And You will find out why at first I turned down the offer to buy two of them. They don’t rate well compared to other Scoots. But this time the guy who had them just wanted them gone.. and so I paid him for the tires, battery & other parts and took them home. They are twins .. One has registration and the other is an ICBC write- off. Most of the body plastic is either gone or broken, but it runs. In other words a good parts machine.
The one closest in the photo is the good one.. hard to tell cause they are both in pieces. The wiring harness in the good one was bad so he was in the process of changing it.. But before I tackle that …it’s bath time ! So I removed the rack, seat, gas tank , oil tank and the air box. That way I can clean better.
So here it is all stripped down and clean. I wanted to get at some of the workings.. especially the vacuum lines that work the cold start. The more I put back together the harder it is to access stuff..
One thing that I noticed ..is that the rear body piece of the scooter could have been a cool looking tail light. They used the same mold but molded with white plastic. In Europe it’s a tail light. We have rules for how wide apart the turn lights have to be. So Yamaha used the conventional North American set up. Which does look nostalgic.. good for a 1982 scoot.
Everything is all back together..for now.. I’m still waiting for a battery so I can start it up. I only have to glue one piece of the body , the rest is in great shape. In fact it’s still shiny as you can see. I polished up the rear rack and painted the licence holder.. looks like new..
Yeah ! Got the battery and put some gas in the tank ..and oil in the oil tank.. and she fired right up .. runs great. No adjustments needed.. so I took off down the street.. Plenty of get up and go for my liking.. Weeeeee I forgot how fun they are.. So I put all the rest of the body panels on.. 100% like new.. EXCEPT the turn signals would not flash.. Hmm I’ll try them with the motor running. And I’ll take some good photos too.
Here are those good photos:
Hey I did a good job of erasing 31 years… It helps when something is well made.. The only rust I found was under the rubber floor mat.. and that came right off. Winter is fast approaching so I think I’ll cover and store this Scoot till next spring. But I will be tinkering with the parts machine.
The Parts Scooter:
Well aside from some missing parts.. there is some “hard to repair” damage to the parts Scoot… SOOO it’s never going on the road again. I’m taking it all apart. That will allow me to check which bits are good and which are worn out. I also got to have a good look at the carb. It’s missing the throttle valve, but the rest is in good shape. I’m understanding how things work now.. I’ve read a E-book by a CV 80 enthusiast on rebuilding one… full of very good info and tips on how to keep it alive. Plus He delved into the history of the CV80. I’m also learning how to take the whole scoot apart and put things back together. I have a better wiring diagram that came from the E-book author. That and my service manual are giving me a good understanding of the electrical system. Now with all this vast knowledge I’m thinking about buying yet another CV80 and doing a complete rebuild this winter.. There is one for sale in Kamloops that I’m looking at. (photo below)
This one is white. Started a new post for working on this oneHERE. Owner says he used it lots.. has 5500 kms on it and now has starting issues. I now know where to look to fix those. Also you may notice the front fairing and windscreen. I have one as well.. came in the box of parts.
Also I’ve ordered a new flasher, and bought a European tail light. I’m looking into LED lights as well.
The parts scoot is proving to be very useful.. both as a teaching tool and as a source for good parts for the new scoot on the block.. I’ll get back to the Red scooter in the spring.. For now I moved it to the storage in the basement.
Work on the white scooter is coming along so nicely ..and I’m very fond of the new color .. I decided that I will keep the white (now blue) one and sell this one..
SOLD the red scooter... here’s a photo of the two before the red one went off to it’s new home.
So now the blue scooter is all finished and moved to the basement for safe & clean storage.
