Lone Star Riviera Restoration

[kdeitrick46]

I’m new to the site, but have been following posts regarding refurbishment and restoration on this site and others.
I am working on a Lone Star Riviera that I’ve owned for 25+ years. I rescued it from a scrap yard and it has just sat.

There was no transom, windshield, or seats. I believe I’ve got all of the rest of the hardware. Seat frames are intact. The boat is in good shape, with no exterior paint….just mill finish aluminum. I suspect that previous owner started work, lost interest, and scrapped it.

I’d like pictures of an original boat, so that I can duplicate as nearly as possible the original seat color/material/cushioning ( if any).

Also, one of the sales brochures indicates that it has “air chamber flotation”. What is it, and just how how was this accomplished on this particular boat?

Any info that might help in this endeavor is appreciated.

PS:I’ve also got a Lone Star King Commander that I’ll be working on in the near future.

 

[Crazyboat]

I will be following your restore on this. I know nothing of the boat or brand but will ask around.

 

[Stand Up]

This should be interesting. Let the creative juices flow.

 

[kdeitrick46]

Did find these images… a sales brochure, that will be very helpful. Any info on the flotation would be helpful. Maybe how this is accomplished in other boats of similar design. Also info on floor/walk boards. I don’t see how they are fastened.

Installing transom in next few days. I’ll try to document my approach with some pics and explanations.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Just ran across your post while browsing.
The people on this site have been a huge help with my 1984 Monark 16/52.
How’s your rebuild going?

 

[kdeitrick46]

Still working on the transom install. Likely complete today. I’ve taken some pictures along the way and will post when I’m done.
Don’t know how I’m going to do the flotation yet. Would appreciate any input…especially how this was accomplished in the original boat.

 

[kdeitrick46]

So here are a few pics of the transom replacement. To accommodate the side profile, I made a rectangular piece of plywood that would fit between the gunwales and the thrust stringers. I put this rectangle temporarily in place and then made the transom end profiles of solid white oak and splined them in place to the rectangle. After glue had dried, the assembled transom was bolted in place using pre-existing thru-hull holes.

This procedure kept to a minimum river removal and sheet metal disassembly.

The aluminum cap and pads were pretty straight forward cut and fit and again using pre-existing hull holes.

I did silicone all hull holes and any place I thought water might get to the wood. All the wood was sealed and polyurethane spar varnish applied.

 

[kdeitrick46]

Finished up with transom details today. Now on to flotation. If anyone has ideas about how this should be done, I’m looking for input. Along with any in put about sea seats and flooring either for this boat or similar.

I have a 1957 35hp Johnson Javelin I acquired years ago, thinking that it might sit on this boat nicely. What do you think?

I

 

[mbullen]

Great choice on the White Oak! You're making some nice progress!

On the flotation, most of the Lone Star literature that I've seen states that they use "Lifeguard Flotation" of either air chamber or Styrofoam.
In my experience, the air chamber flotation was limited to the models with bench seats as the chamber is just an air tight aluminum box fastened below the seat. Most of the larger cruisers use the foam.
There are really no rules, so the best you can do is the best you can do. Ultimately, you're not floating the boat, you're just aiding recovery if you dunk it.
A popular choice in modern times is the sheets of blue or pink closed cell insulation foam boards available at the box stores. It won't absorb water and it's able to be cut into custom sizes. Most folks cut stacks of smaller squares to fill any voids available...those rear boxes, under a floor panel, under the forward deck, for example.
There are many more ideas out there for the same spaces, like two-part pour-in foam, pool noodles, or even empty 2-liter bottles, but you want to keep water drainage in mind.
I'm going to add a pic I grabbed from the google just for reference.

 

[mbullen]

btw, a Golden Javelin looks great on anything. lol

but you're rated for 60hp, for what it's worth.

 

[Coolbobone]

Finished up with transom details today. Now on to flotation. If anyone has ideas about how this should be done, I’m looking for input. Along with any in put about sea seats and flooring either for this boat or similar.

I have a 1957 35hp Johnson Javelin I acquired years ago, thinking that it might sit on this boat nicely. What do you think?

I

What are your plans with the original transom? I’m interested in it if you are going to discard it. I’d like to study it

 

[Coolbobone]

I’m new to the site, but have been following posts regarding refurbishment and restoration on this site and others.
I am working on a Lone Star Riviera that I’ve owned for 25+ years. I rescued it from a scrap yard and it has just sat.

There was no transom, windshield, or seats. I believe I’ve got all of the rest of the hardware. Seat frames are intact. The boat is in good shape, with no exterior paint….just mill finish aluminum. I suspect that previous owner started work, lost interest, and scrapped it.

I’d like pictures of an original boat, so that I can duplicate as nearly as possible the original seat color/material/cushioning ( if any).

Also, one of the sales brochures indicates that it has “air chamber flotation”. What is it, and just how how was this accomplished on this particular boat?

Any info that might help in this endeavor is appreciated.

PS:I’ve also got a Lone Star King Commander that I’ll be working on in the near future.

The air chamber would have been a rectangular sealed aluminum box that likely sat under the front seat bench. Can you post a picture of this front bench area? The seats were originally just finished plywood.

 

[kdeitrick46]

What are your plans with the original transom? I’m interested in it if you are going to discard it. I’d like to study it

The original transom had failed many years ago and was discarded. The transom that I replaced had also failed and been discarded. Sorry I couldn’t help more.

 

[kdeitrick46]

The air chamber would have been a rectangular sealed aluminum box that likely sat under the front seat bench. Can you post a picture of this front bench area? The seats were originally just finished plywood.

 

[kdeitrick46]

Thanks for the input on the flotation. Here are some pics of the fron bench area

 

[kdeitrick46]

Thanks for the input on the flotation. Here are some pics of the fron bench area

And as bonus, here’s the second row.

 

[Coolbobone]

And as bonus, here’s the second row.

here is picture of the original seats. I found this online. I’ll post pictures of my riviera asap to show what’s left of my original wood from the rear benches.

 

[kdeitrick46]

Thanks for the pic. I’ve gotta believe that there was some sort of padding attached to the front seats… similar to the back bench in the background of the picture. Are there any remnants on your back bench?