1968 Larson All American

[Willyclay]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

So, when are you going to splash that beauty?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

i wanted to this past summer but it wasnt ready so now im thinking i will wait till spring, the transom was really flimsy didnt want to risk it but now its solid and im out of extra cash for a while the trailer needs tires i ve been looking for some used ones at work no one uses 14 inch rims any more

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

more pics from my summer

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

restoration montage

 

[zopperman]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

restoration montage

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but looks like a bunch of air bubbles in that glass in the stringers and on the deck.. might just be glare though?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

must be glare had a couple bubbles but ground them out and patched w/ cloth and resin, i just hope i havnt added too much weight used alot of resin if i had to guess about 15 gallons a whole roll of cloth and sheets and sheets of matting

 

[hankdrnr]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

Great job! I restored this exact same boat in 2006. I think there is a design flaw on these boats which causes the floor & transom to stay wet & rot. The original splashwell has a vent hole (in the front of the well) which allows water to go under the floor & rot it out. When I rebuilt mine - I removed the splash well (just left a cutout in the floor to allow water to go below the floor, added an access hatch in the floor (between the front seats) which also serves as a way to inspect for water under the floor, ventilate under the floor, and access a bilge pump area. I used seacast for my transom. I had concerns, but it is solid and seems to have worked.View attachment 124009

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

i glassed over the vent hole sealed the floor over then i thought if water gets in it will be stuck in there, i was thinking about puting a shrader valve in it and pressurize the hull with 2 or 3 lbs of nitrogen if there are any leaks i will lose pressure rather than take on water, my dad worked for at&t and thats how they keep water out of underground cable, has anyone tried this on a boat hull?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

uncovered today pulled from winter storage, tinkered with some trim, sat at the helm daydreaming about splashing soon still need to pull the motor back off to install drain tube in the splashwell and seal the bolt holes, wondering if i should use silicone or treat it like a sink fixture and use plumbers putty?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

3m 4200

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

Or 5200, either will work if you have some 4200 already.

 

[Ironpig]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

I am restoing the exact same boat. did you replace the entire transom or just the lower half? Hard to tell from the pics. I am thinking of removing the entire cap to try to replace the transom. Stringers are being redone as well on mine. Love the locker idea ,I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

It's never a good idea to replace "Half a Transom"

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

i replaced all of the plywood and covered it all with glass and resin i went a little overkill to be safe, my splashwell had a crack below the drainhole so i just cut it out with the cap then glassed it back after replacing the transom wood, my stringers are foam filled glass with planks on top to support the floor, these planks were rotted especially around the screws for the seats problem solved by not useing screws i glassed my seats in to avoid this in the future, the po replaced the steering so im glassing over the holes for the old rope and pulley system. found some krylon fusion that is a good match for the blue, thinking about painting Baloo the bear on the side and naming her "Bear Necessities"

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

I am restoing the exact same boat. did you replace the entire transom or just the lower half? Hard to tell from the pics. I am thinking of removing the entire cap to try to replace the transom. Stringers are being redone as well on mine. Love the locker idea ,I was thinking the same thing.

the whole transom, from the inside leaving the outer skin its 1 piece, the upper corners are separate pieces, and my transom bows out slightly, ive done research its supposed to its so slight you can only tell with a staight edge or if you try to shove a straight peice of ply in there. make sure it bonds to the outer skin you dont want air pockets

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

im doing more repair than restore, dont got to be pretty just has to be solid, all the energy produced at the prop pulls othe top of the transom twisting the transom into the stringers and keel, should be able to pick a boat up and shake it by the transom cause that is what the outboard is going to do to it, when i think of the bubble gum and duct tape repairs my dad did on his when i was a kid im amazed we never needed those life vests, bolt an aluminum plate to the transom that how he rolled in his 21' thunderbird cuddy, floor rotted, tear it out walk on the hull , oh that floor was just an unnecissary option holds in moisture dont need it, and he went to coast gaurd school. even has a fancy uniform. reflecting on that i feel i am doing a gem of a job on this boat and should last me a while.

 

[oops!]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

the above.....of what your dad did.....is a testimony to fiberglass....

we try and get the posters here to do it right... and most do....

but a hull that is totally rotted out.....transom and stringers gone foam totally soaked.....will still hold together by the glass.
the stuff is really tough !
of course.....a set of 200 e techs on the back.....and shes gonna rip loose.
but all in all.....glass is a pretty tough stuff !

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

any one? on the pressurized hull idea should i be running to the patent office?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

i have a buddy took me out on his boat last year some warlock offshore thing my first experience on something like this, so with the roar of the engine echoing off the mountains the skin on the side of my face starts flapping in the wind can hardly see thu the tears he steps aside gives me the helm i look down at the speedo say we are going over 80mph i was uncomfortable with this, so i ease the throttle back 70 60 50 still uncomfortable, i think 30mph more my speed, though it was fun leaving behind all the boats that tried to pace us as we skipped accross Raystown Lake

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1968 Larson All American

I agree. Fast is fun.....until you hit something, and boats don't have breaks (never mind the fuel bill). Not to mention the fact that everything feels so much faster on the water. I'm with you coolbri70, 30 mph is about my max and more than enough for what I need, and it gives me plenty of time to react if need be. Plus, I like taking the boat out to be in nature and watch the scenery which is hard to do at 80+ mph with tears in your eyes, the flesh ripping off your skull, and your ears deafened by the roar of a fire breathing V8. And also, how can you check out all the hottie senoritas on the water when you're going that fast ?