TOPIC: '64 Custom Craft Sunray - cont from Coosa transoms

Those pics bring back some memories. Picking up a 300 lb motor and sliding it into the back of the suv is a chore itself. After getting home I would put ramps on the rear bumper, hook up the chainfall and gently pull the motor out letting the LU slide down the ramp and then lifting up to put on the home built stand. Think back it would have been easier to open the back hatch and then floor the gas.
Listen to the good doctor. He knows his performance specs.

Eric,
I appreciate your thoughts. Unfortunately I have to think outside the box a bit on certain things to accomplish them solo, and in less than ideal conditions. I do believe it would be possible to disassemble units of the engine to bring it to the basement as such, and my intent is to rebuild most of the engine in component parts and then seal them in vacuum bags with desiccant until they can be transferred to a restored hull and reassembled on the transom again.
Sounds strange, I know. I also will not be inverting the hull but working on it on boat stands. Someone else here has a whole thread of having restored their Seafair hull outdoors on stands, moving them as need be, and it turned out gorgeous. Scrappy ingenuity. My style. I once did all the bodywork to and repainted a Volkswagen Camper bus in a restaurant parking lot when they were closed on Mondays since I was an apartment dweller. We make due with what we have.

As far as worrying about trying to sell the boat / engine in pieces if I lose interest....I don't. Been at work on my house for a decade and still love everything I do. The boat will be the icing on the cake.

morning Dr. Go, thanks for the prop input. The custom craft is a 17' hull and the old brochure sheets state 800 lbs. After some additional input, I think the 10P is the right place to start but I'm going to look around for a 13.5 x 19 3 blade. Others have stated that a 3 blade will have less vibration than the 2. Got to have a smooth ride!
thx

Hey 63 Sabre,

Ha well that chain hoist has been used for all kinds of tasks in he shop. Tim had a car engine hoist that he uses when I picked it up, so while he hoisted up I lifted the prop end and swung it in. He's been doing this for years and I just followed his lead- Then he rolled the hoist unit forward. Went pretty into the suv pretty easy.

Worst part was the look I got from my first mate when I asked, "can you help me or a few minutes"?

thx

Eric P, sounds like you have a plan-

should have been 19

I agree that your 3 blade decision is best. The second bronze prop I bought spun the hub since it was dry and of course old. Luckily my prop shop is 2 miles away and they put a new hub in it. That is always something to watch for with a vintage prop. Adds cost but also replacing the hubs adds peace of mind... also a spare prop, paddle, tow rope and flare gun all help from getting stranded from spinning a hub. My young friend found that out 2 summers ago with an old 3 blade aluminum that spun a hub and had not yet purchased a second spare prop to have on board. It took him a long time to get back to the dock with it slipping badly (read burning the rubber hub and gauling the metal prop hub with the thrust washer... ruined the aluminum prop.

Last week I posted under the merc forum asking opinions if I should clear over the phantom black paint. The opinions were no, just the black.

Pictures of engine in a zinc suite below.

While ordering the paint, I came across a decal remover / eraser wheel and thought it would be worth a try for the wrap around cowling. I was skeptical, but if it worked, it would be better than sanding, solvent or heat. Amazon had a 2 pack with two different types; waffled and smooth. The waffled took a lot of effort and started to throw eraser crumbles quickly. I switched to the smooth and 10 minutes later the rear medallion and 1 side was done. A quick spray of the hose & wipe down revealed smooth metal ! No solvents, no scratches from sandpaper !

It's great when something actually works as advertised! I had never seen these before but would recommend the smooth one for easy decal removal. I got in a rhythm starting at the top edge and working in approx. 2-3" increments pressure on the decal while pulling the eraser wheel back and forth. It gets hot! The decal was pulled downward along with the eraser crumbles. Nice little gadget!

