1950's Wagemaker Wolverine wooden boat restoration ...

sphelps

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The guy with the big hat was Steve .. Super nice fellow that knows these motors inside and out . No way I could have got it running correctly without his help ..
 

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archbuilder

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Sep 12, 2009
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Very cool Sam I am glad to see her in the water after all of the hard work you have put into her!
 

sphelps

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Nov 16, 2011
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Here is another short video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8x0vhnRBOZA
Running against the current with both of us in the back . Picked up speed once we got some weight in the bow .
I think with a little weight and the Admiral up front it should cruise ok .
‘One of the members has 4 Speetitfour ‘s that would give it around 30% more hp . I may give one of those a try ..

Thanks guys for all the help on this project !!!
It wouldn't have been near as much fun without y’all !!!!
 

zool

Captain
Joined
Aug 19, 2012
Messages
3,432
Here is another short video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8x0vhnRBOZA
Running against the current with both of us in the back . Picked up speed once we got some weight in the bow .
I think with a little weight and the Admiral up front it should cruise ok .
‘One of the members has 4 Speetitfour ‘s that would give it around 30% more hp . I may give one of those a try ..

Thanks guys for all the help on this project !!!
It wouldn't have been near as much fun without y’all !!!!

You could always throw the E-tec of the MFG on there :D
 

Chris in Utah

Seaman
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Messages
57
Hi Sam (and followers),

I think we bought your boat’s sister ship last month (1953 Wagemaker Wolverine, 16ft w/mid-deck & 3 cross seats) but I just found this forum yesterday. Ours is an older restoration, and needs several repairs, but is seaworthy enough for the inland lakes and reservoirs of Utah. It has a1987 Mercury outboard on it (70hp) that I think may be too much for the boat. (I have yet to pull full throttle with it.)

I stayed up late yesterday reading through your restoration... amazing work and incredibly helpful for me! (I’ve restored a few trucks over the years, but this is my first boat of any type.) Thank you for taking so many high quality photos of your progress.

Yours is the only other Wolverine I’ve seen so far with this hull layout. I think we have a Wolverine No. 6 model 6-16 Super. That said, ours has “W6-740” stamped on the keel up under the foredeck and “740” stamped on the transom... also “16 WAGE” stenciled on the keel. Do you have similar markings on yours?

Thanks again for documenting your restoration so well... and thank you to all the contributors on here. You guys have given me a terrific road map for current repairs/upkeep and eventual full restoration of my boat!

Chris in Utah
 

sphelps

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Joined
Nov 16, 2011
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Welcome aboard Chris !!!
Thanks for the kind words ! Your right . I haven’t really seen a WM with the same layout as mine . I would love to see a picture of yours . Mine has 601 stamped on the transom and 16.5 Wagemaker painted on the bow stem . The CG plate says it’s rated for a 50 hp . I couldn’t image putting anything bigger on there ..:lol:
‘You should start a thread here on your restoration even if it’s just a cleanup .. Just make sure you post plenty of pics or the mob will start sharpening there pitch forks ..LOL!!

Btw,Zool , I couldn’t do that to the MFG ... I’ve already neglected her enough over the last couple years .. She is due for some attention....
Been thinking ... It would take quite a bit of work to modify my T-Nee trailer winchpost to lift it to the right height for the bow eye ... So I have made the decision to just lower the bow eye instead .. Seems like much less work to me ..
I also need to raise the motor about an inch I think .. I still have a nice piece of mahogany I can use as a shim ..
Just need to make sure I have enough room at the top to clamp the motor tight ...
 

sphelps

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
11,462
I lowered the bow eye and cut a new metal cover for the bow to cover the ugly up a bit .. This should make retrieving the boat much better ...I also added a 1 inch filler /shim to the transom to raise the motor some .. The vent plate was riding about 2-1/2" below the hull bottom .. Probably could go more than the inch but then my clamps wouldn't have much to clamp on to..

well was gunna add some pics but i cant get them to load ..
 
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