander, I was able to smooth the foam and shape the ‘drain well’ by the bow eye ring block.


Because the foam is porous, I understood it would absorb an immense amount of polyester laminating resin. So, I spread a thin layer of Polyester Structural Repair Putty over the entire surface. I was extra careful to make it as smooth as possible as I wanted to glass right over it while it was tacky. (no sanding)


The layup went well. A tab-in piece was first placed on the hull next to where the original foam was trimmed back and then overlapped onto the newly installed foam and ran from the drain well to the cross member. Then a layer of glass was placed on the foam, followed by another layer of tab-in pieces until five sets of tab-ins and four foam layers of glass were applied. The layup required large (12-16 oz) resin pours with frantic rolling and brush tapping, but it turned out pretty well! As this is a confined space, my eyes were burning from the curing reaction driving me to wear a full faced respirator.


The final step in this phase was to clean up the transition from the thick original foam on the hull to the newly laid glass. I again used Polyester Structural Repair Putty to fill the void, creating a smooth, watertight joint.

As mentioned in previous posts, Larson built this boat using their 'Blue Water' design approach which further evolved into their patented Life/Guard Construction. Per my 1971 sales literature:

"When land is beyond the horizon you'll be glad you're in a Glasspar. Because Glasspar is built with Life/Guard Construction. It makes your boat safer, quieter, stronger. Life/Guard is so unique it's patented. A special foaming plastic becomes an integral part of the boat. It is bonded by a special chemical process to the inner and outer layers of fiberglass which encase it. The foam is thickset in the sides, gunwales and deck to counteract the buoyancy of the boat's bottom. Should the hull become punctured, water fills the bilge tunnels, supplying the boat with its own ballast to keep it upright, while Life/Guard Construction makes it virtually unsinkable. And Life/Guard makes Glasspar stronger, more resilient than any ordinary fiberglass shell. The floatation foam muffles engine vibration, hull and water noise-you'll hear the quiet difference. Life/Guard Construction and Glasspar-from the innovative masters of blue water design."

In simpler terms, after gelcoat and fiberglass were sprayed/laid in the mold, the inside of the hull was sprayed with flotation foam and then hit with a thin layer of polyester resin and glass sprayed via chopper gun system. This perhaps allowed for thinner glass construction of some components while apparently keeping the boat afloat if it fills with water. I don't want to test this........

This construction approach does not lend itself to smooth surfaces inside the hull, primarily due to air bubbles/pockets that occur in spots. As part of the continued re-engineering of the boat, I chose to smooth those blemishes and in the interest of future maintenance, apply gelcoat. I will be reinstalling close to original looking vinyl carpeting which may make you further question my sanity.


There are 6 large pieces of foam bonded to the hull. I trimmed the top of this block because it impeded the ski shelf from fitting properly. All the foam, sprayed or block form was sanded with 2" 60 grit sanding disks to remove old glue, knock off loose glass strands and smooth the surface.


As I identified blemishes, I trimmed them with a Fein Multimaster Tools and filled them with Polyester Structural Repair Putty.


View of the sanded and patched surface.


The foam blocks took a fair amount of trimming and patching, but cleaned up nicely.


Next, I applied (rolled/brushed) two coats of Polyester Laminating resin.
I did this to re-seal areas of foam where sanding had worn away the chopper gun spray on resin/glass.


While the Polyester Laminating resin was still tacky, I rolled 3 coats of gelcoat. For the 2nd coat, I added black dye to shade it slightly grey, so I could gauge coverage. Finally, the third coat had wax mixed in to allow all gelcoat/resin to fully cure.


The weather had now turned cool (below 60F for highs) so needed to warm the garage while keeping a side door open for ventilation.


The underside of the bow decking was a pain in the neck. Tight quarters and limited ventilation, occasionally I ended up with a shoulder, arm sleeve or hat bumping my newly rolled product.


Bow mostly completed. I used Polyester Structural Repair Putty to fill gaps between the hull and crossmember, leaving a clean looking joint.


