New owner, 65 Trojan Sea Breeze

jblack1036 · Post by **jblack1036** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:01 pm

Hello all,

Just wanted to pop on here and introduce myself. I've been an avid boater for the last few years and have always wanted to own a boat that would turn heads when cruising down on the water. Well, my wants have finally come true. My Grandfather handed me an offer on his 1965 33' or 31' Trojan Sea Breeze that he has had for the last 37 years. Well, I couldn't pass it up and they are not able to maintain it like they used to. So rather than letting it go to some stranger, I have decided to keep it in the family. I have very found memories of that boat and the family cruises we used to take on it when I was growing up. From what I do remember, they always took very good care of it and it has never been chewed on. It's all original minus the generator that he sold a couple years back because he never had a need for it. It still has the original "Grey Marine" engine with 1,000 + hours on it. It's not been in the water for the last seven years and it's been kept in the boat barn out of the weather.
Now I know I'll have some items to attend too and what not but I wanted to pop on and welcome myself to the gang. I also would love to have any words of encouragement or tips and tricks to keeping a beautiful old boat running and on the water "still turning heads".

I"m going up this weekend to pull the plugs and sqirt some stuff in the cylinders to make sure the block isn't locked up before even attempting to turn the key. It was running and winterized when they put it to bed 7 years ago. For a 46 year old boat, it still looks amazing. I commend my Granfather for taking such good care of her all these years and allowing me the opportunity to take the helm.

Wish me well and good luck. I'll post pics after I get them this weekend.

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:11 pm

Welcome to the forum .

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:55 pm

Welcome to the forum and post some pics when you can. Glad you're going to keep her in the family.

gettaway · Post by **gettaway** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:30 pm

welcome and congratulations on the new old addition, best of luck

jddens · Post by **jddens** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:13 pm

Welcome! Lots of good Trojan info here........John

Allen Sr · Post by **Allen Sr** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:53 pm

Welcome and good luck with the boat.

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:46 pm

She'll keep you busy but you're right, we do turn heads! Always a pleasure to welcome aboard a fellow woodie. There are still a few of us around!

classicf25 · Post by **classicf25** » Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:00 pm

Welcome aboard! There is a vast wealth of knowledge available to you through this forum, it has been an excellent resource for us. Good Luck!

jblack1036 · Post by **jblack1036** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:26 pm

Well, I made the trip up to visit the with my Grandfather and give the boat a once over.

It's definently going to need some paint and the wood work freshend up. Everything seems to be in pretty good shape for it's age. I didn't feel or find any noticable rot anywhere and the bilge is pretty clean. I did give the engine (Fireball CF220) a good looking over but was not able to get it started. It turned over but I'm not getting any spark at the plugs. The points are sparking so I think I need a new rotor and cap and wires. I didn't have a great deal of time to fuss with the engine as my primary consern was to ensure it wasn't siezed up which it isn't. The oil was clean and the Velvet Drive seemed to be in good shape from a visual inspection.

Suppose to have it moved down to my place middle of October. Let's hope that all goes well with the transport. Once it get's here, I can match up a trailer I have that has adjustable bunks and fit it to boat. I'll have to extend the rear of the trailer about three to four feet and build a frame to protect the prop shaft and rudder.

Other than that, all is looking good. Any advice on paint or getting her ready to float would be fantastic.

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:38 pm

The fact that the engine turned over is a great sign. Hopefully you can get it running, let us know when you're ready to tackle that part. As far as painting is concerned, I'd be a little more careful with simply throwing a bunch of paint on her all at once. You say she was winterized so I suspect you're in a climate where boating is seasonal, she was kept in a barn, and out of the water for seven years. I'd say she's probably pretty dry and will change considerably after you put her in the water. This could affect any coatings you put on her now. As she expands from soaking up moisture, joints, seams etc will crack through your new coatings until her wood stabilizes. I know it's tough but I'd wait a while until her skin gets back to normal. She may not look pretty for a while but at least you won't be dissapointed by all the cracking and pealing that might occur from doing it too soon.

jblack1036 · Post by **jblack1036** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:30 am

Thanks Big D....

Ya, it might not be a good idea to slap some paint on her right away. Sure would hate to see all that work ruined after one season afloat. She is pretty sound and the cabin is in magnificent shape along with the top deck. Gramps said that the only place she leaked when putting her in was along the keel. But once she swelled, she was pretty much water tight. I don't see any noticeable leaks around any of the windows or fasteners up top so I'm hoping for the best. The only things I need to find as of now are covers for the deck where the fuel cut off is, water tank fill, and the reserve gas tank. Do you know where I might be able to find those round covers??? The only other thing is to put in a holding tank for the toilet. It is still set up for "overboard" wash out with a mercerator. The only downfall is that it doesn't have a shower. We really enjoyed that luxury on our other boat. I'm also going to re-plum the water lines to the sinks and put in a water heater and a charger for the batteries. I'm also going to invest in one of the "DC Cuddy's" to keep the cabin cool on those hot summer days so sleeping on her will be comfortable and not miserable. Yes, I have dreams but we'll see how far I get. Can't wait to float her........enjoy

larryeddington · Post by **larryeddington** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 11:40 am

Welcome and good luck with these senior age boats.

rossjo · Post by **rossjo** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 3:12 pm

Welcome! Where are you located?

Big D · Post by **Big D** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:05 pm

Ya where are you located? And do you know the condition of your fuel tank and fresh water tank?

jblack1036 · Post by **jblack1036** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:00 am

I'm located on Rough River Lake in Kentucky. As for the condition of the gas tank.....Not sure but it was emptied and he did have it replaced with a bigger tank many years back. As for the water tank, I had planned to replace the current with a plastic one but it does hold water. Just not really sure how the inside looks.

Once I get it down to the house, I'll be able to really go over it and create a list of things to replace/repair. But from what I'm able to tell, most everything is minor. I am curious if the old fridge runs solely on A/C or both AC/DC. I didn't see an inverter on the boat anywhere or a battery charger so that is one thing I'll need to work towards. Not to mention, the fridge is quite old and it's the old Freon type which I probably can't repaired if it goes bad. Everything on this boat is original eccept the primary gas tank. I would really like to keep it all original but I would prefer to modernize it.

If you have additional comments or areas to pay particular attention too, I'm all ears......

Thanks..