This is what I do and most of the time it works. Obviously you have put in new packing and when your tightening it on the shaft for the first time do it by hand as tight as you can get it. Then with a wrench give it a quarter turn and most of the time this is the right amount. You will have to check...

I have used a tooth pick to paint them.

I have used it before and really didn't work for me personally. We go through gallons of varnish here at the shop and I mean literally gallons. I found that it is more expensive to use for one and I loose my place when varnishing because you can not see your wet edge. The first 2 coats work great bu...

I may be able to help, I can't be at you shop but I am making a series of videos on YouTube that is aimed at helping people restore there boats. If there is something particular that you are looking for I may be able to help you through a detailed video. Take a look at some video's that I have and i...

Not sure of the sheen of the paints way back but most of the hull paints today are gloss. It gives better protection if it is gloss and hard like a Pettit Easyepoxy white. That's what we always use and is what on my boat and its been on there for a few years now and looks great.

I have never seen a plank layout drawing that would be for your boat or any other that is detailed enough to make planks for a boat. I would go with red meranti mahogany for the material. The best way to get the measurements for the planking is to take the sides off. I am wondering if you have a new...

We have done a couple of 17' deluxe model Chris craft and always go to 1/2 inch planking. You are only talking 1/16th of an inch and it makes for a stronger boat and you don't have to worry about fairing if you frames are fair. I would go with 6/4 lumber re-sawn in half then plane to 1/2 inch thick....

You could if you wanted to but the crack is pretty thin and the keel is fastened to the large transom frame with 2 large screws. Then the rudder log is bolted through the keel into a 3/4 inch block of wood that I believe on that boat is fastened to the stringers so there's no worries of structural f...

Epoxy with some filler would be best. Make sure it's cleaned out and dry then mix up some west system epoxy and some 404 filler until its the consistency of peanut butter. Fill the crack completely, let it dry and then sand flat.

Steve, the saw and router method works for sure but my only concern is one false move and your deck is ruined. I go with the chisel method which probably takes longer but much safer in a couple different ways, at least that's the way I have taught my guys to do it. This method is for someone not sup...

We do it by hand with a very sharp 3/4 inch chisel. Lay the old deck out on the floor so you have something to look at when you need to. Then take the windshield and position it one the old deck just to see how it sits there (you may have forgotten if you took the boat apart a while ago) to remind y...

The engine and year really doesn't matter. They used 3 different sizes of wire but we just use 2 because using a #12 wire in some places just seems a bit light. I have seen the #10 wire to the generator a #10 yellow with red cross stich but that was just one Barrel Back. I have a lot of pictures or ...

This is the most common way I have seen it. #10 red on top to the generator and #10 yellow next goes to the start solenoid. #14 yellow to the start solenoid from the push button. #14 black to the coil and the #14 yellow all the way back to the stern light. The negative from the stern light is #14 bl...

Shipping cradles are just as there are called and where for shipping only because they don't support the boat completely. It would work but I'm not sure I would not support the boat long term or winter after winter that way. The best way is like a trailer is set up with bunks running forward and aft...

Just curious, what would be a fair hourly wage to pay for antique boat restoration work?

That's in my backyard and I didn't even know it was there.

That all depends on the RPM rate on the engine. I don't have a manual for that engine so I can't tell you what that is but you should not exceed that RPM rate. The 12x14 is going to give you more RPM but not by much. The best thing to do is to find out the rating for the motor and then run the boat ...

Yes it should be tight.

Vibrations are usually one or more of 4 things. 1. Miss alignment from engine which can be fairly easy to fix. It should be .003 face to face coupler to engine. 2. Prop is bent or out of balance. You can remove it and send it it for repair. 3. Shaft is bent. 4. Cutlass bearing is worn. To check it g...

I think 2 quarts may do it and you only need one coat of it now but I would mix it all and use it till its gone to see if you get 2 coats out of it. The stuff dries fast so it should be dry to the touch before coating again. I have had problems with it effecting the first coat if I don't wait till i...

I have been following this thread and it sounds like you are asking all the right questions and are going to be a great steward for this boat for years to come. You definitely have an original bottom that has not been replaced. Although in fair condition it is as old as the boat and in need of repla...

They never used plywood on the decks of Riviera. It should be solid 1/2 inch planking.

The proper sheen is to use semi-gloss black and then don't clear it or it will be shiny again.

I don't have any numbers for the Napa but the Standard number is AL-5661X. It's probably the same box but Napa has there own numbers for some reason.

There were 2 major companies that I know of back in the day that provided horns for boats, one being Sparton and the other being Klaxon. They made mostly horns for cars at the time but did provide horns for boats. You can buy a new horn from a couple of sources but what you fill find is that they al...

If its the only way for now I say go for it but like Jim said do it right with a Marine grade pump and with a oil pressure safety switch. You should never run a mechanical fuel pump with out a oil safety switch to turn off the pump when theirs no oil pressure.

The copper bends easier. I believe that is what they originally used until the later 60's. Remember that in most boats the fuel line is the ground to the fuel tank.

You may want to check your crank case breather tube that comes off of the valve cover plate to the top of the carburetor. It should be right over the carb spark arrestor so when it sucks its taking the crank case fumes and runs them back through the engine. Also to boat should have good ventilation ...

I'm not trying to start something here but I'm noticing a trend that's not good for the hobby. There is a lot of questions that get asked here that do not get the correct answers and it begs the question on where have all of the real experts gone. This site when it started and quite a few years to f...

Neither one is right if you are going for factory correct. It should be a small knob with a knurled ring holding it not a hex bolt holding it in the dash.