57 Chris Craft Cavalier

[TallTexan]

I was given a 1957 17ft Chris Craft Cavalier Motor runs, however the previous owner stripped the boat down to bar wood, then filled the holes with Bondo, after that he pushed out side and let it for 5 years (stripped)...Yep the bondo held moister to the wood and caused more rot, and not being coated with anything the outer surface of the plywood is all but gone.

He question is...Has any one ever re-skin a plywood boat. All of the chimes are in great shape. , and does any one know if the bow cover was plywood or wood stripping. I have seen both on the Cavalier.. The bow cover was removed and I will be having to make one

Thanks for any help
Allan

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...279a434717.jpg

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...e97c5c3511.jpg

And yes I had to take the junk to get the boat

[alan white]

Yes, that boat is a little rough.
You can reskin it. The question is whether yoiu have a clear idea what you're getting into. not much of value is left, so you're going to be spending many hours and a lot of dollars just bringing the boat up to zero value.
I don't question your courage or your resources, but maybe you need to know the facts before you begin to invest so much of your time in it.
Rebuilding from such a condition is dead simple, and is a good way to get some experience and satisfaction too. In hours, you don't want to know what will be involved, Materials tend to be expensive--- not so much the plywood and other wood, though that's not cheap, but all of those original parts and pieces you have to find out there, or have rechromed or rebuilt.
It could be you don't want to make it like an original Chris Craft, which is fine, as long as you understand that the boat will not have much resale value unless it's close to original in most every way.
Frankly, if the engine runs, and a lot of parts and pieces are still there, you could do very well parting it out, since a lot of guys out there are desperately looking for good parts. A Crusader 6 could bring good money, ditto the trans, shaft, prop, steering, windshield,accessories, copper fuel tank, and so forth.
I don't know if the front deck was stripped or plywood. You can tell if it was strips by looking at the frames, whether the deck beams have battens or batten cutouts (a couple of inches wide by 1/2" deep) every seven inches or so running fore and aft

[TallTexan]

Thanks
I will look closer at the beams tomorrow when I am at the lake house. the boat has ALL of the chrome and lights with it some of it was re chromed before he pushed out to rot. They were still in the boxes from the plating co it has so far found 3 props 2 spot lights and all kind of side stripping. All of the deck pads are still needing re chroming, and the white (with Lone Star on them) rubber is falling apart.

I will take a good hard look at her and decide if I will rebuild her or part her out and burn the hull

Allan

[PAR]

I've seen hundreds of boats like that, it's done, spent, cooked, over the bar, stick a fork in it . . .

Unless it has some special value (like previously owned by JFK), it's land fill material.

Sorry.

[Frosty]

You can tell all that from a photo taken from 50 feet away?

Its not such a crazy idea to renovate her. In comparison to building personal submarines and 400HP turbines in jet skis.

Its an ugly old tub , I think thats why I like it.

It's a planter.

[alan white]

Ah, but the parts, there's where the money is! It's absolutely masochism to own even a perfect mahogany runabout or speed boat. Boats like that are money pits like no other. First you build what amounts to a mahogany credenza and then you drop it in water for a few months. To build one up from lying in a field, that takes a special kind of courage, or something.

[PAR]

Yes, I can tell from a photo at 50' away. Having saved more then a few of these, I can tell quite a bit from the images. It'll make prrrrretty colors if set on fire.

That gift was poisoned.
Do it as PAR mentioned (and Alan backed indirectly), let it burn (by accident). And that was said by one who restored 13 vessels to become floating museum exhibits!