1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

[ardavis]

Well I have grown on the lake but never had a boat of my own. After spending july 4th on a rental I started looking around and seeing what was out there. I stumbled across this on craigslist and went and checked it out. The lady's father had bought the boat when she was a little girl and they used the boat while she grew up. Her father left her the boat in his will and it was used for a short time but due to lack of funds and a small child the boat was neglected and left in the backyard for the past 10(?) years. She was asking a few hundred for it, I was less than thrilled with the look of it so after a few days of though I offered $100 and to my surprise she took it. After sourcing some new tires I brought her home and cleaned the years of mold and fungus off of it.

A little background on me now, I restore English cars for a living so I'm not afraid of this project by any means. I do however know when to grab the good parts and start over. I'm hoping to learn fiberglass work having not done any before and possibly (if it makes financial sense) restore this boat to its former glory.

Also I need fix that dang Seadoo in the garage.....

 

[mwe-maxxowner]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

It will never make financial sense to restore a boat! But if you want a nice boat you know inside and out, and want a project, it can still make sense (to you). I still catch lots of grief from my friends for putting so much time and money into my restore. They just don't understand.

 

[KING RAT]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

I have a Arrow Glass that I have 50% restored and I love it even with out splashing yet
I say go for it.:happy:

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

If you restore her, and If you invest 200 hours of your time, and If you invest 2 to 3 thousand of your dollars, you will have a boat that you will KNOW everything about. It will be better than it was when it was New, and will last for several decades. For that amount of money you can't find a boat anywhere for that. For me, it all depends on whether or not you like the look and feel of the boat well enuf to want to have it around for the next 20 or so years. If so...Then I'd say Go For It!!!!

 

[cannonman]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

I can't tell what model you have. I grew up with an early 70's Arrowglass Cougar. Bright yellow with a 65 hp mercury outboard. Man we had some fun with that thing.
I didn't really appreciate at the time how much it would mean to me later in life to of had that opportunity as a kid.:joyous:

 

[KING RAT]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

Bright yellow in the 70s was cougars cheetahs

 

[GAMAYBERRY]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

For $100 you can't really go wrong. I just finished my first restoration, and I have under $4000 into everything. As Woodonglass said, it depends on if **you** are satisfied with what you will have when you are done. If you look at my thread in this same category, you can see a few pictures of before and after. To me, it is worth every dollar and hour I have spent on it, because my family gets great enjoyment out of it, as do I. If I were thinking of it as an investment financially, I would even laugh at myself, but its an investment for other areas.

How much is your final outcome and enjoyment out of it worth to you? That's the ultimate question.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

Looks can be quite deceiving so do some inspecting on the bones of your new find. Check the big items, hows the motor on compression and under power? Then check the transom and stringers for rot. Once you know these items you can make a better decision on how far you are willing to go regarding spending cash and more important your time. That trailer looks beat, you have some work there too. Heck if the basics check out, you have the foundation for a a fun project. If she's rotten, you have some choices to make.

 

[ardavis]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

Thanks for all the kind words!

I ran the compression the other night and it had 120 across the board. No spark though, it appears the stator is testing bad. I did cut a hole in the deck and all I could find is soaked foam and what use to be stringers. Right now I am hanging onto it and possibly looking for an aluminum boat without a motor or trailer. Here in Arkansas I can pick up pretty reasonable boats for 2-3k so I'm debating on where to go from here. I'm up for the challenge but if I come across the right hull to throw the motor and controls on I will do it in a heartbeat.

 

[KING RAT]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

how's your restore going ,want to know.

 

[tboltmike]

Re: 1970 Arrowglass Restore/Revive

There is an active Arrow Glass Forum. One of the factory engineers moderates and one of the owners son visits along with seveal ex dealers. Some projects include rebuilding the stringers and floors. In the '70's AG was the Buick and Sea Ray was the Cadillac. AG was considered seveal notches above Glastorn in some circles. However, a strike killed the company at the height of their popularity.