Oct 10 2011 This is an ongoing and current project… watch for updates
Today it was raining hard .. so being the non-coastal person that I am.. I hid in my shop. I built a stand out of wood to hold the running 1975 Chrysler outboard.. the older 1972 one is on a stand I bought at Princess Auto. The 1975 motor will be the one I use on my Seven Seas Cruiser. The other will be my spare. No Dave I’m not doing the twin thing on the boat.. One should do the trick and be less complicated. If you checked out my blog on the Seven Seas you will see a link to a video of a bigger boat running great on a 75 hp Chrysler.. So I’m inclined to think my 55 will do just fine. I’m not out to break speed records. As per usual I’m ordering the shop manual for these motors so I’m not guessing how to tune them up.. Why these old motors ? Well I got one for free.. and the other was very cheap. They aren’t as old as the boat , but they are still nostalgic. And they are very simple to work on.
4 Cowls….
That’s because I’ve got two more parts motors ! Ok ones a 45 hp cowl.. but they are all the same size. I have two 1975 and two older ones.
This is where Rob has fun…
Painting stuff…pimping stuff… This is where I shine. I’m going to choose two of the cowls that are in the best condition and repaint them . One I will keep the white & gold scheme , the other I will custom paint .. white & light blue to match the boat… Just watch me go…
I’m not sure what to call them but they are a pain in the butt.. Those little circle clips.. they are easy to install but hard to get off. But after I take off all the trim I’ve got a naked cowl..
This will be the one that gets the hammered gold paint job..
Holy Cowl !
Thanks to the great way they put things together I can mix & match the badges with the trim to get the best. I’m going to chose the chrome “Chrysler” letters to go with the custom lt blue paint. And I’ll redo the “55” in blue . I’ll keep the red numbers for the restored gold trim cowl.
I changed my mind … I tried different combinations , and the chrome badges look better with the gold. This is the newer cowl ,and it has a new hammered gold finish.
Here’s the blue cowl. That color is a perfect match to the top of the boat. I painted the badges all black because they were quite scratched. Now I’m trying to decide on blue letters or white.
White letters it is.. So this is my custom cowl, with the blue that matches the boat.
And here’s the (original ) looking cowl. As soon as my service manual arrives I can get to work on the motors.. they will get a fresh white paint jot too..
May 2012 :
Reality bites … and the motors got wheeled over to the corner last fall for other projects. But soon I’ll be wheeling them back out.. there is a new bigger Chrysler 70 that came on the Glasspar that will get the run first.. and then these will get their chance at fame.. Stay tuned !
Bring out the BIG guns first…
Once this 70 hp has been run a bit (on the lake too) then it will be a dolly queen till the Performer is ready for power.. Looks like I have another cowl to paint.
This is a little story I wrote back in May 2002. I was sailing the Weekender boat I’d built that winter. It’s a read …enjoy
Oh ya I’ll never wish for wind again….cause I got it…
The first two times I took the boat out for my shake down there wasn’t even a hint of air movement. So on Monday it was blowing real good here so I headed for the lake hoping for the same… Yup a real nice breeze blowing north up the lake. Oh boy Rob’s going sailing this time. And this is where things started not going so smoothly… First off I have a choice of two boat ramps (both halfway up the lake). I have been using the further one because its not as busy and it has real nice docks on either side with nice bumpers. BUT I thought I’d check out the first one that’s right beside the marina. I was driving past it anyway… Well no one there so I give it a go…. First thing that went wrong… I set up the mast before I back up too close to the water. Then I look up and there’s a friggn power line 12 ft off the ground at the top of the ramp !!! Ok no problem down goes the mast and I back up past it to clear the line. Fine now the boats in the water tied to the wharf (Little with no bumpers). Now I must take the time to describe the launch area here. This is located at the narrowest part of the lake ( something I figger’d out later ) So the wind’s a little faster here. And then there’s the marina and all the docks sticking out in the lake on the south side of the ramp. On the north side (wind blowing against it) there is a LOG BOOM breakwater extending about a 100 ft out. I thought I would just sail on out to the open lake….WRONG the wind pushed me hard against the boom and I GROUND my way along it …so much for the nice red paint.. When I finally got past the end of the boom the Weekender took off like a bullet, but not before the line I have from the end of the boom to the gaff boom ( for flags ) caught the stupid light they had on the end of the log boom. Snap! Oh well you can sail without that…. But wait my steering cable decided to part company with the turnbuckle, and this all happened with in seconds….. So I’m in a good blow (whitecaps) leaning over the back of the boat holding the rudder with one hand and the main sheet in my other….and I can’t reach the other lines. And I’m crossing the lake ! This was not good… so about the halfway point I turned to the wind then headed back …. I let the main right out to try to slow down but the jib was working way to good …. But I managed to steer for the launch and miss all those boats tied up at the marina. I don’t think anyone from the marina was looking outside, because if they had they might have freaked at the out-of-control sailboat blasting into they’re ramp…. sails flapping.. My halyards are cleated to the mast.. and I will change that so I can drop sails quickly…. And I thought I was smart using cable crimps for my steering lines… they will get tied now with good knots.
