Vintage Race Boat Shop

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Alalou II - Part 2

A very historic and very special - 1931 Chris Craft, 26 Foot Upswept 

Owners - Lynn & Bob Doyle

Alalou II is a very historic and very special boat, shipped directly from the factory to Lake Winnipesaukee and was formerly owned by the Free Republic of China (Chiang Kai-Shek). Only five of these custom Model  212 hulls are known to exist, as documented in the Chris Craft publication "Mahogany Memories" that provides an extensive write-up. With all the original hardware and gauges, the boat was completely restored many moons ago by Charlie Gath in Meredith, NH. This hull is in excellent shape, the George Johnson/Crusader 454 marine motor just purrs, and the newer technology 4-blade prop provide for a very smooth and elegant boat ride experience. Alalou II has been an award winner at many local ACBS boat shows and was owned and well maintained by Bob Brooks for over 25 years.

Click here for ACBS boat show photos

37th Annual ACBS Boat Show - July 23-24, 2010

     

       

Then in the Fall of 2009, Lynn and Bob Doyle acquired Alalou II from Bob Brooks, and now the boat has returned to the Vintage Race Boat Shop for continued maintenance.

       

       

       

Before winter storage, Alalou II was hauled to Steve Rollins for a new Sunbrella cover, custom made for a nice snug fit with only four snaps.

   

   

 

Then it was time to haul for winter storage at Lanes End Marina.

 

     

 

In the winter of 2010 we trekked back over to Lanes End to dig out the entrance and haul Alalou II back to the shop for a complete refinishing.

   

     

 

Back in the shop, we hoisted Alalou II off the trailer and setup for work.

 

       

       

     

We spent several days detailing and sanding the bottom of the hull, first with 120 grit on our random orbital sander, followed by Scotchbrite Pads. We took our time and got the bottom real smooth.

Remember - if you wanna be fast - you gotta be smooth ???!!!

       

       

Then we applied two coats of Interlux Brightside "Fire Red" marine paint, using our rolling & tipping technique. The result looks like it was sprayed. This paint is very thick and also contains "Teflon" so the bottom looks as bright and smooth as the deck.

       

       

     

Alalou II was completely restored many moons ago by Charlie Gath in Meredith, NH and the hull remains in excellent shape. We first sanded the deck and hull sides with 320 grit paper on our trusty orbital sander, being very careful not to sand through the beautifully aged stain. But we did sand quite aggressively, taking the time to get the deck, hatches and hull sides very, very smooth. We then followed with Scotchbrite Pads, again on our orbital sander. We got the hull very smooth.

         

         

Then we started applying the "build" coats of thick, amber tinted Epifanes varnish, taking the time to let each coat dry thoroughly and then sanding between each coat. This extensive sanding process results in actually fairing the deck and hull sides, making them smoother and smoother with each application of the thick varnish. The results were absolutely stunning, well worth the many, many hours of work/therapy, and the fumes were much enjoyed !!!

         

         

       

   

After four coats of varnish on the hull sides, the boot stripe was carefully taped and painted with two coats of Pettit Boot Top White paint.

         

         

After three coats of varnish on the deck and hatches, we filled the deck seam with white Phenoseal and then Jerome from JC Signs stopped by to hand paint the white deck seams. This is pretty tedious work and as usual, Jerome did a beautiful job. 

         

         

After the white deck seams were hand painted, the deck and hatches were sanded with Scotchbrite Pads and then the fourth/final coat of thick Epifanes was applied.

       

     

We also detailed and painted the 454 Crusader motor, installed a new flame arrestor, rebuilt the water pump, replaced the spark plugs, distributor points, cap and rotor and changed the oil using the best, Amzoil Synthetic. The valve cover breathers were also replaced with a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system, the cleanest and most efficient way to vent a low RPM marine motor.

   

Because it's the little things that make a difference, we also painted the hatch edges and cockpit trim with the correct grey marine paint. Then it was finally time to polish and re-install all the beautiful chrome hardware, with all the many, many polished screws all properly aligned. Lots of polishing and screwing, with only days away from our planned Spring Launching Ceremonies & Celebration !!!

         

         

         

     

On June 4th, we rolled Alalou II to the other side of the shop, into position to be hoisted up onto the trailer. Then we spent a very nice afternoon cleaning and polishing. Here are a few more photos of this absolutely stunning - 1931 Chris Craft, 26 Foot Upswept.

         

         

         

         

         

Spring Launching Ceremonies & Celebration ???!!!

 

Our Launching Ceremonies & Celebration took place on Saturday afternoon, June 5th at the Wolfeboro public docks.  We had a good crowd for for our regular Saturday Morning Gathering for coffee and doughnuts and then the sun came out for our launching ceremonies !!!

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

Many thanks to Lynn & Bob Doyle for sharing our project and watch for Alalou II this summer at the annual Lake Winnipesaukee ACBS Boat Show.

ACBS Boat Show - July 23-24, 2010

         

       

   

 

Click here Alalou II - Part 1

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