Dave Triano's boat is a 1933 Dodge model 301 16' Utility, Hull #280.
I
purchased it in Upstate New York, and trailered it back to South Lake Tahoe
about a year and a half ago. It has
it's original Lycoming UAB 4 cylinder, 40 HP engine,
and all original equipment. The boat 
had
been sitting in a garage since 1973,
on a trailer made from it's original 
shipping
cradle. This had caused a severe hog
in the keel (4" over 8'), with many broken frames
and fuel soaked bottom planks. Therefore, the boat was inverted on
an alignment buck, and completely re-built using new white oak 
frames
as needed (approximately 75% were replaced).
The boat received a new double planked
bottom of Port Orford Cedar, bedded in 3M 5200 as per the 'Dannenberg'
technique. All fasteners are silicon bronze. The original topsides
of Atlantic Cedar were in good condition, and were removed, stripped
down, carefully restored to original (read: not perfect, but fitting
an inexpensive Utility boat) with obvious damage repaired, re-painted
in original colors matched by George 
Kirby
IV, and re-installed, bedded in fine
beads of 5200 on the laps. I finished a complete
rebuild to factory specs of the Lycoming UAB, with all original 6V
equipment, over this last winter. All new components and spares for the
distributor, generator,and starter were found on ebay. Original wire,
perfectly matching the original, was sourced from a vintage magneto
shop. The engine fired up immediately after 30+ years in storage,
and is a solid runner. It sounds great, with a very unique spitting
exhaust note, reminiscent of a WW1 biplane. A new fuel tank built
to the original specs is being built by Southern Crown Boatworks. The
engine is now installed, with all running hardware in place. Mark Clawson
has restored the original instruments (the only outsurced item beside
the fuel tank - I have done everything else myself). All that's left
to do are the sole and decks, with all the final assembly chores.
Jon Fletscher is working on "Barn Owl", a 1956, 18' Chris Craft Continental.
"I
found her in a barn in Watsonville where she had been keeping company with a
large white barn owl. The boat was stored there for some 15 years. The deck is
ready to be coated with penetrating epoxy 
and
fastened in place (hopefully the weekend after Easter). Once completed I
will set out to refasten the topsides."
Tom Sturm & Shawn Malnar are working on this challenging project.
"...she's
a 19' '61 Continental, 283 and all that good stuff. Figure
a couple years and look out, we're wet and having fun." Projects don't get
any better than this!!
Eric Mikkelsen starts restoration on a very rare 1960 Crooks 18½ft utility.
The
Crooks boats were built in Alemeda, CA out of mahogany plywood and teak. This
boat is powered by a1955 Buick 322 cu in "nailhead" engine. Eric
and Carol Ann Mikkelsen bought the boat several years ago and now finally
gathered the courage to start the restoration project.
Lee Chase's current restoration project is a 1930, 28 foot SeaLyon model 40.
Who
could resist a simple restoration project like this? But experience tells me
that there are usually more things wrong than first appear.
But you don't find a 28 foot , 1930 SeaLyon everyday and most of the hardware
was there, so "why not"?
First,
just turn it over, remove the bottom and replace the broken ribs (all of them). Then
install a new bottom
and sand it fair.
Next
turn it back over and put on new sides. I still have a ways to go, but it's beginning
to look like a boat.