I think I sprained my hand in all the excitement…but I’ll live to sail again..
Another older Document I authored in the winter of 2007 :
Sept 2006:
“ What the bicycle is to the road…the Kayak is to the water” A quote ? yeah from me . What I was trying to say is these are ..or can be inexpensive human powered ways to enjoy the great outdoors. “GREEN” if your into the politically correct things. And I like that. Since I was pre-pubescent I was into the water thing. lots of boats, anything that floated I thought was cool. But in the seventies you didn’t see very many kayaks, unless they were home built. Now they are everywhere.. And knowing me I can’t resist finding out what it’s all about. So a little research was started… Some surfing on the NET , a little browsing in an outfitter store in Edmonton..and I was hooked. I focused in on the 12 ft recreational boats. They seamed the most reasonable for my needs.
After a few visits to our local kayak shop, I wanted to try two boats , the Dagger Blackwater. Which came with very high recommendations from the shop owner ( his personal favorite)….. Pictured above…. And my favorite the Pamlico by Wilderness Systems. Because it got the highest ratings in user reviews. So first I rented the Blackwater on the weekend that we camped out at Christina Lake. Well I liked the quality of the boat. The seat had lots of adjustments on it. In fact it was real comfy too, but the cockpit opening was on the small side. Just 34” long, which was a squeeze to pull the other leg inside. My other concern was the twitchiness (tippyness) of the boat. Just reaching down to adjust the foot braces sent the boat into a spasm. However once you relax and start to move the boat is great… So my friend Dave and I spent a good four hours paddling around with one of us in hot pursuit in the row boat. It was a fairly good first experience . But I really needed to try a PAM . So three days latter I’m booking off work early. Unfortunately the only Pamlico 12 ft the shop had left was the olive green anglers boat… the same boat just ugly.So off to the lake …now this boat was less money than the Dagger..and mostly because there is no drop-down skeg to help in the tracking. And the outfitting (seat & stuff) was not as fancy. But it was every bit as comfy too me. And the quality was just as good too. The real big difference was two fold…first the cockpit was a whole ten inches longer…that made getting in and out easier. Second this boat was more stable .. you could move around without any concern for getting wet. I spent a good hour on the lake, and made sure I hit some waves. Both head on and sideways. No problem. It might have taken a little more effort to keep the boat tracking straight, but it turned better . And I can live with that. So back to the shop only to find out that he had none of the PAM’s left. But I could order one for next year…any color! So we talked about paddles & PFD’s and I tried on a few. Boy way better than my Coleman life jacket. And found out just how important the length of paddle is. A 230 cm is good for big guys like me.
Half the money down..and wait till spring for the boat…you bet. The shop did good on a package deal …boat, paddle & PFD. So I ordered a BLUE boat.Ok that ‘s a good story …but wait there’s more. While I was checking out E-Bay .I found a Dagger kayak for sale inAbbottsford,BC. Pick up Only..the auction said.. no kidding it’s pretty hard to ship a kayak. Hmm . This was a 15 ft Edisto model that has been discontinued from the Dagger line. It came with a rudder, paddle and neoprene skirt. After a few E-Mails back & forth, I decided to win the bidding on this boat.. And I did just that. Still paid way less that a new boat . And the guys roommate was bringing it toKelowna…how cool. No regrets here.
