And so begins the rebirth of the Leprechaun

[Fritz]

not drawing conclusions about the quality of the boat restorer....

yes, you can really tell from just a photo

9000 screws will get you a good start on refastening, but it will take another 9k to finish the job...not to mention the 40 keel bolts and the 400 or so bolts that hold the frames together....this boat had cut frames that were bolted together and not steam bent one piece frames.

i own the same hull and have painstakingly replaced every nut, bolt ,and screw myself...i know where every bolt is and which ones are sure to be shot...disregard the info if you want, but there are very few of these boats left and finding someone that has refastened one is even rarer...copping an attitude and being rude with one of the few left that know this boat is foolish.


like i said, good luck with it......i'm out

Nobody was being rude. You are acting a little thin skinned though. Frankly, our trust lies with the marine architect and boat builder rather than a commercial fisherman. These guys do it day in and day out year after year and redoing project boats happens to be one the things this particular builder specializes in. Now if you have some secret fishing spots to share that would be awesome. Honestly, John you jumped in and started talking about dropped keels, delamination, smearing 5200 on the hull, etc., etc, without even knowing what has been done. Tell you what John, let's compare rides when the projects are done. A little friendly competition if you will.

[TAURUS]

Nobody was being rude. You are acting a little thin skinned though. Frankly, our trust lies with the marine architect and boat builder rather than a commercial fisherman. These guys do it day in and day out year after year and redoing project boats happens to be one the things this particular builder specializes in. Now if you have some secret fishing spots to share that would be awesome. Honestly, John you jumped in and started talking about dropped keels, delamination, smearing 5200 on the hull, etc., etc, without even knowing what has been done. Tell you what John, let's compare rides when the projects are done. A little friendly competition if you will.

that's the second time you've started your reply with an insult...i just don't see the point.

i think you need to reread my original post today...noplace did i draw any assumptions on what you have done...i asked if you refastened,stated that i was unfamiliar with this method of glassing a planked boat, discussed other methods of fiberglassing planked boats ,and advised you on what i found with the keel bolts on mine...all friendly advice....

you obviously took it in a bad way then decided it was okay to tell me i have thin skin... kind of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?

i know people get all worked up and sensitive over thier boats sometimes....but for gods sake, i wasn't arguing the beauty of your wife or daughter! it was advice based on experience with that hull, nothing more.


now fritz... since you obviously think you have thicker skin than mine,, try this for size....we cannot compare our boats....mine is being restored back to the original condition.....you on the other hand are creating an abomination by glassing it and forever destroying the beauty and heritage of its' design...anyone that knows wooden vessels will agree that glassing this boat is an unforgivable sin.

so i conclude that we really can't compare anything more than the thickness of our skin.

good day

[Fritz]

that's the second time you've started your reply with an insult...i just don't see the point.

i think you need to reread my original post today...noplace did i draw any assumptions on what you have done...i asked if you refastened,stated that i was unfamiliar with this method of glassing a planked boat, discussed other methods of fiberglassing planked boats ,and advised you on what i found with the keel bolts on mine...all friendly advice....

you obviously took it in a bad way then decided it was okay to tell me i have thin skin... kind of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?

i know people get all worked up and sensitive over thier boats sometimes....but for gods sake, i wasn't arguing the beauty of your wife or daughter! it was advice based on experience with that hull, nothing more.


now fritz... since you obviously think you have thicker skin than mine,, try this for size....we cannot compare our boats....mine is being restored back to the original condition.....you on the other hand are creating an abomination by glassing it and forever destroying the beauty and heritage of its' design...anyone that knows wooden vessels will agree that glassing this boat is an unforgivable sin.

so i conclude that we really can't compare anything more than the thickness of our skin.

good day

No offense taken, but if what you have there is considered a beauty in your part of world, so be it. Just kidding, good luck with the project.

[Kurt_W]

I had an opportunity to purchase a '57 Chris back in the early90's for very little money. Didn't move quick enough and was offered another chance days later for 4X what was paid. You could guess my answer...

There aren't a lot of these hulls around, the '57s. There are quite a few of the later model 40' and 33' Chris SF's around, one in particular I looked at in Delaware in the mid '90's, a real nice boat with twin 8.2 Detroit Diesels and a genny. The owner passed and his family is trying to sell the boat. Haven't seen the boat in a few years but it was always well maintained. 25K on Delaware Craigslist. These are nice boats.

Please don't let this thread turn sour, there is way too much information to learn from both methods of restoration, whether it's by glassing over or refastening. I have thought seriously of picking up an older boat and reworking it. There are not many places where you can find this kind of information relating particularly to sportfishing yachts. Wish I had the money to pick up HOBO, Balkster, or that old Chris when I found out they were available.

Nice work on both of your boats. Please keep showing us your progress.

Kurt

[Fritz]

Starting to look like something now.

[Milkshake]

Lookin Good. Can't wait to she her in the water.

[Captain Jay Kavanagh]

Albert does really good work.

He did the top on the Bite Me.

[Fritz]

Some fairing applied, but still a lot of sanding and finishing to go.

[brokensheer]

sure makes it nice to work with great people!, I often wonder how some folks get through life being great jackasses!.. keep us up on this with pictures, All the best!

Oh yeah let me know when we all here can raise a glass for your whiskey plank!

[Fritz]

sure makes it nice to work with great people!, I often wonder how some folks get through life being great jackasses!.. keep us up on this with pictures, All the best!

Oh yeah let me know when we all here can raise a glass for your whiskey plank!

Thanks for the words Broken. I am heading down this weekend to take some more pics, do a little work, layout the salon area to recreate the original Rybo layout, and make a final decision on color scheme.

Speaking of colors. We were thinking Aquamist [super light lime green] hull with green boot stripe and green bottom along with a White topsides. Do we choose the Aquamist hull or go classic white all the way? Also, do we do white at the glassed-in front window area or black? Comments would be appreciated.