The view from the port bow on October 2004 and the same view June 2005




Looking down into the cabin, looking at the countertop and chest.  New countertop with rail and sink added.




Looking down into the cockpit from above.  The same area after replacement of the floor with 1/4" alum plate.  The rib and skin aluminum was coated with an etching paint.




Looking into the cabin from the cockpit.  The new cabin with new cushions and flooring.




Looking at the helm of the original boat.  And the remade door plus helm and chair.



The trailer as we pulled the boat from New Orleans.          This is the bridge looking into the cabin spaces.





Veiw from the stern while removing 48 years of grime.  Newly polished and painted stern and cockpit.  The transom is seen after being rebuilt with a HD polypropolene 1.5" thick blank, covered with 1/2" aluminum plates and top.








Engineering and Restoration of LONESTAR 1958

Began 8/30/04

23-foot Cruise liner

On the night of August 26th, I picked Scott up and we drove over to highway 71 heading south. Our plan was to reach New Orleans by Saturday. We were going to pickup a boat we bought on ebay. Didn’t even know if we could go all the way on this road, but we had driven the interstate before and wanted a change. It was cool and clear that night, large moon. We talked about what the boat might be like, what we’d look for first, how we’d fix it if tires or bearings were a problem. We were wide-awake. About 4 or 5 am, around Baton Rouge we were getting tired but we were close. When we pulled up to the address, Scott was using our Garmin GPS to find our way through New Orleans, we couldn’t see the boat. Finally met the owner, It was in the back, off a small alley.

Boy, it was bigger then it looked in the picture. It looked really good to me. I liked the old classic cruiser look. And wouldn’t you know all four tires looked like they’d blow at any moment. I took off a bearing, and it was broken and rusty. Our day just got a lot longer. We were close to the center of the city. Traffic was heavy, close to gridlock. We went to several stores trying to find the right size tires and wheel bearings. We finally bought car tires that were close to the right size from one store, had another tire shop install them on the wheels we had taken off the trailer. It was Saturday, and getting waited on was difficult. We had to go to two different stores to get the bearings and seals, but they only had half as many as we needed.

So, back at the wrought iron fence shop, about 4 PM, we began to pack the bearings. I did the two worst wheels. We left as soon as I got washed up the pulled the big boat out into 5:00 traffic. We took the scenic residential route to the Interstate 10, then to I-55 North. Soon we were up on the elevated road that goes over part of Lake Pontchartrian . If we lost a wheel bearing here, we’d block traffic for three states. We hadn’t sleep since Thursday and it was now evening on Saturday. It began to rain, hard. I was afraid it would fill the boat. We tried to empty it on an incline but it was too much rain. Finally we reached Scott’s in-laws in Jackson, who fed us a warm meal. We left late for Kansas City and pulled into the RV lot in Gardner, KS on Sunday morning. Looked at the boat, took pictures, and went home to bed. It was 8/29/04 Sun

Concept drawings FIRST PHASE

Remove all floors
All rusted nuts and bolts
All windows
All railings
All wiring

SECOND PHASE
Install bunks on trailer
Remove wench and install new
Remove old trailer brake system
Install new bearings (front left, rear right)
New tires install 8/28/04
Get license for trailer
Get license for boat

THIRD PHASE
Have boat bead blasted to remove old paint
Treat metal with etching primer, after washing with caustic
Make front window hatch (fabricated at shop)
Have tempered glass cut for side window and front hatch
Make forward platform (stainless) for ladder and anchor (fabricated at shop)

FOURTH PHASE 
Eagle Stripping PAINT SHOP
Paint inside areas with light gray bedliner paint
Paint outside deck and top with light gray.
Paint hull and vertical sides with white

FIFTH PHASE
Polish curved Plexiglas windscreens (Eastwood Polish)
Put windows in with new weather stripping
Install control console
Install floors
Install motor mount (fabricated at shop)
Install motor support rods
Install Honda 50 hp motor
Install steering and control
Run control lines
Install lighting
Install wiring
Install two 25-gallon side tanks and fuel lines
Batteries

SIXTH PHASE
Have inside and rear seat cushions made
Make awning frame work
Have awning made by boat cover shop
Make window curtains
Make door for cabin
Make rear ladder pole