Restoring the Horal Scooter - a bit of Long Island gunning history

[Steve Sanford]

I first saw this boat when I was about 9 years old. The owner - Charlie Horal - was a friend of my Dad's; they both grew up in East Islip, on Long Island's south shore, along Great South Bay. It was featured in the November 1968 Sports Afield article by Norman Strung. (If you've seen this photo recently, it's probably because it was the inspiration for the 2-man scooter I just built last month, White-Wing.)

Charlie passed away several years ago. A couple of mutual friends told me that his son Allen still had the boat and wanted to put it back in shape. Here is Allen this past weekend with the scooter as she sat in his backyard in East Islip.

Actually, she was turned over to keep the rain and leaves out. Here you can see her skeg, keelson and rubstrips. She is built of plywood bottom and decking with solid wood for her sides, framing, coamings, floorboards and trim.

Lead ingots were used as ballast - laid on the stern floorboards. I need to measure and weigh them and count the total. The hole was for a line - mostly to prevent losing them when handing them aboard.

This view shows her sections - dead flat on the bottom, mild flare in her sides, and just a bit of crown in her decks and coaming.

She arrived safely - a 240 mile trip north - at Pencil Brook Boatworks. Not much boat for two gunners.....

Here is the cockpit as she is gunned - with floorboards, chocked backrest and "safety" stick" - to keep muzzles pointed outside of the vessel.

I'm not sure what's going on with the transom but I have found nothing dire thus far.

I brought her into the shop to dry and vacuum her.

Here is the rot that I need to excise - and most likely repair with a cypress "dutchman". I will probably 'glass the bottom and sides. The decks are already 'glassed - although they were originally covered with canvas. I will also fasten a new stem and rubrails outside the 'glass "envelope".

Here she is all settled down for a long Winter's nap. I just moved my Great South Bay Scooter back into the shop. I had begun its restoration but was then seduced into building White-Wing. And, things like gunning, family, holidays, etc, keep competing for my attention.

I imagine I will bring the Horal Scooter back into the shop during the depths of winter - it will not take long to make her seaworthy once again.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Rick L]

Steven;

watching these old boats come back to life is the biggest reason I joined this board -

can't wait to see the after pics

 

[CraigS]

That is pretty cool stuff there!

 

[Mike Sanzone]

Steve ,iam sure you will restore her to be a killing machine once again....you do great work.....can't wait to see her come together

 

[Paul Strombeck]

This will be fun to watch - be sure to keep us posted on the progress. I have gone 'retro' in my old age and really enjoy the unique boats on this site.
Thanks
.........

 

[John L]

Steve,

That looks like a nice project. Have fun. I love seeing old local boats back in service.

 

[bob welsh]

Looking forward to the build

 

[Brandon Yuchasz]

That is a cool project Steve. I cant wait to see her all fixed up in fresh paint!

 

[steve schrat]

can't wait to see you do your magic on her ,nice project!

 

[Al Hansen]

Just seeing that boat made me think of the countless hunts that it has been on. Started my mind a whirling as far as what ducks were shot from it--- I sure enjoyed this thread and will look forward to your thorough documentation as you begin her restoration. Good luck, Steve.
Al

 

[Wesley Bouchelle]

I wish i could find something like this around my way to work on !

 

[Jeff Smith]

Norm Strung? That's a name I haven't heard in a bazillion years. If I recall correctly, he vacated Long Island for Montana about thirty+ years ago. Died way too young.

 

[Tom Scholberg]

I too will be watching this one, thanks for sharing

 

[Steve Sanford]

Tom et al~

Here is the next bit of progress. The restoration is now complete. The full story is on my site: http://stevenjaysanford.com/horal-scooter-putting-her-back-in-shape/

I have not yet measured her up or floated her - and I plan to haul her south next week.

