New Member with Old Heinrichs Box (pics)

Tom Barb · Feb 27, 2012

Hey guys ive been lurking here for the past couple weeks and first off I have to say great site!! I have already learned so much about these boats and refurbishing them by seeing what some of you guys have done.

Ive have/had other duck boats before but this is my first sneakbox. I have been wanting a project and have been looking for the right boat for a couple years now and happened to stumble upon this boat a few weeks ago and the price was right so I couldnt pass it up.

The owner informed me that it is a boat made by Gus Heinrichs Sr. and he knew this from talking to Gus Jr. about it some years ago.

Well I had no idea what to expect under the old glass so I just went to town the other day ripping and sanding. I plan to do this boat right and strip down, reglass, paint, new grass rails, dodger, etc etc.

here are some pics

the day i brought it home

^^ that is a section that the previous owner cut out due to rot. as you will see i am going to have to replace or sister in a few of these planks.

Here is the original hatch cover that came with the boat. The seaport museum says that this is a very rare thing to have.

rolling cart i made so i can wheel it in and out of the garage to work on it.

flipped and ready for fiberglass stripping

John L · Feb 27, 2012

Welcome aboard Tom
Thats a nice old box you have there.
Keep us posted with your progress.

Tom Barb · Feb 27, 2012

ok now that the intro is out of the way, over the weekend i started stripping and sanding and i have a few questions.

When i ripped up the old glass, along the ends of the planks and the edges the boards seemed kind of damp, not completely rotted away but damp. Is this something that will dry up if I let it sit for a little while, or does it need replaced?

also I think I will have to replace the boards in the bow of the boat. i planned on cutting them back to the closest rib possible (one plank at a time so i can match them). Is this the ok to do?

some of the dampness

and here are some pics after some sanding

here is a pic of the bow that is concerning me

This is where it stands today so I will sure to keep updating and asking tons of questions along the way (especially when i begin to glass). Thanks in advance guys!

John L · Feb 27, 2012

Now that you have opened her up I would let it dry out for a while and see what you have to work with. Chances are that you will probably have to remove the damp areas but time will tell.

Craig F · Feb 27, 2012

Pretty cool stuff. That's a Heinrichs 'speed box' design. Fast boat!

Many things are identical to my dad's similar era Heinrichs. The decoy rack pins, floor boards, etc.

greg setter · Feb 27, 2012

Tom, that is a great looking boat.

Chris S. · Feb 27, 2012

Tom where do you live? Also check out my old posts I rebuilt a sneakbox last summer. I did everything you are about to do so if I can help in anyway please let me know. Did you place your order for glass and epoxy yet? If not I would go through uscomposited.com they have the best prices. Also when I stripped the old glass off my best friend was a heat gun and a 5 in 1 scaper then belt sander then orbital sander. Looks like your ice runners on the bottom are rotted out aswell. These old cedar boats are awesome and very fun to rebuild. Again if I can help in anyway please let me know. I never would have finished my rebuild without the help from the guys on this site. good luck.

Mike · Feb 27, 2012

Welcome Tom. Seems to be a nice find. I truely enjoyed the rebuild of my 1st sneakbox. Sharing it's rebuild here really made it special for me. ALOT of knowledge here, so don't be shy about asking questions. Folks here love to talk boats. Glad to see your posting pics. We all love pics!

jode hillman · Feb 28, 2012

Yep, That'sa planing hull box. Nice find. let the planks dry out then check for soundness. White cedar can hold up for a long time, even wet.

Dave Church · Feb 28, 2012

Welcome to the site Tom. You did a great job building the rolling stand so I doubt you will have many problems with the restoration. If you have never glassed, don't sweat it. It helps to have a second person just because of the timing before things start to set up, but it was very easy once you get going. I am confident that all of your questions can and will be answered on this site. Keep the pics coming....it won't be long before you have decoys laying within the boards and ducks laying on the bow.

dc

Tom Barb · Feb 28, 2012

Thanks for all the replies and the warm welcome. I can see everyone is willing to help and it Is greatly appreciated. I am currently in the process of going back and forth with a seller on buying my first house so things are kind of hectic right now. And if I get the house (fingers crossed) I'm sure it will get crazier. So I apologize in advance if this project does not progress very fast as I might have my hands full with the bigger picture. But I will surely keep everyone updated on everything when I can get a chance to work on her.

Wish me luck! It has a monster garage! Haha

Tom Ayers · Feb 28, 2012

Over all the wood looks fairly good after sanding. I would let it sit for as long as you can moving it out in the sun on a warm day. Also you could put it in your garage with a dehumidifyer which will draw moisture out of the wood.

Tom.

wendell avery · Feb 29, 2012

Nice find. I'm looking for one in a similar condition to restore but they are few and far between.

Tom Barb · Aug 7, 2012

Ok it's been a while since I've even touched the boat with the new house and all, but finally got a chance to get out for a few hours over the weekend and pick away at it.

Most of the bottom is stripped and sanded. I pulled off all of the old hardware, oar locks, snaps, etc and started sanding the top down.

Not much progress as of yet, but here are a few pics of how she stands today. And of the new shop!

Al Hansen · Aug 7, 2012

Tom, if you would like to bring it down here and let it sit for just a day or two. I'll guarantee you that it will be dry. Drier than it has ever been since it was built.
Sure have enjoyed looking at the pictures and the progress.
Al

John Bourbon · Aug 7, 2012

Hello Tom. Welcome and congrats on finding such a great looking boat. Oh, and the upgrade from the old garage to the new workshop area looks mighty nice also!

John

CAnderson · Aug 7, 2012

Tom- Where are you in SJ? Sure is a shame to have all that space and not be using all of it right now. I could always drag some of my shop equipment and duck gear down to help you fill it up

Actually, what size is your new shop? That is about perfect as to what I would like to build in my backyard.

Don't think my township would let me do the metal pole building, but that would be perfect for me.

Nice work on the boat by the way.

Tom Barb · Aug 7, 2012

Thanks guys. I'm in the Franklinville Malaga area. The shop is 30x40 and is perfect size. Its half empty for the moment but I still have a lot to bring over from my old garage. My dad had also been eyeing it up to see what he can unload on me!

When I get the toolboxes, shelves, and the rest of my decoys over it will fill it up nicely with a little breathing room.

Next step for the boat is to finish the sanding, and start replacing some boards. I have some cracks and spots up front that need replaced. A couple braces need some support and I'll rescrew everything down.

I plan on taking a trip down to the seaport museum to check out their displays and the boat shop and inquire about getting some cedar planks.

Mike Rowinsky · Feb 22, 2013

Tom,

Any updates? New pictures?

Mike

Tom Barb · Feb 22, 2013

Not much progress as of late. I have the cedar boards for replacement and I need to re fasten everything down. I am super busy and hoping to have more time to spend on it as it warms up.

Currently working on my 16' aluminum. The transom needed replacing. That is taking up my free time. I have to have it ready for stripers and catfish tournaments.

Here's a few as it sits. I started to use deckmates, but am going to go with stainless.