Texas Maid or Lone Star???

[cardhost]

I just got an old aluminum boat and was told it was a 1958 Lone Star, then one of the past owners said it was a lot older than that and again, it was a Lone Star. The tags are all gone and the body emblem is missing.

But when I search for pictures, no Lone Star looks like this boat with the type of tail fins it has.

The boats that have this type of tail fins apear to be a Texas Maid Falcon.

Can anyone look at my pics and tell me what it is?

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Here are a few more pics...

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Welcome aboard, cardhost. Have you checked the library at fiberglassics,com? It does seem to resemble a Texas Maid. A good start for a finned tinny. Hope you find out what you have. It's tough to figure out who built some of these old ones.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Hi cardhost. Welcome. Cool little boat you got there. I'm jealous of the fins and cool, sea foam blue/green trim. GA_Boater is right, fiberglassics.com is probably the best place to start doing research. Click on the Gallery tab, Aluminum Boats, then look under the two brands you mentioned. There are tons of folks here that can walk you through any and all issues you may have. These old tinnies are great because they're so easy to work on. Only a few basic rules; NEVER use pressure treated wood. It will cause pitting in the aluminum hull. Instead use high quality, non-PT plywood coated with either wax-free polyester resin, then fiberglass, or epoxy and paint (for UV protection). Also be sure to use either stainless steel hardware and/or aluminum replacement rivets. 3M 5200 marine caulk should also be used with all fasteners, especially through hull hardware. Otherwise, the rest is pretty much up to you. Good luck. Holler if you get stuck. We love pics

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

KFA is totaly right about some Pressure Treated woods. Avoid them .
I use cheap 1/4 or 3/8" H D exterior plywood cut to shape. Add some HARD resin type 2x4's Cut to support the deck against the bottom skins. Have the same curved 1/2 moon supports from 30 years ago. LOTS OF PAINT COATS. I do the plywood cuts & painting in the winter. Carpet SPEEDS up wood rot. Paint & VERY COURSE grit from the Asphalt plant makes a great nonskid deck covering. No more hooks in the carpet either.

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Well, after finding a Texas Maid logo decal online, I went out to check the fin shapes and a few other things to compare with a 60's model I found online and that is when I found it...

A faint outline of an old sticker decal on the passenger side of the boat that had been painted over. It looks like it was peeled off and they painted over the glue residue. I found it to be the exact same shape of the Texas Maid logo decal.

Also, I seen on that other boat that the steering wheel was on the right and there was a manufacturer's VIN plate on the other side of the dash. On my boat, there is another hole in the dash with plywood behind it under the dash. Meaning, I can install the steering wheel on either side. There is also a duplicate controls mounting bracket on the left side as well. The manufacturer installed the VIN plate over that second hole and mine is missing.

Yeah! I now know what my boat is now. The boat is in great shape and only has a few dents in it and they are all in a place where the dents can be removed easily. All the original chrome parts and handles are still there too. But the wind blew my windshield off the boat (it was just sitting on top) and it broke in half when it hit the ground... As Homer says, DOE!!!!!!

My plans...

1) Remove all chrome parts and have them re-chromed.

2) Find a new windshield, hopefully from a company who can make one to match the factory windshield.

3) Bead-blast all the paint off the boat down to bare aluminum and remove the few dents that are on the side of the hull.

4) Paint the boat inside and out.

5) Move the steering and controls over to the left side of the boat (just to be different).

6) Install 3/4" closed cell foam from Lowe's or Home Depot on the floor between all the ribs to get a new smooth floor surface and still allow water to flow under it. Then install 3/8" marine grade plywood over the new foam covered floor, screwed down to the ribs so that the plywood will hold the curved shape of the floor. Then carpet over that. This is what I did in all my Jon boats and it works great and lasts forever.

7) Re-wire the whole boat.

8) Install a dash-mounted stereo system.

9) Install a full seal-back on the rear seat, the seat back will be the front wall of a new enclosure behind the seat to house the battery, fuel tank and additional storage for life jackets and such. This new enclosure will also have a hinged lid.

10) Install 2 new swivel front seats. The existing 2 seats are way too big for this boat.

11) Buy a new Mercury engine and install new controls.

