FeatherCraft RESTORATION!

[A-Merry-Can]

OK, I know... What's THIS doing on here? Well, I'm in the middle of restoring my '59 Traveller, and I thought she could use a companion when we go away for the weekend... PLUS, I haven't met an airstreamer yet who DIDN'T like FeatherCrafts. They're the Airstream of the water! Riveted aluminum construction, VERY buck rogers looking, and made in Atlanta in the 50's and 60s! So since this little project is taking away from my valuable AIRSTREAM restoration time, I thought I'd post the progress pics, etc here for all to enjoy... and hopefully infect a few of you!

On with the show!

JP

[A-Merry-Can]

David Porter got me into these things about a year ago. Here's a pic of his up at the Spring Airstream Rally in Hiawassee a few years ago... His is a Vagabond 1, meaning it has 2 seperate compartments for the front and rear seats. Mine's a Vagabond 2, meaning the divider has an opening so you can walk between them. The whole boat's only 12 feet or so long, so there's NOT a lot of room to move around either way! ha!

JP

[A-Merry-Can]

now... use your imagination here! THis is what mine looked like shortly after I brought it home... That's not blue paint, that's annodized! BELIEVE me, there is nothing harder to get off aluminum than annodizing... After trying several different methods, I settled on OVEN CLEANER... 20 CANS of it! It eats through the aluminum, and then you can pressure wash the residue off.. What a mess. You can't really sand it, and you definitely can't polish it! Even today, as I start working the aluminum, I run across patches where the annodized finish is still slightly there... just to keep me busy, I guess....

Pics, pics, pics....

[A-Merry-Can]

Julie thought I was crazy for buying it! She's probably right. I believe it was an x-Flying Boatmen boat (from knoxville). They were a bunch of x-pilots who did intricate formations in these little things on the river in TN back in the day. My boat was originally named the "Martha Sue", and apparently suffered a head on collission at some point. I can see how, if you've ever seen a video of the flying boatmen perform! it's cool!

Anyway, the colission damaged the bow. I've since repaired the nose piece and replaced the rusty screws with rivets. Here's some more pics of the mayhem...

[A-Merry-Can]

...WAY gone... like i would have expected anything less!

[A-Merry-Can]

OK, I let it sit in the yard for almost a year, until I decided to make it my winter project.. Until I get a barn, there's no sense polishing the airstream to a mirror, and I thought I'd give the boat one last chance to grip me... So inside whe went, and I got to polishing after removing most of the hardware.... Here's Day 1...

[A-Merry-Can]

So, I'm back on the boat program, now... full steam. SHe's got me.

I've been collecting miscellaneous parts off eBay for a few months now, like retro fenders for teh trailer, vintage controls, and a vintage Johnson Javelin motor.. WAY cool! same year as the boat, and the gold matches the trim pieces on the boat!

I love the trim pieces on the flanks of this boat. I think they only did these for a few years. Very cool!

Here's some miscellaneous pics of it in the "shop"/basement/woodshop/etc/etc...

[A-Merry-Can]

if anyone has any Qs, let me know! I love to Inform, Inspire, and Infect! hehe!

Here's some other links...

My long-term 59 Traveller project thread

My LONGER-term 62 Globe Trotter thread

Feathercraft Info

MORE Feathercraft Info

Cheerio!

JP

[doorgunner]

What a great project!! Is this the same kind of boat that klattu also owns?

Are those airstream shocks on the trailer?

looks like fun!

[klattu]

You got me inspired for sure!
I gotta get out there and get busy.

Mine has a way too big 60hp on it now.
You could see God at full thottle.
Picked up a 1959 Johnson 35 hp Super Sea Horse in Albuquerque from Ebay of couse.
It will be more timely and look better on my 1956 Feather Craft.
Mine is the dual cowl model. (non-walk thru)




Bringing the Johnson back...the senic route.



Can't wait to cruse together!
Gonna look cool pulled behind a Airstream

[klattu]

Does yours have a drain plug that faces down?
Mine looks very prone to damage, and very un-streamlined pointing down.
I plan to weld it up, then put one facing rear on the transon like most boats have.

[A-Merry-Can]

My buddy Michael has one just like yours. The later models have a wider arm-rest type area where the deck sweeps back. Does yours have wooden seats? Mine's all aluminum, with no floatation in the bow.

I LOVE that motor! Michael's got that on his as well. I've got a '57-8 Johnson Javelin in the basement, I should probably photograph that, huh? let me pull it out of the heap of junk it's in and photo it this weekend. Got it on eBay from CA. The inside of the motor looks like it's never been ran! Original paint and everything. The cowl is a little faded, though. I'll paint it when I do the trailer fenders so I don't have to mix the gold twice.

My drain plug is just a threaded hole, nothing protrudes below the boat. Well, the spedo pic-up will, I guess. I need to take a pic of that, too.. I have a Vintage airflight speedo with a brass tube pick-up... polished, of course!

I'll see if I can talk the rest of my FreatherCraft buddies into coming up in the spring, too. That would be a hoot!

[A-Merry-Can]

Interesting how much lower my side trim piece is than either yours or david's. Look at how much farther up the side it curves on your boats than mine.

High road:



and the Low Road:



I bet no 2 years are the same!

JP

[klattu]

First it looks like yours has more freeboard....
But after counting the rivet holes, yours is lower.
Little different on the bow curve too.

Mine has the aluminum seats, only with a fishing boat seat on top.
That has to go!

Undecided on the floor boards...solid or planks.
No floatation found yet.
Thinking of adding some under floor and maybe a fuel tank up front for balance.

[A-Merry-Can]

I like the plank flooring idea. If you do that, post lots of pics! I'll probably do the same thing.

For the inside of mine, I'm going to paint the inner hull and seat bottoms a gunmetal grey (slightly darker than the polished outside), to cover up the nasty anodized finish i couldn't get off, and make the polished metal really pop. The inner divider part will remain polished, though.

I still need to get a vintage cable steering wheel for it as well as (2) stern light poles, a bow light and a stainless trumpet horn.

The floatation is probably under your seats. That's where it's supposed to be on mine. David's has a huge chunk of styrafoam in a chamber in the bow.

Are you going to do a windshield? I may do a tiny fold down speed screen. Definitely not the original wrap-around, though. that looks too big on a vagabond.

JP

[klattu]

Mine has a small green/auqa windshield.
Not the big curved ones.
PO said was original, I find hard to believe plexiglass lasted 50 years.
Gonna keep it, may make interior match inside of MH.

[klattu]

Dang...gets dark so quick over here in Alabama.
Ran out and got some shots before night.
I have a ways to go...basicly a complete interior makeover and motor swap.

[Stefrobrts]

Neat-o projects guys!

[mrmossyone]

I've got on ole all wood Thompson, early 50's era that is not going to be restored. It's becoming part of the kids fort/treehouse/pirate ship. I also have a 50's era 30 hp Electric start Mercury Kiefhaufer motor that I plan on putting on ebay but if there are some AS folks that might want it let me know. I'll look at the model and exact name and number tomorrow and post it. It's a lighter blue color and I'm sure it needs work to get running.

[mrmossyone]

Originally Posted by klattu

Dang...gets dark so quick over here in Alabama.
Ran out and got some shots before night.
I have a ways to go...basicly a complete interior makeover and motor swap.

Wonder Woman was one of my favorite shows both cartoon and the tv show with Linda Carter, whom I definitely had a crush on.