'65 Lyn Craft Seabreeze 1500 Sport Runabout

[buxmj]

Hello everyone, I have been lurking for a while and just wanted to get started on my restoration thread. Although I only bought this boat a year ago, my foray into classic boats started 5 years ago with the purchase of a '58 Cruisers Inc 15' Seafarer. Unfortunately that boat ended up with more rotted wood than good wood and I ended up cutting that boat up and putting it in the trash. I had stripped the boat and was preparing to replace the transom, repair some of the lapstrakes and replace over half of the steam bent ribs and all mahogany plywood when I found more rot where I didn't think there was any, in the bow.

I am hoping my current boat project will not end up like my first one! I did learn a lot in the process and decided to get a glass boat because it will deal with the harsh Florida sun better than a wooden boat would, it will probably be stored outside. I really like the lines of all the boats of the 50s and 60s and when I came across this boat on CL and after seeing it in person and liking it better than the pics, I decided to take the plunge.

Currently it is sitting on a homemade cradle. I took the homemade tilt trailer apart and it is ready to go back together. I just got it back from being sandblasted and powder coated. I am replacing the springs, axle, wheels and tires so the trailer should be good for another 50 years.

There is some good from buying the wooden boat 5 years ago. Some parts will be used on the Seabreeze, including the steering wheel, lights, manual air horn and cleats. I have two engines to choose from: a '71 Evinrude 50hp Lark (165 on each cylinder!) and a '76 Mercury 400 40 hp.

The boat needs a new deck and stringers, really looking forward to grinding down the old glass! I will post pics in the next day or so. Sorry this is such a long introduction, hoping it won't be another five years before I finally get on the water!

Buck

 

[sphelps]

Welcome aboard ! Sounds like a fun project ! Looking forwards to the pics !
:welcome:

 

[buxmj]

Wow this is a great forum! There are some great threads and I feel I am just getting started with going through all the info and help available from you all. If you have a good thread and you feel you are getting a headache, that is just me picking your brain without you knowing it! I look forward to posting pics soon and then many questions. I have been told there is no such thing as stupid questions, just inquisitive idiots. I hope that applies to this forum, thanks in advance!

 

[buxmj]

Sorry for the delay with the pics. Took a while to figure out how to resize them. Will have more pics here shortly. I have decided to go with the '71 Evinrude 50hp Lark that is great shape. It tested out at 165 on both cylinders and the gasket on the shroud is still pliable!

 

[buxmj]

I am sorry I do not have any before pics. I was so eager to get started that when I bought the boat I stopped at my work and threw away stuff I knew I would never use, the 3 rotted swivel seats and the ugly blue astro turf. At some point someone glued a sheet of 3/4" marine plywood over the original floor. I carefully cut the plywood so I wouldn't cut the hull and found what I was expecting, rotted everything. It looks like there were no front to back stringers, just side to side. No foam at all which didn't surprise me, not a lot of space under the deck. I do like the transom support that was put on at some point, just don't know if I need to take the cap off, I am hoping I don't have to.

 

[buxmj]

This is the inside pic of the transom support. Someone notched it at some point to get the engine clamps to fit. I think the original transom is bad and I assume this aluminum plate was added instead of a transom rebuild. The other pic is of all the stuff I saved off the wooden boat. That is a manual air horn that is LOUD! The chrome seems to be in great shape and the steering wheel is in great shape, just needs to be repainted.

 

[buxmj]

One big thing I am worried about is that there was caulk all the way around the boat between the cap and the hull. I have not taken the rub rail off yet but does anyone know if that is the typical spacing between the cap and hull?

 

[buxmj]

This is a bow gas tank that I bought off CL for the wooden boat and I am hoping to put it in this boat. It will fit and I want to ask if it would help to get some of the weight up front with that 50 hp sitting on the back. Also, when I redo the deck can I just make it one flat level? Was there a purpose for all these 60s boats to have the deck a few inches higher in front of the dash? Thanks in advance for all your help. I am hoping to get started on the grinding sometime this summer. That will be so much fun here in Florida!

Buck

 

[sphelps]

Yep the metal transom piece was probably just a band aide for a bad transom .
Thats a lot of good stuff from the old boat for sure ! The gap under the cap has probably just accured over time . My MFG had like a factory filler that glued the cap on . Yours may have some fasteners under the rail to hold together idk .
Thinking the raised deck gives you more flat storage plus a place to rest your feet while riding ..
really cool little runabout ! op2:

 

[sphelps]

Hey were bouts you in Fla ?

 

[Woodonglass]

I'm a sucker for these old closed boy runabouts. I'll tag along and watch your progress. Sphelps is one of our BEST restoration guru's so listen to what he says.

