23' Lone Star Cruise Liner Conversion...adding strength?

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Hey guys, I've been looking around this place for a while, but this is my first post. Here's a little backstory:

I had been looking for a 23' Cruise Liner for a few years. Had to be one of the early 60's models with the smooth hull and no fins. I had this crazy idea that the hull would look great with the roof removed. Well, what do you know...early last summer I found my Cruise Liner.

My wife had never been a big fan of these boats. She just couldn't visualize what I was going for. As it happens, this one was already about there. It had been redone in the 90's...converted to an open bow type setup. The interior was in decent shape and according to the seller, the twin Johnson 70s ran great. My wife took one look at the pictures and told me to make him a offer. :D

Next thing you know, we were driving from Kentucky to Pennsylvania to buy the boat. All in all, the boat was in pretty clean shape. The seller told me that he hadn't owned the boat long, but that the guy he bought it from was the grandson of the original owner, and that the boat had been around the Chesapeake most of it's life. It was obvious that the boat had hit something pretty hard at some point, right in the center of the keel. They actually had a patch bolted and sealed onto the underside of the hull. There was also a hook in the hull...appeared to be a combination of poor support on the trailer, and whatever they hit. All that said, after 3yrs of looking, and many hours of driving, we brought the boat home with us. (plus I run a fabrication shop...so I can work with metal.)

Cruise Liner.JPG

We got back on a Friday night, and by the next morning I had the engines all tuned in and we were ready to try the boat out. We ran the boat all summer on the Ohio River and had a blast. The only downside was, I could tell I was going to need to do some structural work come winter. Toward late summer, I finally cut a hole in the center of the floor (above that keel patch) because there was a knock coming from under the floor, and it just kept getting louder with every big wake we hit. I had to see what was going on.

As it turns out, whatever this boat had hit, broke a transverse stringer. That keel patch...it was there to secure a 4x4 that they used to support the keel and connect the hull of the boat to some 2x4s that they had bolted across the broken stringer section. I guess it was a decent temporary amateur repair job...but it wasn't right. We only took it out a couple more times after that discovery (and we took it reeeeally easy).
Phone Pictures 883.jpg

It has been a busy winter, but with boating season coming up, I dug right into it the other day. Pulled the floors, chipped out two contractor bags worth of "Great Stuff", and finally got a good look at what all was going on. Unfortunately, every transverse stringer on the boat has a crack in the center. One has an additional crack (completely broken) on the port side. All of the rivets on the port side of these stringers have either pulled out or pulled a chunk of stringer with them (though they are still in the hull). It appears that the rivets pulling out was a combination of corrosion and improper repairs to the hull. The only up-side is, the hull itself shows no real signs of corrosion anywhere. I'm thinking that they must have used a less corrosion resistant alloy for the stringers. Further...I checked the stringer thickness...They are only 16GA! No wonder they have all cracked.

Anyhow, now you know the story...but I'm not giving up. I am trying to decide between fabricating new stringers of the same design, but out of thicker material...or just scrapping their design and making stringers out of square tubing. If anyone has any thoughts or advice, it would be appreciated. Also trying to decide if I want to add some thickness to the hull while I'm working on it.

I'll get some pictures of the carnage soon.


Thanks,
Phillip
 
No love for the fins of the late 50's, huh?! Have a 58 waiting on my attention some day - I appreciate your pictures and comments on the stringers. Good knowledge to tuck away for the future.

Just curious - with those twin 70's what speeds were you seeing and how did it handle with that relatively flat hull?

Thanks!
 
I definetely have love for the fins...just not for this project. :wink:

I could honestly say that if it was a normal lake boat, the stringers would likely be fine. I've seen alot of other ones that were in perfect shape. I just tend to build my stuff excessively strong...for tsunamis and such. :D

I'm still trying to pin down my max speed. The hook in the hull has been bad enough that my max speed was actually achieved with about 1000lbs more that usual in the boat. That said, the boat handles GREAT and rides very well in rough water (when it has enough weight in it to overcome the hook in the hull). All said...it's a very good hull design. Just need to get mine right again.

So far, max speed has been around 35-37 mph...but the props were slipping a fair bit.

-Phillip
 
[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=346143&sid=526b82c4ee5c4465f73613e2d51f7de1#p346143 said:
Kentuckydiesel » 24 Mar 2014, 20:49[/url]"]I definetely have love for the fins...just not for this project. :wink:

I could honestly say that if it was a normal lake boat, the stringers would likely be fine. I've seen alot of other ones that were in perfect shape. I just tend to build my stuff excessively strong...for tsunamis and such. :D

I'm still trying to pin down my max speed. The hook in the hull has been bad enough that my max speed was actually achieved with about 1000lbs more that usual in the boat. That said, the boat handles GREAT and rides very well in rough water (when it has enough weight in it to overcome the hook in the hull). All said...it's a very good hull design. Just need to get mine right again.

So far, max speed has been around 35-37 mph...but the props were slipping a fair bit.

-Phillip

The Chesapeake will do that to a boat. This is a really cool project, I'd love one of these for a big water duck boat!
 
[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=346386#p346386 said:
ShipwreckStew » 26 Mar 2014, 13:48[/url]"]Awesome boat, looks like the picture of it on the water is 18 mile island.

Haha, good eye! That's 18 mile island alright. =D>

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=346394#p346394 said:
SF Flats Fisher » 26 Mar 2014, 14:18[/url]"]Really cool looking boat you have yourself. I'd like to see a center console version :O

There was one for sale on Michigan Craigslist that a guy had converted to a center console. I thought it looked a kinda goofy, but I'm sure some things could have been done to dress it up a little.

Apparently Lone Star had also made an open workboat version of the Cruise Liner that they called the Trojan. I have seen a number of references to it, but I have yet to find a picture of one.

-Phillip
 
I'm on that part of the river all the time, I'd recognize that stretch anywhere, look forward to seeing your project and maybe I'll see you out there this spring/summer.
 
Thanks for the complements. :)

Any chance someone might know what series aluminum Lone Star used in their hulls?

Thanks,
Phillip
 

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