60's Sportsman runabout

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bobberboy

Well-known member
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Joined
Apr 5, 2009
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Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota
MY APOLOGIES TO READERS: DUE TO NEW PHOTOBUCKET THIRD-PARTY HOSTING POLICIES THE PHOTO'S ACCOMPANYING THIS THREAD ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. WITHOUT THE PHOTO'S THE INFORMATION HERE HAS LOST MUCH OF ITS USEFULNESS SO PROCEED IF YOU WISH. GREED AND MONEY AS USUAL TRUMP EVERYTHING.


THIS PROJECT WAS NEVER FINISHED. SOLD ON 7/31/2015. THERE ARE STILL SOME THINGS TO SHARE SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, READ ON.

Seems like most people on this site are interested in their boats primarily for fishing. I recently received a 14' aluminum runabout made in the '60's that I want to fix up. I wish I could restore it to its former glory but am unable to find out anything about the boat beyond some basic info. I'm not sure whether this will be of general interest or not given that it won't be a fishing boat but It's aluminum and may be of interest to some.

So here's some history. The boat came to me by way of my partner T's dad who got it from his cousin. As I understand it, the boat has gone from Oklahoma to Colorado to Wichita where I picked it up over the weekend and now to Minneapolis. The boat is 13'-6" long and the beam is 61". It is a welded aluminum boat except for the bow deck which is fiberglass. It was manufactured by the Sportsman Boat Co., a division of Hastings Irrigation Pipe Co., Hastings, Nebraska. It's like swinada's Mirrocraft boat that was made by Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, a cookware company. In both cases the manufacture of boats was an offshoot from a company that was already manufacturing aluminum goods. The Hastings Pipe company is still in business and I'm writing them to see if there is any information available about their boats. I am pretty sure they're not made anymore but it would be fun to get some more background on the boat.

T's dad (Mike) got the trailer ready with new tires, temporary lights and 2" hitch. He repacked the bearings and the hubs stayed absolutely cool on the trip home. The only money into the boat so far is for the trailer - to the tune of about $200. Thanks to Mike.

I am trying to figure out based on some abandoned bolts and screws how it was configured. As you will see in the pics, it's now a 2-seater with a completely open back. There are several screws that seem to have once held structural or other parts (like maybe a back seat?). The boat sat uncovered for years so the carpet, plywood and foam are all shot. On the trip home the wind from towing the open boat pulled up everything behind the seats and did a lot of work for me. Luckily the outboard was on top of some of it and the seats created an eddy or I'd have left a 600 mile trail of debris.

Here are some pics beginning with the boat.

speedyside.jpg


speedyfront.jpg


You can see in these that the boat itself is in good shape with no dents, holes etc.

speedyrightfrontbottom.jpg


speedyrearrightbottom.jpg


speedyrear.jpg


The interior...

speedyseats.jpg


speedygarbagein.jpg


I do have to replace the transom. I don't know what kind of job it will turn out to be but there are lots of examples on this site to look at.

speedybilge.jpg


And a couple of details...

Perko steering and Johnson controls
speedysteeringwheel.jpg


Electric start and choke
speedykey.jpg


Nice original cleats and navigation light
speedybowdetails.jpg


The motor that came with it is an 18hp Johnson that was apparently converted from a tiller to remote steering. I don't know too much yet about its condition beyond what these pictures tell.
speedyjohnson18.jpg


I assume the "E" in the model # is for electric start
18nymodel.jpg


18ny.jpg


And a surprise inside...
18nybirdsnest2.jpg


18nybirdsnest1.jpg


Here's what I want to do. This won't be a restoration so I can do what I want. That's good. What I want to do is remake the boat in the spirit of a 50's-60's era boat. I don't know exactly yet but here are some ideas. The boat is parked right off my alley so the first thing is to get the windshield and any special parts like the cleats and nav lights taken off. Obviously all the guts have to come out and then I'm going to strip all the paint inside and out. There will be work making a new transom and removing any unnecessary screws and rivets and patching the holes. I want to paint it the colors of my dad's '58 Plymouth, turquoise and soft white. The turquoise will be from the chine to the gunnel and the stripe on the bow deck. The rest will be white.

58ply.jpg


On the inside I want to create "cockpits" like some of the 30's-50's boats had. I'll use mahogany for all those details including possibly making a mahogany slat-floor and spray rails.

speedy1.jpg


speedy2.jpg


The 18 horse Johnson is a long shaft so I'll probably replace it with a short shaft - the transom is 15". Also, the boat is rated for 40hp. I have been looking around and I'm interested in getting a restored 50's or 60's motor like one of these from smalloutboards.com.

1960VintageRestored40hpJohnson.jpg


1958VintageRestored35hpEvinrudeLark.jpg


1957VintageRestored35hpLarkEvinrude.jpg


I guess until I get started there's not much more to tell except the current name of the boat is "Shoe" which is based on the comic strip of the same name. I've heard it's unlucky to rename a boat so for now I'm leaving that one alone.

shoedecal.jpg


shoe.jpg


I really looking forward to this project. My others have been with new boats but this will really be a challenge. It's going to be sweet when it's done. More to come...
 
Great find, we are interested. This is Tinboats not fishing boats, lol. You have a gem on your hands. Love your plans and will follow the progress.
 
I will definitely be paying attention to this build.

I might have a line on a 60's 25hp short shaft that my buddy restored and never put in the water. I don't know many details, but it's in Ely and should see my buddy this week.

Keep us up to date, I really can't wait to see what you do with it!
 
Last week I mentioned to my wife that I would like to find a boat like the one in this thread and fix it up when I finish the current project, man did I get a dirty look.
 
devilmutt said:
Last week I mentioned to my wife that I would like to find a boat like the one in this thread and fix it up when I finish the current project, man did I get a dirty look.

