What is this that was given to me?

Hi everybody. I'm brand new here and brand new to boating. I have been wanting a little fishing boat for some time and stumbled across one my neighbor was getting rid of. I was happy. Then she asked if I wanted this other boat and I told her sure. Now I've got it home and am trying to get some information on the thing... I can't find any. The ONLY ID on it is a little plaque on the dash reading Harris Boats Tigard, Oregon. Was this a kit or something? I need to figure something out so I can get it registered in KY. It's a pretty neat little thing and I think I'd like to get it going again. It's all wood and the interior is bare bones. Hope the pics work. Thanks. Brett

Re: What is this that was given to me?

If you can't find a hull identification number anywhere on the rear of the boat, it is probably pre-1972. It looks it from your pictures.

I pulled this up after a short google search

http://www.boat-ed.com/ky/course/p4-1_boatnumbers.htm

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Thanks. I assume it's late 50s or early 60s because the outboards that came with the Jon boat were a 56 and a 59. I haven't run the numbers on the 35 on this boat but I expect to find that is of the same age. I guess what I really need to know is what kind of description I should give the clerk. I almost know there was never a title for either boat so I have to give a description including length width style manufacturer hp of engine etc etc in order to register it. Should I just tell them it's a kit boat from the 50s or something like that?

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Looks like a nice boat to restore. Get it all cleaned out and check for rot. The old wood hulls can be perfect, or rotten. Depends on how well it was kept.

Regardless who made it, it should be a fun boat if its sea worthy.

BTW, do not discard anything until after you have completed a restoration. Especially things like the top, trim, any light fixtures or hardware, wood bits and pieces that may be lose in the boat. You may need them, or need them as templates to make a new piece. Same goes for the trailer.

Re: What is this that was given to me?

I dragged it outside this evening and cleaned all the junk out and sprayed some of the dust off. I didn't see anything rotten, as a matter of fact, I'm not 100% sure its all wood now. The white part doesn't sound like wood when you tap on it. Maybe it just has a thick coating of something on it. Any easy way to tell for sure? Like I said, I'm brand new to this.
If it is fiberglass that pretty much rules out a kit boat doesn't it? I'm becoming more skeptical of the kit theory anyway. The way the engine mounts up and is controlled just seems too nice for a kit and there is a bracket I found that attaches to the back beside the engine that holds another motor. It had a 59 3HP johnson with it so I'm assuming that went there. I just think all this matching stuff is odd for a kit... maybe I'm completly wrong.
Anyway, The 35HP engine is a 59 like the little one so I'd say the boat is a 59 too. The registration sticker on the side expired in 72. The big is seized. Is it worth rebuilding? I'm very mechanically inclined and have rebuilt dozens of engines, just never an outboard. Thanks so much. I'm getting real excited about this boat stuff!!!

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Sure is a neat boat. I like the seat for running the kicker outboard. I don't think it was a home built boat from the looks of it. But it has the classic look of a 1950's lake boat. With a very shallow V hull, it will plane out quick, but be really rough when the waves kick up. Should be nice and fuel efficient on a calm day just skimming across the top of the water at 25 - 30 mph tops.

My guess is its a plywood boat, but it could be fiberglass. The "slab" sides were common of a plywood design, with no complex shapes to the hull. But it could be an early fiberglass hull, with the classic wood bow and gunnels.

The only way to be sure is to do some scraping on the inside of the hull. Take a knife that can be used to scrape and see what is under the layers of paint. The floor is definitely plywood, and I can see some stringers under the ply at the rear that look to be wood too.

If its a wood hull, then a good coat of marine grade paint will keep it sealed.

Pretty nice find. Well worth cleaning it up. All the parts for that early style wire cable steering are available (wire, pully wheels, springs, etc), even here on iboats last time I checked. The only part that is not is the actual drum behind the dash. That you need to take good care of because if it breaks, you need to fabricate a new one yourself.

The trailer probably needs both wheel bearings and seals, and tires, at the least. All those parts are still available. Check the local auto parts stores for the bearings/seals if they need replacing (the number is on the edge of the bearing). Or do a search for Trailer Parts on yahoo to find online trailer parts stores. Lots out there.

Post in the motor forum for motor issues, and read the thread about starting old outboards. Its all laid out there.

Those seats look original, with the aluminum edge trim. They were often meant to have cushions on them that doubled as flotation devices. The little arm rests are a neat feature I never saw in an old boat.

It looks to be all there, the controls, the motors, but get fresh plastic portable tank, the old steel ones always have rust.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you plan to do.

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Looks like a worthwhile project to me...boat and motor(s). If you're mechanically inclined and it's not locked up solid, that 35 may be worth a rebuild.

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Awesome find. Great looking boat, I love the left hand drive too. It looks like fiberglass by the interior of it. Not sure though. Good luck with it.

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Alright, so I got the scraper knife out this evening. There IS fiberglass on the inside, but only up about six inches and its only a very thin coat which covers the plywood. The outside looks to be the same only the coat of glass goes all the way up. Is this or was this common practice? How would I ever get it sealed back up where the fiberglass has started to lift?

Re: What is this that was given to me?

Fiberglass over plywood is common where I live. As far as repairing the glass, you may have to break away the lifted stuff and just add new glass over the repair area. If the wood isn't rotten, you should be good to go.

Re: What is this that was given to me?

betterthanfett said:

Alright, so I got the scraper knife out this evening. There IS fiberglass on the inside, but only up about six inches and its only a very thin coat which covers the plywood. The outside looks to be the same only the coat of glass goes all the way up. Is this or was this common practice? How would I ever get it sealed back up where the fiberglass has started to lift?

Click to expand...

Like Tallcanadian said, its not uncommon for old plywood boats to have a seal coat of glass. My guess is the glass is probably a "veil" coating (a thin lightweight cloth weave), rather than chopped strand mat (CSM), especially if it looks like cloth and not a random pattern where you sand or scrape. Either way, scrape off what is loose, sand with a sanding block or vibrating or DA sander until smooth. Then apply a patch of veil glass in probably 6 oz cloth. 6 oz cloth is white, but will be virtually transparent once the resin soaks in. Its very light weight, so you can brush on some resin, apply the piece of veil, then brush on another layer of resin and it will be done. After cured, sand smooth and paint to match the rest of the boat.

You need to get the boat up where you can fully inspect the whole outside for soft spots. If you can do it on the trailer fine, otherwise, it might need to be turned over to be worked on. If it's solid and banging with a mallet shows its solid, or just a couple of small soft areas, it can be easily repaired, roll on some paint and go have fun. If you find that the wood under the glass is very soft, and easily penetrated with an ice pic or screw driver (rotted), then you have to decide how much effort you want to put into it.

It would also help if the interior plywood floor can be removed to inspect those stringers and inside for signs of rot.

The 6 oz glass is cheap, available on the internet at lots of places and your auto body supply shops. Because you are not doing multiple layups (layers), then the classic Bondo brand resin will work well, because it will dry without being tacky. Usually Bondo resin is not recommended for boat work, but its characteristics are exactly what you want for small repairs using a thin 6 oz cloth.

Anyway, check out the hull well and let us know what you find, and we can give advice from there.

Re: What is this that was given to me?

That's gonna be a nice looking rig!