Pics of a 13' Speedliner h/w. Is this beautiful boat worth restoring?

[kc1964]

I acquired it just before a crunch truck would've made toothpicks out of it. I have never owned a boat before. This craft is so beautiful, to me but people say I am not right to begin with for buying such a thing, so I put it on a trailer and put it my drive. The lady of the house said i need to make it houseboat if I plan on keeping...yikes!

I've Google'd and not really found anything, so please any info or links or suggestion if restoration isn't completely batshiite crazy...but it looks like anybody who owns/restores something like these little wooden boats are listing to starboard to begin with.

What is something like this worth before after if nothing else I would like to find it a loving home, mine or someone else's depending on the lady of course. Just seems wrong for this boat to end up as firewood or a coffee table, ghastly.

;-)

TIA -KC in Shawnee, KS

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Pics of a 13' Speedliner h/w. Is this beautiful boat worth restoring?

Hi and welcome, KC,
I can't really say whether that boat is worth restoring or not...
two reasons...
1- I don't know very much about wooden boats
2- I don't own it
What I can tell you is this...
If you are in Love with it and absolutely, positively want to spend the time and money that it would take to make it like new, then you owe it to yourself to try...
You may succeed 100%, or fail...but however it turns out, you will learn a ton...
From this distance it is impossible to analyze whether or not the wood this cool looking boat is made out of is in good enough shape to restore or if it needs replacement.
Maybe you can find somebody locally that is a woodworker or a boatbuilder to give you a hands on opinion of the wood's condition...
Depending on the type of wood it is made from, if it needs replacement, the wood may cost more than starting from scratch with say, a kit boat...if the wood is in great shape, meaning it isn't starting to rot, and can be brought back to life with a bunch of elbow grease and some products after clean up to help preserve it, then it can be done...
Hopefully, one of the Wood Boat Gurus will chime in soon and give you some better advice...
Till then, I will just sit back and watch what develops...
Best of luck!
GT1M

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Pics of a 13' Speedliner h/w. Is this beautiful boat worth restoring?

Welcome to iboats KC

Likely a 1957 +/- SpeedLiner Caravelle:

There are other videos in this ^^ series, this was just the 1st to load. Watch several of them, they seem to have a pretty good handle on the 1 in the video.

General Marine bought the assets including the blueprints and maybe a great resource for info.

What's it worth. Not a great deal unless you HAVE to have it and can't live w/out it. Even exceptionally well done, factory faithful & accurate restorations won't demand as much as it likely costs to resto it.

Gotta want to do the resto work, and love doing it.

W/ the right outboard & setup it would certainly be a fun boat to pilot in calm waters. Wood boats are an entirely different breed of boat IMHO

Looks like the quality control inspectors are giving it a good going over & may have identified some areas of concern:

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Pics of a 13' Speedliner h/w. Is this beautiful boat worth restoring?

 

[kc1964]

Thanks, anyone else?

Thanks, anyone else?

Thanks so much for the responses!!

Yeah, I think I am 'in love." Yuck.

I would consider selling it to the right person, but I feel it in my bones, I have to otherwise restore it. A money hole, great. But I will be smiling while sailing into bankruptcy, but hey I'll have the BEST sleeping arraignments under the "bridge" with all the other crazy homeless guys.

If i am the least bit successful, I will drown on the maid voyage...only been on a couple of boats before in my entire life-I am almost 50. Jeez, I am so in need of institutionalization for even considering this!

So I posted comm to the YouTube site provided and to General Marine in Maine. I will keep this thread/folks updated on any info I receive incase someone else comes along after I am either murdered or die. LOL.

The video boat is large I think 18ft or greater...the one i have is 13". they say the 18ft does 55mph?? that sounds insane!

Thanks again for the responses!!

 

[kc1964]

Re: Pics of a 13' Speedliner h/w. Is this beautiful boat worth restoring?

GT,

thanks for the input.