Yes it’s purple ! but that’s just a color..and it’s different . Here it is the thanksgiving weekend and the lake is still very pleasantly warm. So off I go for a paddle … I was concerned for the small size of the cock pit, but I found it wasn’t too bad getting in and out. This boat is very stable and with the rudder deployed it tracks were you want it . Rudders are cool! If it’s wanting anything it’s a taller seat-back. After sitting in the other boats you really get to like the back support. If I can fix that I will. The paddle that he gave me with the boat is very much like the one I bought.. just purple. There’s a cool little hatch in the bow for keeping small stuff dry. And a large rear hatch too. So with the new rack on my truck I’m good to go.. I’ve put in a few days of using the purple Dagger now, and it’s a great boat. But its getting cool now so I have to put the toys away for the winter. Look forward to next season ….
The rack for Kayak’s on my Avy..
Any one who’s come to the family camping in the summer has seen this on my truck.. It holds 3 boats and cost me $40 to build. I’m still using it five years later…
January 2007:
Well surprise the kayak I ordered was delivered to the shop early. And Wildways wanted me to pick it up so he’d have room for more that were coming. So here it sits in my basement ..cause I didn’t make plans for it outside yet. Oh well as soon as it warms up a little I make a place for it outside.. I’m sure glad I chose the blue color , it’s a very nice break from the yellow ones that were in the store. It came with a little bonus of knee pads on the cockpit rim. A cup holder and great seat. Looking forward to using it this spring. These are very user-friendly boats with a long cockpit opening. I found another PDF on E-bay for thirty bucks . way less than the $120 in the store. So we are set up good for the season.
September 2007:
Well we took our two kayaks with us on our yearly May camping. The first stop was Okanagan Lake. It was windy both days we were there so I only used the “Pam” for a little jaunt on the lake. What a great boat. Our next stop was our favorite Herald Park on Shuswap lake. It was there that the boats got a workout. I even got Maureen into the “pam” for some first time paddling. She really did enjoy it, but found it hard to keep the kayak going in a straight line. One of my future projects will be to install a drop down skeg on the back end of the Pamilco.
The boats came with us again when we went to our annual family campout at Kettle River park. I transported them 10 km up the river to Westbridge, and paddled the river back to camp. This was so much fun.. we did it several times. I will be doing that every year for sure. Next year I’ll be sure to get some photos of the river runs.. And this coming spring I have some paddle holders to install on both boats.
Update.. 2011 :
A few changes to the Kayak ‘s I have.. in 2009 I bought another Pamlico 12 because I loved the blue one so much.. This time it’s red, and it is the fishing model so it has a rod holder and paddle clips on the side. Also that year I sold the purple Dagger for what I paid for it. So I’m down to two boats.. Perfect. These are the boats I enjoy the most.. and when my Brother comes to the camping he brings two as well, so we’ve enough for a good group paddle.
The paddle down the Kettle river during our summer camping is a high lite for me. It’s about a two hour run and easy enough for beginners. And we have introduced a few new people to this for sure… Maybe more will bring boats ..it’s a great way to see the river..
