New guy on the dock....

[ClassiCruiseR]

hi everyone,
i just found this site and thought ide join to share progress on my '64 marinette express cruiser.

she has twin buick 215cid aluminum v8s in her, and is 31' with a 10 1/2' beam, she sleeps six has full head and galley, and im currently in the process of rebuilding her to her former glory......

she also has a fully welded aluminum hull, made from 5086 marine grade aluminum....

if there any aluminum boat fans out there, ide love to compare notes......i should be ready to paint the bottom sometime this summer...

 

[Chris]

Welcome aboard CC!

Thanks for joining up.

Are you restoring your cruiser from top to bottom?

 

[RNC]

Welcome new guy the closest thing I got to a aluminum baot is a John boat no help from me but good luck. I would like to see some pics

 

[ClassiCruiseR]

Welcome aboard CC!

Thanks for joining up.

Are you restoring your cruiser from top to bottom?

yep, from the ground up, inside and out......lol, i didnt have enough experience to realise the size of the project until i was already into it.....but im having fun and learning alot !

actually, the boat hasnt been too big of a hassle so far, the biggest "setback" if thats the right word to use has been building a suitable trailer for her....i looked and looked for one, but just couldnt stomach dropping 3 or 4 grand on a used one, a good used one i should say ! so i bit the bullet and bought a pair of 7k axles (boat is 10,500-trailer probably 2,000 when done) and started drawing up plans....hopefully ill have the trailer finished and the bottom prepped and finished before end of summer.
then on to the rest of her, ive got most of the interior out now and am going to be refinishing alot of mahagony and teak this summer also !

im doing most of the work myself.....just cant see paying someone to do something im able to do myself...lol, plus ide like to keep that 75-100 an hour in my pocket.

you guys mainly into check-mates ?....i had a 19' open bow a couple summers ago, the old stringer outdrive finally gave way and it was next to impossible to find parts for it.....was a fun boat though !

 

[Chris]

Some of us are Check fans.

Basically, some of us from the Checkmate-Boats.com site had the idea to start up this forum so we would have a place to discuss all our other non-Checkmate floating toys.

And also, from time to time, some of our members sold their Checkmates and moved to other brands and didn't feel they had a home on the Check site.

So the idea for this site was that it would be geared to anyone who enjoys boating of any type, in any shape or form. So no matter what someone enjoys floating around in, they would be welcome here to share their boating experiences and love of the water.

With regard to your boat, being that it's aluminum at least that seems like it would be easier to fix up the hull cosmetically versus 'glass.

Most of the restorations that we see get done, the most timely aspect is repairing and replacing wooden stuff, like stringers, transoms and floors.

So at least you can bypass most of the itchy work!

 

[ClassiCruiseR]

yea, i agree i lucked out on that aspect ! i dont think im going to miss anything to do stringers or a glass bottom
aluminum is a bit needier in ways after splashed, but all in all i think she is perfect for what im looking ot do....

most of my boating will be below hull speeds, but its nice to know that i'll be able to kick her on top of the water when i want, she should have around a 25-30kt top end......not the fastest thing out there, but for me plenty besides, thats 31' of boat....lol, not too sure i want to go fast very often anyway with fuel like it is....

 

[Chris]

What do you do, keep it somewhere in particular? Or do you trailer it from place to place? It would be a big rig to tow around!

 

[ClassiCruiseR]

right now she is up on blocks, i plan on keeping her at home when im done, or near done with work .....one of the bennys of having a huge yard !
right now she is at a friend of mines shop about 6 miles from me, when im done with her i'll tow her back and forth to the ramp, about 4 miles from my house.....i may need a crane to get her back out of the water, so she may stay in for awhile after i splash....

the maybe plan on trailering to local areas to me, jordan lake, lake whiley, etc...
the trailer isnt going to be a cross country rig, but should be good for short runs of 100 miles or less (i say that because im building it extra heavy duty, so mileage towing will be limiting factor)...its pretty open area around here so lots of good roads to drive on....im only about 1/2 mile off the river, but have to travel 4 miles to get to ramps....

i bought a ford f250 to haul her around with.....its a '78 camper special with tow ready 460......lol, after driving around in it a bit, i understand the reason for dual tanks !

the trailer is going to be more of a heavy duty cradle with wheels, i think getting the boat in the water wont be too big a deal....but getting her back out may need a crane

 

[Chris]

Cool.

RNC (Big Red) has a cool tow beast - it looks mean and sounds mean.