38 Riviera Restoration

Shower

I agree with you about the wiring.. I rewired mine... all LED now with Dimmers, All ABYC.

Yeah, Diesels for sure... they can be found used if you look hard, they do pay for themselves nowadays if you boat a lot. Roamers last forwever if basicaly taken care of... refitting for diesels is MAJOR though. Not really worth the hassle unless you are really in love. Homer nearly doubled the torque and the boat had zero problems just kept going faster and demolishes waves basically.

If you want a cool shower, Spartan Industries is the company that makes the cool plexiglass tube showers for yachts.

You are correct about low to the water.. center of gravity is very low on the 41 and under Roamers.. hence why they do not roll much and handle well.

Homer

No argument here

A 427 is a 427.. perhaps the most legendary block of all time. I have had both 427's and 454's in my 38. Here is the difference...

454's slightly faster because they have 30 or so more HP. but, for boats the 427 is better, more torque and approximates closer to a diesel pull than a 454 does. I would know, had them both. 427's for Chris Crafts are to be at 4000 RPM. 454's about 4500 RPM.. typiical GM vs Chevy stuff. Ford= more torque = Chevy a bit more speed. The Roamer 38 hull can go 38mph with 380 HP. Seems to me gas 38's seem to like 23 MPH with 427 and about 26 cruise with Yanmar turbos....that is my study.

Diesels just are so cheap to run... that's a major plus these days.

Soundwise.. 427's are way cooler than 454 too IMHO.

Fords are also cool because the company did not Scr_w taxpayers. We all know that.. so what's the contest? Go Ford Go!
Carl said no Spin, so we have to guess which party's FORD attends. Chevy has The Bow Tie & Ford The Phat Tie.

427 is a better boat motor, but not as easy to get parts for and more costly to part.. that's the basic difference. PLUS 427's are Sooooo Coooool.

Ok... Time for a New Homer Roamer Joinery Post

We rebuilt the cockpit and are getting done. There will be a curved header helm/instrument valance we shall show you in the cockpit end. It will look like it's straight out of Italy.. Style.. real style. It has been a rough job in several ways, paricularly charges at this juncture.

There is no veneer per se here, this is all solid Shelman Marine Ribbon Stripped Sappele, 3/4 inch thick. all sealed and insulatedto quiet down the roar. Any of you looking to replace wood, get Shelman from Greece. It's great/stable marine grade solid veneer. I willl soon be going in to sand, stain and epoxy prior to spraying the cockpit with automotive Dupont 7700S clear coat, a forgiving flexible high sheen two part.... I am done with varnish-- DONE.

These photos do not look like much now, but a keen eye can see there is no wood butcher on this job. Most (not all) marine woodworkers around Maryland are the worst. Everyone calls them "The Wood Butchers!" "Did he cut your mitres with an ax?" They are not from Maine, the are not North Carolina, as the craft slowly died with the famed Trumpy built in Annapolis MD years back. America needs craftspeople badly.. we desperately do.. these craftpeople are of the highest order, if you can even find one? And, you can only get one in a recession probably.. as the Rich steal them away as soon as the sky clears. The good ones can get big jobs with big companies. Why jerk around with The Homer Roamer PeeenyBucks?

Not only is the back sealed to avoid mositure intrusion, marine sound deadening vibration control material was sprayed as well as two inches of Sound Down... much I did myself.. had too, like most Roamer owners, I am a very regular guy/ typical scrapper who bit off a big meal from a junkyard or darn close. We could not get 5 grand for this tank when I started.. AND, it had 427's in it with only 450 hours fresh water on them too... Now that's bad.

I knew She was solid underneath it all, as many of them are and I would know since I worked on her since 12 years old. You need to know what to look for though i.e. BUT, This is a custom cockpit. Ribbon Striped Sappelle w/Pomelle Mikore veneer on PVC covering the posts. What makes Roamers ideal projects is that the parts that rot are generally cosmetic, what the heck is going to happen to above water fiberglass and 5086 aluminium unless one really tries to be a true idiot... they too are about. You can go in an old Roamer, and it won't stink like The SS Mildew.. Mildew= Mold.... anyway you look at it and it's not healthy... So, just throw out the Roamer cusions and you are fine basically.

Note the bullnose Hondurous Magogany trim treatment to further define the cockpit look. Chris Craft could not go to these levels, but they did a great job of basic good looks hence we kept the original flair as best we could, but highly refined it. The taft rails were made new, The Buck Algonquin latches they use on the lareger boats in lieu of Perko, so that which was originally skinny or thin is now beefy but not compromizing the lines. We ar preserving Americana.. ya know, back when America was America.. maybe this is why we do it. because we still remeber the real America.. is it not?

