originalspacerob
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- Jun 9, 2017
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Hello Everyone,
I am new to the forums but have been on and off lurking since 2016. I wanted to share a little, kinda restoration project of a boat I got from my neighbor next door. I am not a big fisherman, but have been fishing. My wife likes fishing but I have never been fishing with her. I also never had a desire to own a boat, mostly because I hear how expensive they are. Interestingly enough, my neighbor was a huge fisherman. I got really close with him over the last 16 years of living next to him. He always shared stories with me. He used to go offshore during the week and all weekend and lived for boating and fishing. He was retied and in his mid 70’s s when I moved next door in 2001. Ever since he had his heart attack about 13 years ago I have been mowing his lawn. And mowed around a small aluminum boat that was upside down on concrete blocks acquiring mold and mildew on the bottom. He had buoys on top of it he found from the ocean. I never paid it any mind, just trimmed around it.
A few years ago he told me the story about the boat. It was his sons and he got it when he got out of Vietnam. He used to fish in it from time to time with him. He said there was two motors in the basement for it that ran when they were put there when it was last used in 1981. That was it. Since my wife was interested in fishing I was thinking maybe he would want to get rid of it, but I never did ask since he told me the story. So I forgot about it and never bothered to ask if he would sell it or get rid of it. But continued to mow around it.
My neighbor Charlie passed away last December 2015. I was working building a teardrop trailer in my garage one afternoon in April 2016 when his wife calls me and says I can have the motors in the basement. I was confused for a bit, but remembered the boat motors. Charlie told me the story of the boat 6 or so years ago. So the motors were not fresh in my head. I told her I did not have a boat. She said to take the aluminum one I had been mowing around. So I talked to my wife and we both went over and brought the boat home. A 14’ boat sitting crooked in an 8’ utility trailer to move it from one yard to the next. I moved the motors out of the basement and all were now in my backyard. The decision was easy. If it was not worth fixing scrap it and move on with life. Well, let’s say that things were better than expected and that is how this journey of restoration began. I am not a fisherman by any means, but I like to tinker, take things apart and make things better and watch old things that don’t work, work again. So that is how this project starts.
Things we learned in the first five minutes after it was in the yard
1) It was dirty
2) The aluminum label was partially chewed on by squirrels but readable. ’67 Starcraft Seafarer 14’
3) Seats were solid and nice old mahogany
4) Motors were in great shape and turned over
5) Boat needed to be washed so I did not have this moldy, mildewed boat sitting in my yard for years like it did before.
The pictures below show it how it came over. The one below that shows it pressure washed an hour later. More to follow.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am new to the forums but have been on and off lurking since 2016. I wanted to share a little, kinda restoration project of a boat I got from my neighbor next door. I am not a big fisherman, but have been fishing. My wife likes fishing but I have never been fishing with her. I also never had a desire to own a boat, mostly because I hear how expensive they are. Interestingly enough, my neighbor was a huge fisherman. I got really close with him over the last 16 years of living next to him. He always shared stories with me. He used to go offshore during the week and all weekend and lived for boating and fishing. He was retied and in his mid 70’s s when I moved next door in 2001. Ever since he had his heart attack about 13 years ago I have been mowing his lawn. And mowed around a small aluminum boat that was upside down on concrete blocks acquiring mold and mildew on the bottom. He had buoys on top of it he found from the ocean. I never paid it any mind, just trimmed around it.
A few years ago he told me the story about the boat. It was his sons and he got it when he got out of Vietnam. He used to fish in it from time to time with him. He said there was two motors in the basement for it that ran when they were put there when it was last used in 1981. That was it. Since my wife was interested in fishing I was thinking maybe he would want to get rid of it, but I never did ask since he told me the story. So I forgot about it and never bothered to ask if he would sell it or get rid of it. But continued to mow around it.
My neighbor Charlie passed away last December 2015. I was working building a teardrop trailer in my garage one afternoon in April 2016 when his wife calls me and says I can have the motors in the basement. I was confused for a bit, but remembered the boat motors. Charlie told me the story of the boat 6 or so years ago. So the motors were not fresh in my head. I told her I did not have a boat. She said to take the aluminum one I had been mowing around. So I talked to my wife and we both went over and brought the boat home. A 14’ boat sitting crooked in an 8’ utility trailer to move it from one yard to the next. I moved the motors out of the basement and all were now in my backyard. The decision was easy. If it was not worth fixing scrap it and move on with life. Well, let’s say that things were better than expected and that is how this journey of restoration began. I am not a fisherman by any means, but I like to tinker, take things apart and make things better and watch old things that don’t work, work again. So that is how this project starts.
Things we learned in the first five minutes after it was in the yard
1) It was dirty
2) The aluminum label was partially chewed on by squirrels but readable. ’67 Starcraft Seafarer 14’
3) Seats were solid and nice old mahogany
4) Motors were in great shape and turned over
5) Boat needed to be washed so I did not have this moldy, mildewed boat sitting in my yard for years like it did before.
The pictures below show it how it came over. The one below that shows it pressure washed an hour later. More to follow.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