Tell her to think of it as she might a new pair of shoes. I look on CL all the time and boats like mine are always listed for $200-$400. Fix it a little at a time and it won't hurt so much. My problem is that I have run out of room to store another boat. I am so lucky I don't own a barn...
 
What a great find! I love those runabouts, something special about the tin cans!

My hobby for years has been woodworking so I love your ideas on mahogany for the flooring and accents. Adding the Cockpit is perfect for that project too!

Here we used to have "Orlando Clippers" that were the same style as yours, several in my family owned them and they were great boats. I always have my eye open for one but now they are more collector items so people want a mint for them. I am subscribing to this thread, I really want to see what you do.

Bufford in Orlando
 
devilmutt said:
Last week I mentioned to my wife that I would like to find a boat like the one in this thread and fix it up when I finish the current project, man did I get a dirty look.
:LOL2: I feel your pain man!
 
I cleaned out the inside of the Sportsman tonight. Things were pretty rotten inside. The plywood was practically pulverized. When I was done, except for the seats and foam, it all fit into the trash bin.

P1012235.jpg


Here's the boat without the guts. In the next couple of days I'm taking it to the car wash to clean it up. Things look good inside. I was surprised to find some of the bracing near the bow was welded. I discovered the bow deck was aluminum after all. The way the paint was cracked it looked like fiberglass but I'm glad it's aluminum. I guess the next step then will be stripping the paint. My brother's coming down in a couple of weeks and we'll fill the boat with water (after I put a couple of straps around it), check for leaks and rebuck the rivets.

P1012240.jpg


P1012239.jpg


P1012236.jpg


P1012238.jpg


I looked online today and based on the model number found out the motor is a 1964. It was new with the boat so that dates the boat too. T's dad emailed me to say that the motor was remote steering from the start. I guess the same basic frame was used for both remote and tiller models. You can see on the right side of the motor where the tiller would have been and why I assumed it was converted. I've got a lot to learn about motors and it's another project I can start anytime. I am really excited to keep things moving along and there's a lot I can do right now without spending a load of dough.

18ny.jpg
 
you know, i just posted a couple of days ago and asked if anybody had ever made a tinnie into a pleasure boat. i guess i found my answer :lol:
 
i also will be following this thread closely i have a fishing boat and im looking to find something like this for my next project.
 
That is a sweet looking little boat. What a great project...I really like your plans for the "cockpits" and the mahogany trim work. Best of luck in getting it together!
 
I decided rather than risking my neck on the lake today I'd do some more work on the sportsman. I took it to the car wash and gave it a good cleaning inside, brought it home to dry and then got inside and started taking things apart.

I tipped the boat up to get it to drain completely and I was able to get a good look at the bunks on the trailer as well as the bottom of the boat. Except for the paint, the bottom of the boat was good. No dings or dents and especially no holes.

P1012254.jpg


P1012252.jpg


The bunk configuration was a bit of a mystery though it really doesn't matter since I'll be taking the trailer completely apart to paint. I have not seen a set-up quite like this before but given the condition of the boat bottom I'd have to say it works.

P1012249.jpg


P1012250.jpg


Next the windshield came off. It was pretty easy, only 6 bolts and some silicone holding it on.

P1012256.jpg


Based on what I found I'm guessing this is the second windshield on the boat. There was second row of holes in front of the ones where the windshield was currently bolted on that were clearly configured for another, earlier windshield. You can see in the photo the holes circled in red were where the current windshield was bolted on. Those holes are over-drilled and misshapen, not a factory installation. The holes circled in black were all drilled precisely and tapped for the original windshield. The current windshield was also on top of the gunwales at the sides and the void was filled with silicone, another non-factory job.

P1012262.jpg


I hope the windshield will clean up with that plastic polish made to use on headlight covers. It is pretty clear but there are some areas of crazing in the plexiglass. At least I know now that if I can't clean it up it is possible to retrofit another one.

Next came the misc. unused and abandoned screws - dozens of them. There was carpet strip of both sides to hold the old carpet and lots of other screws and bolts that used to hold god knows what. This is a typical example of the screw heads smeared with silicone that I removed.

P1012255.jpg


You can see in this photo (circled in red) that there are three sets of 3 bolts on each side that were abandoned. They must have been for seats or something structural. Given there is nothing connecting the two sides of the boat together between the bow deck and the stern, I have to believe there was something important in there someplace. I don't find any bends or stress cracks from the lack of structural connections so I guess all is well.

P1012276.jpg


I got really lucky on the transom as the back corner braces and caps are screwed on. This is going to make replacing the transom so much easier. I haven't really got into getting the old one out yet, but all the aluminum around it seems to be removable.

P1012264.jpg


The old cables and wiring harness.

P1012280.jpg


So another few hours and more crap in the dumpster. The more I clean off the more excited I get to start with the fixing.

P1012279.jpg


Speaking of which, I want to get a nice (automotive?) finish on the boat eventually. I'm thinking of taking it to have all the screw and bolt holes welded and then grinding them, bondo if necessary to smooth things out before primer and paint. Is this overkill? Most of the holes are for #6 or #8 screws, a few 1/4" for bolts. Will any of the filler-type products give me the kind of finish I'm interested in ?

The nest step now that the windshield is off will be to turn the boat over and start to strip the paint.
 
I started to strip paint tonight. I just used what I could find at Menard's - it was a marine/auto finish remover of some kind. Pretty nasty stuff. I'm surprised you don't have to file an environmental impact statement just to use it. One thing's certain, never in an enclosed area. If I use it again I think I'll get a hazmat suit. Anyway, here is a sample of the shiny aluminum beneath the paint...

P1010157.jpg
 

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