By Bjorn Bakken
The ACBS-supported runabout restoration program at IYRS in Newport, RI is now one month in and well under way. The 1940 17’ Chris-Craft Barrelback boat we are working on made its public debut at the International Show in Port Huron after spending many years in a Michigan collection.
The boat arrived in Newport, RI on Sept. 22nd and was unloaded and placed in its spot in Restoration Hall at IYRS. This school year, we will restore a total of 11 boats in the Boat Building and Restoration program, 8 Beetle Cats for the 1st-year students, a 1902 18’ Motor Launch, and a 19’ Alden sailboat for the 2nd-year students. The Barrelback will be in good company.
The program began with instruction on how to conduct a detailed survey of the boat along with a cost and price analysis. The students must present a cost proposal for the upcoming restoration work. At the end of the school year, after tallying hours and materials, it will be interesting to see if the students made a “profit.”
During the survey the hull number was confirmed but it quickly became apparent that the boat has received an earlier full restoration, likely in the 80s or 90s time frame. This work was certainly not carried out according to today’s expectations. Many rather poor restoration choices and methods lay beneath the nice varnish and chrome.
A bottom replacement was done on the original oil-soaked bottom frames, keel and chine. They glued 3/8” builders-grade fir plywood to the frames with epoxy for the inner layer, and it seems they used the old bottom planks and glued them to the plywood with epoxy as well. However, they applied an insufficient amount of epoxy, which resulted in a poor bond with the plywood. Shoddy workmanship is seen in the repair of the transom framing with ill-fitted “dutchmens.” Further, the entire interior of the bottom, transom, frames and engine stringers were coated with epoxy, without any care.
The topside planking appears original, but now sanded very thin over the years. The original topside framing will be retained with a few properly done “dutchmen”.
They also replaced the deck, likely much later than the bottom and transom work, since they used 3M5200 here. The layout of the deck framing is no longer like it was original and will be replaced to recreate the sweet shape of the Barrelback decklines.
In the end, like with many restorations, much wood replacement lies ahead. It has been quite challenging to remove the old bottom to retain the shape of the old bottom frames for templating and replacement. If nothing else, the work previously done on this boat underscores the reasons for this program: to restore our classic boats to the ACBS judging standard and to the highest industry standards among our professional restorers.
I saw the boat at the ACBS International Show last month before it was transported to RI. The old cliche’ applied “good from far, but far from good”. Looks like there has been lots of progress made-as usual, the evaluation and teardown is the hardest part. Please keep us updated on the progress.
Thank you for your dedication to this craft!
A comment/request on restoration of what are now unusual boats:
I have a Mullins Sea Eagle (sometimes referred to as a Sea Eagle Scout in correspondence) run-about with the original Lycoming Marine engine in the early stages of restoration. It was one of two first used on Yellowstone Lake by the Yellowstone Park Boat company sister to the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company before both were consolidated into the Yellowstone Park Company with the Hotel and Camping Companies.
Little documentation of the boat company has survived, but I found correspondence and the orders for the boats in the records in the archives of the Yellowstone Cultural center. We have probable original colors (potentially confused by the color of primer paints (which almost certainly included Red lead pigments) and construction related components Save for the Lycoming dashboard) in hand. Correspondence suggests that the two motor boats purchased were painted with the standard production colors with these being production “left-overs”, but with high compression engines (probably just thin head gaskets) and a next year model steering wheel, according to correspondence. As found, parts include the original propeller and, perhaps some of the dash instruments (which appear to have been more closely related to motor vehicle gauges of the period than those of the Lycoming Aircraft division (which are still available for the production years at breathing FAA certified prices).
Does the ACBS have any members who could serve as a resource for information on this rather unusual, although once common (on freshwater) model, boat?
The fact that it was fabricated from apparently galvanized (below the waterline) and pressed, enameled sheet iron above on wooden mandrels, makes much of the restoration unique to these boats — the benchmark being that automotive enamel paints were used for most of the finished surfaces — apparently the same production process used in the Mullins kitchen cabinets and sinks sold as Youngstown cabinets for many years.
This all but unknown vessel (there were previous Chris Craft motorboats and a few other brands of subsequent motor boats in the park, seems worthy of historical restoration to the appearance and function it had when delivered along with a railcar load of rowboats purchased by the boat company — the latter of which (“unsinkable” with air chambers under the seats) were intentionally sunk near the docks in front of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel after they became “ugly” — a chore that took an incredible amount of ax and hatchet work to accomplish according to anecdotal reports. The odd rows of objects “discovered” by sonar inspection of the lake during the extermination of the invasive lake trout population (that nearly extincted the native fish population and, coincidentally impacted the bear population due to differing spawning habits from the native population was difficult to understand, except by the few of us familiar with the cultural history of the Park — myself beginning with the restoration of the touring buses and moving to related accommodations made for visitors to the park.
I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more details about the Mullins Sea Eagles, if members could be of help.
If you log in to myacbs.org and search for Mullins in the boat section, there is about 6 or so boats registered. You should reach out to the owners of those boats to share info.