Winter is for restoration work and getting ready for spring and summer fun. Quite a few new customers have found projects to fill their indoor hours with fascinating challenges. Last fall our 60 Chrysler went to Denver, Colorado and a`60 comet went to Long Island, New York. Last summer, Stephen Rossoff, the carpenter off Sophie, Greta Van Sustren’s fabulous Trumpy Yacht, decided to take on the restoration of our 1939 Chris Craft 17’ standard utility. This model was a favorite of company founder, Chris Smith, because of its plain simplicity and direct purpose. He liked the no frills, work boats the best. Steffan had to delay picking up the boat because he was busy finishing his own live aboard Pembroke Cruiser. Steffan is a dynamo of energy and was thrilled to have this challenging project.
Two desirable restoration projects, a `50 Chris Craft Special Runabout, and a`55 CC Capri went to a wise purchaser in Maine. If only we could find more of these great treasures.
A real nice `56 Dodge Royal Lancer 4 door hardtop in presentable condition was found in the La Plata, Md. area in September. Yellow and white, what a great `50’s combo and it is smooth, quiet and ready to drive. The new upholstery and carpets along with a thorough cleaning, new fluids, and a complete tune-up made this beauty ready for fun! Then the 2 tone 4 door parts car was found, too good for parts. Only 12 days of work was required to get it running and driving. Sometimes our beloved pieces of the past are uncooperative, but we don’t give up and now it’s fast, starts right up, too. A cool 2 tone green, presentable interior, mint dash and exterior chrome; this is a nice car to fix up!
Last year we restored a `15 foot Lyman with a windshield. It was very beautiful. The athletic director of the U.S. Naval Academy called about the boats on the website and brought his family for a look. We completed it for them, fully tested; they towed it to Maine and used it all summer on a lake. They said the boat gathered a crowd wherever they went, land or water. They did find peace and silence in the far coves of the lake. They raved about the fun they had, how great she ran and all.
Well, we’re doing another one. Lazslo is back from his plumbing career and we’re sanding for the final coats on the inside and the outside is just about done. I love installing new stainless rubrails on a beautifully varnished boat and of course all the finishing details. Then, much later, out on the water, it feels like varnished furniture, serving you well with great beauty, precision and versitility. The Lyman ranks high in providing the maximum variety of water exploration opportunities. Anywhere you go, the shallow areas offer the greatest potential for genuine wildlife and enviornmental observation. Here at Old Time World, we have nearby wildlife areas that are fun to see on boats. We arrange tours for visitors with boats, ready to use, to go to my nearby park, launch, park the trailer, then enjoy the day and return. The pristine river areas have few other boats. You need to get out there; there are many areas where a light rod will yield a tasty catch. I have no idea why just sitting on a boat in the shallows is so relaxing, but it is!
Huge things have happened in Whirlwind World, the newsletter started by Bob Orgain. The Whirlwind Story book has nearly doubled in size with 10 full size color pictures, 11 fold outs of factory literature, and 65 pages of both sides telling everything including all Bob’s Newsletters. Recently I discovered the story of the 25, L16 racing sailboats, 26’ O.A., made by Allied Aviation, Whirlwind’s forerunner.
Someday I hope to find a Whirlwind canoe. Ed Abramowitz told of making them but never having any profit. I’ll bet they were great!
Meanwhile the restoration of a hopelessly gone 12’ fishing boat has reached the interior varnish done, stage. The basic beauty is there, now. It does look great, in spite of a few disc sander marks. There were many soft spots in the hull, after the paint was removed, so many, in fact, it was decided not to stain before the CPES application. Rot areas absorb stain and darken and become unsightly. I know this because I am old and have seen this happen. Therefore I elected to seal with heavy applications of CPES before staining. It worked great.
I guide owners and restorers on these advanced techniques. After a one time fee, I guide work with regular e-mail exchanges. Amazing results are achieved.
Kevin Nicholson of Chesapeake Beach, Md. called me last fall and said he was ready to begin the restoration of his `57 14’ Whirlwind he had stripped down. There were many soft areas due to storage in adamp areas near the woods. As the disassembly phase commenced it was found that virtually every part of the boat was rotten. Looking at the pile of crumbling parts, Kevin told me he had become interested in a clean `58 16’ whirlwind I had on display in the boat arena. He and Pam decided it would make a much better investment. That weekend he and son Kenny sanded the bottom and topsides down to clean fresh wood, Boy does it look great! Now they’re ready to start with the stain and CPES. Old Time World has free information on Clear Penetrating Epoxy and many other marine products, if you’re interested.
Some customers buy their dream boat or car, with time payments. John Knox of North Carolina is buying a `62 Cadillac Sedan de Ville and Bruce Wylie of whitehall, Arkansas has a deposit on the `56 Sedan de Ville. Some people repeatedly call about a particular treasure but can never actually send the money; it’s funny how people are.
Starting in October, 5 big cruisers were placed on display in the arena. The 1948 Owens triple Stateroom Cruiser received a complete cleaning from stem to stern, new carpets and all woodwork polished and sturdy boarding stairway installed. The electrical system was activated, stereo and lights and lovely interior appointments put in place. When you come by we’d be glad to show it to you. The 1940 Chris Craft 33’ Sport Cruiser is set up in a similar way, for your enjoyment.
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