They are called “FiberGlassics” the boat equivalent of a cool old car…
After the dust settled from all my boat dealings. I was left with a repairable outboard and a good trailer. Then I saw an ad for a older cabin cruiser for sale in Creston. He wasn’t asking much, and it included a very cool video depth / fish finder. I went to have a look.. What a cool older boat.. A classic ! When I showed interest he said nobody wants this boat. If you give me $50 bucks for the finder.. You can have the boat.. Wow.. It’s perfectly what I’ve always wanted. Not to big, outboard powered, all fibreglass with some wood inside. Needs a bit of work , but I can handle that. The cabin was full of wasp nests.. Once I got it home It took me awhile to clean them out. We weighed the boat at the scale in Castlegar, and found it to be 1234 lbs. wow that’s more than the claimed 950 lbs. But it still towed very nice. A little concerned about the 55 hp being enough to power the boat. But I’ll try it before I go looking for a different motor, because I like the simplicity of the Chrysler. I’m thinking I’ll remove the floor panels and then store the boat over the winter in my new RV carport. That way the bilge will have time to dry out. Old boats don’t have to die.. This old girl is way to pretty to let that happen……
About This Boat :
There’s not a lot of info on Performer boats.. in fact I could only find one other on the web. But here’s what I’ve learned so far… Seams Performer made seven models of boats from 1958 to 1962. The factory was in a LosAngles California industrial suburb of Bellflower / Paramount. Nobody bought them out like other small boat builders, so they just disappeared. They are rare to find. This was the era of outboards.. and this model could accommodate twin motors. Rated for 100 hp, they commonly had twin 40’s. Completely fiberglass with only glassed over wood in the bulkheads and floor stringers. Plexiglass windows with good rubber seals. The hull is designed to give the most interior room possible.
Note: I’m finding more of these boats as time goes.. and I’m trying to contact the owners..
Well for starters it’s a small boat you can actually spend the weekend on. But what’s really good…..The gelcoat only has the smallest of hair cracks. With a good wet sand and polish you won’t see them. The cabin is in very good shape and the berths are plenty big enough. I can sit up without banging my head. There is a cool hatch up front you can crawl out, or use to access the anchor with ease. The flat bottom hull and straight sides give the floor area lots of room. And lots of wood is embedded in the fibreglass for safely attaching to. At 17 feet the boat is not too big, not too heavy.
I have plans already :
For now I’m measuring up everything and I’ll make some plans to create a functional cockpit. And I have a few neat ideas to incorporate. This will document the whole process and perhaps encourage someone to do the same. In the spring when I have the time to work on her I plan to drop the boat onto a low dolly and push it into the shop. Hopefully it will be only eight inches off the ground and I won’t need a ladder to get in and out of the boat while working .. The debate is ongoing as to how far I go in the restoration. This is a boat I would like to keep for a long time ..so I don’t want to redo anything.. Do it right the first time. For instance the windows have cracks. Dave thinks I should just glue them up.. I think that making new ones is the only way to go. They are Plexiglas so bending them to fit is not hard. I’m inclined to remove everything anyway so I can do a proper polish and reseal stuff and replace rusty screws.
Here’s the plans I drew up for an improved interior.. Giving the boat more “stay onboard “ appeal by adding a Galley, Cooler and a table. More cubbies and storage as well.
The plans also include using as much of the cabinets from my buddy Dave’s 27 ft Award trailer as I can. We will be wrecking the trailer next spring. The walls rotted out on it so he got a new trailer. From the factory the boat would have had mahogany wood work.. and I may still go that route if I can’t get the Award cabinets to fit. My plans are subject to change.
In this photo you can see that the weight of the 100 hp motor has caused the transom to bow out a bit. I will try to pull it back and add a brace & some aluminum plate to make it stronger. I’ve cut the bottom panel in the well to have a look at the wood under there.. and that wood should be replaced. after 50 years it’s very soft. I was careful to leave a lip around the outside to reattach a new floor.. and I will glass it in good. This well will get wet.
Today Oct 23 I finally got a chance to get the floor ripped up. It was chip board screwed down with drywall screws..no good.. And as I had suspected the floor supports were replaced. And they are still in good condition… But I’m not liking the workmanship.. We will be rebuilding this all the way to the transom. For now it can sit like this for most of the winter.. and dry out good.. I will be removing the stringers and glassing in new ones that are taller to make the hull bottom stiffer. The old seat , foot rest and the chip board floor went to the dump. I have two new seats, and they will be on top of useful cabinets.
Note: I did not use this tank , because I acquired a very nice aluminum tank.
