Aroline Boat Fan Club

Photos courtesy of D. Landry May 2008

Looking to exchange restoration ideas with fanclub members.

I bought the boat, motor and trailer in Red Lake, Ontario in 1984. I believe it was at one time a commercial camp boat as it has a numbered sticker on the motor. I used the boat for fishing in Red Lake and connecting lakes from 1984 to 1988 when I moved to eastern Ontario. The boat saw little use from then on and it wasn't until 2008 that I decided to renovate it to a usable state. I am replacing the steering cable and the front seat backrest presently. I may replace the false floor that was in it when I bought it as the previous floor has rotted, but I need to find something better than plywood. The windshield cracked into two pieces sometime in the last ten years so I need to get it back together as well. I am told that Methylene Chloride is used to fuse this type of plastic together. This chemical is highly toxic so care is needed in its use. The windshield seal and the plastic clips that hold the windshield to the deck are beyond saving and I will have to find something to replace the entire system of attachment.

I have begun to shine up the aluminium using polishing compound and a rag, but will try a small buffing wheel on my electric drill sometime soon to reduce the elbow grease required. The motor is a 20 Hp. Mercury c. 1970s which has seen better years. The two metal gas tanks that came with the boat are no longer useable and I have replaced them with one modern plastic gas tank.

I bought a tongue jack the other day so I can move the trailer around without lifting the entire weight of the boat, as I had in the past. That will now allow me to climb into the boat as well to work on the interior, where as before I had to connect it to the truck to stabilize it.

The attached photo #1 show the boat in my driveway in Red Lake with a foreboding sky in the distance - the photo was of the sky really so only a portion of the boat shows in the photo. The second photo was taken years ago. You will note that the windshield is missing. I have a more recent photo in my camera and will send it later.

I would appreciate any tips on renovating this boat.

Thanks

Don.