My first one.

[Oldbeetle]

I'm a new member who just purchased a very old Beetle Cat from 1947. The seller, begin the boat restoration and even changed few ribs already with new ones from beetle Inc.

The hull planking appears solid but it looks and the deck planking
but have a very old paint on it that will need to be cleaned and caulked again.

Anyway, I thought this would be a good boat for my first ever restoration project and I am hoping to get some sound advice along the way from this great forum. I am truly scared that this may take to long, and since I never had any, or almost any, restoration experience before, I am may getting into something bigger them myself.

I appreciate in advance your help and great advice.

http://zaum.com/beetle/1.jpg

http://zaum.com/beetle/2.jpg

http://zaum.com/beetle/3.jpg

http://zaum.com/beetle/4.jpg

http://zaum.com/beetle/5.jpg

http://zaum.com/beetle/6.jpg

[L.W. Baxter]

Welcome, Oldbeetle. That boat looks worthy, and the scale is small enough to be do-able for a first timer, I'd think. If the Beetlecat people supply frames for restorations (maybe that nice new transom, too?) I bet they'd be a good resource all the way through.

I don't have any useful advice, but you might want to put a new piece of line on that cleat.:D

Keep us posted.

[rbgarr]

Perhaps you already know about the sections of this blog that detail various repairs to Beetle cats: http://blog.jamestowndistributors.com/ There are different Beetle repair blog entries scattered through the monthly entries.

You may also want to visit (if you are anywhere nearby) the IYRS in Newport, RI. Some of their new students repair old Beetles for sale each year and they've probably developed techniques you could use. Decades ago my brother tried to do it to one about the same age as yours and found that it took more skill and patience than he had. The planking/refastening/recaulking step is a challenge due to the thinness of the planks and the fact that the boats of that era were mostly nailed.

Did you get the Beetle in Boothbay Harbor, Maine by any chance? There was a red one that belonged to a shipyard worker here on which repairs had been started.

Good Luck!

[C. Ross]

Why are the new ribs in front of the stringer instead of behind, with the others?

[rbgarr]

Why are the new ribs in front of the stringer instead of behind, with the others?

It looks like they are just fastened temporarily at the keel and nowhere else yet. The inwale/clamp will have to be taken off or the ribs snaked down between them and the planking on each side.

[C. Ross]

It looks like they are just fastened temporarily at the keel and nowhere else yet. The inwale/clamp will have to be taken off or the ribs snaked down between them and the planking on each side.

Yup. I was just wondering if they were simply dry fit, or what the plan was for fitting them in place.

Either way, looks like a fun project!

[Oldbeetle]

Thank you all for your great replies, and for all the initial suggestion and advices! I love the School in RI, and since I am not to far of, I will give them a visit soon.

This past winter I was there at the museum, (I got in by a grateful chance..)where I watch a team of great students, getting together "cherokee" for this summer. Very impressive work! There is where I got the bug of our well know "Boat restoration disease".

http://moy.org/Exhibits/6MetreNewBuildCherokee/tabid/499/Default.aspx

http://moy.org/Exhibits/6MetreNewBuildCherokee/CherokeeBlog/tabid/500/EntryId/74/Deck-the-boat-with-silver-bali.aspx