Restoration
of a 1957 16 1/2 FT
Lyman
(Part III)
by Jerry Valley
|
This is the third
and final chapter in the restoration of my Lyman. For those of
you who have been following this restoration, you will notice
that the boat has grown a foot since the last article was
written. As I was reassembling the boat, I noticed on the
bottom of one of the seats a notation “57 16 ½’.  Even
though it is registered as a 15 ½’ I decided to measure it
and it is, in fact, 16 ½’ long. Lyman made both lengths in
57 so it is a reasonable possibility. Subsequent to that
initial finding, I found the same marking on several other
pieces. I’m not sure when or how it got mis-registered but
it was sold to me as a 15 ½’ boat. |
Jerry Valley's Lyman at
Minneapolis Boat Show |
Anyway, that discovery aside,
there was a significant change of plans since the last article
was written. My plan at the time had been to store the boat
for the winter and then continue the restoration in the
spring. However, I was approached in the fall and asked if I
would be interested in displaying my 1960, 23’ Lyman at the
January 99 boat show at the Convention Center. While honored
to be asked, I didn’t feel that boat was currently of a
standard to be shown. In a very weak moment I suggested I
should finish the small Lyman and show it instead. This from
someone with a boat not even half-finished, winter on the way
and with an unheated, uninsulated, very drafty garage! It has
proven to be a challenge but as the boat show approaches (as I
write this article it is only 6 days away!) the end is in
sight. I have only to install a few small pieces of trim, the
floorboards and the outboard and it will be ready for the
show.
|
The previous article
ended with the exterior of the hull, including the bottom,
having been completed. I was just getting started on rough
fitting the deck planking. I had also restored the trailer
while the boat was upside down on a dolly. A friend then
helped me turn the boat over and put it back on the trailer
for the balance of the restoration. In order to work on the
boat in the garage while on the trailer, I had to cut a hole
in the front of the garage and allow the trailer tongue to
protrude outside. This was met with some amusement by my
neighbor (and, fortunately, my wife as well).
Remaining to be completed before the show was installation,
trimming and fitting of the deck planking as well as sanding,
staining, sealing and varnishing of it. The gods were with me,
and, as you will recall, we were blessed with a much warmer
than usual fall and early winter. This allowed me, with the
help of a smelly kerosene heater, to keep the garage warm
enough to get 8-9 coats of varnish on before it turned really
cold. Throughout the restoration of this boat, I have used
Sika Flex as a bedding compound, Interlux Chris-Craft Mahogany
filler stain, Petitt 2018 sealer and Interlux Clipper Clear
varnish, all with very satisfactory results.
Once the decks were finished, it was time to install the new
forward bulkhead, windshield, side windows, dash, steering
wheel, seats, cabinets and floorboards, all of which had been
refinished in the basement the previous winter. In spite of
the addition of a propane heater to my sources of heat, most
of this work has been completed in a very, very cold garage,
painfully cold at times. With the boat show date looming ever
closer, however, there was no option but to press on.
The original glass (or at least the glass that was in the boat
when I purchased it) was a very unattractive shade of green,
so I had all new safety glass cut using the original glass for
patterns. On the recommendation of Dan Nelson, a member of the
club and a professional restorer, I used Hoffer Glass on
Lyndale Ave. They provided fast service, reasonable prices and
high quality, so if you need glass, I highly recommend them.
Last but not least was installation of the hardware. The only
thing salvageable from the original boat was a cute little
chrome horn mounted on the deck just forward of the
windshield. I was able to polish this up and bring it back to
presentable, if not perfect, condition. The rest of the
hardware is new. I have installed some additional hardware
which I feel is important but which was not on the original
boat, including a stainless rub rail, bow chocks and stern
cleats. I also added stainless rub strips to the varnished
spray rails to protect them from damage. While the wiring and
motor controls still need to be installed, this will have to
wait until summer. All in all, this has been a very fun and
rewarding project and I am delighted that the finished product
will have been at the boat show. I can’t wait to get it in
the water next summer.
My original goal was to complete this project in about two
years at a total cost of around $3000. I have succeeded on
both counts, learned much in the process and had a lot of fun
doing it.
So there is more proof that an old beat up boat is really
potential treasure. It is good that Jerry is a believer in ---
don’t destroy it; restore it!
|
|
|
|
