As long as I timed it right the parts would last. There couldn’t be any power going to the engines, drives, and props when they re-entered the water or some parts would be over-strained, resulting in either immediate damage or shortened service life. In fact, I felt like a teenager myself with that steering wheel in my left hand and the twin throttles in my right.įlying that high broke the props clear out of the water. I instantly felt much younger in my mind and my reflexes, and in the blood flowing through my body. I was well-practiced in getting the best out of her, either wave-jumping or in top-speed runs.īehind this steering wheel I was no longer a father of two teenagers. The hull had a racer’s pedigree and I had plenty of seat time in her already. Twin big-block engines in a light 30′ boat made for a SPEEDSTER. My fast run in the Pacific Ocean heading to Catalina Island was now half out-of-control. She went so high that a man could walk in the space created under the running boat’s bottom. Running at 70 MPH, I was flying the boat just right. She was fast, responded as quickly as I could turn the steering wheel, and allowed me to run past local channel markers as close as I dared in an on-the-water game of “chicken”. She was truly all about speed on the water and could beat any boat on the Bay. First, I upgraded to a 70 HP, and then to an 85 HP 6-cylinder Mercury outboard. Like most G-3s, mine came with a 40 HP outboard. Glasspar was big from 1959 through the early 1960s. Tripp also designed and built sailboat spars, fiberglass components for Douglas Aircraft, and fiberglass boats. GM Designer Harley Earl consulted with Tripp, and their collaboration produced the Chevy Corvette. Tripp was known for his sports cars – his G-2 is in the collection at the Smithsonian. Glasspar was an early fiberglass builder founded by Bill Tripp in Santa Ana, CA. There was a good reason, too, why she was like a Corvette. I was planning to conquer all this time on the water in a 13′ 7” fiberglass runabout that only had about 3” of freeboard at rest on its transom! This boat enjoys both fresh and salt water, so the chrome over brass can turn and wear away or pit quickly. The white fiberglass sponsions were repainted during the winter and the new engine’s exhaust tips were re-plated. The varnish also needed touching up, although it wasn’t a complete re-do like the finish work done in 2004. Although the new engine easily achieves 225 Hp, the valve cover decals reflect the original 185 Hp rating.īut No Way wasn’t quite ready for launch yet. The process of replacing the engine was complete after it was painted and then decaled to mimic the 283 V-8 original Chris-Craft engine. Plus, a new keyway, lock nut, cotter pin, shaft coupler and propeller were required. This third engine required a 1” shaft at a different length that had to be “fitted” to the boat. But first, the old shaft had to be cut out of the boat. The engine area and the entire bilge were cleaned and then painted with Chris- Craft red bilge paint.Īfter dropping in the replacement engine, next up was a new drive shaft. The frames were made from white oak wood and were set in 5200 Epoxy and stainless-steel screws. ![]() The oil leak required cleaning the bilge, along with replacing two frames beneath the area where the engine sits in the boat. This restoration was being done by Chad Brenner of Classic Restoration and Supply in Philadelphia who also did the interior work in 2001. Although the flooring also needed to be replaced, the seats were fine except for a deep cleaning. But a lot of this boat had to be unscrewed (again!) to make it all happen.įor starters, the boat’s entire interior had to be removed, with the front and rear benches, engine box and cockpit flooring all set aside in the restoration shop. Now we enter her story in the winter months of 2019, as the third engine was about to be put into this classic speedboat. That second engine proved to be less than reliable over time and developed an oil leak.Īdding to all the unscrewing and reassembly in No Way’s life was an update to her interior back in 2001. Eventually, after many hours of use, the first engine was replaced by a second 283 Chevy that was marinized by Chris-Craft as a rebuilt engine. No Way, owner Carmen DeLeo, who has two Chris Crafts that he captains, was ordered by her original owner back in 1964 with a 283-cubic inch, Chevy V-8 made into a marine engine by Chris-Craft industries and rated at 185 horsepower. Unscrew them and you can replace worn out parts and/or restore them to like-new condition.Īfter seasons of use, what started out for this almost 60-year-old classic as a tired engine replacement, ended up in a partial boat restoration and a like-new feeling for the 2023 East Coast boating season. Classic wood boats are basically screwed together.
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