1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

[Mountain_Man]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

I just want to say "What a bunch of guys!"

I hope all of you are enjoying Christmas Eve and have a better Christmas Morn. It's Family time!

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mitch,
thanks! Merry Christmas to everyone out there and thanks for all your input up to this point on my project!
Merry Christmas,
Mick

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mick,
Have a happy and safe Christmas.
Bob

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

I am in withdrawal! We have been running around the last two days with the kids and visiting everyone so I had no time to get out and just see the boat. I am going out now to take some measurements so I can run to the boat store tomorrow to pick up some supplies for glassing before the seacast gets here!
Hope everyone had a great Christmas- I know my family did! But... Now it's time to get back to work!!!
Mick

 

[SKIBUM1M]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mick hope you had a great christmas. Pm me if you have any questions on the seacast.

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Hey Mick,
Glad to hear you had a great Christmas.
Don't forget the pic's when you are doing the seacast thing.
Looking forward to seeing it.
Bob

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Well, somewhat disappointing news. I went to the boat place today to get my poly, fiberglass, and other odds and ends stuff and there was a sign on the door- " closed for the holidays through Jan. 2" "Monday through Jan. 2 appt. only."
long story short- I'm going in Monday to get my stuff.
So tonight and tomorrow I'm going to clean up and get ready to start putting her back together.
Seacast may be here by Monday also!
Mick

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Hey Mick,
Wow, Sorry about your luck man. that's a real kick in butt.
Oh well clean up is good.
Bob

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Bob- Cleanup is right- that's what I did for about two hours tonight!

One piece of advice for anyone about to embark on restoring a boat- PUT A TARP OVER WHATEVER YOU DON'T WANT TO GET DUSTY!!!

Or else you will be wiping every little thing off with a wet rag for a couple hours.

You know when I started this I was so excited to get going and start grinding because I just had the end in site. I was only grinding/sanding for a couple hours because I was rearing to go and the next day I put a tarp over the stuff I didn't want to get dusty. Today when I pulled the tarps there was dust everywhere and on everything from those couple of hours.

Since I have to wait for my supplies till at least Monday I went out today to clean up and organize things for the next phase of the project- seacast and glassing. I cleaned everything with a damp rag and I wiped down the boat too. I'll let it all dry tonight and vacuum it one more time tomorrow before I wipe it down with acetone.

Here are some pics- I'm kicking myself for not taking any before pictures- again I was rearing to go from not doing anything for a couple days that I just forgot- I gotta make a mental note of that- right Jarad!

Some of the boat hardware I plan to re-use or match as closely as I can- I would like to re-use all the original hardware but it is just to expensive to have all the pitted stuff re-finished

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more organizing

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The hull wiped down- glassy!

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Murky water!

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These I definitely want to re-use- anyone one know where I can send them to have them refinished or duplicated? I got a quote from a place on the internet for $200/ piece to have them refinished! I almost s**t myself!!! I'll spray paint them black before I spend $400- oh the guy said "well you want the originals to look good" I said "Yeh but not for $400- Thanks for your time"!

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Well tomorrow I will cut some more pallets for fire wood and wipe the boat down with acetone.

Then hopefully the seacast will be here on Monday, and I will be off to the boat store for the "goodies" to get started putting her back together. I will really be enlisting all of your help then because I have never worked with fiberglass before, seacast, resins, etc, etc, etc...

Start thinking of a name too for me- I wanted to incorporate my wife and kids somehow- or something relating to the family. There names are Ali(wife), Sydney/Syd(daughter), and Aidan(son). Put that on the back burner though- there's alot of other stuff I have to worry about before I get to that point though!

OK- gotta get to bed!

Thanks,
Mick

 

[archbuilder]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

WAIT A MINUTE! You'll never be able to find tools now that your organized! Everyone knows that disorganization is the key to boat rebuilding!

I like the traveler logo, very cool. I wonder if you could buff it out? Is it chromed or aluminum?

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

archbuilder- I think it's aluminum because I can bend it pretty easily. How can you tell the difference?

 

[Mountain_Man]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

I think you're right on the aluminum. The rust in the screw holes looks like a stain from steel screws. Also chrome usually blisters and rusts, where aluminum will pit. From here that looks like the surface is pitted. and hazy. They'll polish easy and you could paint the black areas back, but someone else might have to tell us what to do to correct the pitting. They should polish with just a buffer, but they will turn the wheel black.

 

[archbuilder]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

will a magnet stick to it? If not its probably aluminum. You can buff out aluminum and paint the black part.....you will need to use a self etching primer to get the paint to stick.

 

[archbuilder]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

By the way, I'm wondering how a CA boat got to OK and a AR boat got to PA?

