ThinBlue
Member
In January 2016 I bought this 1970 Richline for $500 from a guy who bought it brand new in 1970 from Sears. The boat came with a trailer and a 20hp Mercury Kiekhaefer motor, along with some odds and ends. The boat and motor were well cared for and had always been stored inside. It even came with the original heavy canvass fitted cover. The internals of the motor literally look brand new. I was told the boat hadn't been used in a few years and that the motor was last started in the fall of 2015 and immediately turned off after it didn't have a stream of water, indicating the water pump was bad. I kind of felt like I stole it from him.
Since getting the boat, I have read hundreds of posts on this site trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it. The first thing I did was replace the water pump (old impeller was in pieces) and changed the gear lube. The motor started in 4-5 pulls and ran great. I took a video of the first start up. I then cut out the middle seat and started stripping off the old floor paint. I used a wire brush around all the rivets and cleaned them off good. My brother and I took the boat out to a local lake and checked for leaks and took it for a test run. It had a few small leaks around some loose rivets. The rivets were re-bucked and we then put Gluvit on all the rivets and all the seams. We took it back out after the Gluvit sat for a week and it was dry with no leaks.
After being sure there was no leaks, I started the framing for the floor and the front casting deck. My plan is to have a front and rear casting deck with side storage running the length of the boat on both sides, and carpet throughout. I will mount a bow mounted trolling motor up front. Once I have everything fitted I will coat the plywood with spar urethane. I also plan to paint the insides of the boat grey, prior to putting carpet in for a nicer look. I will also paint the outside above the rub rail probably a royal blue.
I have attached photos of my progress so far. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions or comments/ideas that would help me out. This is the first time that I have done this and pretty much everything I have done, I have learned from this site.
Since getting the boat, I have read hundreds of posts on this site trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it. The first thing I did was replace the water pump (old impeller was in pieces) and changed the gear lube. The motor started in 4-5 pulls and ran great. I took a video of the first start up. I then cut out the middle seat and started stripping off the old floor paint. I used a wire brush around all the rivets and cleaned them off good. My brother and I took the boat out to a local lake and checked for leaks and took it for a test run. It had a few small leaks around some loose rivets. The rivets were re-bucked and we then put Gluvit on all the rivets and all the seams. We took it back out after the Gluvit sat for a week and it was dry with no leaks.
After being sure there was no leaks, I started the framing for the floor and the front casting deck. My plan is to have a front and rear casting deck with side storage running the length of the boat on both sides, and carpet throughout. I will mount a bow mounted trolling motor up front. Once I have everything fitted I will coat the plywood with spar urethane. I also plan to paint the insides of the boat grey, prior to putting carpet in for a nicer look. I will also paint the outside above the rub rail probably a royal blue.
I have attached photos of my progress so far. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions or comments/ideas that would help me out. This is the first time that I have done this and pretty much everything I have done, I have learned from this site.