The blonde on the transom in the middle is 1 11/16 from the bottom of the transom edge and then the corners are 3 7/16 from the bottom edge.

Jim, we are working on the restoration of a 1955 19' Capri so hopefully this helps. It looks like the hole is 4 inches from the edge of the plank. Let me know if you need anything else.

Congratulations on your purchase. It looks to me that it's a 16' the hull numbers are CUA-16-001 to CUA-16-250 they made 250 hulls and all were in 1962 but if some of the hulls were made after July 1 it would be considered a 1963. they all see to have came with the 283 V8 which would be around 185 h...

Tom, good to hear from you. It sounds like your getting close. When can we see some photos?

I would use one and put one in all of the boats I restore. If you don't one of the wires are going to be hot to the touch or burn through from being grounded out. How do you know that they started using them in 1935? I have seen them in boats from 1929-31 but maybe someone installed them after they ...

We bed all deck planking with 5200. To me its a bad idea to build a boat with the thought of taking it apart. We have had to do repairs on decks that were 5200 in and were able to remove them with a multi tool or if needing to replace one we router out the plank. Then make a good pattern for the new...

Not really, it was about 50 when it was applied so it skimmed over so there really wasn't difference. It just took longer to fully cure.

Working on big cruisers in Portland Oregon I had to varnish in cold weather. I used epifanes varnish at the time and on a regular basis varnished in 50 degree weather it then got colder after dark. I would have really good results with the flow and flattening out because it had more time to settle a...

Dick then kicked the judges shoes into the water. He was not happy, but it was fun to watch.

Don Vogt here is a couple of pictures of your boat at the same show in 2008. I judged the boat and was very impressed so I took a few pictures.

Here is the boat from the 2008 International Show. Paul and Karen bought the boat I believe in 2008 after Dave restored the boat a few years before that which would have been the second time for Dick Werner and that is when it received the orange deck strips.

The boat above was the boat that sunk and was only down for about 12 hours and then removed from the lake. It was then shipped to Dave Jerome's shop in Portland OR where it was restored for the second time. Dave restored it the first time for Dick Werner and then it was sold to Paul and Karen Harris...

Well way to be picky. This boat sank at the dock in Canada a few years back, you may remember that event. When Dave Jerome went through the boat it was discussed that the deck be replaced. The owner at the time decided not to do it because they were all the original planking and you could still see ...

I don't. I looked through all of my memorandums from 1939 and 40 but didn't see it documented anywhere. Chris Craft got there steering wheels for a couple of manufactures over the years so it may be hard to find that out for sure.

Here is the best example of a 1940 19' Custom Runabout that I know of. We have been taking care of this boat for many years. I worked on this boat with the late Dave Jerome back in the late 90's. The boat retains its original decks with the factory writing still on the planks on the undersides of th...

I think you are looking for one like this, this boat is in Michigan and we take care of the boat. I have worked on this boat for 3 owners over a 20 year period. I know them well and will keep my eye open for one. This boat is not for sale but there are a couple of them out there you just need to mak...

That stuff stays pretty soft for a while. We apply 2 coats in one day and then let it set for about 5-7 days.

This is of a boat we are restoring now. On post war boats using phillips or reed and prince screws there is really no correct orientation to the screws. Even with straight slot from the factory they didn't worry about orientation it's something we do now for aesthetics.

The cleats should look like this.

They are on there but there's only 4. If you click on the photo it will in-large and click on it again and it will zoom. On this boat there is only 2 on each side and that's the way I would do it if the boat was mine. There is one just in front of the windshield and then one just behind the hatch. I...

Here is a 20' that we did a few years back.

Not sure I ever saw a factory cover. Do you have any pictures of the cover using the fender cleats?

The cleats were fender or bumper cleats and not for the cover. The cover was nothing really different then the ones we have made today other that the material back then was some kind of canvas and today we use sunbrella. I have a few pictures of the fender cleat location if you need that information.

We go back and fill any imperfections covering all seams and bungs with Fomawood natural filler or Ace hardware brand natural filler. It excepts the stain very well.

I have edge glued the side planks before with thickened epoxy and it works. At some point the boat is going to move and flex from use, change in moisture levels or the vibration of trailering. There is a chance that the plank will crack in the middle of the plank rather then on the seam. It happened...

There should be a little play from side to side on the bolt going through the engine mounting brackets. Loosen the lag bolts and take a 2X4 wedged between the motor and the stringer and try to move the engine over a bit. It won't take much. Then check it and tighten it down. How are you engine mount...

I agree with Don, and I think plywood inner bottom was on some models and not others. You started seeing it around 1953 but I have restored a few 1955 18' and 21' Cobra's which all had mahogany diagonal inner bottoms on them. Then sometime in 1957 you see every boat with a plywood inner bottom. That...

We use African on the bottoms and frames here.

I will try to get some pictures of the lights, switch and lock. I have them somewhere in my computer

Early boats from Chris Craft had them. The 1930 20' that I restored had one in the engine compartment. The 1929 we are restoring now has 2 in the engine compartment and the 2 1929 28' had 2 in the engine compartment as well. They all came with the same style switch and light bulb socket. It said not...