New guy with Vintage Tin

[Bananas]

Hey guys been lurking around the site for a few months, waiting to find a tin. Got a call a few weekends ago to come get my boat. Step dad picked it up to tinker with lost intrest in it and told me to come pick it up. This is my first boat, grew up around boats most of my life. Dad has always had crusers or power boats never anything aluminum. So this should be pretty interesting to watch lol, build will be kind slow just found out my GF is pregant :shock: that should be interesting too.

Anyways about the boat... it's a 1958 LoneStar Commander ( i think). The boat is 55 years old so... it's going to need some work lol.... ok a lot of work. The hollow keel on the bottom is pretty jacked up thats about the only real big problem i could find right now. Sure more will pop up as i move forward with the project.He did a water test on one of their tanks and she didnt leak, which is kind hard to belive. I'm going to be breaking this project up into three stages. First will be the trailer, she handled the 360 + mile trip back home like a champ. Only had one miss hap with a the Buddy Bearing coming off the hub. Spent 2 hours in a small texas town trying to fix it and replacing tires, which was good bc it put me behind the storms that hit Oklahoma. Had to end up using J B Wield to keep the Buddy Bearing on. Next will be the outside of the boat, striping down the old paint, going to try and remove some of the dents in the hull, and fixing some of the bonehead fixes the PO did to the boat. Then last will be the inside of the boat.
Have started striping down the trailer, removing the bunks and rollers. Wanting to see if the trailer is salvageable, lots of rust tons of rust. Looks like is was a tilt trailer at one time but the PO wielded it up.

This is one of the bonehead fixes by the PO

PO thought he didnt need to protect the bow, he just let it rest against the steel

And here is the damage to the hollow keel

 

[simbelle]

Hey Bananas; Welcome to the site :WELCOME:
At first look it seems like you have a pretty solid boat to start with, despite the leaks. Those older boat just look heavier and than the newer ones; At least more so than my mid 60's (I think) model Sears 12 footer ( probably more intended to be a row boat). I wouldn't fret over the keel damage looks smashed, but fixing any leaks in that area is your biggest concern, at least in my amateur opinion. You can reinforce the backbone if need be by removing rivets and fabricating aluminum sheet/ plate and over lapping it and either having it welded on or bolting/re-riveting it to the bottom (opinions very) or as I did running a piece of structural aluminum on the inside from across the stringers; But like I said, you may just need to make sure it doesn't leak. The gauges along the keel probably need to be cleaned, fill welded or filled with 5200 (5200 is your best friend) and covered with fabricated aluminum plate material of the proper thickness and riveted/ bolted/ welded on. Same for the bow. (again this is only my hillbilly engineering on pictures that I see; There are a lot more experienced and professional people on this site than I, who have more knowledge, money and access to tools material and help. So please don't take anything I say as the last word). As you pointed out, you need to remove all the bolts or what ever that are showing rust and even the ones that aren't if there are any. I'm sure you know, but I will reiterate that all fasteners need to be aluminum or stainless steel with Teflon washers were they come in contact with aluminum. The damage around the top of the gunnel ( at least the picture to me looks like its top of the gunnel close to the bow, but if it's the keel then previous fixes apply) isn't a great concern given that it's well above the water line. blind riveting and JB welding/marine tex some aluminum plate over it and marine texing over that; then sanding it down will make it disappear and no one will ever no the difference once its painted. Marine tex and fiberglass cloth can cover a lot of sins in my hillbilly opinion, as long as it isn't structural. There are different trains of thought as fare as dents go and I don't know what is true or not; But one says that you can't really pop out dents ; something to do with it will just come back or make it weaker or something (I forgot what I read or even if it's true or not) Either way you would have to fill in small indentations with something. I like Marine tex for such things and if it covered with either Gluvet or steel flex prior to painting I believe it will last a good long time without popping out, or cracking. Again, no proof, just hillbilly logic. Lastly, and I only say this because I see and read it a lot NO PRESSURE TREATED WOOD!

No pictures of your trailer, so you get a reprieve from my useless information and opinions: but it does bother me to hear that you JB Welded a Bearing Buddy to your hub!!

Again welcome to the sight. Good luck with the boat and the baby and congratulations on both these money eating projects. Both are a pleasure and there will come time when you want both of them gone, but then you will miss them. Take my word for it.

I know you didn't ask for my opinion, but there it is! If nothing else maybe if will inspire one of the real Tinboat guys to give you some good advise!

 

[Bananas]

Thanks for the reply and info simbelle, it should all come in handy. Yeah i'm with you on the bearing buddy, I didn't really want to but still had 300 + miles back tulsa. It was the only thing i could come up with at the time and being in a small town with limited supplies. Lucky for me they had a tractor supply. I was losing grease pretty fast and didn't want to burn the bearing up. The hubs will be replaced by the end of the summer anyways. Now i'm not a trailer expert or anything, I have grease being slung on the back side of one of the rims? bad seals or need a new hub? As far as the trailer pics... the trailer is kinda an eye sore right now. Was kinda embarrassed to post pictures of it lol. It seems to be pretty solid, walked around it with a hammer checking wields and joints. Haven't found any rotted out spots yet, and only one busted wield on the tilt part of the trailer. That's all getting chopped off when i replace the tounge. Just about have it striped down, getting ready to hit it with a wire wheel later in the week. Then prime and slap on some white paint.

 

[Pweisbrod]

Seals are bad, no doubt about it. I'd spend the25 bucks per side for new hubs with bearings and seals already installed.

Good luck. Looks like a lot of work.