CaptTarka
Recruit
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2020
- Messages
- 5
Hello all! Long time lurker, first time boat rebuilder. So last week, I was on Craigslist (always ends up being dangerous). I saw a "Cuddly Cabin" with an outboard posted for $1,000. I said to myself, "Well, if it's on there tomorrow, I'm obliged to make an offer." Sure enough, the next day I made an offer of $500 and they accepted for $750. I went to pick it up on Saturday. Just getting the boat out was interesting as we had to help the guy move a camper and then had to get the boat pulled up. I got it home and started digging in.
So, introducing the "Tarks & Caicos I", a 1961 Aztec Cuddy Cabin.
I went over bit by bit of the boat as it's been sitting totally exposed to the elements for probably the last 20 years. The hull seems to be solid, but I can't say the same about pretty much everything else. I was walking around the deck and there was tons of sag on the floors. I pulled the carpet and found where they appeared to do some patch work before. Then I dug in an inspected some more. I have a hunch that someone already has rebuilt this boat. The current floors are peanut buttered plywood (wtf, in my mind). I've decided to start by pulling the floors and old stringers and re-doing them. I'm getting my friend with a crane truck to come over and pull the non-original 1967 Johnson 60 hp outboard. I'm thinking I'll want to repower this with a substantially and lighter engine (this one is 233 lbs). I'm going to completely re-do the electric work and upholstery work. And then finish with paint and fixing the plexiglass windows and windshield.
Keep in mind as we go through this, I built a bar. The bar has a motto. That motto is "The Imperfect Bar for Imperfect People". I'm not expecting this boat to be perfect, but I'm expecting it to be solid and enjoyable. The goal is to have this all put back together by the spring.
Enjoy!
So, introducing the "Tarks & Caicos I", a 1961 Aztec Cuddy Cabin.
I went over bit by bit of the boat as it's been sitting totally exposed to the elements for probably the last 20 years. The hull seems to be solid, but I can't say the same about pretty much everything else. I was walking around the deck and there was tons of sag on the floors. I pulled the carpet and found where they appeared to do some patch work before. Then I dug in an inspected some more. I have a hunch that someone already has rebuilt this boat. The current floors are peanut buttered plywood (wtf, in my mind). I've decided to start by pulling the floors and old stringers and re-doing them. I'm getting my friend with a crane truck to come over and pull the non-original 1967 Johnson 60 hp outboard. I'm thinking I'll want to repower this with a substantially and lighter engine (this one is 233 lbs). I'm going to completely re-do the electric work and upholstery work. And then finish with paint and fixing the plexiglass windows and windshield.
Keep in mind as we go through this, I built a bar. The bar has a motto. That motto is "The Imperfect Bar for Imperfect People". I'm not expecting this boat to be perfect, but I'm expecting it to be solid and enjoyable. The goal is to have this all put back together by the spring.
Enjoy!