In the mean time I’ll keep busy on some of the parts for the boat.. like this gas tank. I favor this over the portable one ..because it’s bigger ! And it will fit nicely under the port-side rear seat. This will also give me a fuel gauge on the dash.. The catch is that it had a leak.. I’ve repaired it and freshened the paint up. So it’s ready to install. I have the nice chrome filler cap and the boat has a vent already there. All these parts came from the Reinell that I parted out. That boat also donated a very nice horn, a wiper motor, a nice steering wheel and lights. I’ve done well. So for the winter working on the two 55 Chryslers will all I do..boat wise.. Work on those is covered in it’s own posting.
I’m doing the compliance thing !
Which means I took and passed the boater course, so I have my operators card. .. 94% not to bad.. And I’ve mailed away a” transfer of boat licence ” form to the government. So the BC # on my boat will be in my name. Being all legal is easier than trying to explain why your not !
Other Performer Seven Seas boats:
Here’s a Seven Seas that’s being used.. regularly .. A few years newer than my boat (white panel on cabin) but still very much the same boat.. It’s home is Colorado. And I presume that’s Jeff’s daughter in the photo. I hope to meet Jeff & the boat this summer.. but that’s quite a distance for us to travel.
My beautiful picture
But soon to be Big Aqua ! He is repainting it blue like mine. But this is an Admiral Boat made in Florida ? It’s identical to our Performers.. We are trying to figure that one out.. Also this boat had extensive damage done to the top-side , and Wayne has been repairing that fiberglass. He needs an upper windshield as well. This boat is a lot closer to me in Northern Idaho. The plan is to get all three together for a photo.. Yes !
Jan 18, 2012 :
Today another boat came home with me.. traded a lawn tractor for it… Glasspar Citation. I want it for the 70 hp Chrysler and the bigger trailer.. Both of which will be for the Seven Seas. The 70 hp motor will take away my worries of enough hp for the weight. And the 16 ft Glasspar will fit nicely on the trailer that’s under the Seven Seas now. And this new trailer means I won’t have to modify the other one . it’s too short for the 17 ft Seven Seas. Win Win…
As well I was checking the Seven Seas out and found that my plan to dry out the bilge is working great. The weather here this winter has been very dry. Come spring when I can start work on the floor it will be easy.
May 21 2012 :
While the Seven Seas is nice and safe in the RV port.. there is no panic to get at it.. I need to make sure the motor runs good..
And here it is .. I’m hoping this works out good for the boat.. In my mind this is the perfect size motor. We’ll use it this summer on the Glaspar so it will be ready for the Performer..
Someone was selling a bunch of boat parts as a lot. It was a good deal , included was a steering system, two 12 gallon steel tanks, running lights and these very nice gauges.
New gauges
Here’s the gauges new still in the boxes.. they will look very nice indeed.
Fall 2012: The boat got set aside for other things, Hopefully this coming spring I can get at it..
I’ve started a new post HERE for the restore of the Performer
It’s not always about Lawn Tractors.. Yes I’ve done well and still really enjoy fixing up the tractors. The hobby has more or less paid for itself. But there is always a special place in my heart for Boats.. I’ve been around and using boats since I was very young. I love the water.. And so I love being on the water.. When I was very young our family had a cabin on a small lake, and we had a 8 ft row boat that saw a lot of use.. When I was a teenager we lived on the shores of the Thompson river and we had a small 14 ft speed boat with a 40 hp motor.. We skied , we explored, we traveled … That boat meant everything to me.. When it got very old and tired.. And we no longer lived on the water , my Brother & I traded it for a Hobbie Cat sail boat.. That was fun and I loved to sail.. Even when life was busy with kids and other things I always kept a row boat handy..
Here’s a photo of our wharf on the Thompson River. Taken in the mid 70’s.. Our 14 ft Fiberform is the boat on the right… on the left is friends of my parents boat . Our wharf was logs and wood decking. In the winter the boat was pulled up the shore on logs.. Dad bought the boat without a trailer.. Later he found a trailer when it was about 8 years old , and kept it in the driveway…
One of the highlights of my mid 30’s was a houseboat trip we took on lake Roosevelt . Seven of us shared a 52 ft boat for 7 days… I seemed to be deemed the captain and did most of the driving.. The others wanted to party. What a great time.. During those years we did a bit of boat camping up at the head end of Christina Lake.. Some stories to tell there for sure… I miss those adventures and just being out on the water…don’t seam to get the chance as much.. Lately we do use the kayaks that I now have. I can pack them along on camping trips. Wish I had those kayaks when I was a kid.. They are fun.. Simple and maintenance free. Anyway lets fast forward to the new millennium and what I’m up to boat wise.. My wife does not share my love of boats, but that’s not stopping me.. Anything to keep me busy..