 

[buxmj]

Thanks guys for the input, much appreciated! My next step is taking off the rub rail and seeing what is holding the cap to the hull. I did pay a reputable boat repairman (fiberglass) to give me some advice and check out the boat and make sure I don't end up with another 4 year project that doesn't end up floating! He pointed out the sound of tapping the transom below the splash well and thought the original transom was toast. He suggested that if I don't take the cap off to cut a 1 inch by 2 or 3 feet slot horizontally on the inside transom, below the splash well of course. He said then to take an allen wrench and put it in the chuck of a drill and grind all the rotted wood out and vacuum as I go, then fill it when the cavity is mostly empty and then reglass the slit. I am thinking I will do that because I really don't want to try to get that aluminum bracket off, afraid of how it might be attached and I would end up destroying the transom inside and out.

Hi sphelps I see you are in Jax, I am in Lake Mary, north of Orlando. Hope to meet you in person someday and please let me know if you are ever down in this part of the state, would love to pick your brain.

 

[Fcdave]

I don't think all that alum on the back of the transom and in the splashwell is original .....looks to me that a PO probably had it fabricated due to concerns with transom holding a large outboard ???? Lyn Craft was an early Sarasota fiberglass builder of runabouts and would not have resorted to a need to design in that alum plating of the transom. I would consider removing it and rebuild transom as original!

 

[Fcdave]

Transom on vintage Lyn Craft ..... no alum plate overlay ?

 

[buxmj]

Fcdave, yes that aluminum plate is not original. I was just wondering why, I am leaning toward a PO did that instead of fixing a rotted transom. You brought up a good point of maybe needing a beefier transom. I did find a test from the same boat from 64 being tested with a 50 Merc so I think they were originally made to handle probably up to a 50 hp.

 

[buxmj]

Here is that test sheet

 

[buxmj]

In the last year I have been buying things for the boat. I know it is getting the cart before the horse but there was a Gander Mountain store that went out of business last year near me and I scooped up all this stuff from 40 to 60 percent off. I also bought new bunks and lights for the trailer. As for the seats, that color Wise fold down seat went on sale just before Christmas on Amazon, 250 shipped total for both seats! That is the color I will probably paint the boat. If you look at the dash pic of my boat you can see it was that 60s light green which I do not like and was thinking a dark blue anyway so I couldn't pass on the seats.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I love the lines of those 50's and 60's era boats. Even 70's are starting to look good to me. I don't like to call anything that was made when I was in my 20's a classic.

Rip the transom out and do it right. New from top to bottom, front to back. Yes the gas up front may act as a ballast, do you know you need it for sure. It may also keep you from getting the bow up and on plane quickly. I'm not positive on that. An Allen key in a drill to rip out rotten wood? OK, I'm new to boat restoration myself. Might work but seems tedious. Give me a Sawsall or Multi-tool any day. Even a Dremel tool. A claw hammer and Wonderbar will do it. Get yourself a Multi-tool if you don't already have one. A Marine/home renovators saviour, I'd like to buy whomever invented it a cold Beer. We have a chain of stores called Canadian Tire. They sell more than tires now, everything except dimensional wood. Their brand multi tool goes on sale every 6 months or so for the price of 2 replacement blades. I'll bring you one down next time in St. Augustine. August actually for sis's wedding, again. Probably faster to buy it online, they usually go for 100 bucks here.

I like those seats but would think twice about painting the boat that colour, is it brown, small pic. You need a 60's era colour. Check out Santorini Blue Pearl, 2013 Kia Optima colour my wife bought. Nice 60 era colour. I know it's not a to original restoration, but would keep it close. You go man, can't wait to see your progress. Yep, the last thing I would be looking forward to doing in Florida in summer is, well anything but fishing and boating. I worked on Blast Furnaces most of my life, I don't want to anymore either. Good luck Buxmj. How did you come up with that handle. No one here is named Dave or Tom.

edit: I've spent quite a bit of time in Fla since I first went on spring break in 74', yes 1974. You may burn your legs on those dark seats. Santorini Blue is darker than the original turquois in the brochure. I like the turquois too, very Fla. I'm getting you a bit ahead of yourself but I like you pick up things for a boat you didn't yet own or know what it was going to be. My wife picks out a kitchen faucet, 3 years ago 50% off and designs an entire cottage around it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Best way to remove your transom is with a circular saw set to 1/16 shy of the transom thickness. Cut a 2" grid and then knock off the 2" squares. You'll be amazed at how easy they knock off.

 

[buxmj]

Hello Old Ironmaker, my user name is something I use on another forum. My name is Buck and I have a Jeep Comanche, now in my profile pic, mj is what Jeep uses for the Comanche. I didn't want to use something referring to this boat because I did that with my wooden boat and it didn't make it. I have had the boat for a year so the planning is something I have been working on. I am not expecting to get this on the water tomorrow and I am not impulse buying. As for tools, I have plenty, thanks for the suggestions though!