 

[andgott]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

You are coming along nicely on this project- That is one cool looking boat, too!!

You've probably already found the 1962 brochure on the web... If not, here it is-

http://www.fiberglassics.com/arktrav

These I definitely want to re-use- anyone one know where I can send them to have them refinished or duplicated? I got a quote from a place on the internet for $200/ piece to have them refinished! I almost s**t myself!!! I'll spray paint them black before I spend $400- oh the guy said "well you want the originals to look good" I said "Yeh but not for $400- Thanks for your time"!

That's about the going rate. I can almost guarantee that they are chromed zinc, pot metal is the 'norm' for that type of work. Getting them back to new condition would be a LOT of work, and the labor is pricey. I don't know of anyone offhand that is making repro parts for Arkansas Travellers, but it's possible that someone is. You can clean those up quite a bit, though, and polish them. Won't be as good as new, but face it- they boat is almost 50 yrs old!

Is that emblem the BEST one that you have?? I'm going to be casting some for other vintage makes this winter- I don't have any Arkansas Travellers. There might be a demand for a few of them- and if so I'll need one to get a mold from! The better the condition, the easier it is for me, though- and that one is pretty pitted...

Start thinking of a name too for me- I wanted to incorporate my wife and kids somehow- or something relating to the family. There names are Ali(wife), Sydney/Syd(daughter), and Aidan(son). Put that on the back burner though- there's alot of other stuff I have to worry about before I get to that point though!

Simple- She's the AliSydIan

-Andrew

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Thanks guys on the reply's to the emblem.

Mountain Man- Nice to see you are up and running now! I will have to check out your thread.

Bob- Sorry you gotta go traveling again but I guess ya gotta pay the bills right!

Andrew- I will look tomorrow to see what condition the other emblem is in. That would be cool though if you can replicate it- if so I would send it out tomorrow! Yes- I have the brochure for the boat- I got it off ebay for $10 when I bought the boat. I also got the original brochure for motor also off ebayfor $10. Yeh- I love the boat and its lines- it is gonna be sweet when I'm done with it I hope!

Archbuilder- wouldn't you know it tonight I was looking for my knife and I couldn't find it. Turns out it was about 3' away. Like you said so much for being organized!

Today I got the rain spouting up on my garage finally- down time! Tonight I got the boat wiped down with acetone- whew= that stuff is potent- I can still taste it!

Today the family and I ran over to Tractor Supply and I picked up a late Christmas present. Skibum sent me the info on this puppy for when I start to paint. It was on sale from $59 to $39 too!

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I also picked up another tarp so when I start glassing and if the temp isn't right I can throw it over the boat with a heat light inside.

Tomorrow I am going in at 10 to the boat place for my "appointment" and I am stoked!

Thanks Again,
Mick

 

[BobsGlasstream]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Hey Mick,
Nice score on the paint guns.
Good luck on the supplies tomorrow too.
I just got to my hotel in McAllen TX, I just had to check on all the other projects before hitting the sack.
Looking good.
Bob

 

[archbuilder]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Hey Mick,

I hope you get your supplies today! Let me know if you have any questions on the sea cast.....make sure you have everything you need when you pour it! You can't really stop in the middle of the process! I highly recommend building a funnel for the transom pour. When I did the keel beams, I more or less just scooped the stuff in by hand.....good rubber gloves are a must!

 

[micks110]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Archbuilder- first thing I have to do when the seacast comes is make up the inner transom skin with the biax they cut to my length and width for me. I'm still a little unsure how I'm going to go about that. I got cardboard today to make a mock up of the transom. They(seacast) told me there would be about 3" extra on the biax so I can use it to tie into the boats edges after I have it molded. I don't know how to make a mold but here's what I was thinking.
Trace my cardboard mold onto the biax, wet the biax along the edges and middle of the bow side just enough to make that side hard but not soak through to the other side. Then once that dries I can put on my spacers, poly the spacers to the boat skin, tab it in, and wet the rest of the biax on the inside to make that side hard?
What do you think? This way would eliminate alot of issues for me.

Ok back to the fun stuff. I was at the boat place today and got two gallons of poly, 16 yards of fiberglass 6" tape, (2)5'X8' sheets of the fuzzy looking fiberglass, and a jar of bubbles.

Gotta go to the in laws today though and the wife wants to watch a movie tonight so I'm gonna see if I can sneek out for a little while our youngest is napping!
Mick

 

[archbuilder]

Re: 1962 Arkansas Traveler restoration

Mick, I'm not sure I understand all of your plan. It sounds like you are wanting to wet out the glass right up the the edge.....then once its rigid put it in the boat and tie in the part around the edges that hasn't been wet out? My friend David K did his that way and it worked out fine. Wish I was closer, I would come up and help you with the seacast!