1965 17 foot Whaler, classic Radon Cabin-Too far to Restoration?

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  1965 17 foot Whaler, classic Radon Cabin-Too far to Restoration?

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Author Topic:   1965 17 foot Whaler, classic Radon Cabin-Too far to Restoration?

TAHITI posted 03-25-2001 11:49 PM ET (US)
I have a friend with Two - 17 foot whalers, one 1965 and a 1967. They both have a custom cabin built in Ventura CA by Radon boats in 1980's for channel island overnights and surfing the ranch. Anyways, I have gone over both boats and they have delamination in the stern floor sections. They also have taken water into the foam from this delam and all the CA rains. I have gone around the outside of each boat and the exterior of the hull doesn't have any soft spots but one has been repaired on the keel before. With a boat this old and delam in the stern floorboard area, water in the foam, is this a major renovation to undertake? Do I have to remove the entire fiberglass and replace the foam in this area to fix? (Not to mention what the cabin might be hiding). Is this a major structural event. I have taken some pics and could post if anyone is interested. It is a great(huge) cabin on the whaler and would be perfect but not sure I want to rebuild an entire boat to keep this one. If anyone of you has done any restorations of whalers this age, I would love to hear from you. Aloha!
fester posted 03-28-2001 01:04 AM ET (US)
I think I know the boats you are talking about. Last year I lived in mid town Ventura and the owner of the two old 16 foot whalers with Radon cabins on them lived near me. For those of you that are not familiar with Radon boats, they are sturdy well built boats made in Santa Barbara California. While I am very fond of whalers, I would rather have a Radon if I could afford one. They are great offshore boats. It appears that in the past Radon did make cabins for small whalers.
Last year I was doing some restoration work on a 1969 16 foot whaler and looked at the boats I believe you are talking about. The boats are very rough and in my opinion needed alot of work. I noticed delamination problems, possible water in the foam, possible problems with the transoms and the beat up condition of the boats. In addition, I had questions as to the reliability of the motors on both boats. If you want an old classic whaler and want a major project, then maybe these boats are for you. If you buy them, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of money and a lot of time working on them. If you are more interested in using a boat than working on them, I think you can find a whaler that is in better condition that will be cheaper in the long run for you. If you like the Radon cabins, maybe you could purchase the cabin and put it on a whaler that is in better condition.
If you plan to use the boats offshore in the Ventura Santa Barbara area, the old 16 foot whalers and the Montauk's work fairly well going out to Ana Capa. If you want to go to Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa or San Miguel, I think you need a larger boat. Every time I take my 16 footer beyond Ana Capa, I just get hammered.
Good Luck,
Jeff

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Author	Topic: 1965 17 foot Whaler, classic Radon Cabin-Too far to Restoration?
TAHITI	posted 03-25-2001 11:49 PM ET (US) I have a friend with Two - 17 foot whalers, one 1965 and a 1967. They both have a custom cabin built in Ventura CA by Radon boats in 1980's for channel island overnights and surfing the ranch. Anyways, I have gone over both boats and they have delamination in the stern floor sections. They also have taken water into the foam from this delam and all the CA rains. I have gone around the outside of each boat and the exterior of the hull doesn't have any soft spots but one has been repaired on the keel before. With a boat this old and delam in the stern floorboard area, water in the foam, is this a major renovation to undertake? Do I have to remove the entire fiberglass and replace the foam in this area to fix? (Not to mention what the cabin might be hiding). Is this a major structural event. I have taken some pics and could post if anyone is interested. It is a great(huge) cabin on the whaler and would be perfect but not sure I want to rebuild an entire boat to keep this one. If anyone of you has done any restorations of whalers this age, I would love to hear from you. Aloha!
fester	posted 03-28-2001 01:04 AM ET (US) I think I know the boats you are talking about. Last year I lived in mid town Ventura and the owner of the two old 16 foot whalers with Radon cabins on them lived near me. For those of you that are not familiar with Radon boats, they are sturdy well built boats made in Santa Barbara California. While I am very fond of whalers, I would rather have a Radon if I could afford one. They are great offshore boats. It appears that in the past Radon did make cabins for small whalers. Last year I was doing some restoration work on a 1969 16 foot whaler and looked at the boats I believe you are talking about. The boats are very rough and in my opinion needed alot of work. I noticed delamination problems, possible water in the foam, possible problems with the transoms and the beat up condition of the boats. In addition, I had questions as to the reliability of the motors on both boats. If you want an old classic whaler and want a major project, then maybe these boats are for you. If you buy them, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of money and a lot of time working on them. If you are more interested in using a boat than working on them, I think you can find a whaler that is in better condition that will be cheaper in the long run for you. If you like the Radon cabins, maybe you could purchase the cabin and put it on a whaler that is in better condition. If you plan to use the boats offshore in the Ventura Santa Barbara area, the old 16 foot whalers and the Montauk's work fairly well going out to Ana Capa. If you want to go to Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa or San Miguel, I think you need a larger boat. Every time I take my 16 footer beyond Ana Capa, I just get hammered. Good Luck, Jeff