total noob needs advice on 3 boats

General boating discussion
Bushman
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:50 pm
4

total noob needs advice on 3 boats

#1

Post by Bushman »

Retired from working 40 years overseas around the world (20 yrs mil and 20 yrs diplomat), and thought I'd like to be a boat guy to play around the waters of central Florida (currently in Titusville near the brackish/salt water Indian River (lagoon/estuary - ICW) and the fresh water St. John's river). I currently have 10 boats/watercraft that range from needing refurbishing (needs some work) or actual project boats (needs major work). Warden not a boat gal, so she'd prefer me to lose half or most of them - but that is a whole nother story. Limited income so will need to do most work myself.

My alloy boats I believe are (I guess I ought to measure them):
1. 20" Lonestar cabin cruiser
2. 12' Feathercraft Rocket Runabout?
3. 8' Grumman sailing dinghy - barebones with no centerboard, mast, or rigging

I am looking for forum members with experience with those particular boats first, and will also be seeking advice in general (e.g. sanding?/prepping/painting alloy hulls, etc....).

Also, am looking at alternative power options such as a sizeable electric outboard for the Lonestar incorporating portable solar panels, possibly propane outboard for the Feathercraft, and I guess learning to sail and row the Grumman.

I welcome any contact on these boats.

Tim [aka Bushman]
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gandrfab
Posts: 587
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:33 pm
16
Location: Edgewater Fl

Re: total noob needs advice on 3 boats

#2

Post by gandrfab »

"thought I'd like to be a boat guy to play around the waters of central Florida"
"currently have 10 boats/watercraft"

You are well past the "thought" part unless you acquired all of them at once.

Welcome to AAB, neighbour.
I'm Matt and have a welding shop in Edgewater Fl.
Bushman
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:50 pm
4

Re: total noob needs advice on 3 boats

#3

Post by Bushman »

Thanks Matt, Yea, actually acquired all 10 over a course of a year much to the chagrin of the warden. For future reference, do you have a commercial shop that has a business address? Tim

My entire "boat" list:

1. 20" Lonestar cabin cruiser
2. 12' Feathercraft Rocket Runabout?
3. 8' Grumman sailing dinghy - barebones with no centerboard, mast, or rigging

4. Steyr 18' NON ALLOY Tri Hull - good shape when I bought it - only needed transom replacement. Warden told me to park it "over there out of the way"...3 days later a dead Florida Pine fell straight down the center of the boat breaking my wind screens. Couldn't have got it any straighter down the center with a carpenters square - sigh.

5. UNK make 8' plastic? dinghy. very cool little boat with four oar locks - bought it initially for the aesthetics of floating in my pond - currently floating in my pond

6. Unk 16' bass boat that had been ignored in someone's backyard for ages. Although heavily tarnished, very interesting metallic paint job (can see the colors in the un tarnished bait wells). hope to clean it up, repair steering, add motor, etc.

7. 12' sit upon poly? orange Kayak bought from ACE Hardware for about half price ("Managers special"). I eyeballed this boat for 6 months up on an obscure shelf away from the rest of the kayaks until the manager reduced the price to a deal I couldn't resist - I guess nobody wanted orange?. Hope to experiment with retractable outriggers, and explore the lagoon shore mostly for photography and collecting driftwood for art projects.

8. 16' NON ALLOY hull only abandoned/trashed in the woods for years - discovered while out in the local bush with my hounds. Actually had a 2" dia tree (and many other pants) growing out of the foot of muck that had accumulated in the boat but roots did not pierce the hull. Bonus very healthy earthworms in the muck relocated to my place much to their glee. Yes, glee. Strange as this sounds, when I found it, it said "save me from this horrible fate". This was my first acquisition, but I am gradually losing enthusiasm for it. I was going to experiment with turning it into a wheelchair accessible small fishing boat for a friend., but having nicked it twice now with my tractor, probably not - sigh.

9. Unk NON ALLOY 18' center console that came "free" with a trailer I bought. Needs to be refurbished and new transom - cause everyone needs a center console to play with right?

10. 21' T-Craft NON ALLOY boat made in the 70s" right here in Titusville at the T-Craft Boat company (Rodney Thompson (deceased now) of Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant in Titusville fame - made a killing selling rock shrimp that up until then had been considered too hard to prepare). T-Craft made quality 21'-30' boats until the economy tanked in the 80's, and Rodney move to make Thompson Trawlers (larger boats for shrimping). My Dad (passed now) ran the night shift at T-Craft for 10 years until it closed and he did everything on those boats from glassing to interior cabin builds. He very well could have worked on this boat so its actually my favorite. Needs cleaning, fix steering, add motor, etc. Got it free from a young guy that was flipping boats down around Sebastian area. My limited experience with glassing learned from my dad and building a couple of surfboards back in the day - sigh.

I also have a couple of outboards sitting around (not sure their condition), but am intimidated with the whole gas/noise/maintenance-cost, weight, etc thing, thus my interest in electric and propane power. Plus my 40 yr fed service has taken its toll and 3 years living in Afghanistan and Iraq war zones and other activities have left me with limited upper body strength. Not sure I could manage even a 40hp traditional 200lb gas motor

I know this is more info than anybody wants to hear in this forum, but it gives me an opportunity to finally write down what I think I have.
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gandrfab
Posts: 587
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:33 pm
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Location: Edgewater Fl

Re: total noob needs advice on 3 boats

#4

Post by gandrfab »

Thank you, for doing your part in keeping all of us safe.


Yes. I have been welding for 27 or so years and went on my own in 2000 with my main stay in various custom anodized aluminum pipe work on boats and/or anything I can get my hands on to weld.

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735 Air Park Rd. Building B Hangar 3
Edgewater, FL

This is a commercial location but the HOA community keeps the signage very low key.
Visits, walk in's are acceptable and welcome. We just aren't a high traffic area.


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Bushman
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 9:50 pm
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Re: total noob needs advice on 3 boats

#5

Post by Bushman »

Matt: Thanks for this. I would love to visit sometime in the future to see your work.

and...this is a comment for all other forum readers: As a self proclaimed artist, I am looking at Matt's work and realize I am no artist compared to this guy! Matt's work inspires one to get into alloy boats (and other work involving aluminum) - can't wait for him to build the rack on the stern of my 1955 Lonestar that will hold my dinghy overhead as a sun shade. This simple response to my post motivates me to get out in the back yard and start work on my alloy boats, despite my retirement-induced procrastination. And for that, I thank him and thank the forum for being around for a noob like me. I am finding it difficult to find good information about my particular boats. I am still hoping to find someone relatively local with a Grumman sailing dinghy that I can actually see the rigging. And then, I need to learn to sail... Hmmm, think I'll put a junk rig on it with a propane kicker and cruise the great loop.
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gandrfab
Posts: 587
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:33 pm
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Location: Edgewater Fl

Re: total noob needs advice on 3 boats

#6

Post by gandrfab »

The retirement-induced procrastination can be a killer in itself. Keep active of fade away.
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