New Boat For Christmas

[wooky30014]

Greetings Yall. I got a new boat for Christmas, well it's new to me anyway, I've got it beat by a year in age and can't find much info about her. A 20-foot 1961 Albright Cabin Cruiser with an 85hp Force outboard hung on a bracket. She's in fantastic shape, good deck and transom. She's what I had in my head for a long time, WAS even working on another boat project until I realized that even 5 years from now I wouldn't be finished so when I saw this one for sale I pounced on her.

I'm going through the engine even though it was running good I wanted peace of mind. All 3 carbs, fuel pump, water pump have been overhauled, fine tuning adjustments are next along with a new helm switch panel and ignition switch with electric choke capable. She still has what looks like a factory original pump toilet that will be removed due to the legalities of having one without a blackwater tank. I'll cap the thru-hulls for the time being. The woodwork on this vessel is in outstanding condition, don't know any of her history or where she was used or stored and am convinced this is how she was built due to that and the matching wood framed windshields, though the door looks to need a coat of varnish

Inside the cushions have a couple of worn places, taped up, but still in great shape, and yeah, those curtains will HAVE to go LOL

I'm curious, does anyone here have any knowledge of the Albright Boat Company of North Carolina ? I can't find any but a couple of mid '50s runabouts. I can't wait for warmer weather and the lake to fill back up. It's 5 miles down the road to the nearest ramp / marina

 

[tpenfield]

How did Santa Claus get that thing down the chimney ???


I'll look up on my MIC database to see if there is any info about Albright.

 

[tpenfield]

Did you check on the fiberglassics.com website ? There is an 'Albright' listed, . . .

http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/index.php?title=Albright

 

[wooky30014]

LOL well since I don't have a chimney ole Santa had to back it through my double gate (good thing I left it open for him eh ? ) That site you listed was the only one that I found, thanks, it shows two 20 ft Cruisers but no pics, AH such is the life of owning a rare water creature LOL

 

[MRS]

Nice boat there friend had a lone star that looked almost like yours we had a lot of staying on the lake weekends. And yes those curtains have to go!

 

[wooky30014]

Thanks MRS, my very first boat was a '57 LoneStar I bought from an Uncle and he also had a LoneStar cruiser that looking at the bow reminded me of an airplane. My friends called my LoneStar the "Batboat" from the tailfins it had

 

[stalker]

nice looking Boat

 

[wooky30014]

Thanks stalker, she will be perfect for our needs here though the Admiral would have preferred a 'toon boat. She says that a V-hull is only going to throw her out into the water LOL

 

[wooky30014]

Oh, I went looking and found this, if I didn't know better I'd swear that it was my Uncle's LoneStar boat, same color and patina, even the trailer's hubcaps were stamped and painted "LoneStar" . You can see the "wings" from the front view

 

[cptbill]

Nice boat, Did it come with the belly dancer that was wearing those purple shears?

 

[wooky30014]

Nice boat, Did it come with the belly dancer that was wearing those purple shears?

Sshhhh, don't say that too loud, the Admiral might hear ya Seriously though, those look like they came out of a cheap New Orleans brothel LOL. I know those Ladies gotta make a living too but not on my boat Back in the day / a previous life, LOL, I'd have welcomed a or two aboard, the more the merrier, but not now, not my style unless the Admiral wore one

On another note, I've got the water pump changed out and the foot back on the engine, had to slip the prop on and turn the shaft to get the splines lined up and it all simply slipped into place WOO HOO all the splines have been given a smear of Neverseize (something that wasn't done by any PO) so they aren't "dry" now. Ready for some adjustments to be made now or do the electrics needing to be done

 

[Texasmark]

Oh, I went looking and found this, if I didn't know better I'd swear that it was my Uncle's LoneStar boat, same color and patina, even the trailer's hubcaps were stamped and painted "LoneStar" . You can see the "wings" from the front view
View attachment 355223

I remember the ones with the wings. Tail fins were bad enough but the wings....can't imagine what they were like in heavy seas...bone jarring for sure and whether or not the "chopper gun" glass would hold up was anybody's guess.

Course on the cars, 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door hard top and Chevrolet Bel Air 2 door Hard top in Sea Foam Blue (Turquoise) and White, matching interiors.......would make a guy's (and his girl friend's) heart stop beating...especially the Chevy with the 265 V8, dual glass packs, second gear winding out....no sweeter music there ever was (well maybe the Eagles)......geez, what I would have done for some money back then....when all I had was mamma's '51 Ford Custom 2 door when she let me use it.

 

[wooky30014]

I remember the ones with the wings. Tail fins were bad enough but the wings....can't imagine what they were like in heavy seas...bone jarring for sure and whether or not the "chopper gun" glass would hold up was anybody's guess.

