Some may remember that I have been having an antique Chris Craft Constellation restored over the past 6 years. Wooden boats are a labour of love and a sickness of the mind to boot but I am happy to say that Captured Hearts will be back on the water come next spring. The fellow I started this project with is putting the finishing touches on her after a bit of an adventure on top of the adventure of restoring a 42 foot, 1959 Connie.
You see, last summer our boat was supposed to be restored at the original boatyard that we brought her to for restoration, in Grand Haven, Michigan. When we showed up to see the finished project we found our boat was only partly completed, even though the work had been paid for already. Lots of excuses from the boatyard owner, including the story that he had fired MIke the Mechanic who was the man we had trusted to do the work in the first place. Heat words were exchanged and promises were given, these promises were not fulfilled.[attachment 179030 IMGP0422.JPG]
When I returned to Grand Haven this spring the boat was in much the same repair as it had been the previous summer when it was supposed to have been completed, the boatyard was more like a ghost town though. No work on the books, no work going on and our Connie just sitting in a corner gathering dust. I contacted the boatyard owner and told him to meet me at the boat the following morning or get ready for a lawsuit of epic proportions. The boatyard owner Terri was waiting for me at our boat Captured Hearts the following morning.[attachment 179031 IMGP0463.JPG][attachment 179032 IMGP0482.JPG][attachment 179033 IMGP0495.JPG]
More excuses but I could see that he was close to going out of business at the rate things were going, he had used my money to keep his boatyard afloat over the winter but he was running out of time just the way he had run out of my money. I took the bull by the horns, commandeered the 4 illegal Mexicans he had for workers and got down to making the repairs that were still outstanding.
The work to the hull and decks was a botch job so I had the Mexicans fare the hull under my watchful eye, the deck I couldn't trust them with so I put that off until later. Next I rounded up all the parts that had been taken off of Captured Hearts the previous year, these were scattered throughout the building, the starboard engine was in pieces in another building - all of this was brought back to the boat and put in the cabin for safe keeping. The bottom was recaulked and antifouled, the topsides were primed and painted, by this point what little credit was left at the boatyard was about used up so I pulled Captured Hearts outside and arranged for a boat moving firm to come by the following day and move her to new digs before the sheriff put a padlock on the place.[attachment 179034 IMGP0554.JPG][attachment 179035 IMGP0561.JPG]
The boat haulers showed up bright and early so we moved her down the main highway and into new covered storage where Mike the Mechanic got busy reinstalling her starboard engine. Then I had a shipwright fix up the transom and we pulled the decks, glassed the cabin roof and set about reinstalling the brightwork. Lots of things left to do but she'll be going through her seatrials come May.
You have to be at least a little crazy to restore a wooden boat but I know that we will be glad we did when she floats free of the slings next spring.
You see, last summer our boat was supposed to be restored at the original boatyard that we brought her to for restoration, in Grand Haven, Michigan. When we showed up to see the finished project we found our boat was only partly completed, even though the work had been paid for already. Lots of excuses from the boatyard owner, including the story that he had fired MIke the Mechanic who was the man we had trusted to do the work in the first place. Heat words were exchanged and promises were given, these promises were not fulfilled.[attachment 179030 IMGP0422.JPG]
When I returned to Grand Haven this spring the boat was in much the same repair as it had been the previous summer when it was supposed to have been completed, the boatyard was more like a ghost town though. No work on the books, no work going on and our Connie just sitting in a corner gathering dust. I contacted the boatyard owner and told him to meet me at the boat the following morning or get ready for a lawsuit of epic proportions. The boatyard owner Terri was waiting for me at our boat Captured Hearts the following morning.[attachment 179031 IMGP0463.JPG][attachment 179032 IMGP0482.JPG][attachment 179033 IMGP0495.JPG]
More excuses but I could see that he was close to going out of business at the rate things were going, he had used my money to keep his boatyard afloat over the winter but he was running out of time just the way he had run out of my money. I took the bull by the horns, commandeered the 4 illegal Mexicans he had for workers and got down to making the repairs that were still outstanding.
The work to the hull and decks was a botch job so I had the Mexicans fare the hull under my watchful eye, the deck I couldn't trust them with so I put that off until later. Next I rounded up all the parts that had been taken off of Captured Hearts the previous year, these were scattered throughout the building, the starboard engine was in pieces in another building - all of this was brought back to the boat and put in the cabin for safe keeping. The bottom was recaulked and antifouled, the topsides were primed and painted, by this point what little credit was left at the boatyard was about used up so I pulled Captured Hearts outside and arranged for a boat moving firm to come by the following day and move her to new digs before the sheriff put a padlock on the place.[attachment 179034 IMGP0554.JPG][attachment 179035 IMGP0561.JPG]
The boat haulers showed up bright and early so we moved her down the main highway and into new covered storage where Mike the Mechanic got busy reinstalling her starboard engine. Then I had a shipwright fix up the transom and we pulled the decks, glassed the cabin roof and set about reinstalling the brightwork. Lots of things left to do but she'll be going through her seatrials come May.
You have to be at least a little crazy to restore a wooden boat but I know that we will be glad we did when she floats free of the slings next spring.
