1963 Lone Star Cruise Liner outboard

[Robert Wiltse]

i saw this boat off in the woods recently, its been there for 30 plus years.

My grandfather was a oldsmobile dealer back in the sixties and this boat looked familar. Not the same boat but just like it. Decided to take on my first restoration project after the 80 year old woman who owned it sold it to me.

Just got it home and tore out all the wood parts and old styrofoam. Easy enough so far.

looking for advice on a multitude of things, for starters;

1. port side cabin windshield is broke and needs to be replaced. Where does one go for that ?

2. The previous owner had stripped the paint of almost everything above the chine, is it safe to use a wire brush on a grinder to get the paint below the waterline off?

3. Is brasing the seams below the waterline that leak advisable?

4. I want to doll this right up so I intend on painting it red and white, some of the old white paint is chalky ...can I just scuff it up and paint over it?'

any help would be appreciated
Baygazer1952

 

[matt167]

it's a tinny, so weld any holes. inspect/ replace/ reseal rivits as needed. I would use a fine wire wheel and for sure remove all old/ failing paint. Use an etch primer. As for the windshield, there are a couple companies that re make windshields if you send them in

 

[jbcurt00]

Its built w rivets, welding and brazing shouldnt be a 1st choice...

esp not @ seams, they have a sealant in them that is likely to contaminate the repair when heated and fail even further. Many shops wont weld near a seam, let alone IN one....

Coat-it and GluvIt are intended for use INSIDE the hull, not the exterior.

Paint stripper(s) and elbow grease not a wire wheel.

Most wire wheels and grinders abraid the aluminum and scar it requiring further removal to achieve a smooth paintable surface.

You'll have to find a glass shop to remake a tempered glass pane or DIY a plastic windshield: plexi, acrylic, lexan....

Total paint removal is preferred by some to ensure an undamaged hull (cracks near rivets & etc)

Others scuff chalky paint til its a good base for primer and paint, making sure to prep and prime (SelfEtch/ZincChromate) bare spots that show the bare aluminum before priming.

 

[Robert Wiltse]

Thank you Gentlemen, I appreciate the advice.

Makes sense to use the "strip eze on "the bottom paint if there is a sealant in the seams.

Regarding the transom:

It appears I will have to drill out rivets and peel up the gunwale where it meets the transom to fit a new wood plate in place.
Hopefully I will only have to d othat on the one side as I am thinking I can angle in the opposite side of the wood plate without doing the trauma to both sides.

The small remaining pieces of the old transom that did not crumble into must measure 1 & 3/8" I am going to assume that originally it was 1 & 1/2' and dried out to the smaller dimension? 1 / 3/8 seems a weird size.
I plan on gluing two 3/4 " pieces of marine plywood to make the right thickness of unless someone has better advice.

 

[matt167]

transom is generally 1 1/2" thick. You can use 2 3/4" thick slabs laminated together or you could do 3 lamination's of 1/2" to get more plies. You don't need marine grade. Good quality exterior is good enough for a transom. ABX, ACX, BCX or even CCX. CDX sheathing though I don't know as I would go that low and BCX is easy enough to find

 

[TommyRocker]

When I did my last transom I went overboard on CoreLite Board (similar to Coosa) and in hindsight I wished I'd just used 3/4 exterior grade ply with epoxy. The original lasted 60 years and I have no reason to believe exterior grade ply in epoxy wouldn't last longer. I'd probably just get bcx on my next boat.

 

[Scott Danforth]

nice looking find, mind if I come aboard?

 

[Robert Wiltse]

Thanks again, You guys are great, its the first time in a forum, what a great resource.
I restored the lightkeepers home on Big Charity Island Saginaw Bay, Lk Huron Michigan in 2003. this is my first boat restoration. see charity island dot com.

glad to not have to spend money on Marine grade plywood.
attached is a pic of port side where I just learned the boat was hit by a car going down the road on its way to the Detroit Boat show some 30 years ago.
It looks like the previous owner took a 1.5 ft x 6 ft piece of aluminum with some sort of expoxy then riveted in place.
From what I have been reading I should drill out the rivets, remove the old epoxy then weld this piece back on. the inside looks great, ribs seem fine.

 

[Robert Wiltse]

Yes, absolutely come aboard

 

[jbcurt00]

From what I have been reading I should drill out the rivets, remove the old epoxy then weld this piece back on. the inside looks great, ribs seem fine.

Reading? Reading where?

See my post above re:welding. Same advice applies to this large patch panel as well.

Remove patch, yes, if it can be done w/out doing further damage

Remove epoxy, yes, if it can be done w/out further damage

Weld? Wouldn't be my 1st choice, esp @ seams.....

 

[sphelps]

Climbing aboard ! I can’t help much knowing very little about tin boats .. But I love seeing these old classics get restored !

 

[Robert Wiltse]

I meant regarding the rivets, I was reading and watching online, drill them out, remove them, take off the aluminum patch
and sand off the epoxy, most of it is caking off in chuncks, its has totally lost its bond on the patch. There is a local boat repair that may be able to re rivet the patch back on on.