Wooden Correct Craft

Hello,

I am new to the Correct Craft forum so a little introduction may not hurt.
My name is Ken Johnson and I live in Maine. My interest lies with classic wooden boats. I have restored a 1956 Chris Craft Cavalier, finished in 2000. I have just picked up a Correct Craft project boat, it is a 1962 Compact Skier that needs total restoration, well almost.
The man I got the boat from restores boats for a living and he picked up the Compact Skier a few years ago, well he totally rebuilt the entire frame and had no time to finish the project so decided to let it go to someone that would finish it.
I have the rebuilt frame on a trailer, all of the plywood that was taken off the boat to use for patterns, all the running gear- 110 Hp Gray Marine engine, steering wheel (Red metal flake) and linkage, prop and shaft, windshield with side vents, instruments and most everything that came with the boat.. I am missing the lifting rings and some deck hardware.

I have purchased very nice quarter sawn Sapeli plywood for the hull and decks and have completed the scarf joints.

I plan to restore it as close to original as I can but it will be a user boat not a show boat.
I plan to make the deck groves original but will not be painting yellow as I have seen on the brochure for this boat. I will probably be doing the bottom in the original yellow.

I am looking for any help/ info on what was original on this boat such as appolstery type and color, floor covering or paint and color, deck hardware, stain color for the Mahogany..

I have a color flyer and a black and white flyer with boat and option pricing. Are there other flyers or literature available? Any detail picture of original or restoration boats?

I look forward to talking with any of you that share similar interests. Any info on the Compact Skier would be very welcomed.

FYI I also have a 1979 Ski Tique that is in great shape

Thanks

Hi Ken
I would like to see some pictures of your '56 as I also have a '56 Caviler 16'.

Pat Crusse of Crussen Classics here in Mooresville NC did a 56 Atom (not sure of the similarities with the Compact) you can find pictures of this under the reunion section and the Badin Lake Mini thread

Welcome to the site and where in Maine are you located? I grew up on Little Sebago back in the day

Thank you all for your input.

I am sending some pics.

1956 Chris Craft Cavalier and some of the frame of the Compact Skier also my 1979 Ski Tique.

I live in Buckfield ME and keep the boats at Thompson Lake in Poland. We always go to Sebago at boat show time in August. Show is in Naples on Long lake but we go through the locks to Sebago for a couple of functions the week of the show..

Ken,
Thanks for the pictures. I noticed the restorer you got the hull from painted the outside of the transom frame. Why?? I'd worry about the bond with the ply skin. I suggest removing the paint before attaching the ply. Was the ply removed from the hull bottom? I ask since CC used a talc/linseed oil based bedding compound between the two that dries out so you are left with nothing but the screws holding the ply on. Even if it was removed, check on what was used for bonding. Even though it's a ply hull, I suggest 5200 and not hard gluing with epoxy. As you probably know, wood hulls need some ability to flex.

What condition is the Gray in?

Ken,
The only sealer I would recommend on the surfaces to be bonded with the 5200 is CPES (clear penetrating epoxy sealer). If anything else like paint, I wouldn't trust the bond. Do plan on some cure time on the CPES before using the 5200. Alan (see his Hurricane thread) had some issues.

Are you sure the Chris engine is an A and not a B? The only difference is poured babbit bearings on the crank VS: modern replaceable insert bearings.

I'm still curious as to how your scarfs on the ply came out.

Ken,
From the picture, it sure looks like you made a great scarf. These days with modern plys having a face veneer layer of only about 1/64", scarfs aren't easy to make and have a great looking bright finish since there's very little if any room to sand. When ply's are intended for scarfing, they are ordered with thick face veneers and not sanded at the mill. This leaves plenty of room for sanding after the scarf is glued. My Dunphy had over a 1/8" face veneer. Unfortunately we can't get ply that way. The problem is adhesive at the joint getting into the surrounding wood preventing it from taking a stain. I have tried masking at the joint with some success but the best I've had is by pre staining and sealing the face. Then, any adhesive (epoxy in my case) can be solvent wiped off before it cures. Extreme fixturing and clamping methods are needed to end up with a flat even face at the scarf. Did you hand plane your scarf? If so, you sure are better than I!!

Hi Ken, We boat mostly on Sebago. I haven't been to the Naples show for quite a few years as it falls on the same day every year that I have other obligations for, although I am hoping to make it next year. What do you need for deck hardware? We may have some items. There are quite a few Compacts in the Diaries, so that should give you a good idea what they came with. We had a '60 Atom for a short while and I'm pretty familiar with what it came with.

He does not use the good plywood for the lapstrakes, he uses it for the decks seats Etc.

PM me your email and I'll send you photo of the Atom we had which will show the hardware. We have some of the stuff. Some of it, like the Nautalloy bow light show up regularly on ebay. Sometimes they go for $15-$40. Sometime $100 or more depending if more than one person wants it.