It was now early November and I had to get this wrapped up so I could put the roof on and return it to the storage locker.

Monday, November 6th was one of those days I look for each fall in Wisconsin. We almost always get one. After prolonged temperatures in the 40s and low 50s, we get one last day where the temperatures approach 70 degrees as the winds rush up from the south. A last chance to get outdoor activities done before the cold sets in until spring. I took the afternoon off work and picked up the boat trailer from storage, put the boat back on it and dragged it out of the garage. Once in the driveway, I put the boat back on the horses and gave it a good wash.


Once it was mostly dried off, I applied foam sealant tape to the cabin roof and window mounting surfaces.


I did my best to notch the tape to ensure a waterproof barrier was formed at the corners.
I had to move along quickly as the sun was setting fast.


With help from my wife to support the windscreen, (definitely a two-person job) I was able to get the side windows installed smoothly. The corners of the side windows have channels that slide into matching channels on the wind screen. I applied marine grease to the channels before I installed them to help fit the windows together, assist with sealing the joints and prevent corrosion. Once the windows were installed, I was able to use an awl to pierce the sealing tape and find the mounting holes in the hull. The original stainless-steel screws were cleaned up and reinstalled. (all 40 plus of them)


The sun was nearly set now and had to get the boat back on the trailer.


I dragged the roof upside down on a tarp back out the kid’s tree swings and using a come-along winch and homemade block and tackle, hoisted it back up to installation levels. This was unnerving as the wind was blowing it around in circles. I worried it would become unbalanced on the block and tackle and fall to the ground. I raced to drive the boat onto the lawn and get it under the roof. I got lucky and positioned the trailer nearly perfectly under it first try. My wife then stood in the boat and helped me with final positioning. It was now dark, and I quickly lowered the roof onto the boat, pulled the boat up to the garage entrance and took down my block and tackle from the tree.


All screws installed attaching the roof to the windows and windscreen and three 7/16" studs attached to the roof on each side were bolted to the port and starboard gunwales. It was time to drop it off at the locker as stormy weather was forecast for the next day.
On the way to the locker, I stopped part way up a steep hill and allowed the bilge a chance to drain any remaining wash water.


A couple days later I pulled it out of the locker to get some shots of the completed work.






My stretch goal was to clean, sand and paint the bilge like Jimandros has done to his boats.
I bought the epoxy paint but will have to pick the project up in the spring.


If you look closely, you can see my gelcoat blend points where the rear of the roof meets the hull and below the window frame drain slot.


At this point I'll live with it....


I replaced the center windshield and side window plexiglass with tempered glass which turned out to be a big improvement.


I'll reinstall the roof trim that runs along the gunwale next spring.

Time to turn to a basement full of fittings, furniture, and mechanicals that need to be cleaned, rebuilt, repaired and some painted.
My wife wants it on the water next summer.............

Looks great! Nice work.

As ever, I am amazed with all you do. One thing I am certain of is that when I finally get to restoring my Seafair, there's no way I will be anywhere near the perfectionist you are. Bravo on your work!

Thanks to Doug and Eric for the kind words.

I continue to collect components I've been seeking for reassembly.

Last summer, I took a day trip to Detroit, MI to collect a 75-77 Mercruiser 233 (Ford 351W) that has a nice 'Freshwater Cooling System' on it. (also known as Closed Cooling)

For those unfamiliar, a Closed Cooling system allows you to run antifreeze through the engine and exhaust manifolds, similar to a car, but, rather than a radiator, which is air cooled, there is a water-to-water heat exchanger that sits on top the engine. Raw water (lake/river) is pumped through the heat exchanger and then exits the risers at the back of the exhaust manifolds and out the 'Jet Prop' exhaust. The engine coolant is pumped through separate compartments in the heat exchanger and cooled by the raw water.

