Johnny Too Bad
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2009
- Messages
- 107
Hello All! First off I'd like to thank everyone on iBoats for the wealth of information I've already gleaned from pouring over the countless threads in this forum, and all the patience and help I'm sure I will require as I document my first restoration.
I had been looking for a 1957-1960 Lone Star Malibu to restore, when I found my 1959 Texas Maid 14' aluminum runabout. No, motor, no seats, no windshield, but the hull is in great shape and she's exactly what I was looking for.
She came on a homemade trailer that had seen its better days. First order of business was to swap trailers and get her home while I looked for a motor. I had a 2002 galvanized trailer I've been using on an old 1972 Mon Ark jonboat that I've had since I was 15. All in all, a pretty easy swap with a few adjustments to convert the trailer to handle the new lady's v-hull.
Next on the list was to find a motor. I was wanting to keep her consistent and was looking for a '57-'59 Johnson or Evinrude from 35-50hp.
The first motor I looked at was a Johnson Super Seahorse 50hp. They lovingly nicknamed these behemoths the "Fat Fifty". Now I know why. That thing was huge! Way too big for my little runabout. With Fiberglassics.com not fully back up, the info on these Texas Maids is sparse. I was able to determine that the model I have is rated for a 45hp max.
Luckily, after a couple of weeks of searching, I found two 1959 Evinrude Lark 35hp motors listed on Craigslist on the same day. Jackpot!
One was local and the other was only 120 miles away. The one that was 120 miles away ran, came with controls and looked to be in pretty good shape. The other looked good, but didn't have controls and although it turned over, one cylinder wasn't firing. It also came with a manual that the PO bought when he tried to get it running. I figured for $80 it was well worth it, even if I just used it for parts. Suffice it to say I've already returned my money from that investment. More on that in a bit.
After getting both motors home, I swapped a few little things so that all the best parts would be on the motor that runs. So far, so good.
Then I ran into what was to be my first, and undoubtedly not my last, little snag. The PO of the boat had beefed up the transom to run a 2003 50hp Yamaha. It now has a 20" transom. The motor I have is a short shaft motor. It looked like I would have to cut the transom down to 15" to make it fit. But wait ... the parts motor I bought has a long shaft. Perfect. I could swap the two and put the long shaft on the good motor. So, that's what I did. It took the better part of a week, but it should work out just fine.
In retrospect, it was probably a good thing, because once I had them apart I swapped some gears and replaced a seal and some bearings. The bearings weren't terrible, but were worn enough in one spot that they could eventually create a problem. BTW, thank god for the manual that came with the parts motor. It would have taken a lot longer than a week without it.
So, between the two, I now have one pretty strong motor ... at least in a test barrel. Let's hope it translates to the lake when I get it put on the boat.
Next order of business is to fabricate the steering cable motor bracket, clevis kit, support tube and transom block clamp. The PO had installed a Teleflex helm with rack steering, and I have to retrofit the 59 Evinrude because it wasn't built with a tilt tube. Thanks to Willclay for sending me specs that Teleflex no longer has on their website and to tashasdaddy for writing so extensively on the best way to convert these old outboards to radial steering. As an aside, I would have just as soon kept the old cable and pulley steering, but, like I said the PO had already converted. Regardless, I should have the hardware ready for installation by next week.
Before I install the motor, steering and controls, I have decided to have her soda blasted. I did some sanding last night, and with the two layers of paint on top of the original paint and primer, it would take forever to get her ready for new paint. So, I'm going to bite the bullet and get her taken down to metal Saturday morning. I'll post pics of the finished product as soon as I can.
Well, that's where I am right now. I apologize for being so verbose in my first posting. I will try to keep it more succinct in future updates. All feedback is welcome.
Thanks again, and I look forward to sharing this experience with those of you who love these old boats as much as I do.
JTB
I had been looking for a 1957-1960 Lone Star Malibu to restore, when I found my 1959 Texas Maid 14' aluminum runabout. No, motor, no seats, no windshield, but the hull is in great shape and she's exactly what I was looking for.
She came on a homemade trailer that had seen its better days. First order of business was to swap trailers and get her home while I looked for a motor. I had a 2002 galvanized trailer I've been using on an old 1972 Mon Ark jonboat that I've had since I was 15. All in all, a pretty easy swap with a few adjustments to convert the trailer to handle the new lady's v-hull.
Next on the list was to find a motor. I was wanting to keep her consistent and was looking for a '57-'59 Johnson or Evinrude from 35-50hp.
The first motor I looked at was a Johnson Super Seahorse 50hp. They lovingly nicknamed these behemoths the "Fat Fifty". Now I know why. That thing was huge! Way too big for my little runabout. With Fiberglassics.com not fully back up, the info on these Texas Maids is sparse. I was able to determine that the model I have is rated for a 45hp max.
Luckily, after a couple of weeks of searching, I found two 1959 Evinrude Lark 35hp motors listed on Craigslist on the same day. Jackpot!
One was local and the other was only 120 miles away. The one that was 120 miles away ran, came with controls and looked to be in pretty good shape. The other looked good, but didn't have controls and although it turned over, one cylinder wasn't firing. It also came with a manual that the PO bought when he tried to get it running. I figured for $80 it was well worth it, even if I just used it for parts. Suffice it to say I've already returned my money from that investment. More on that in a bit.
After getting both motors home, I swapped a few little things so that all the best parts would be on the motor that runs. So far, so good.
Then I ran into what was to be my first, and undoubtedly not my last, little snag. The PO of the boat had beefed up the transom to run a 2003 50hp Yamaha. It now has a 20" transom. The motor I have is a short shaft motor. It looked like I would have to cut the transom down to 15" to make it fit. But wait ... the parts motor I bought has a long shaft. Perfect. I could swap the two and put the long shaft on the good motor. So, that's what I did. It took the better part of a week, but it should work out just fine.
In retrospect, it was probably a good thing, because once I had them apart I swapped some gears and replaced a seal and some bearings. The bearings weren't terrible, but were worn enough in one spot that they could eventually create a problem. BTW, thank god for the manual that came with the parts motor. It would have taken a lot longer than a week without it.
So, between the two, I now have one pretty strong motor ... at least in a test barrel. Let's hope it translates to the lake when I get it put on the boat.
Next order of business is to fabricate the steering cable motor bracket, clevis kit, support tube and transom block clamp. The PO had installed a Teleflex helm with rack steering, and I have to retrofit the 59 Evinrude because it wasn't built with a tilt tube. Thanks to Willclay for sending me specs that Teleflex no longer has on their website and to tashasdaddy for writing so extensively on the best way to convert these old outboards to radial steering. As an aside, I would have just as soon kept the old cable and pulley steering, but, like I said the PO had already converted. Regardless, I should have the hardware ready for installation by next week.
Before I install the motor, steering and controls, I have decided to have her soda blasted. I did some sanding last night, and with the two layers of paint on top of the original paint and primer, it would take forever to get her ready for new paint. So, I'm going to bite the bullet and get her taken down to metal Saturday morning. I'll post pics of the finished product as soon as I can.
Well, that's where I am right now. I apologize for being so verbose in my first posting. I will try to keep it more succinct in future updates. All feedback is welcome.
Thanks again, and I look forward to sharing this experience with those of you who love these old boats as much as I do.
JTB
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