Vintage Race Boat Shop

  We maintain vintage wooden boats.

 

G-17 Scotty

Page 3 - Preparing for the 2011 Vintage Circuit !!!

 

1929 Gold Cup Hydroplane

Designed & Built By - John Hacker

Owner/Driver - Mark Howard

Riding Mechanic - Jim Kondrat

Preparing for the 2011 Vintage Circuit !!!

After running Scotty at the 2004 Detroit Gold Cup, then several years on display at our beloved NH Boat Museum, then another year of storage, Scotty is now back in the shop for some bottom detailing and refinishing. Jim Kondrat is also now back in the shop getting the special Packard Gold Cup motor ready to run again this summer. Scotty will be the featured Hacker at our 38th annual ACBS boat show at Meredith this summer, will be hauled to the Clayton ACBS boat show the following weekend, and will also be displayed and run at our Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta.

 

Come join us, for all the adventure and all the fun !!!

ACBS Boat Show at Meredith

ACBS Boat Show at Clayton

 Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta

 

In June of 2011, Scotty was hauled from winter storage back to the Vintage Race Boat Shop for some special attention to the bottom, complete refinishing and preparation for the 2011 Vintage Circuit.

The travel cover that Steve Rollins make for us several years ago has done a good job of protecting Scotty during winter storage and transport. It is made of Sunbrella material that breaths and keeps the mahogany hull nice and tight.

         

         

This 1929 Gold Cup Racer has been well maintained through the years by very thoughtful owners and remains in remarkably good condition. All the wood is original and there has never been any wood replacement. A true timepiece. Note the shift lever and the dash mounted throttle and choke cables were setup for the required riding mechanic to control, allowing the owner/driver to hang on and steer !!!

         

         

         

         

         

The lightweight Packard Gold Cup aluminum motor still runs beautifully, and with 750 cubic inches running through a v-drive setup, Scotty still runs well over 60 mph.

       

       

 

         

       

This 1929 Gold Cup Racer racer was made to be crane launched, and has vary nice lifting hooks bolted right through the stringers. We used these lifting hooks to hoist Scotty off the trailer and then lower onto shop dollies to setup for work. We were much relieved when the boat was finally resting safely on the dollies.

         

         

         

         

Several years ago, the traditional Gold Cup running gear was upgraded to a more modern rudder design and a new technology 4-blade prop. Scotty now runs better than ever, and here is a photo of Jim Kondrat driving Scotty  running some pretty hot laps on Back Bay here in beautiful Wolfeboro.

         

       

   

After some detailing, fresh paint in the aft bilge area. and a lot of polishing, we hauled Scotty to the 38th Annual ACBS Boat Show in Meredith where Scotty was judged and received the following awards:

First in Class Award

Best Hacker Award

Best Historic Award

 

Here are the links:

38th Annual ACBS Boat Show - Awards

38th Annual ACBS Boat Show - Photos

 

The week after our Meredith ACBS Boat Show, we hauled Scotty to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY for their 47th Annual ACBS Boat Show, where Scotty was displayed and judged and again received two top honors. Many thanks to the Clayton crew for a great event !!!

Best Antique Race Boat

Clayton Museum Staff Award

 

Here is the link:

Clayton Boat Show & Auction

While at the Clayton Museum and boat show, we also had discussions with our friends Fred Schmitt, the Executive Director and Emmett Smith, the Curator of Watercraft, and we have found a new home for Scotty at the Clayton Museum. After fresh paint and varnish at our shop, we will be hauling Scotty back to Clayton for display in the Gold Cup Building in their Quest For Speed Exhibit. This exhibition showcases the history of boat racing, from the outstanding 1910 Gold Cup and Harmsworth Trophy winner, Dixie II, to record setting Gold Cup fast steppers and hydroplanes running lightweight Packard, Liberty, Alison, and Rolls Royce airplane engines. The history of power boat racing is presented with historic videos on multimedia kiosks. The boats are well polished and are absolutely stunning with special lighting, especially Juno suspended in mid air !!!

Clayton Antique Boat Museum

   

Back in the shop, we removed all the hardware and spent two full days sanding the hull with Scotchbrite Pads. The existing varnish was applied here at our shop way back in 2003 and was by now very thin. So we took our time and were carful not to burn-through the aged stain.

 

We sanded between coats with Scotchbrite Pads using our DeWalt 5 inch random orbital sander. The sander is connected to a Fein vacuum system that provides for near dustless sanding. After the first coat of varnish was allowed to thoroughly dry and cure, we continued with three more build coats, and will follow with as many "final coats" as needed to get a pretty much dust-free final coat that just flows out beautifully. We are actually fairing the hull with varnish, and with each coat the surface gets smoother, darker and deeper.

         

         

         

         

         

         

       

Then it was time to tape the water line, and thoroughly vacuum and tack the hull.

         

         

The surface was then ready for the first coat of thick, amber tinted Epifanes varnish. The first step was to thoroughly vacuum and tack the the hull, and then prepare the varnish. We add just a titch of Epifanes retarder to the varnish, to slow the curing process just enough to allow the varnish to flow out, before the varnish begins to kick/dry. Using our rolling/tipping method of application, the results loots like it was sprayed. After four coats of thick Epifanes, the boat will look like it was dipped in a vat of varnish, and the fumes are wonderful - we love to varnish wooden boats.

 Stain & Varnish - how we do it !!!

         

         

         

         

     

   

In the background....

     

At the recent Tavares CRA Spring Fling Regatta this March, we finally sold this 283 Chris Craft marine motor to hydroplane legend Howie Benns for $1,200 cash. We also agreed to store the motor in our shop until he picked it up at our Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta

         

After four coats of thick Epifanes varnish and a lot of polishing, Scotty was hoisted back on the trailer and displayed in the hot pits at our Wolfeboro Vintage Race Boat Regatta

         

           

After the Regatta, Scotty was hauled back to the shop, hoisted off the trailer and setup for bottom sanding and two fresh coats of bottom paint. The bottom was is excellent condition.

         

         

We spent several days sanding the bottom with 120 grit paper using our DeWalt 5 inch random orbital sander. The sander is connected to a Fein vacuum system that provides for near dustless sanding. Only a few screws had to be refastened, and we got the bottom real smooth. Then we applied the first coat of bottom paint, using our rolling and tipping technique - just like applying varnish.

         

         

         

We have many more photos to post, so please check back often and follow our progress as we prepare Scotty for display in the Gold Cup Building at the Clayton Antique Boat Museum !!!

Return to Page 1 of Scotty

For locals, please stop by the shop and join our:

Saturday Morning Gatherings

 

Some related vintage race boat links:

Return to Our Beloved Vintage Wooden Boats

   

Return to Home Page - Vintage Race Boat Shop