Several advantages:
1) Raw water debris (plants, silt, gravel) is kept out of the engine and exhaust manifolds
2) Antifreeze protects cast iron engine, water pump, and exhaust components from scale and corrosion
3) Only have to drain raw water pump and hoses to winterize

My intention is to retrofit it to my original to the boat Ford 302 engine that has been rebuilt.


Dust on the engine from all the fiberglass and gelcoat sanding.

The antifreeze looks nearly new!


One of the risers and raw water hoses were replaced.

Happy the original expansion/overflow tank was included along with its mounting basket.


In, 2BBL carburetor form it's rated at 233 horse.

I picked up a 1970 Ford cast iron 4BBL intake for it which with a Holley 4160 marine carburetor, would provide a nice increase in horsepower.


Mercruiser stamps their own serial numbers on the engines.


Most of the hoses look to be in good shape.


The engine is complete and turns over very nicely.


Pleasantly surprised to see the ignition upgraded to a breaker less Pertronix ignition module and matching coil.

I'm contemplating whether I will keep or sell the engine with alternative raw water cooling components put on it.


All Freshwater Cooling components removed, catalogued and ready for cleanup.
Placed an order with Marine Engine for replacement gaskets and radiator cap.

The majority of our classic boats need a fuel tank.
This is boat came with two 18 gallon tanks from the factory.
In the next two posts I'll walk you through my restoration experience.


Port tank


Starboard tank.
Both were in very good condition, except for the exterior bottoms. Each tank was laid directly on the vinyl flooring and loosely held in place by the transom, front blocks and seats.


A previous owner had at some point removed them and brushed some thick red paint on the exterior bottoms.


As noted in a previous post where I repaired the fuel gauge switch and tested the fuel senders, I took pictures of the painted logo and sent them to replacementdecals.com who created Item #: F-TNK-TL18-S2, $29.95 per piece.


I removed the senders, pickup tubes, check valves and plugged/taped all openings. Wheeled the pot blaster out and stripped the exterior of each tank.


I was able remove the paint fairly quickly, but as some of you know, this approach is very messy with a fair amount of cleanup afterwards.


Immediately after stripping each tank, they were given a brush/wash with a phosphoric acid solution which attacked any remaining rust, especially in the pitted portion of the bottom of the tanks and the seams. This photo gives you an idea of the pitting I was dealing with. I did find one decent sized pin hole, which I welded closed with a MIG welder. (the tanks did not have fuel in them for a couple years and were bone dry)


This is the phosphoric acid I used, mixing per bare metal instructions. I'd recommend using this as a prep on any bare metal you intend on priming and painting.


I purchased one of these portable paint booths. Aside from the tanks I have many mechanical parts to strip and paint. This is a great way to keep dust/debris off your work, while keeping overspray contained.


The tanks are heavy, but these stands along with black gas pipe were up to the task as a hanging platform.


The Dupont company used to manufacture a very durable polyurethane paint called Imron. I believe the product is now sold under the Axalta Nason brand. I used Nason etch primer, followed by a Nason high build epoxy primer. The epoxy primer was block sanded to provide a smooth surface for the paint to lay on.


I purchased these products at my local Finish Master. I was disappointed with the color match I received as the beige tank color mixed for me was at least 3 shades darker than the original color. After two coats of paint, per instructions, I did end up with excellent coverage and a nice gloss finish.

I set the tanks aside for a couple months to give the paint a good chance to fully cure.

As the tanks cured in the warm summer garage, I worked on obtaining a couple Caswell gas tank sealing kits. I wanted to seal the tanks as insurance due to the pitted metal on the bottom exteriors.


Following Caswell's instructions closely, each tank was filled with a gallon of acetone and a couple handfuls of drywall screws. The mixture was sloshed around, drained, and set aside to dry. It was a minor pain getting all the drywall screws out of the tanks, requiring fishing with magnets. Each of the tanks looked brand new on the inside, no corrosion. The acetone and drywall screws did loosen varnish left behind from old fuel. As recommended by Caswell, I chose a 70F to 90F day, thoroughly mixed the two parts together and poured them into each tank. The consistency was similar to cold maple syrup. I did one tank at a time and did my best to ensure all walls of the tank were covered with a nice film of solution. Most importantly, I'm certain the bottoms of each tank were thoroughly covered. Each tank was fully cured within 48 hours.


