Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

[wyliek]

Hello iboats, I am a gear head type but I am new to boats, looking for advice and just showing off a kick *** project... I recently got a boat from a guy my dad knows through antique Citroen cars they both own, every time my dad saw it in the yard he would mention how cool it was, last week his friend told him he was going to give it away on c-list - it had been sitting in his yard since 1996

History
59'/60' - purchased new
64'65' - last season in water
90' brought back to life and painted
96' last season in the water, boat uncovered in backyard, motor in the basement
2011' - towed out of yard.....


The Boat:
12' riveted aluminum sheet, wood seats
Elgin Steering wheel - cable steering,
Kiekhaefer Mercury Mark 28A outboard with remote shifter/throttle

[/IMG]

This emblem reads: "Mitchell Industries Dolphin Outboard Boat Patented 638 Parker St Machester Conn"

Mercury Mark 28A and homebuilt engine stand

Motor is in excellent condition, the only problem so far is a broken recoil starter spring and tabbed washer

After removing all the hardware and rinsing the leaves mold and turds out

My plans are: Polished exterior, new transom boards, new seat boards, new hardware all around, WWII bomber styling and paint (shark teeth, black/silver, etc), I hope to refurbish the Elkin steering wheel (it matches the engine emblem)

Next step is thorough cleaning and polishing. What are some ways I can protect the aluminum after I polish it? Clear coat? Wax? I plan on polishing the entire boat but the transom, bonnet and front hull will have paint - how will this change the method to cover it?

If you have any information about this boat please speak up !! I am local to Manchester CT but I cant find any information about the manufacturer

Thanks more pics on the way

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

Welcome to iboats.

Wow what a great hull and a White Vintage Mercury!!! Beautiful!!

Sharkhyde is a product to protect the aluminum.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

How cool is that!!! Looking forward to seeing your work!

Welcome

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

That is just WAY cool. I'm not a tin guy, but that's one I wouldn't mind tackling. It's made similar to the older wooden ChrisCraft, with that center section and you can have seating front and back. And an orginal Kiekhaefer, Merc. You should take great pains in restoring that one, trailer and all. Keep us posted....I'm going to follow this one close.

Not sure about parts availability on the Kiekhaefer, but I'm sure you can come up with something.

 

[sqbtr]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

That is the SWEETEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSST tin boat I've ever seen.

To save you the trouble of a restore I'll take it off your hands right now.

 

[merc850]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

That is so wild looking! If you need help with the motor visit this site for help http://johnsoldmercurysite.com/phpBB3/index.php
and this one for parts http://store.eastcoastmarineservice.com/
good luck.

 

[wyliek]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

Awesome to hear so much enthusiasm! I can't wait to finish this thing

I took a look at sharkhyde seems like a great product...
After reading through some other threads it seems like alot of people of are using gluvv to seal the inside of rivets and seems...is this really needed? This boat has sat most of its life I wonder how likely leaks are


Cleaned some parts and took apart the shifter for lube cleaning and paint.....I put some enviro friendly paint stripped on last night seems to be working good...

Cleaned up cast brass cleat with a wire wheel....does his type have a specific name? Stainless hardware from work will painted or switched to black cobalt type

Can anyone id the plastic bushing? I am missing one of four from the shifter ...also saw this tabbed washer for sale online but can't seem to figure out where links?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

Gluvit is fantastic and I would recommend it. It good insurance against future leaks. We've pretty much made it the first standard step in any riveted aluminum boat resto. It does not hold up to UV though so it will need to be painted. It's very easy to apply and a quart will do you for that size boat.

Little tip, I see your thread end up bouncing between hull questions and motor/control questions. From my experience, you won't get as good of responses to your motor questions here in resto. The motor gurus just don't hang out much down here. So feel free to start a thread in the Mercury repair section for all you motor and control questions.

Good luck with your project. Super cool rig!