If you look on the sedan top, the wooden curve will sport a Sunbrella type drop dual curtains that will mereley slide like merging shower curtains similar in effect to a theatere for ease of use. Drop curtains were a pain comparatively. There si no end to how cool you can make your Roamer with a little imagination.

Hope you all enjoy... And now that Captain Laurence has shared his photos, hopefully someone new today will show us some of theirs... Willl it be your Roamer? We are waitng for one of the BIG BRUTUS ROAMERS to join us.... we shall buckle with honor and be prepared to speak in high pitched voices if a Super Roamer drops a few photos and some history on us soon. If you are a Super Roamer owner reading this.. please surpirse us wtih a photos or two soon!

Mega Roamers 58 and up.. where are you?

Clear Coat/Chrome...

Here is the deal. As I understand it, Maas Epoxy is best for finnish wood, over West. Thisis my expeience as well. West for structural, Maas for wood finnish plsu itis clear, not amber. Maas does not blush, and it has UV I think? I understand West has a new product that does not blush. If you epoxy, the backside must be sealed too or it will pop from underneath, If you epoxy and do not cover it with a clearcaot that has UV.. you are cooked along with your hard labor.

Dupont 7700S is the best product for this job.... it is as shiney as a miror, rubs-out, is easy to repair and soft for a two part. It's automotve many of the shops use it. I studied this out bigtime.. but it is not cheap! PLUS.. IT MUST BE SPRAYED.. Major job.. stay away unless you are seeking major perfection.

I would not do this proceedure on old toe rails! They were not sealed undrneath at the factory and you will have a real mess over time as the moisture from underneath pops your screw plugs and joints.

Unless you go all out and start fresh wth new wood, just use Captains 1015 Varnish.. it is the easiest to use, flows out nice and shines well. I do not like Epiphannes.. I think you are paying for a fancy can and the gooiest hardest to work with stuff .... and it does not flow-out like Captains 1015 does.

Now Varnsiih is subjective, so please nobody atack me on Epiphannes.. I do not like it and never got a good job frankly.. Captains every time I have... but you wil have to do it more. Epiphannes may last longer but you better be the best varnish of all time to handle it and get that clear glass look.

Epoxy is a real process, not for the average bear I say.. it is for nuts. Homer Roamer is a nut, so it is ok for him probably.

The stantions were stripped and triple chorme plated. It is wise to sand dremel the bases prior to relpacement after rechroming OR, the rough edges will break the varish surface and cause your varnish to pop as teh screws press into it. Many of the screw holes will be stripped too. that is a nother class to repair. Replacing your toerail is no easy task. Also, if you keep getting paint-pop corosion where you toerail meets your paint, it means you have corrosion under the toerail.. IT WONT STOP.. it needs to be replaced. Chris Craft used Duaphinite.. that gray gooey crap.. it actually works and lasts forever but if you are goning to use calk GO SikaFlex 291 Lot.. it's the best for bedding BY FAR, better than 4200 and certainly better than BoatLife which I think is not so good IMHO.

Headlines: READ ALL ABOUT IT!

BABY ROAMER SAVED BY TRAVLINMAN!

Crying baby left abandoned by its mother.. National Hero hears cries from afar... She's Aluminum! She's Aluminum! Diapers may be soiled but can be washed, hull natural (AL-Atomic#13) not plastic. She's got some Glass... or is that Class or is it both?... As her props hyperventilate... "I want my MAYPO!"

Hopefully Papa Roamer shows up on Homer Roamer thread soon.. Baby Roamer needs mentor! Papa Roamer claims Mama Romer was unfaithful Romer, she broke her Marriage Bows so Pappa kicked her transom... baby left abandoned.

Meanwhile back in port, Family, Kinfolk and Fans eagerly await while baby slowly grows into a fine young Roamer... Report Cards encouraged.

Wait.. Pappa Roamer coming soon to mentor Baby Roamer.. cries heard from afar... stay tuned....

Atomic 13 (Now that's a cool name for an aluminum Roamer)

Here comes Alpha Roamer...

Stay tuned for more pictures of a Roamer Pappa! Another new Roamer Owner...

Come on Buoys...

It's air pollution not Xylene... I'm downwind from Eugene Debs sniffing what's left of my Roamar Homer dollars... Change.