All pieces ready for assembly. In the upper right-hand corner, you can see two original Tempo tank installation kits. I'll use these to properly secure each tank while also creating an air gap under each tank as a way to slow any future corrosion.


The original pickup tubes, with screens and backflow check valves are in excellent shape. I gave them a good clean with #0 steel wool. I used Megaloc thread sealer when threading the pickups back into the tanks. Megaloc is recommended for petroleum based applications.


I used the same steel wool to clean up the fuel sending units. New, thicker OEM Tempo gaskets and stainless screws were sourced from eBay.


Sending units and pickups installed.


Turned to installing the decals. I used a heat gun to carefully remove the yellow inspection stickers prior to paint removal. I then put them in parchment paper and pressed them in my outdrive parts manual for several months.
I used the 'wet' (water with a little dish soap) method to install the brand decals.


Painters tape was put in place to help ensure the decals were centered vertically and horizontally.


Brand decals installed.


Painter’s tape was again used to mock up the inspection decals. Contact cement was then sprayed on the tanks and backs of the decals. After 10 minutes, the decals were carefully laid in place and smoothed with a small roller.


Beauty shot of all fittings and decals in place.


Last step was to take a Dremel tool and grind the paint back where the ground straps attach. Once complete, the bare metal was brushed with dielectric grease to prevent corrosion.

Into plastic bags each tank went, where they'll sit until installation in the boat later this spring.

Haven't posted in quite a while. I've not made nearly the progress I envisioned over the last year The next series of posts covers work completed throughout 2024.

My investors are growing very restless. (wife and two daughters) Like many of you, competition for time currently includes demanding job, kids activities, home maintenance, elderly parents. At this point I'd like to finish the boat before my kids head off to college. I remain reluctant to cut corners, ambling on doing the best work I can.



As the weather warmed late spring, I completed a task I was dreading. I masked the interior walls and floor of the boat and using a mini roller and chip brushes applied a coat of laminating resin and two coats of gel coat to the underside of the gunnels and stern. This took a lot of patience and cost me a pair of reading glasses, but really cleaned the areas up well. Future pictures will display the results.

Headed on and installed the cockpit windscreen.



Pulled the previously restored window frames and glass out of basement storage. The mounting hardware is stainless and only required a little straightening on the vise anvil and good run through a wire wheel. I'm using the same foam sealant tape used between the cabin roof and hull.



I kept the original pieces of foam tape as templates for the replacement pieces.



Notched the foam tape at the corners to ensure an unbroken seal.



My daughter helped me support the windscreen while I tightened the square head track bolts through the underside of the cabin roof. After applying some marine grease to the corners of the windscreen, I was able to slide the side windows into the windscreen tracks. Finally, each side window is tied into the cabin roof using two 2" stainless screws.



The foam tape foot print is larger than the window frames, a razor knife was used to carefully trim the foam tape flush with the window frames inside and out.



Mounting complete



To finish the project, needed to mount the convertible top snaps. They're stainless, and after a bath in the sonic cleaner were ready for another 50 years of service. They simply clip into tracks across the top of the window frames.



Finished project.

Cabin Window Stops

This was a loose end project I returned to a couple times before identifying a workable solution.



The original bushing had broken down and was no longer serviceable. The original plexiglass side windows became deeply scarred through continued use of the worn out bushing and associated thumb screw.



Eventually I found these appliance feet online. With a small modification, I found a workable solution.
I sourced the two 10-24 x 3/8" nylon screws at my local hardware store. I chose nylon screws to limit any future scratching of the window glass.