That is a pretty slick gadget. Glad it is working nicely for you. Fortunately my 71 Merc decals peeled off with slow steady pressure just using a blow dryer to warm them up. I am sure not all do that and I felt lucky since I didn’t know of that removal disc you showed. Likely age and sun exposure can affect if a decal will even peel off... I was thinking mine would not. I will be trying removing more decals this summer , so thanks for sharing in case I need this as a back up plan.

Not much new work on the Custom Craft but I did piece together another compilation video. Here is Part 3:

Front Seat Upholstery !

pic 329 seat frames, a friend touched up a coupe of welds and the painted
pic 333 new foam is hog ringed in
pic 334 listing wires inserted
pic 335 and hog ringed in to the seat frame as well
pic 336 pulled tight and hog ringed to the rear of the frame
pic 337 composite seat bases bolted to seat frames
pic 338 rear seat panels snapped in place
pic 340 front view

all vinyl wiped down with a UV inhibitor protectant

Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bob

The embossed vinyl, color to match the seat inserts, finally arrived.

Pic 341 the old vinyl I removed which was probably the a replacement as well. It started as a metal flake zodiac product
Pic 342 brochure shot
Pic 343 another model custom craft example
Pic 344 prepping the area
Pic 345 nautolex adhesive
Pic 346 new vinyl applied, rolled and trim getting stainless rivots
Pic 347 trim finished and front edge clamped to rub rail lip. let cure for a few days
Pic 348 other side done
Pic 349 from the windshield

its on there now, no going back, but comment away...You're gonna love the retro look or hate it !

rub rail goes on next-

Raining in the mid Atlantic today, some shop time this morning to get the Merc 1000 hoisted onto the transom.

Some pics of the primer, paint and polish of trim. Still need to get the decals and trim on the wrap & top cowl.

Still waiting on my chrome...

Got into the Wefco rub rail this weekend.
Pic 350 Warmed roll under tarp with heater but the tight radius around the tail fins needed some extra heat.
Pic 351 around the tight curve
Pic 352-3 headed up the starboard side, tried to place new screws between hull flange staples and previous holes
Pic 354 around the bow
Pic 355 view of the new screws at bow
The Wefco 1/2 G-2 profile fit great!

Excellent work… looks like care and patience are key to getting nice results like you show. That boat is really looking nice!

Been a busy summer...most of the chrome is done so I got some bow hardware installed and tested the lights- stating to turn the corner...

Outstanding Eric she's looking awesome!!!

Bob

Gauges dry fit this morning...left to right: fuel, tach, speedo, battery...sound like the right placement?
thx

Very clean and nice installation! As far as placement, the first person to please is yourself. JMO, but if you like it, that is all that really matters. Pretty classy looking.

Got the horn ring and boomerang insert back from chrome shop for the steering wheel !
Cracks were filled, sanded, primed.
Colors applied.
Red got some microflakes layered in with the clear to resemble the original wheel molded with flakes.
I love the result!

Been a long, long time... got into classic cars and other things came up in 2022. Finally back on the Sunray and will have it in the water this summer.

440 control box mounted
441 top cowl installed and cables run
444 rear seat lifted in and new upholstery cover installed, need to heat-steam out some wrinkles
445 nice match to the front seat upholstery

running wire and testing some electrical circuits next

Really looks great. I can appreciate all the work and effort you've put into it. You'll spend more time at the boat landing with people asking questions than you will actually being on the water.
Funny how life has a way of getting into your well laid plans.

Yep know how that goes! She's come along nicely, looks great!!!!!!!!!!

Bob

Thank you. Yes, Family, fitness & other projects, i.e. started on a '65 Travelall wagon to pull this Custom Craft with.

Lots of great work there Eric.
Maybe we will get to see her at the Railway this Summer.
Thanks,
Terry

Top notch work. I love the 2 colors and the seat pattern you used!

Terry, yes I'm close to the Railway. Should be at the ACBS Chesapeake show with her along with Smith Mountain Lake.

Thanks Dr. Go. Classic Mustang...my wife has named her Pinot Pony...Wine - Mustang...