The Transom

Its time to remove the engine and get started on the transom, I found a reasonably priced engine stand on amizon.com priced around $60 US. I pulled the engine with no problem outboard's are made so the replacement of engine is easy.

Under the engine is a piece of aluminum I have been toying with having the piece replaced with chrome and maybe I will cut the transom from being rounded to being cut square.

"Found it" Ride Glide Emblem

http://www.marineengine.com/newparts/part_search.php?part_num=38-29088

I found the Emblem at the link above $49.00 + Tax,  My son and I decided that it will be the ceremonial end cap to our project this winter. Its the small pieces the details that make the project. Also the hardest thing to find for your project are the most satisfying.

Some History of Dorsett Boats

History coming from Bill Roberts shortly.

Dorsett Plastics Corp.

845 Reed St.

Santa Clara, California

Later located at 1955 Lafayette St. and then 2550 Scott Blvd in Santa Clara. Additional location in 1010 Dewey St., Bremen, Indiana and also Cambridge, Maryland.

According to the history below, Dorsett Plastics Company began producing Endura Craft boats in 1955. In 1958, the line became Dorsett Boats. Richard W. Dorst, (Dick), company president was a US Navy veteran, University of California graduate engineer, and alumni of the Harvard Business School. Before co-founding the company, he had seven years experience in reinforced plastics and the chemical industry. At the time of the article, Leonard L. Epsich was general manager and James D. Maloney general sales manager of the Bremen plant; James Hansen general manager of the Santa Clara plant, and John B. Moore Jr. general manager of the Cambridge, MD plant. John B. Moore Jr., a naval architect, worked eight years for Owens Corning before coming to Dorsett. In 1960, Dorsett was acquired by Royal Little's Textron, Inc. in 1960 for 115,000 shares of common stock in Textron, valued at $2,616,250 (New York Times, June 13, 1960). According to the same article, 1959 Dorsett sales totaled $2,800,000 and were projected to sell $3,000,000 for the 1960 fiscal year ending Aug. 31. The company was retained as the Dorsett Marine division with all management. Advertising was now through the San Francisco office of Foote, Cone, & Belding Inc. (New York Times, June 28, 1960). In 1964, Dorsett became independent once again when Textron sold the Santa Clara Division of Dorsett Marine to an entity known as The Dorsett Plastics Co. and headed by Richard W. Dorst as president (Marine Digest 1964, Vol. 42). American Marine Industries (AMI) acquired Dorsett in 1968, keeping Richard Dorst as manager (Yachting, 1968, Vol. 123). AMI had previously purchased theSabre Craft and Bell Boy brands. However, AMI liquidated the Santa Clara plant in 1970. Sierra Performer Boats of Oroville, California reportedly acquired some molds and produced both outboard and I/O models of Dorsett boats. A similar firm in the Pacific Northwest region also produced copies, perhaps from the same molds, and marketed as Marlin Boats.

http://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Dorsett

Notice the  El Dorado New was $1195.00 new. I will have that in the paint job I'm sure. 

Time to get to work Day one of prep 09/15/2015.

My son reluctantly helping out hopefully he will feel that he is a part of the restoration so while he's cruising her around he marina he will take pride and more importantly care of it.










I'm finding that all bolts and nuts are rusted to the point that they really don't work as nut's and bolts any more, As much as I want to do an original restore to this boat quickly I'm realizing that some things are going to have to be replaced with new.








The Rub rail I have seen many different web sites to buy rub rail so I'm not to worried about finding the exact replacement. I will let you know in the future where I find the rub rail and the installation process. Please remember I'm not a professional restoration guy this is my winter project and my first time restoring anything on my own. I'm sure there will be many costly lessons in my future.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The rub rail is easily removed only one screw and a piece of metal used as a handle in the back of the boat holds it on. After removing the screw and the handle simply pull on the rub rail and it should come off it seems that the only thing holding it on is what had to be a caulk of some sort, I'm going to get more into the type of adhesive used when I do the re-installation.                                                                                                                                                                        






 In the front of the boat it has the Dorsett signature nose piece some of the bigger boat's Dorsett made have even a bigger nose piece they almost look like a hammerhead shark.











By the way as usual nothing is easy to get off the nose piece in this boat is in a very little cubby hole and of coarse the bolts are practically rocks with threads and a nut.

 The original rub rail was installed with some sort of Calk that was difficult to remove but the edge that was left behind is in good shape.

Dorsett Boats

The beginning of her transformation.

The original Bimini top not something that I want to replicate It's too short it doesn't give much head room to the front two seats so Ill keep it for know and later try to modify this one or find something that will work but still keep with my idea to keep the boat as original as possible, beside not having a Bimini on Lake Mead NV is not an option. 