Using a 3/8" Brad Point woodworking bit, I created a relief for the screw head roughly halfway into the appliance foot. The Brad Point bit leaves clean walls and a flat bottom surface of the bore.



I removed the brass washer from the original stop thumb screw and placed it in the unmodified portion of the appliance foot.
The nylon screw was pressed into the hole I drilled on the opposite side of the appliance foot and through the brass washer.



The original stop thumb screw was drilled and tapped for a 10-24 screw.



The hardware was then cleaned and polished.



Inside view of the installation. The appliance foot provides a solid grip on the window with little force, and no residue is left on the glass.





I'm happy with the clean look this solution provides.

Convertible Top Snaps:

Understanding I had limited time to work on the boat I thought about ways to keep the project moving forward. The last major project I wanted to outsource was the convertible top. Before I could do that, I wanted to ensure the hull snaps were up to par.

The original nickel plated, brass snaps were in pretty good shape. They just needed a good cleaning.

The first step was to screw the snaps back into the original mounting holes. Those that tightened to a positive stop were deemed ready for service. Those that spun endlessly in place required help.



Started by applying painters tape over the holes requiring repair. I used an awl open the holes in the tape.





I purchased West Systems Six 10 epoxy and some larger syringes with 10 gauge tips.



The epoxy tube uses a mixer tip which accurately mixes the epoxy before it exits.
The mixing tip conveniently fit inside the syringes for loading.



The syringes were then used to fill the original, worn, snap holes. My job was made easier because the underside of the fiberglass is sprayed with flotation foam and polyester resin/glass, which kept the epoxy from dripping out the backside of the holes.



The holes were purposely over filled, allowing me to smooth the epoxy flush with a finger.
The tape was removed before the epoxy began to set. (42 minutes)



Once dry, (a couple days) the epoxy had slightly shrunk into the holes.



The original snaps use #8 screws. New holes were drilled through the epox using an 11/64" drill bit.
The snaps were then screwed soundly back into place. The boat was now ready to drop off for a new convertible top.

New Convertible Top

I hoped I could save the original convertible top. Unfortunately, a rough winter left uncovered apparently was responsible for tearing the zipper out of the aft curtain. Additionally, one snap was missing from a side curtain, and the period canvas had shrunk to the point where it would not stretch to the hull snaps.

I researched a couple vendors in the area and ended up working with Dean Steger at Boat Tailors Ltd in Sturtevant, WI. I spoke with Dean about my interest in recreating the convertible top back to the original look with some modern conveniences added. We also discussed replacement fabrics which was very helpful to me. I had been focused on popular materials such as Sunbrella. These modern fabrics are very nice (the boat cover is made of Sunbrella) but they don't have the look or function of the original canvas. Dean suggested I take a look at Stamoid, which is an extruded vinyl (PVC) coated fabric very useful for light color applications. It's said to be very durable, doesn't breathe like Sunbrella, excellent UV resistance and has the look of the original canvas. Dean and I put a plan together and he ordered the materials and set a project start date. My boat was parked inside Boat Tailors Ltd shop and Dean and his Team turned the project around in less than two weeks.




Pictures of the original top partially installed


Although the original 4-piece top had shrunk, the pieces were still in good enough shape to use as templates


Close ups of the original heavy canvas material


The results.

My original top frame was still fit for use. Dean's Team worked with me to add a few modern touches.



The side curtains and aft curtain still snap to the hull, but now zip to the roof panel both along the top and down the sides where the roof panel snaps to the hull.


I had the aft curtain window enlarged and a screened/zippered roll-down window added. This way I can keep the water/wind out with the panel zipped closed or can let the breezes in while keeping the bugs out during nice weather.


