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  1. #1
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    1966 Howard Walnut deck V drive.

    Name:  Howard cleaned up1.jpg
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Size:  39.8 KBI just purchased a 1966 Howard Walnut deck V drive ski boat. Has not seen water since 1984 and was covered with a tarp for years. The gel coat was in pretty bad shape on the walnut deck but a little elbow grease and lacquer thinner brought most of it back to life. Will need a little repair and new top coat but the boat floor and stringers are in amazing shape. It's got a 327 Chevy but its been bored to .060 so it may end up being an anchor. Bottom is perfect. Some delamination between top and hull but not too serious.
    I am new to V Drives. This one has a Thorobred and that may have to go also. Not sure.
    I ran D class Outboards in my youth and had a Sidcraft Utility hull with Merc. 50 HP. Wish I had it again but I doubt my knees would take that abuse again.
    Here is a shot of the boat.
    I am sure I will have a ton of questions as this is my first time and this site appears to have all the experts as members.

  2. #2
    Already miss the 310/562 2manymustangs's Avatar
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    very nice projectkeepsake topolino, welcome to HB, where it all started

    post up some photos of the Vdrive if you don't mind, there is plenty of expertise here to answer most questions... IF the folks here don't know, we know how to get the technical details your after...
    -In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..

    "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams

  3. #3
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    Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
    Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.

  4. #4
    Already miss the 310/562 2manymustangs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by topolino2 View Post
    Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
    Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.
    Prop shaft seal should be a easy deal, we have several good resources here for dripless couplings & tech... Let me see if I can summons one for you to ask questions, in the mean time it would be good to see some pics of the existing coupling and the strut from the bottom side of the hull too (in addition to the drive).
    -In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..

    "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams

  5. #5
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    Here are some shots of the Howard after getting the upholstery out of the boat. My assumption is the .060 over 327 is probably going to need a new block. 327's are not easy to find but 350's are a dime a dozen.
    This engine has Corvette heads so they may need to rebuilt and saved. Thoughts?
    I'm told the V drive is set up at 9 degrees. When I uncouple the drive and rotate the shaft the strut screams lube! Plan on taking the shaft out and check for bent shaft and inspect the bushings in the strut.
    Here is my problem. I did not put it together and need to know what first steps to break everything free.
    Do I break the shaft coupling and mounting for the V drive and pull it forward to expose the drive shaft flanges or is the drive shaft splined to the engine an pull the engine rearward?
    Wiring
    The wiring appears to be either eaten by mice and got hot. Seems a bit unlikely that mice could eat the copper so I am assuming that something went wrong at some time. Additionally, the wires used were automotive grade and not marine and do not follow the color coding spec for marine use. My plan is to rewire the complete system. I have not been under the dash to see if there are proper fuses to protect the system. Any thoughts?
    Fiberglass
    Here are some shots of the delamination. I inspected the underside and found wood supports for the top to hull and they appear to be in good shape. I think we have vibration and pounding that has caused the fiberglass at the surface to break free in areas. I have 4 oz. fiberglass woven sheet on the way. I like the very lightweight as multiple layers can be applied with minimal thickness increases. Plan on Epoxy as the resin system over Polyester. Once again. your thoughts?
    So here we are. Plan a new engine, seal off the prop shaft and rudder, rewire the boat and repair all the delamination in the hull. Any comments, suggestions and technical advise is appreciated.
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  6. #6
    Already miss the 310/562 2manymustangs's Avatar
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    WOW, she looks VERY intact/original... I would get her on the water first thing and see how you like her before you rip her all apart for resto/repairs... Maybe back it into the water somewhere close after you get it running to ensure the shaft seal is decent enough for a few outings...

    ALSO, a new impeller on the water pump is a must...

    WANNABE / FC Pilot & the Millers (on here) could probably spec out a really sweet SBC for you that wouldn't break the bank IF the 327 can't be salvaged... They have a cool new small block project that just hit the water... >>>> http://www.wannaberacing.com/sk51.html
    Last edited by 2manymustangs; 07-09-2017 at 11:37 AM.
    -In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..

    "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams

  7. #7
    Already miss the 310/562 2manymustangs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by topolino2 View Post
    Thanks, I will get some photos out of the drive. The previous owner is sending me all his documentation. He ordered the boat and was the only owner. He stated that he did not want any unnecessary hardware and that included the Howard script. He would never let anyone on the deck and did all the fittings himself. The workmanship in the installation is top shelf but weathered. It came from middle California and never saw salt. Seats are good patterns at best and the ply appears to be usable. Howard trailer is rust free but the 6 lug wheels have to go.
    Don't want to rush it and need to know about things like sealing the prop shaft and rudder. Don't want my first voyage to be Titanic.
    Hey, check this thread http://www.hotboat.com/frm/showthread.php?t=7381 you can find a contact and info about shaft seal in that thread
    -In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to its owner, We the People..

    "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams

  8. #8
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    Name:  350 chevy engine.jpg
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    Thought I would let you know the current status of the 1966 Howard.
    Pulled the 327 and purchased a built 350. Comp cams provided the marine cam and associated hardware. Various bits from local and Ebay sources. Painted Torch red. The engine has Dart Iron eagle heads
    and was a fresh rebuild but the last owner either had too large a carburetor or wrong cam as it would not idle. Pulled it and went big block so it ended up in my hands. I pulled it down to the short block and saw nothing that would
    give me concern.
    The boat is coming along well. I routed out the cracks and have used 2.5 oz. fiberglass in the layups. I like the thin glass as I can put several layers up and still be under the thickness of a single layer of 6oz.
    Now going through sanding and getting ready to finish the wood deck.
    I did remove the single coat of fiberglass cloth from the deck as there were areas of delamination of the veneer that had to be addressed. If you have never done this, I would encourage you do whatever to avoid this step. I used heat guns, lifting scrapers and surgical knives to get it off. A job I am glad to say is off my bucket list. Got it done but wonder if it was worth the trouble to avoid seeing unsaturated glass cloth from 50 years ago. After all, was that not original?
    Will be posting photos of the boat shortly.

  9. #9
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    Here are a couple of shots of the Howard getting the deck sprayed in Orange. Thought that the Orange with the dark Walnut would be a nice combination. Besides, having an Orange boat in Tennessee is not a bad idea.
    The deck cracks were a real pain to get right and it has taken more hours than I care to think about. I would, however, if I ever take on a similar project would use Polyester for this edge repair over Epoxy. The Epoxy will be fine to
    do the wood deck but it does not like sanding like polyester.
    This photos are of the first pass in base coat. Once down, I wet sanded it in 220 grit to make sure everything is flat and ready for clear. Tomorrow we go back to a couple more coats of Orange then three coats of clear.
    With that complete, we then go onto the wood deck for staining and epoxy and varnish. So far, it's going well but probably won't see water till next year.Name:  howard in orange #1.jpg
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  10. #10
    Wow that's history right there. Look forward to seeing more of it


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