1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

[Spivy30]

So I finish fixing up my old 30' Sea Ray and sell it. At that moment I say im done with big boats (fuel and storage kills ya)and I start looking for something in the 18-22 range. Wouldnt ya know I just cant get away from these bigger boats and I end up buying a 1961 Chris Craft Roamer 31' Express that needs hull work, probably in a little too deep for only being 21 years old. To get the boat I only had to pay off the storage owed for one summer so i'm not into it too deep but man what am I thinking! In all seriousness I have done a lot of research on Roamers and repairing steel hulls before taking this plunge along with spending almost half a day going over the boat top to bottom taking notes on everything, I guess it can be called an educated plunge. This is going to be the 8th boat ive fixed up and by far the most time consuming and expensive.

The good:

The engines both run and only have about 200 hours on rebuilds.

I cant find any rotton wood on the whole boat, believe me I looked high and low.

It has a generator that should run

The interior is in beautiful shape and wont need much work except for some cleaning and minor touching up of the wood work and new carpet.

It is not missing any parts that I can see

The Bad:

It has two small holes in the front by the keel

About a 2'x12' section on the bottom should be cut out and replaced, I want to fix it right.

Most of the exterior wood work has to be redone, but still no rot.

The steering is stuck, but I think its just rusted in place.

It will need to be completely painted top to bottom.

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

I'm goint to start by sand blasting the bottom and see what other problems are hiding.

 

[sasto]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Probably in a little too deep for only being 21 years old..

Nah.....When I was 21 I knew it all......now I listen to the 21 year olds cause I know nothing at 52. Good luck on the Roamer, I saw many of them in the Great Lakes and they always caught my eye....more so than an 80 foot yacht. Post some photos!

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Sounds like you have kids Sasto...I will post some pictures shortly!

 

[dsiekman]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

I suggest you give up, pack up everything you've got, and ship it to me. I'll only charge you for the shipping to take it off your hands

Just kidding. I love that boat. I was looking for one but got talked out of another "project". I really wanted to do a retro conversion - old lines, new guts. A couple of fuel injected 350's, new transmissions, and new wood from the deck up.

Sounds like you need to find yourself a really good welder. Not your buddy who works part time at the muffler shop. You might also want to find a good marine surveyor familiar with steel hulls. If you've got one hole you probably have more...or will.

Good luck man, and post some pics. I'd love to see her!

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Yeah I dont know...everytime I think about it I get more excited. My mind is running with all the things I could add to her...im picturing a big flat screen mounted somewhere, LED lights on the walkways and cockpit, Id love underwater lights, and a nice power package. I think i'm getting ahead of myself.

I think i'm going to buy a welder...no better time to learn

Im going to have the yard where the boat is sand blast the hull and then i'm going to have someone look at it.

This may be a dumb question but how do you add pictures?

 

[dsiekman]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Not to squelch the enthusiasm, but think twice about this being your first welding project. It doesn't just have to hold, it has to be water tight and structural. I bought a small MIG welder a few years back, watched the video, and jumped into it. There's a pretty steep learning curve. I will weld ornamental fences, minor body work, and any other number of less than important things any day, but this I would stay away from. You'd be amazed how fast you'll burn a hole through thin steel. Not sure how thick the hull is, but I'm guessing less than 1/16".

If I were you, I'd focus on other projects and leave the hull repair to a pro. Keep in mind, if she sinks you will lose any other work you put into her.

As for posting pics, on the tool bar just above the window you are typing in, click the yellow square that looks like a picture of mountains. You should read the sticky on rules and posting pics first for size requirements.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Sounds like an ambitious project, good luck on it and get those pics up

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

I went and looked at welders today and although I will probably want to learn I am going to let a pro fix the hull. Dsiekman is right about everything he said for the money I would spend on a welder and the time I might as well let a pro fix it specially since the problem area is right by the keel.

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Here are some pictures

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

And here are the problem areas...

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

I don't care how old you are, that is quite a boat! Yikes

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

More pictures and the exterior

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

more pictures

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Thank you guys...its going to be quite a project

 

[Biged007]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Nah.....When I was 21 I knew it all......now I listen to the 21 year olds cause I know nothing at 52. Good luck on the Roamer, I saw many of them in the Great Lakes and they always caught my eye....more so than an 80 foot yacht. Post some photos!

Well said when I was 21 I would have dove in head first and did at 53 I think OMG and yell Mommy I don't want to go to school LOL

 

[sasto]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Sounds like you have kids Sasto.

Not really...Spivy....I have found age may mean expierence but not necessarily knowledge. At 21 I knew about airplanes, but nothing about boats. You would have a hard time getting me off that boat....even dry docked. "Give me a beverage, think I'll just sit here awhile"

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

Agressive project. Got any pics of the cabin?

 

[Spivy30]

Re: 1961 Chris Craft Roamer Restoration by a 21 year old

I see where you're coming from Sasto...