I had the new top home for a week and after getting familiar with it, wanted a few small tweaks. Dean and Team graciously allowed me back and quickly made the modifications. The most noticeable addition is where the roof panel snaps to the top/side of the windscreen and where the side curtain zipper meets the windscreen. The top edge of the side curtain was a bit floppy when towing down the road at 45mph. Dean's team devised an ingenious solution in which they took a scrap of clear vinyl window and sewed it to the underside of the side curtain, (blue circle) and punched hole in it so it fit around the snap, (red circle) and is held captive by the roof snap. (green circle) This ties the roof and side curtain edges together nicely!
Apologies, I thought I took a picture of the finished product, but I can't find it and of course the boat is sleeping in a storage locker for winter. I'll get a couple additional pictures next time I visit it.

One of the more enjoyable projects was refurbishing and installing all the fittings, rub rail and bow rail.
It was a little more involved than I anticipated.


I started by laying out all the fittings, assessing the hardware condition, and finally cleaning and polishing each piece. The hardware for each fitting was replaced with stainless steel fasteners including nyloc nuts which I sourced from Fair Wind Fasteners.


Many of the pieces used studs as opposed to bolts. I ordered bolts of the same length, cut the heads off, chamfered the ends on a bench grinder and ran the cut ends through a die to clean up the threads. I made roughly forty studs of various sizes using this technique.




I created 3-inch and 4-inch aluminum backing plates for the six cleats, four bow rail mounts, six cabin roof mount points, the bow eye, and two stern eyes.


The two tank vents polished up nicely. I removed the brass screens from inside the vents to ensure a good cleaning. The screens were in excellent shape and reinstalled as original. I sourced replacement nylon washers at my local hardware store


The stud hardware was installed into the fittings using Threadlocker blue. The Threadlocker served two purposes. 1) prevent the studs from backing out of the fittings and 2) seal the threads preventing moisture penetration


The original vent hose fittings cleaned up nicely and were reinstalled


Before installing the hardware, I used a countersink bit too lightly chamfer the gelcoat for all the bolt holes. This should assist in limiting gelcoat spider cracks from developing around the fittings.


Using painter’s tape I masked over the fitting footprints. The fitting was temporarily installed and the tape carefully trimmed by tracing the fitting using a small razor knife. Did this exercise to prevent sealant from getting all over the boat when installing the fittings.


3M 4200 was applied to the back side of each fitting. Perhaps a bit overboard, I filled the cavity of each fitting. As the fitting was installed, the excess sealant squished out and was mostly removed by pealing the tape away. Any residual was cleaned up using acetone, small plastic spatulas, bristle brushes and paper toweling. Try to keep this stuff off your fingers. It’s a bit like chewing gum. I had help from my wife and one of my children for this step. They helped hold the fittings down, while I jumped in the boat, put the back plates in place and tightened the nuts. Don't wait too long to clean up the excess 3M 4200. It starts to firm up after an hour are two, making it more difficult to remove.


After measuring multiple times, I drilled the transom and installed a modern tow ring. The masking method I described previously really did leave me with well-sealed, cleanly installed fittings.



Not much to share about installation of the rub rail insert. The rub rail insert that came with the boat was still in good shape. I filled a fairly clean 33-gallon garbage can half full with warm water, added some dish soap and soaked the entire one piece rub rail insert in the container for 30 minutes. Starting at the starboard stern corner, I began pressing the rub rail insert back into the rub rail. As I worked my way around the boat, I dragged the container soaking the rub rail insert along with me. I reinstalled the original, now polished rub rail covers and anchor screws as I passed each mount point. This ensured I wasn't stretching or bunching up the insert as I went along. The pics above are meant to give you an idea of the rub rail insert profile.


The bow rail proved to be a bit challenging. I learned it's a stressed member, meaning it had to be flexed to fit into the mounting points. After some thought, a ratcheting strap was employed which allowed me to flex the rail the precise amount required. Each of the fourteen Allen-head set screws were replaced with stainless units and installed using Threadlocker blue


Clear silicon sealant was applied to the posts where they slipped into the mount points in an attempt to keep moist out.


Starting to look like a real boat again!

The only fitting not installed is the Perko all-around navigation light, which mounts on the center of the cabin roof. I have some wiring to complete before finishing that installation