The wood as best i can surmise, is mahogany (the videos/web tell me so) except where the outboard will set which has been replaced by 3/4 plywood.

All else is in great original shape, judging by the pitina of the wood the boat has been in a garage for a very long time. I'd guesstimate 30-40 years the dust grime is that thick. No wood rot except for the very top tip at front.

I will wait till i hear from "Wood Boat Gurus" thanks again!!

(see below post update from me)

KC

 

[46SpdTorp]

Re: Thanks, anyone else?

Re: Thanks, anyone else?

Be careful what you wish for on your maiden voyage! I "restored" a 12' Speedliner in 1976. On the first day out, I took a stupidly hard left and flipped it and sunk it. The gas tank was located up in front for better weight distribution (the boat only weighed 230 lbs) with the gas line snaked under my feet to the motor-the driver's position was in the rear cockpit. As I was underwater, with the boat above me, I remember wondering if my feet were caught in the line and if this was it for me. Luckily, there was no problem and it was simple to swim out from under it and up to the surface. So, good luck with your new love affair but keep your head!

Thanks so much for the responses!!

Yeah, I think I am 'in love." Yuck.

I would consider selling it to the right person, but I feel it in my bones, I have to otherwise restore it. A money hole, great. But I will be smiling while sailing into bankruptcy, but hey I'll have the BEST sleeping arraignments under the "bridge" with all the other crazy homeless guys.

If i am the least bit successful, I will drown on the maid voyage...only been on a couple of boats before in my entire life-I am almost 50. Jeez, I am so in need of institutionalization for even considering this!

So I posted comm to the YouTube site provided and to General Marine in Maine. I will keep this thread/folks updated on any info I receive incase someone else comes along after I am either murdered or die. LOL.

The video boat is large I think 18ft or greater...the one i have is 13". they say the 18ft does 55mph?? that sounds insane!

Thanks again for the responses!!

 

[kc1964]

Hard left.

Hard left.

46SpdTorp,

Be careful what you wish for on your maiden voyage! I "restored" a 12' Speedliner in 1976. On the first day out, I took a stupidly hard left and flipped it and sunk it. The gas tank was located up in front for better weight distribution (the boat only weighed 230 lbs) with the gas line snaked under my feet to the motor-the driver's position was in the rear cockpit. As I was underwater, with the boat above me, I remember wondering if my feet were caught in the line and if this was it for me. Luckily, there was no problem and it was simple to swim out from under it and up to the surface. So, good luck with your new love affair but keep your head!

Hmm. Glad it worked out as well as it did. So you're leaving me hanging...pun intended.

So was your Speedliner a wooden craft?

This 13' I have is very heavy, will that preclude flipping at lower speeds, say half throttle using something like the 55h Thunderbolt it is suppose to come with? I am still not even sure what motor, the one in the video uses the 55h so it is my baseline for now.

I have never piloted a boat such as this before (paddle boat comes to mind)- I am a long way from floating this beauty but I need all the info I can get...I think I was "Murphy" in a previous life and the karma lingers, yaknow?

FYI, I am still awaiting info from General Marine on exactly what type of craft I have, specs and such. You know I should call General Marine in Maine and report back.

Thanks again ya'll!!


KC
Shawnee, KS

 

[kc1964]

Re: Pics of a 13' Speedliner h/w. Is this beautiful boat worth restoring?

...Watch several of them, they seem to have a pretty good handle on the 1 in the video.

General Marine bought the assets including the blueprints and maybe a great resource for info.
...Looks like the quality control inspectors are giving it a good going over & may have identified some areas of concern:

Yes, I have watched all these in the series now, and unfortunately their boat has significant differences (IMHO-inexperienced eyes). Mine has only one tiny cockpit.

I am wondering if the numbers on the side of mine were stock from factory or it was actually raced? Were these lil wooden craft predecessor to the cigar boats with closed cockpits and such?

Lots of work to do but keeps me off the streets...LOL.
I do have some very fine little QC people - thanks for the reply! I will show them your approval...