1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

[Roma's Boat]

Howdy folks, purchased this 1956 "glass magic" 14' pleasure boat from a buddy for practically nothing in May of 12'. It had a 2 part plywood transom which was completely rotten which started the redux of practically everything. It had these annoying bulkheads at the gunwales which ruined any enjoyment and comfort/access. So I got out the sawzall and hacked away. Then i realized the lower bulkheads were offset at an angle. So i cut them out carefully and trimmed them and put them back making a flat clear view carpet area. This was no easy task. I did a good job re-installing them with 2 layers of mesh and glass. Knowing that I have altered the structure, then came to beefing up the deck and gunwales with 11/2" of custom bent plywood installed under the deck and gunwales. Have yet to put it in the water to see if that is a mistake? As with everything I fabricate, i over do it. Then i got this idea to put 1/2" Walnut on top of all the deck and gunwales as a veneer making a "woody" look. I used spar urethane to coat all the wooden parts except the new transom which is finished with epoxy clear coat. I saved every bit of hardware and add some even for extra armoring using SS fasteners. Hoe did i do? Opinions and comments are much appreciated. This is for my daughter (5) so i still have plenty of time to enjoy it with her. This is also my first boat and first boat remodel.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

Welcome to iboats. I will move this to the restoration section where it sounds like you need to be

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

Welcome,

That is one very nice looking boat.

Being your first, I have to say you have done a beautiful job restoring it.

Can't wait to see pictures of it in its natural environment with you and your family enjoying it.

Happy Boating!

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

Looks very nice, be sure to keep an eye on the wood & catch any damage quick. Keeping the wood dry when out of the water will be important too. How did you fasten the walnut to the fiberglass?

And definitely make sure to seal every penetration of the wood. 3M 5200 sealant in each & every screw hole, run the screw in, almost completely and remove, to check complete coverage of the wood & screw threads by the 5200. If well covered, run the screw back in completely.

It may prove challenging to replace a single piece of wood if/when it starts to get wet, so stopping the water at every opportunity is extremely important.

+1 for GT1M's on the water pix request! Welcome & enjoy!

 

[duke33]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

Beautiful! Do you have any before pics?

 

[Roma's Boat]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?



Here are the before pics and my 20 lb cat-dog

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

You are correct, that red gelcoat looked about as crazed & cracked as my FireFlite does

 

[duke33]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

Amazing.

 

[Roma's Boat]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

duke33: Amazing? The cat or the boat? Water pix coming soon! Happy boating everyone!!!!

 

[duke33]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

The job you did on the boat. Cat's cool too.

 

[emosun]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

I registered just to comment....

That boat looked like it was in pretty restorable condition before you changed it. I can't believe you chopped it up and stuck cheap wood on it. A 1956 glassmagic playmaster is very rare today , and it's nice to have an example of what not to do to a rare classic. AKA , glue cheap wood to it like and old tv with grey fishing boat seats.

Before you get all upset over a negative response , you ASKED for an opinion. And as a fellow glass magic owner , it's my opinion you ruined it.

 

[Sparkinator]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

emosun
Posts: 1

You really should post less.

 

[sphelps]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

The boat looks great and it's yours to do whatever you see fit . I don't know enough about wood for boats to know how the walnut will hold up but from the pics it looks nice .
BTW ,thats no cat ! That thing looks like a lion up there . It almost covers the windshield !

 

[greenbush future]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

I love it, I also commend your creative vision to pull it off. We usually get to see details on "how" but the end result, really good looking boat. I hope I can end up with a result as nice as yours. Were do you plan to use her?

 

[old islander]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

The after is beautiful. You did that boat proud.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

I registered just to comment...

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, here's mine: If not redone by Roma's Boat, what would have become of this GlassMagic?

Would I prefer it was returned to it's former glory? Sure. But that's not always an option, either because of the boat's actual condition or the associated costs of a factory perfect resto.

Would I rather see expert craftmanship transform it into what it is now, and see it done well, rather then see the boat languish in a random field somewhere slowly succumbing to nature? Abso-freaking-lutely!

Look around, other online sites, classified ads & boating forums, there are thousands of resto's that are complete hack jobs, here too. Often they are done poorly from cosmetic, structural or safety viewpoints, possibly all 3. Fortunately, most resto's here @iboats don't fall into those categories.

Given your strong objection, I have to guess that you are a GlassMagic owner. If so, I'd love to see pix of it. If you've done work to it, post up a thread detailing the before & after.

I'm not sure what has become of Roma's boat, but I hope that they are enjoying it.

BTW: The large red banner at the bottom of the browser window, should have mentioned that this was a 1.5yr old thread & should be left dormant. Roma's boat hasn't been back to the forums since August 2012, a couple days after their last post above.

 

[sphelps]

Re: 1956 Glass Magic redux: How did i do?

Dang ! I didn't notice the op last post date but I sure would have noticed a red banner ! :facepalm: