1962 custom craft resto

[Dirtyjersey]

Hey Iboaters. I'm new here. This is my first post and my first restoration. I bought a 1962 custom craft to restore because I thought it would be fun. Haha. It need everything, new stringers transom and deck. I got the cap almost off, just need to cut the back off at the transom. I took some pics of the work so far and I'm ganna try and post them tonight or tomorrow. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions and will appreciate any Input you guys have.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Welcome to iboats dry dock, looking forward to seeing the pix.

There's another 'recent' Custom Craft resto in here somewhere. Not sure about it's current status, but it has been started.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Cant wait to see what you have, any boat from that era is cool, and I'm sure yours will look and run great when you're done. Rule # 1, no pictures = no fun for us. Before and after's are the best pics. Does it run?

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

I think i figured out how to upload pics.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Cool little boat and you have the windshield, which is awesome. I love the skull and bones too, but I bet the black hull gets freakishly hot in the summer.

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

It is a cool little boat. I think I'm going to paint it white and orange. Should be a fun boat when I get done. Hoping to get some time to work on it soon.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Any idea on a motor? A 20hp will push her along nicely, but a 40hp would make her fly like the wind, especially an old 2-stroke.

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Do you think that would be enough. I was thinking like 75 or 90 hp. I really don't know. This is my first boat. I started looking for one but there so expensive around here. I was thinking about buying a new one just so I can finace it. Haha. And I don't want to have any problems with it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

She appears to be about a 14 ft boat. Boats of this size are typically rated for no more than 30 to 40hp. You MIGHT get by with going up to 60 but no more than that. Of course that's just my Old Dumb Okie opinion!!!!

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Thanks for your input. I still have awhile before i have to start looking for a motor.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

LOL!!! Yeah, a 90hp would send you to the moon, dunk the rear end and void the insurance all at once....but it would probably be fun for a very short time A nicely tuned 2-stroke 40hp, like a Yami Enduro model or Etec will make that little boat plenty fast and very nimble.

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Ill have to keep an eye out for one. Thanks.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Lots of here, myself included, run vintage motors on our vintage hulls as well. A mid 50s - early 70s model OMC (Johnson/Evinrude) 2-stroke "Big Twin" would look sweet and push her along nicely as well.

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Found a 1963 evinrude lark on craigist for $200. Anything i should know about these things before i buy it. Not afraid of fixing it. Just dont want to buy a turd.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Great old motors. As long as the compression is decent (over 100 psi in each cylinder) you should be fine. It's very easy to rebuild the carb, ignition and lower units on these old girls with parts available right here at iboats for about $20 each. Best of all everything is mechanical. No mysterious black boxes or wacky computer components to fail. They're also very light for the amount of power they make. I run a '66 20hp myself and I used to have a '66 33hp, virtually identical the Lark, which was a beast. Again, assuming the compression is good and the motor is complete, I say go for it. Here's a great link to help you familiarize yourself with these old "Big Twins" and OMCs in general, all of which essentially use the same carb, ignition and LU set ups.

Reviving a Vintage Big Twin - Part 1

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

What size shaft is right for my boat. Do I need to measure my transom or are all of the smaller motors short shafts.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Vintage OB's in the hp to fit your boat were usually offered in both long & short shaft, so you need to know what your transom 'needs' and shop for a correctly sized OB.

 

[Dirtyjersey]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Well that sounds easy. Thanks for the info.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

It's not easy. Many sellers will have NO idea what length shaft their OB is.

I 'decided' I'd like to have a 65hp Merc on my 1960 Glastron FireFlite, which has a short transom. Short shaft Merc 65hp, 650's are fairly uncommon w/ in 300+miles of me, I possibly missed 1 or 2 in over 2yrs of looking. Other places they may be more prevalent. So I spent some time & found an Evinrude 75hp motor that is a similar vintage to the boat & is a short shaft OB.

Since you don't currently have an OB, it isn't too soon to be looking. Pick a hp range you'd like to find, start looking and put the word out. Looking for an OB will lead you to buy junk boats, w/ or w/out trailers, but have a good rebuild candidate OB.

Decide if you'd rather get a vintage motor that 'matches' the boat or a more modern motor that might have tilt & trim. You can get LOTS of parts for Johnson & Evinrude OB's at NAPA stores, possibly some Mercury parts. The newer the motor, the easier it should be to locate parts. Iboats carries OB service parts as does other online vendors.

If you want to get an old Merc & get it running, it is possible, but may be much more difficult then a similar age Johnson.

good luck

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1962 custom craft resto

Because the transom height on vintage boats wasn't standardized in the old days, these vintage OMC motors have kind of an odd leg length on them of around 18". However, most transoms are either 15" or 20". Ideally, you'd like the anti-vent plate, found just above the prop, to be level or slightly higher than the keel. In order to get my vintage OMC to the best height on the 15" transom of my vintage tinnie, I had to build a small riser out of scrap lumber and aluminum to raise the last few inches I needed. There are also "longshaft" conversion kits which can turn a stock OMC motor into a 20" longshaft. If you don't want to bother with building a riser, you'll be fine, but the motor's LU will sit a few inches lower in the water which will create a bit of drag and reduce your draft a bit, but it should still run just fine.