1955 Texas Maid Fiesta restoration

[slimslatty]

I found a 1955 Texas Maid Fiesta that had been sitting in a field for the last 20 years or so. I paid $200 for it, everything was rotten except the aluminum. BONUS- it was full of snakes. I never knew an old boat would be a good snake den, go figure. I put it in my garage, then i found myself killing snakes in my garage. Anyway, i am totally stripping it down to nothing and totally rebuilding with all new parts.

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome to iBoats!!!!

Uhmm, What kind of Snakes!!!!

 

[GA_Boater]

They had to be bad snakes.

Welcome aboard, slim. You know we need pics. :smile: Does your Fiesta have the bow hatch and portholes?

 

[jigngrub]

Post pics of the snakes!!!


... and the boat too.

 

[jbcurt00]

Snakes in a boat, yeah.... Yep pix of it all would be great

 

[mercurymang]

Welcome aboard. Pics of boat and snakes please.

I've been out in fields a couple of times scavenging stuff off old boats. I always get a little nervous sticking my hand up under gunwhales and such. Although I hear old tires are the worst.

 

[m casey stock]

Welcome, as mentioned above, Pictures pictures pictures!

 

[jc55]

"Texas Maid Fiesta" just sounds like fun...

 

[slimslatty]

I have a bunch of pictures on flickr, just dont know how to put them on here. https://www.flickr.com/photos/slimslatty/ slimslatty is my name on flickr, all i kept was one of the snake skins. they creep me out.

 

[slimslatty]

this is the stage i am at right now. repaired the front top that had been cut to make it a walk through. you can see the doors under the boat painted blue. I replaced all of the wood on the transom and the dash. Next i will put in the floor, seats, bimini top, motor, ect

 

[jbcurt00]

I have a bunch of pictures on flickr, just dont know how to put them on here. https://www.flickr.com/photos/slimslatty/ slimslatty is my name on flickr, all i kept was one of the snake skins. they creep me out.

Flikr is more complicated to use then photobucket, and because it's more complicated, it's harder for me to rip your pix and post/save them, but it is still possible:

Posting the pix (instead of a link to your account) also keeps someone from cruising your entire pix album. Carp, hope everybody but the moose made it out ok. Geez, talk about messing up your whole dang week:

 

[slimslatty]

pics

 

[slimslatty]

pics of boat

 

[slimslatty]

I am going to work on it this weekend

 

[Watermann]

That's some nice tin you scored right there! :thumb:

 

[GA_Boater]

Gotta agree with WM - A nice tin score. You have the portholes, which a Texas Maid oddity, but added character. And the two part bow hatch as well, another unique TM feature. She's gonna be a nice oldie, Slim. :eagerness:

 

[GA_Boater]

I happened to notice that it looks like the bow hatch opening has been enlarged and opened back into the cockpit. Here is a brochure page Fiberglassic - http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/File:Texasmaidb60003.jpg in case the pic doesn't show. It's from 1960, but the design didn't change much from 1955.

 

[slimslatty]

Yes I like the port holes and hatch as well. I wonder if Ican remove the support poles in the front since I have restored the dash? They were black snakes, not poison

 

[slimslatty]

I have done some research on the Texas maid boats and I'm not sure they even made one in 1955 because Texas maid used to be Lonestar from what I understand when Lonestar shut down the employees opened up Texas maid..but who knows it take me forever just to get the title in my name, it was all messed up because the boat hadn't been used in so long today I'm going to install the floor and install the styrofoam underneath it ,I bought a sheet of Styrofoam that was four by eight and four inches thick I'm going to cut that up and use it, and then use quarter inch plywood on top of that and then navy blue carpet that I have navy blue and white seats and then a navy blue bimini top, I also bought a 1988 35 horsepower Mercury motor that I'm going to mount on there I just need to buy the steering wheel and cable because the motor came with the controls