Frank Lloyd Wright Boathouse

Took these pictures at the ACBS workshop last winter. Really an interesting story on this building.

http://www.wrightsboathouse.org/

It was nice seeing it first hand. The quality of the workmanship was first rate.

My Boats

1963 Custom Craft Sun Ray 17'

So this is the one that started it all. Saw this thing in a Field in 1992 and knew right away that I had to have it. Just never saw anything like it before, so I made an offer and got the boat for $200. The trailer was another issue though. The guy just did not want to sell it. So after some haggling, I got the trailer for another $350. Still not a bad deal, especially considering I didn't have anything else to haul it away on.

So it sat in storage for awhile while great dreams were contemplated. In that time I managed to find this great website where I could learn all about the boat and how to fix it up. The website is called FiberGlassics.com. I found out there are other people like me who saw the great potential in these old boats. Other people who could see that this basket case sitting in a Field somewhere could be resurrected into it's once proud former self.

Time, life, and lack of funds all took their toll. In 2005, I finally managed to negotiate for a place to work on it out of the elements. The transom got done. The floor got started. Materials were purchased. Progress was being made. Then unfortunately the storage place was lost, but something else happened. Another boat was found. One that was smaller and therefore needed less work to finish.

1962 Custom Craft Sting Ray 14'

So this brings us to the next project. This one, also found in a field, was free. Although I was soon to find out that there is no such thing as a free boat. It seemed to me that this boat would take less work to get on the water. This was primarily because of it's size, but also because it did not need a full transom replacement. It did however have eight coats of paint on it. Since I already had all the fiberglass material from the other boat, it was not going to cost me alot to get on the water.

So after picking the boat up in the fall of 2006, I started immediately on the transom. I was able to do this mainly in my driveway. The transom went in and I got it all sealed up. Next was the floor. That was done in the spring of 2007, and was finished in time for the second annual Silver Lake Boat Meet put on by FiberGlassics North East Group. Even though the floor was not completely sealed, and there was nothing but plywood sheets for seats, it ran great and a good time was had by all. Later that summer the floor would be sealed with fiberglass, and sturdier plywood seats would be installed. It still had it's eight coats of paint. I had spray painted it for the meet, and that is how it stayed for the summer. Fun was had, and even though there were motor starting issues, it ran great. The family went water skiing. Some of the expense and time were justified.

The next year, 2008, the project of stripping the eight layers of paint and fixing the fiberglass shell was undertaken. All spring I worked on it at the warehouse space at work which was graciously donated by my boss. The new paint was applied, two part epoxy, with help from my brother in law. Seats were purchased and installed. The motor was gone through, new starter solenoid, carb kits, fuel pump kits. New lights and cleats were purchased and installed. It was ready in time for the third annual meet at Silver Lake. The boat ran flawlessly all summer. We used it for a week straight on our summer vacation at Rushford Lake.

1961 G-3 13'

The next project. This is a speed boat. It was purchased for $150 in the fall of 2008 from the same guy that gave me the Sting Ray. More to come on this one.