I began by finding a piece of White Ash for the stern rubrail. I was not sure I could bend dry White Oak to the radius of the deck crown, so I cut a board out of a crooked White Ash I had felled near "Pencil Brook Marina" - my assortment of vessels stored along a hedgerow.

I sawed the board generously oversize and stuck it in the heated shop.

The rot in the stem (cutwater) and the sides of her bow got early attention.

The sides were deeply cracked - yes, that's sunlight shining through. My approach was to replace rot with dutchmen and fill cracks - and then cover the sides with epoxy and 'glass.

Here are the Cypress dutchmen (graving pieces) installed - set in 3M 5200 and fastened with SS screws - and faired with my electric plane and belt sander. The deep cracks were filled first with 5200.

The sides got filler and a saturation coat of epoxy before 'glassing with 6-ounce cloth.

The new stem was fashioned from a treated 2x4 (SYP). The fasteners weere set in 5200 to isolate them chemically from the CCA salts. And, the stem (cutwater) was first given 2 coats of epoxy.

Removing the old ring bolt was easy - because rot had opened the sides and given me access with a wrench. Once repaired, though, I needed a mechanic much smaller than I to wriggle up into the bow to get the nut and washer on. Neighbor Sammy Fox was more than equal to the task.

I cobbled together all of my 3/8" ratchet extensions so I could snug her up a couple of more turns...

Jumping ahead - here is the finished bow:

The usual hand tools played the major role is removing: rubrails, oarlock blocks, keel, rub strips.

The wood (White Oak) in the rub strips was sound. I belt-sanded their bottoms before removing them because it was easier than it would have been later on the bench - they were already held firmly in place at a comfortable working height.

The White Oak in the keel (and all 3 rubrails) had deteriorated to the "crumbly" stage - but the skeg was sound and sturdy. I fashioned the new keel from clear treated decking - which I planed down to 3/4" thickness.

The decks and coamings were covered long ago with a mystery fabric. It looks like traditional decking canvas but is definitely a synthetic (when cut). It was still tight to the decks but had pulled away from the coamings in most places.

I trimmed the fabric evenly about an inch above the deck - and made sure it was well-sealed to the coamings along its length.

The oarlock blocks/stanchions were removed, restored and re-installed - bedded in 5200, of course. I enlarged the scuppers so they would be sure to drain.

The starboard notch for the "safety stick" (a slim board that spans the cockpit to keep gun barrels pointed above toes and coamings) needed repair with another dutchman. I reinforced it with a deeply-sunk galvanized finishing nail - as well as the requisite thickened epoxy.

Thanks to Tod Osier, I now clean and fair my 5200 with mineral spirits. This stern rubrail is the White Ash from my saw log.

The port and starboard rubrails were fashioned from White Oak. The new 'glass on the sides laps over onto the deck and under onto the bottom.

The new keel and old rub strips are installed and painted - 3 coats of flat white oil.

The bottom sections are distinctly hollow - giving the scooter a scant inch of concavity. I do not know if this was purposeful - or a result of floor frames laid flat (instead of on edge as is customary).

I let the paint harden for a few days before I flipped her.

The interior - at least those parts that I could reach - got a perfunctory scrape-and-sand and then a single coat of paint.

The floorboards, back rest and safety stick got more careful prep - and 2 coats of paint.

Here she is ready for the trailer. I hope to measure her later today.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Carl]

You are quite the craftsman! Very nice work.

 

[Bob M]

Beautiful work Sir.

 

[Rick L]

these posts documenting your restorations are always enjoyable and educational

thanks

 

[Mike Repp]

All I can say is WOW! that is one fine restoration, you should be very proud. Very nice job, post some pictures in the water.

 

[Eric Patterson]

You need a TV show, "This Old Boat". Captivating process and photography and your shop is the perfect backdrop.

 

[tod osier]

Very nice Steve, thanks for taking the time on both our and the boat's account. I do love your pictures of the process and even the things like your mega socket extension . Love it.

T