Just picked this up on ebay!!!

[hoytheld]

Got this baby!! 23' x 6' x 4' Mahogany plywood with oak stringers and ribs, west systems in and out...three layers of glass(saturation method) and two coats of epoxy paint....oh yea....got it for $51.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is not a typo...$51.00!!!!!:devil:

What type of drive do you think I should go with?? I was thinking through hull shaft....please give input!!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

Lucky devil, you are.

Did you get the plans that this was being built from or at least the designer? That is important so you know what sort of power it was desinged for and where that power is supposed to be mounted, ie inboard (hull shaft), outboard, i/o.

Also, is it a fishing boat or cabin cruiser? At 23' that is a lot of boat and can be many things.

What did the seller say it is? Why did they sell?

Some of my thoughts while inspecting the photos:

- Stringers look to be pieced in, not one long contiguous piece. Is that right?
- All the frames look like they will trap water if/when it leaks in. Consider how the water will drain to common sump for bilge pump.
- There are some nice lines on that hull.
- How wide are the gunnels supposed to be? My guess is up to 12".
- It doesn't look to be a deep V, so it probably will plane at low speeds with smaller motor than you might think. Again, depends on what you build on it.
- If you have no info on the boat from the seller, I would strongly suggest you research boat building to find out who/what make/design it is before continuing with construction.

 

[hoytheld]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

Yes,
This is a home built off of plans. I have the plans, but they are for the hull only. I bought it off a guy, he and his father started it 10 yrs ago, this would have been their 4th boat completed...but his father passed and he just wanted to get rid of it. It was sitting in an old building, right in the heart of Dearborn , MI...a stones throw away from a Ford plant. His father bought the building in the late 50's, where he ran a carpentry shop from ....now the area is a ghetto...to say the least, and he has the building up for sale as well....but, he said they were going to fit her with a 6 cyl inboard....

Yea...the stringers are pieced in, I will have to make new ones...on guy told me no less than 2" thick...sounds good enough to me....

But..yea..I couldn't pass it up!!!

thanks
Jason

 

[Mark42]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

Neat. A straight 6 inboard sounds like it fits the style right. Add a cabin up front and you have a nice overnight fishing boat. Build a larger cabin and you have a nice cruiser.

Problem with a shaft drive prop is that they often need a special trailer to accomodate the prop and shaft under the boat. Plus the ever common problem of leaking seals on the shaft. Wonder if that has been overcome with newer technology?

I would try as much as possable to follow the original plans and keep that 50's- 60's look and feel to it.

Again, wonderful find. Feel bad for the guy that sold it. But you have a diamond in the not-so-rough!

 

[Kevin70]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

My wife would beat me down pretty bad over that. Your a lucky man.

 

[hoytheld]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

Trailer is no problem...I own my own fabrication buisness!! I will just build or modify one!!
If anyone needs anything machined on mill and lathe...or MIG, TIG, ARC welded, or Electroplated, or powdercoated...let me know!!!!

 

[paulrfrancisco]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

Maybe keep it real light duty and not worry about the stringers and put in a very small deisel inboard and make it a center console. it seems like a displacement hull and I can visualize a rudder hanging under the stern. It remindes me of a launch service boat at like a yacht club... seating all the way around the gunnels... never goes more than 6-7 knots...

 

[andy6374]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

Awesome score man. Good eye! I gotta start searching on ebay again.

 

[hoytheld]

Re: Just picked this up on ebay!!!

paulrfrancisco..I agree...she ain't gunna be a ciggarette boat!!!!d