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

As far as leaks, I've know several tin owners that just fill them with water (to above the normal water line) then walk around and check for drips. Once you ID them, mark them, then pull the drain plug and let the water out. Your boat is all wide open so would be easy to leak test that way.

 

[wyliek]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

I have been busy, just moved into a huge shop space lots of progress coming.....I fabricated a new transom ....
Old one was 5/8" ply on both sides, but since the motor is a long shaft it wasn't sitting correctly, I decided to raise it by 3.5" - level or slightly above the anti-cavitation plate seemed to be the standard. The new: 3/4" ply inside, 5/8" against the aluminum on the outside in two pieces to allow for the top aluminum flange, a final peice of 3/4 will bridge this.....pics on the way

 

[boatnut74]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

That is a super sweet loking boat! Makes it even better that it was free!. Those old Mercury outboards are pretty classy as well......that one looks to be in very good condition.

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

Did you seal the new wood yet? You can use polyester and a layer of CSM or you can just epoxy coat it. But I would as least seal it good with something.

 

[wyliek]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

Here are some pictures I'll start taking better ones from here out....

testing height of the motor....

gluing the filler piece which goes in the void created by the aluminum transom flange.....

I put two heavy coats of Penetrol on....I put it on thick and worked it in using a foam brush, by the time I got to the other side it would be dry where I started - so I spent about 20 minutes covering each until they were slightly damp on the surface all over, you can see how wet it is in the pic, by the time it is dry it is completely absorbed... ...

test fitting the new transom...

In the next few days I will be getting an aluminum cap for the transom made at work - 1/8 brake bent, I will take a router to the transom so that the aluminum cap is inlayed flush - I am really pushing the thickness the motor allows barely over 2" and I measure the wood at 2 1/16" after the router it will that area will get 2 coats Penetrol with a final over the lot, then some bondo for a few voids in the chitty B 5/8 plywood followed by lots of paint most likely black

 

[wyliek]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

more pics of the transom.....inside (faces the ALU)

outside faces...RED one is the original outer piece

ply closeup

 

[wyliek]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

Ok more pics I've started planning a wood dash inlay to match the seats....my dad had some palope left over from building a deck - very dense, deep brown color very tight grain it will be oiled and should hold up awesome with water....cardboard on the dash will be replaced by the extra piece sitting in the boat, slats started at 1" x 5.5" pops thinned them to 11/16" on a table saw to save weight...the original seats were cedar in bad shape...the steering wheel is from a swap meet $10 Grant I was told wood front/plastic back I like the rivets, brass parts are original - the last bits of chrome where brushed off they will stay brass

more transom pics from before coating with Penetrol

 

[wa_ssv197]

Re: Free C-list Project: 1959 12' Aluminum, Mercury outboard...lots of pics

A very cool boat! can't wait to see how it looks finished. Are you going to put any type of deck/flooring down?
I think it would look good with a floor like this made with the same wood as your dash and seats

 

[wyliek]

Shes gettin ready for Water!

Shes gettin ready for Water!

Hey guys, I'm back....since my last posts over the summer a lot has happened moved out of the big shop I was living in back in CT and now living with my cousins in Phoenix AZ! Everyday is a boat day here

Here are some updates of what all I accomplished since last July

I finished the transom....Twice...just about done tomorrow, finishing painting parts like horn n stuff tm also, readying the hull for a quick n dirty coat of cheapo paint to pretty it up for the summer, big painting plans for the hull this winter...

Here is my pops routing (routering??) out the faces of the transoms for the aluminum transom cap

Hair over an 3/16" cut to account for paint, and also b/c the max opening on the outboard will only allow less than 2" with the 2 sheets of 3/4", 1 sheet of 1/2" and 16 gauge aluminum it would be close....he's got such a huge base at one point we weren't clearing chips fast enough and we charred the surface, it was later removed by a deeper pass

the aluminum cap was welded for me at my old job: 1 Submit a quick auto cad fab drawing to lead fab man, 2 put 12pack in fab man trunk, 3 wait 1 week while the young fab guys cut, drill and bend the aluminum, 4 go visit fab man on Friday and chit chat for a while, watch fab man's insane TIG skills, play with TIG for an hour while hanging with fab man, 5 head home with a super trick transom cap - counter sink the holes, grind weld, sand and buff

Sweet its done....