The year was 2001.. It was the fall and I was bored and needed to have a project. The internet was a great tool and on it I found the answer… Build a wooden boat ! A sail boat ! Called a “Weekender” it was 16 ft and had a small cabin.. You could (in a pinch) sleep in it.. I bought the plans.. With DVD ..and rented a work space.. Ordered some marine plywood..
EPSON DSC picture
Here’s a photo of the Weekender during the construction. There’s a lot of pride and satisfaction in building your own boat.. I started the end of October and went sailing in May.. It’s an experience I would not trade for anything… but the boat I did trade..
This is what the finished boat looked like.. Fiberglas over wood and lots of varnished wood . Sails were made of white tarp with white duct tape reinforcement. It Worked ! The cost was surprisingly low for what I got.. Nice little trailer I picked up for $800..
I went sailing in the Weekender a few times that summer. And it was great. I did not like that steering wheel and wished I’d made it a tiller instead. On one occasion I took a friend along because he loved to sail. He also loved the boat so much he wanted to trade me for his big Yamaha touring motorcycle. I said sure lets do it . He made quite a few changes to the boat.. added a center board & tiller. I went sailing with him the next year.. He did some nice things to the Weekender.. The Weekender project was well documented by me .. I had a nice little digital camera.. And It was the start of my journalizing things I was up to.. For a time there hasn’t been much boating except for the kayaks.. But my sailing days were not over..
One of the first family camping trips we did was to Kokanee Park. And my Sisters friend brought his Lazer for the day.. We all had fun with the boat. Here’s a photo of Maureen & I out for a sail when the wind was low.. Great boat , but a squeeze for two people.
In 2006 I bought this little Delta 10 ft with lazer rigging . This is me sailing it in Pender Harbour at my brother’s house. Great little boat, had oars too. And we would take it along camping with us. But it did spend a lot of time hanging in the carport.. So this year I sold it to a deserving sailor and moved on to bigger things..
Here’s my friend Dave in one of my two Wilderness Kayaks. They are 12 ft models designed with fishing in mind. Very stable, very comfortable. Fun little boats…easy to own.
Lots of mowers and tractors.. And even a Chev Tracker have gotten my attention.. But in the spring of 2009 a sad boat caught my eye.. Don’t know what I was thinking, but the wheels are always turning.. Maureen just knows I’m crazy.. And I do take on more than I can do in most cases.. Can’t help it I love having a reason to get up in the morning..Anyway this boat for sale in Kelowna was calling my name.. It’ was cheap.. It needed work.. The trailer was worth more than what the boat was selling for so I can’t lose..
Das Boat I called it .. It was ugly, It was glass over wood construction.. Very nice workmanship.. I had visions of renovating it into my dream boat.. (my dream boat is a cabin cruiser ) The 135 Merc was old and needed some parts.. The fiberglas was separating from the hull in one place and I was not sure if I could fix it..Here it is in all it’s glory.. Didn’t look like a wood boat.. And it didn’t stay on the trailer long either.. However it was a cuddy cabin, and it did have power trim..and seats from a car.. I paid $400 for it.. And I sold just the boat and motor for $350. Then I sold the trailer for $750. A solid $600 profit.. !
While I still had the trailer and “Das Boat” was sitting on tires.. This sexy boat caught my eye.. It had been striped of the good stuff ..like a motor and leg. And it was scuffed up and needed part of the floor fixed.. A big boat .22ft had a cubby cabin. So I spent the winter looking for a motor for it .. And I could not find anything I could afford.
