I started collecting antique outboard motors about two years ago. After about a year of collecting it became evident that I needed a boat for the motors. The first thought  was to build a small wood boat similar to the one I had as a teenager. Then one night last March I was checking the Antique Outboard Motor websites, classified section and a member from Indiana had a Crestliner for sale. I immediately e-mailed him and he sent me some pictures. I looked at the pictures and to my surprise the boat was very similar to the wood boat I had many years ago, I bought it with in 15 minutes after receiving the pictures. Two weeks later I made the trip to Indiana and picked up the boat. When I first saw the boat, I was a little disappointed there was a lot more work required then I had originally  thought. A previous owner had disassembled the boat and he had removed the steering, dash, windshield, some of the ribs and every small piece that had been screwed or riveted to the boat hull. Also the boat had about 4 coats of paint and the last coat was applied with a brush or roller. A big plus was the boat came with great looking Crestliner decals.

The first thing I did when I got home was to determine what I had purchased. Thanks to several people on the web and this website I found out my boat is a 1957 Viking Deluxe Runabout Model No. 570. It was quite a surprise to learn the boat is rated for a 60 hp motor.

The restoration began in mid-August with the goal of having it completed for an outboard meet on September 15^th. Removing the paint was a two-week job, which required 4 gallon of paint remover. All the paint was removed down to the bare aluminum. The bare aluminum looked good but I thought the upkeep would take to much time. After reviewing the 1956 and 1957 Crestliner catalogs, I made the decision not to paint the boat in the original color or color scheme. I chose a color from the 50ís, 1955 Ford Thunderbird Blue. The painting was fairly normal a self-etching primer was applied followed by approximately three quarts of a polyurethane paint.

Now the fun began I had a box of parts and no instructions on how to put this boat back together. After a few more weeks the dash, windshield, steering, misc. pieces and the cockpit molding had been installed. All that remained was painting the interior and reupholster the seats however  Sept. 15^th was only 4 days away. The decision was made just to do the seats, after the old covers had been removed; it was evident the seats had to be remade. The seats were made with 5/8 plywood, the new seats used æ plywood to add additional strengthen. Thanks to my wifeís hard work the seats were finished on the 14^th. The boat was a hit at the meet and the little 10 hp Johnson pushed the boat at respectable speed, can not wait to try a bigger motor. Future plans are to finish the interior and replace the 10 hp Johnson with a 1957 Evinrude 35 Hp and determine if additional horsepower is needed.

Mike Seachrist

No. Canton, Ohio