The Making of "Elizabeth"
by Chuck Denoyer
by Chuck Denoyer
Finally in April 1994, I discovered Steve Vogelzang had a 1947 white sided 22 Sportsman that had spent quite a lot of time outside in the weather, although it was fairly complete and had a good yard trailer under it. Steve and I agreed on a time to inspect the boat. The boat was still in winter storage so it was only partially viewable. As I was looking for a boat that needed some TLC, this boat looked like it fit the bill. We struck a deal and I told Steve to let me know when it would be available.
In mid May 1994, the boat was dug out of storage and made available to be picked up. Meanwhile, I had asked Bill Woodrow if he was interested in making a road trip to pick up a boat. Like all wood boaters would do, he jumped at the chance to go nose around in a boat yard.
On the way down to Holland we talked about the effort involved with restoring and maintaining these old tubs. At the time, I had a 1955, 19' Capri and Bill had a 1958, 18' Continental, a 1956, 22' Sea Skiff and a 1938, 25' semi enclosed. After picking up the boat and all the spare parts from Steve, we were on the return trip with what could only by the stretch of the imagination be considered a boat with any possibility of ever floating again. It was then that we struck an agreement to trade our labor on these boats. One Saturday we would work on my boat and the following Saturday on Bill's. What was meant to be a time and money saver turned out to be a significant motivation factor. After having Bill at my garage on Saturday, I felt compelled to return the favor the following Saturday. So whether we individually wanted to work on boats or not, our shop help would be there at 10:00 a.m.
And so went the next five years - remove the bottom planks one screw at a time, replace frames, knees, stem, gripe, keel, chines and so on. I never had a time frame to complete all that needed to be done. I'm not sure I really expected it to ever be done. After three years or so, I recognized that spending two Saturdays a month on this project just isn't going to get it done. I contacted Russ Arrand at Cadillac Boat Shop and got on "the list," which would mean a two-year wait. July 4, 1999, was the target date for Russ to get started.
Once we got the boat transported, squared up and plumb, Russ spent time making adjustments on the amateur work that I had done, but as a whole, the reconstruction progressed well. While the wood work was being done, I sent the Iva-Lite to Dick Sligh at Grand Craft to be refurbished, the gauges to Pat Powell, the motor to Thirlby Automotive in Traverse City, the hardware to be re-chromed, etc., etc., etc.
Whenever possible. Bill and I would travel to Cadillac for weekend or evening projects that we could accomplish to try to keep the cost down.
In the summer of 2000, the hull was done except for final faring and paint, so it was sent over to Jarvis Welding in Cadillac to have the trailer built. A couple weeks there and Scott Jarvis had built a masterpiece. A trailer that is very user friendly, perfectly balanced, and doesn't look bad either.
Over the winter 2000/2001 as the motor box, seat backs and seat bottoms took shape, Barrett's Auto and Marine Trim in Traverse City was called upon for the upholstery.
Work at Cadillac Boat Shop continued and as spring 2001 approached, the anticipation became uncontrollable. As a prelude to installing the motor, Russ likes to let it run on a cradle for a time to check for leaks and make any last minute adjustments. Upon doing this, it was determined that a major problem existed on this freshly rebuilt engine. This was a significant setback, as I was literally counting the hours till we could finally use the boat that was so long in the making. Arrangements were made to correct the problem with the motor while the re-construction of the boat continued. Build varnish on the decks and ceiling boards, install the linoleum, finish the seat frames, motor box, equipment tray, etc., etc., etc.
Finally in mid July 2001, the boat started to take final shape. Install the re-rebuilt motor, fuel tank, running gear, thru-hull fittings, hardware, bow and stem lights, rewire everything, plumb fuel and water to the motor to the point that Russ determined it was time for a water test. On Friday, July 20, Margie and I made the trip to Cadillac to pick up the boat and head to the water. All of my emotions were battling one another, fear, anticipation, guilt, elation, pride, doubt amongst others.
It became late in the afternoon for various reasons (Chapter President Jim Mersman decided to stop by and see the project first hand) and we had a dark and very threatening sky. Mark Mclsaac and Denny Montague were also on hand for moral support. I backed the trailer down the launch ramp at Lake Cadillac till the boat lip floated free. After parking the truck and trailer, I hurried back to the ramp with great anticipation. Just seeing the boat finally in the water, bouncing in the water like a cork somehow gave me great satisfaction. Russ stated, "Looks good, no leaks." I really didn't expect any. At this point I wanted to slow the whole to process down, so I could digest the fact that this boat is actually floating, however, I couldn't because it was about to start raining. With motor box open and Russ' watchful eye on the engine, he shouted to "start her up." This seemed so foreign to me that I fumbled with the key and starter button till the starter engaged and the motor began to roll over. Being a new rebuild, the motor was so tight that it wasn't anxious to spin very fast, but after a few seconds it jumped to life and purred like it was supposed to.
Not many seconds later, Russ shouted to "shut her off." The water pump wasn't pumping any water. Once we determined that it wasn't going to be a simple fix we put her back on the trailer and got back to the shop albeit soaking wet.
Russ remembered reading an article that dealt with the trials and tribulations of the Chris Craft 283 and particularly the availability of a retro water pump. He was able to contact the supplier on the West Coast and get one shipped. By the following Thursday, the new pump was installed and pumping water like crazy. We agreed to do another water test on Saturday. This time Margie wasn't available to make the trip, so I asked Hal Muenchow if he would be interested. He jumped at the chance.
We arrived at Russ's about 9:00 a.m., hooked up to the trailer and made for the lake. The boat and the motor performed flawlessly. We put it through its paces, hi-speed, low speed, hard turn port, hard turn starboard. It acted just the way it was supposed to, and I was on cloud nine.
The next opportunity we had to use the boat was August 4, 2001, at "Boats on the Boardwalk." With the strong current in the Boardman River, and this my real maiden voyage with the boat, there was a very high pucker factor involved with getting the boat to its mooring in the river. All went very well and we are very proud to have received the "SKIPPER'S CHOICE" award.
After all the boats were back on their trailers after the show, Margie and I invited Bill and Barb Woodrow and Bill and Karen Ballard for a late afternoon cruise on West Grand Traverse Bay. What a trip! If there is a heaven, I hope it's a lot like what we experienced that afternoon. It made it all worth while. friends, good weather and good times.
We used the boat extensively the following week in the Les Cheneaux Islands and won "BEST IN CLASS" at the annual Les Cheneaux Islands Boat Show and Festival of Arts.
While we didn't have use of the boat all summer, we made up for it when we did get to use her. We also took advantage of the chapter's fall rendezvous on the upper chain of lakes this past fall. I recommend that every wood boat enthusiast go through a total restoration like this because it gives you a new perspective on this hobby.