The Barretta Phazer II was one cool looking boat. But even a free boat is sometimes more than I can afford.. The cost of re-powering such a boat was huge. It sat in my driveway for six months and I finally gave it away and sold the trailer for a good profit.. Back to the tractors.. For awhile.. I was still dreaming of someday having a nice ..not to big .. Cabin cruiser to use for fishing and maybe a weekend on the lake. But I’m thinking that outboard motors are a safer bet. Cheaper to fix.. Easy to change.. So I shy away from anything with a stern drive. That’s probably why I hesitated when I saw a 18 ft Reinell for sale for $800. even though it had a rebuilt motor and was lake ready. I had to think this one through.. It sold to someone else .. Duh that was a good price But I’ve heard bad things about OMC stern drives…so just as well ..
2011: It’s summer and I was cruising the for sale ads. And there was someone trying to rid themselves of and old boat. Dave and I just happened to be in Kelowna and so we stopped by to have a look. It was a sad little Peterborough tri-hull with a 55 hp Chrysler motor. New steering was installed, and it had the controls and a Chrysler tank. The motor wasn’t totally trashed so may run.. The boat on the other hand… every bit of wood inside was mush ! The poor boat was left out under a tree for years.. But the hull was still intact. It was sitting on a very good EZ Loader trailer.. Humm. He said $400 and take it away.. Ok maybe this would make a good fishing boat.
This is the Peterborough on it’s way home to GF. The trailer turned out to be great.. Worth the $400. But I had no time to do much to the boat so it sat at my Nephew’s for the summer. When we finally went to get the boat some low life had robbed the wiring harness just for the copper !
While the “Pete” was waiting… Someone came to me with another boat offer.. And it was too good to pass by . This time I jumped in. $500 got a 17 ft Reinell runabout with a re-built 115 hp Merc outboard. Power trim, top and another good EZ Loader trailer. Oh my what to do.. I did not want two boats.. So “Pete” had to go.. Here’s what I did.. We took the Chrysler off and the steering and any thing else of value. “Pete” sadly went to the dump. And I sold the trailer for $400. Now I have a 55 Chrysler ,controls and steering for free.
Over the winter fixing up the Chrysler will be a good shop project.
Complete working outboards have a good value to them. I have acquired two other Chryslers for parts so should be possible to get this classic motor running. They are dead simple. I can get a shop manual from E-Bay to help. Compared to the Merc’s six cylinders, three carbs and an electronic control box… the 55 has two cylinders and one carb, no electronics just a magneto and points.
The Reinell is a good looking boat for being that old. This is the same hull design as the other Reinell that I missed out on. Normally they would have a stern drive but this is the outboard model. The interior of this boat is bad too. The floor has some holes and soft spots. There is no upholstery left, and just one beat up sleeper seat. The steering is seized up. The top is old but still serviceable. After looking at this boat for a month now I’m not to sure this is the boat that I want to spend time fixing up. And another Boat offering has come my way.. But it has no motor ! ( but I have a free Chrysler) And it has no trailer ! ( Oh no I just sold a trailer) I can only store one boat.. So I made up my mind.. I’m selling the Merc 115 and its parts.. Striping the Reinell of it’s good stuff… Tossing it out just like “Pete”. Seams nobody wants to buy a boat, motor and trailer ..but separate not a problem. The “Tower of Power” is what they call the inline six Merc’s A popular motor and I’ve had two of them.. And never got to use them.
Same for this one I sold it for $750. after testing it on the boat. Cost me $45 to drop the boat off at the dump.. So I made a $205. profit. And wrecking out the Reinell not only gave me a trailer but a 18 gal fuel tank, a horn, a small motor mount, Some hardware and a very nice burl wood steering wheel.
Finally I get the boat I’ve always dreamed of…..
This is it ! An early sixties,all Fiberglas Performer Seven Seas 17 ft . Most important here is that it is a CABIN CRUISER. Out board YES.. Blue..YES.. And I have a lot of parts & stuff to do it up nice…