12) Bead-blast the trailer, paint it, install new pads and rollers to match the hull of this boat and install new fenders.


Well, that is it for now. If anyone knows of a company who re-manufacturers classic windshields, please let me know. I only found 1 shop online so far and they run around $400 which isn't too bad considering.



Thanks,
Scott Moore

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

So what year is that finned magic you have there? Any idea what kind of power was offered when it came out new? I have a 61 Lone star that took some research to get details on but I'm glad I did. Mine actually came with factory twin outboards, and that will be how I splash her next summer, you can see the business end on my post picture. Good luck and have fun with your project.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

I seem to remember Texas Maid did the fin thing whereas Lone Star didn't; at least in their alum lineup. The year would probably be in 1957-'58. In '57 auto fins were hot, first big year as I recall, especially recall the Chrysler corp Plymouth Fury and the Dodges, DeSoto's fins. The boating guys followed the trend soon thereafter, but it didn't take but a couple of years for everybody to realize that fins on a car are one thing. On a boat they are a nuisance......so away went the fins.

Best I can do and I was boating So. Texas waters where both came from in my prime in those years.

I came back to this thread and have another comment. The way the sheet metal is designed in the area of the bow, looks like TM, not LS. Go to the LS unique boating section here and look in Fiberglassics at the old sales catalogs of LS. You can see the lack of similarity there.

Mark

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Glad you found your Texas Maid on fiberglassics. I don't know what your windshield looks like, but here is a source for new classic windshields http://retroboats.ca/boat_windshields.html Not cheap. If your frame is good there is another place that does replacement plexi and if I find it again I'll post the link.

kfa is giving great advise about no PT wood and using stainless. Good luck on your resto and get that finny floating again. Keep pics coming.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

I do love the dash mounted bottle opener.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

I do love the dash mounted bottle opener.

I completely missed that, Hawker. I thought it was a fish finder mount. This find gets better and better. You have to keep the bottle opener during the resto, Card.

 

[Ron Everson]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

It's definitely a Texas Maid Fiesta. I attached a pic of the one we used to own. Ours was a 1961 and was the same blue color on top, but had been painted with a brush at some point. Ours had portholes (painted over) and a front hatch. It was a little deeper than yours, & was 16' long.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Upon further review, I say it's a Bahama. 16 foot, no hatch in fore deck and no portholes. Card - How long is she, I didn't see in your post?

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

So what year is that finned magic you have there? Any idea what kind of power was offered when it came out new?

I have no idea, the guy I bought it from said it was a 1958, the owner before him said it was a 1956 and the owner before him said it was a lot older and thought it was a 1952 or something. I have 1 more past owner to talk to, hopefully they will know. As far as the power, no one knows.

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Keep pics coming.

Here are some pics showing the windshield. I have the boat stripped of everything but the motor and steering so far. When I get done removing those, I'll send update pics.

-

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

I completely missed that, Hawker. I thought it was a fish finder mount. This find gets better and better. You have to keep the bottle opener during the resto, Card.

LOL! I plan on keeping it, but I am moving it to the side after it gets re-chromed. I will be installing a stereo system in the dash where it is now.

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Upon further review, I say it's a Bahama. 16 foot, no hatch in fore deck and no portholes. Card - How long is she, I didn't see in your post?

You know, I never checked the length so I just came back inside from measuring it. It's 14' long from tip to stern.

 

[cardhost]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

I don't know what your windshield looks like, but here is a source for new classic windshields http://retroboats.ca/boat_windshields.html - Not cheap.

I also found another site at http://www.updplastics.com

They are $395 for clear and $20 more for tented.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Go to fiberglassics.com and check out the TM brochures...it's a TM all right, but not a Fiesta. Here's a pix of my TM Impala 15 foot tinny...had twins on it, now powered by 64 E-rude V4 60 hp.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Texas Maid or Lone Star???

Go to fiberglassics.com and check out the TM brochures...it's a TM all right, but not a Fiesta. Here's a pix of my TM Impala 15 foot tinny...had twins on it, now powered by 64 E-rude V4 60 hp.

My Lone Star "Fleetwood Sport" has the same twin 35's on her too! From the factory. I agree though this boat is not a Lone Star. My glasser is also a 61' and I dont see anything in Lone Star's stable that resembles this one.