1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

[pete s]

Hi all I am going to be doing a partial restore on my new to me 1979 Cruisers Holiday. The PO had a new long block installed but there is still a fair amount of mechanical issues. I just got done putting in a new gimbal ring, boots, shift cable, gimbal bearing, and water pump. Now that I have that behind me I need to take off the automotive carb and get rid of the 3 year old gas in the tank.

Next on the list is the deck and stringers. The deck has 2 soft spots where there are holes in the mooring cover, and I found that the top 2 inches of the stringers in those spots are soft. I took samples all over the transom but to my huge surprise it is very solid so I lucked out there. What are everyone's suggestions for fabric weight on the stringers? I am going to use polyester resin don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Thanks everyone for the help so far that I have found on the forums!!

More pics to come

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Are you replacing stringers the entire length? Or just the engine mounts in the bilge area?
1708 biaxial is magic stuff =)

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

I am going to replace them the length of the boat. I was leaning toward the 1708 myself. Anyone have a good source for it?

 

[proshadetree]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

It discontinued. Wow what a great boat. Being you cant find supplies can I just come get it? Look on e bay. Some great deals on there but also some not so good.

 

[sqbtr]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

That is a cool boat, got any interior pics?

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Here are some more pics for you guys. The interor needs to be re-done but that will wait untill next winter.

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Good source for glassing supplies, resin and 1708, is uscomposites.com
Cheapest i've found anyways.
sharp looking boat!
Gotta love the 70s color scheme! lol

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

1708 is on the way! Found it for 8.45 a yard on E bay. Weather permitting I will be ripping out the old deck and stringers this weekend. Pics will follow.

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Well like most things of this sort found WAYYYYY more rot than originally thought. Cant say that I am surprised about that. Fount that the front of the engine mount on the port side is nothing but sawdust under the glass, dont know who's bright idea it was to cut it to make room for the power steering and leave it open wood. So the engine is now getting pulled as soon as I find a decent method for doing it. Also cant believe that the deck is OSB from the factory! Hoping to get the deck ripped out completely tomorrow will post pics then.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Welcome to the iBoats Dry Dock!!!
Your Info does not say where you are located but, www.uscomposites.com is a great source for supplies. However, shipping long distances can be prohibitive. You might want to check local sources such as body shops and marine shops to see where they get their supplies. For a boat and project of your size, in my opinion, you will need approx. 10 gals of 404 or 435 resin, 20 yds of 1.5oz mat and 20yds of 1708 biaxial cloth. Don't forget the Safety equipment... Goggles, Respirator(Not a dust mask) gloves Tyvek suit.
Good tools to have are a 4 1/2" grinder backup pad and 34 grit sanding discs, Circular Saw, Reciprocal Saw. Dremel Tool, RO sander, Pry bars, Hand saws, chisels etc... I've left out a lot of stuff I'm sure but you'll have plenty of time to fill in the blanks.

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Well the rain finally stopped for a day and was able to get some work done. Got the deck, half the foam, and parts of stringers pulled out. Also was able to disconnect the engine just have to pull it now to finish the demo.
Anyone have any ideas for me to pull the engine? I do have a chain hoist but dont have any way to get it high enough to pull the engine.

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Any one out there have a pic of something that they have used to pull their engine? The back of the transom is 6' high no rental place in town that I have found has anything that will work. Engine is all unbolted and ready to come out. Thanks in advance.

 

[mark1961]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Any one out there have a pic of something that they have used to pull their engine? The back of the transom is 6' high no rental place in town that I have found has anything that will work. Engine is all unbolted and ready to come out. Thanks in advance.

How about the strongest looking tree limb you have around the place? Failing that you might have to build yourself a high and strong enough gantry to tackle it.....

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Looks like the tree is going to be my best bet, thought of that one but thought maybe there was a better way to improvise I was not seeing. I am looking to re do the deck drains to exit out of the boat not into the bilge. The deck sits about 2 inches above the water line, if I put the drains out the back would this be acceptable? Dont know for sure but dont want to cause an issue with it.

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Any one out there have a pic of something that they have used to pull their engine? The back of the transom is 6' high no rental place in town that I have found has anything that will work. Engine is all unbolted and ready to come out. Thanks in advance.

Know someone with a tow truck? That will get high enough to lift the engine

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Engine was out last night ended up going the route or the tree. Started cutting the stringers out in the back too. Should be a bare hull by the weekend!!
Sorry pic is kinda dark

From the tree

 

[rickryder]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Glad to see the tree worked for ya! Now the fun part .......grinding and cutting glass Be sure to use all of the proper safety equipment...respirator,tyvek suit, eye protection, gloves.... I inhaled some glass dust that was under the dash when I pulled the radio...Hurt for a week.....

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Anyone have any ideas for me on the deck drain?

 

[emoney]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Plenty of boats have their decks drain straight out, I've had them myself. If you want to be 100% sure, use a "Scupper" valve for the drain. It only lets the water flow one way. However, I'm not sure you really need to worry about it. And, you can always put in a standard drain (just like the one for the bilge) and use plugs if you ever got concerned. Majority of sailboats are self-bailing, meaning there's drains in the deck and a lot of the fishing boats you see today are the same. Somebody may come along and tell you that I'm an idiot, but I don't think so.

 

[pete s]

Re: 1979 Cruisers Beachcomber Holiday

Well last night was able to get the rest of the stringers out and the engine boxes torn out. Hard to believe the engine mounts were as bad as they were. Now to grind and start the rebuilding process!!
Where would you recommend having the deck drains exit? I am thinking that out the sides would be best. Thanks for the help so far!!


I think that I could have gotten one more season what do ya think.