WRONG. Only took the front screws into consideration when sizing the ALU cap, needs to be another 4 inches longer...

Back to get another 12pack....

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Shes gettin ready for Water!

Re: Shes gettin ready for Water!

I am happy to see this project is still alive!!! Looking great!

 

[wyliek]

Re: Shes gettin ready for Water!

Re: Shes gettin ready for Water!

So grabbed another 12 pack for the fab man and submitted another drawing for the new aluminum cap this one longer so the legs do not touch wood when fully seated, more pics on that later....

In the mean time I threw the seats in, left the transom bolted as is and brought it out for a test run on Rainbow lake, just south of Bradley Int'l, its a small skinny dam lake but was the closest lake to my shop using a random North Carolina plate I found in my dad's wood shop
On route September 25th...

2 friends came along with so about 480lbs for the 3 of us, plus oars, fuel tank, towels and a good bit of water leaking in 2 5/16" holes in the transom I forgot to plug before we left...

Even with at least 2 inches of water in the very back and the motor not tuned to its potential we topped out at 30MPH on my friends GPS cruising across the lake!!! I hope to push that after I tinker with the carb some more the water leak didn't give me much time to make adjustments

I was also surprised at how squirrelly it drove I thought I might flip it a few times, I think it will feel better without a huge leak and when I install a steering wheel again

The test run reinvigorated my drive, so I quit working on my bikes for a bit and I got to work on the dash, stomp pads, and horn/air system


My pops came through again with a piece of pelope he had trimmed to about 1/2" thick, after making a test piece, he cut these on the table saw to replace the no good cracked and ugly anyways black inserts that came with the boat

The frames were badly pitted chrome so I blasted them, they are being bondo'ed and painted now

The wood will get a light sand/ edge deburr and generous oiling, probably tung oil any thoughts on different oils? This is my fathers recomm. as a cabinet and furniture builders perspective

Trailer and hull are getting painted tomorrow and assembled Saturday morning and head out to Saguaro Lake


Let's see some feedback

More pics coming tm

 

[wyliek]

Re: Shes gettin ready for Water!

Re: Shes gettin ready for Water!

wa_ss197 that boat you've got has a really cool floor. wood hulls are beautiful but so very heavy!
I would love to have a floor like that but the hull shape she has sits so low the weight would probably be too much, the pelope I am using is extremely dense and heavy: the less I use the better, and limited supply I am using left over pieces from one of my dads jobs
I think the corrugated aluminum floor its got has a great aesthetic by itself as well, in the future I may incorporate paint and pinstriping to create slat look on the floor similar to your boat you can't beat the riser effect you get with yours

____

I am looking into getting a brand new steering setup for her after I failed at modifying an old unit I removed from a decrepit 25 ft wood fishing trawl.

Looking at this one
http://www.blackbearsportinggoods.com/Saf_T_11_Nfbpkg_13ft_p/ellteless13213.htm

any thoughts on that?? pretty much the only push/pull setup I could find in the size I need (12 or 13 ft) and seems to be fairly reasonable price as well

There are 10', 12' and 13' lengths available by teleflex I believe I could 'make' the 10' work but it would probably have pretty small radius corners (6" radius) - is there a minimum radius for these for best performance??


Also, a while back I removed some crumbling yellow foam from up under the sides of the hull probably approx 3"x8"x30" and shaped to fit, and small aluminum bracket holds each end in place --how vital are these foam pieces? Basically can I get away without them on Saturday and find some replacements asap?? recommendations on foam sourcing?

Thanks for the help! Have a good one