The side step is made from plastic and over the years it has become brittle mat from to much son or I have a feeling that this boat at one time aw some time on the ocean. It has the original El Dorado name plate on each side and I was able to get off with out damaging them but clearly I wont be able to use the plastic step for a mold at a plastic shop as I hoped to do.

I Mentioned before that when I saw the pictures on the craigslist ad I thought the side piece running parallel to the rub rail was chrome I thought maybe it was painted over but it is aluminium but I plane to have them made chrome during the restoration.

Here is what they looked like but the Manufacturer used an adhesive that made it impossible to remove them with out totally damaging them.

Evinrude is a very common engine for this period boat however the 1959 lark I have come to understand was only made for two years and its very difficult to find parts so if you fine what you need but two or three sets if you can. If anybody has place, website's or really any information on where to find parts for Evinrude or Dorsett boat parts please write on the area bellow I would love to hear from you

On the boat it has what are the original Dorsett Boats logos they are made of pot metal an are riveted on not in great shape but im hoping that a good chrome shop should be able to recast them and make them so they are not pitted as they are now, one more reason I think this boat has seen salt water at one time.

From reading other sites about Dorset boats and other's I found a small shop on the web that has been open since the late 50's early 60's and has a good collection of old parts for boats like this one.
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com/   if you know of any places to get parts please do tell.

I thought I had this emblem purchased I ordered it and after about 15 days passed I received a email from the web page I ordered it from saying they are currently out of that particular emblem and if they get one in the future they would contact me, well see (Still on the hunt) this monkey still on my back. one other interesting site I have found is dorsettbelmont.blogspot.com/ check him out he has been rebuilding a Dorsett for years.

The man who owned Dorset boats was very diligent in getting patents for his boats and one of the patents he holds is for this window that unhinges in the front and can be turned the opposite way I haven found yet a practical use for it facing the other direction but I will gt into that in a different blog entry.

I'm contemplating on having this put back on after changing the fabric time will tell. Some things should be left original but somethings I'm wavering on.

These pieces can be found if you look hard enough on the internet but the ordinal pieces work and I feel like they deserve another chance in life so I will have then re-chromed and replaced on the boat its not cost effective but that's the way I feel about it.

The Boat saw water for the first time in many years.

A few weeks after we bought the boat it had been in the shop getting new tires on the trailer and the engine tuned up, with some arm twisting the folks at RVZZ convinced me that I should put in a permanent fuel tank, install a plumbed in bilge pump and mount in the battery with a fuse box.. I had mentioned to them that I had plans on putting in a back seat, that's still in my plans, but we haven't got that far yet. Our friends Rabat & Chris, Rick & Kathy surprised us a Lake Mead where we keep our Carver Aft cabin, on a Saturday morning Labor day weekend they came motoring up to our boat and presented us with a great running gift there she was motoring and more important floating. We cruised her all weekend long the smiles and hand waves we got from the maria folks was well worth the wait I couldn't help thinking to myself I cant wait to get her fixed up.

My lovely wife giving her a cruse around sundown. Labor day 2015

The Big Find 1961 Dorsett , El Dorado

original pictures from the craigslist ad that we answered 

I have been looking for a project boat for about a year on Craigslist My wife and I live in Las Vegas NV so there is not allot of 1950's 1960's boats to choose from.I had a checklist that I wanted to fulfill  Most of the boat I was finding were in Southern California and many of them were already restored or molested, what I mean is the boat didn't have some of the original parts or people have changed the seats and added a stereo by cutting a hole into the dash or worse. I came across a boat for sale by a wonderful couple in a small town Beaver Dame Arizona. The Boat is a 1961 Dorsett, El Dorado with a 1959 Evinrude -Lark outboard engine. I found my project the boat was all original {Check} it wasn't in a million pieces {Check} and it was only about two hours away so if I didn't like what I saw when we arrived we could turn back with out regret {Check}, The price was right {Check}.

original pictures from the craigslist ad that we answered

The exterior of the boat was in great condition, before I ever saw the boat I already had designs on painting it, I just didn't have in mind a all white boat. I was excited about the possibilities that the project would bring. I saw in the pictures what I thought was a lot of chrome on the boat but turned out to be aluminum trim, I'm going to have it chromed.

original pictures from the craigslist ad that we answered

As you can see the interior is also all intact notice that the dash has no holes from some radio shack after market stereo and has the original gauges and the original windshield with no cracks.

original pictures from the craigslist ad that we answered

The outboard engine is a 1959 Evinrude Lark It was very difficult to find parts for lucky for me I have very good friends that own a RV Dealership in Saint George Utah RVZZ  www.utahrvzz.com/ and because Saint George UT wasn't very fare from Beaver Dame AZ. we towed it up to them minutes after we bought it. In no time the boat was running like a top.