Course on the cars, 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 2 door hard top and Chevrolet Bel Air 2 door Hard top in Sea Foam Blue (Turquoise) and White, matching interiors.......would make a guy's (and his girl friend's) heart stop beating...especially the Chevy with the 265 V8, dual glass packs, second gear winding out....no sweeter music there ever was (well maybe the Eagles)......geez, what I would have done for some money back then....when all I had was mamma's '51 Ford Custom 2 door when she let me use it.

OH there were boats back then that had bigger fin than my little runabout and even more resembled cars with mounted headlights and I've seen pics of one with Chevy type teardrop "taillights", don't know if the worked but it was being pulled by a matching paint '59 Impala.

My Uncles cruiser was used back in the '70s, he pulled it down here to Ga from Ky and back. Several years ago at his funeral, while wandering around his land (he lived in the same house as far back as I can remember) guess what was tucked in one of his sheds, yep the LoneStar cruiser right next to the 70 model truck he used to haul it around, no floorboards in the truck due to salty winter roads but they would start up

 

[wooky30014]

Started the adjustments today, not a lot accomplished due to needing a new eccentric roller for the throttle gizmo. I got some more fuel hose clamps in and changed out one last hose, not sure of its function but it goes from the bottom of the air intake baffle over to the bottom of the reed assembly. I also killed a little time just before dusk by marking in the lettering on one of the riveted-on steps, I'll do a better touchup with some paint and a brush

 

[wooky30014]

Got the fuel line at the tank sorted today, as it turned out the squeezy bulb that came on her had dry rot cracks, nope nope, not running it like that BUT I did rob the valves out of the thing made out of metal and still working good, the packrat in me has set them aside, one way fuel valves. Why can't they make these things like they used to ?

Started taking the loo out (aka the head) it has some nasty water in it and the pump still pumps . . . . . . right back into itself lol. Once I get it completely out I'll measure the hose outlets and get something to plug them up

 

[wooky30014]

Last night I got some of the new wiring ready, key-switch wired to a terminal bar so it can be mounted anywhere within the helm cabinet and control cable hooked up to the bar. I pulled the dash panel today to reconfigure it, right now one gauge in the upper right, another dead center, ignition switch lower right with 3 toggles and horn button in lower left. I'll see about getting 2 different gauges to match the new looking Tach. OH, ALL wiring connections will be soldered and with ring type ends to cut down on any possible corrosion

The "facilities" are no more, Das Schiffstoilette aka the poopengrueven has been pulled and for the moment is a curiosity for our 4 chihuahuas. Now to find and get caps for the thru hulls.

 

[wooky30014]

I've been tinkering but it's been a wee bit nippley outside last few days. I've got a new dash panel cut and first coat of poly-stain on it. I also pulled the rest of the wooden frame that the loo was mounted to, thru hulls are out so I can go get the smaller plastic one replaced and with a threaded cap and the larger which is bronze get a threaded cap for it as well and a tube of 5200 to seal them up forever. I'm wondering something maybe one of you out there might know, the wood in this boat, I have no idea what kind it is but I've come across it in a couple of places already. The cabin's bulkhead including the helm, looks to also be the stringers and finally the spacer ring at the bronze thru hull, something I figured would be rotted but looks like it was installed last week and not 60 years ago. The wood has a reddish tint but has no smell. I also don't know what kind of wood was used in the 50s and 60s that was very rot resistant. Again, I'll get a pic shortly and post it

 

[wooky30014]

OH, something I forgot to mention, the electric feed wire that I was going to use has been set aside. Looked up some specs and I got the correct sized battery cables (4 gauge) and wired up the Perko switch, I've got power terminals coming to hook the primary connections so that either battery could be used to crank the engine with the 10 gauge feeding the main buss in the helm. There are two buss bars, one for hot and one for ground but I have a second power terminal coming and that is where I'll be pulling feeds from for lights, gauges, etc. clean up the wiring in there

 

[wooky30014]

Here are the pics of the wood that is all over / in my boat. This is what was the dashboard of the helm and while I'm thinking about it, no pics of this but on both sides of the stern there are two wood "pads" with eye hooks attached, no clue what they were used for. The wood has a varnish finish on them, is weathered but no signs of any rot
The cut edge

And what was the back side of the helm dashboard

Can anyone tell what kind of wood this may be, from around 1961 when the boat was built

 

[wooky30014]

Here are some more pics, I've been working on the dash panel for the helm and am awaiting two gauges to be finished. A couple of the toggles are piggy-backing off the switch panel such as the running/anchor lights are the white stern and the all-around lights with the top toggle lighting the bow lights. One toggle will be for the battery compartment
One of two at the stern, can anyone say what it was used for and what type of wood, looks to be similar to the interior wood

The dash panel, waiting for the temperature and voltmeter, I need to see if the boat has an audible temp warning as well

The thru hull fittings with hose barbs cut off for the threaded caps. I can't believe that NOBODY in town carries 3M5200. I ordered some that will be here on Wednesday