New owner of a 1963 36ft Express

Hi there! New guy here! Just got a great deal on a 1963 36ft Roamer Express (#231) and was wondering what the general consensus is on this model/year? Needs mostly cosmetics and I plan on making it a usable project (i.e. use it while I fix her up). A few small cosmetic areas of rot and general mustiness. Repowered in 1996 with Crusader 260's and Velvet Drives. All original uphulstry is in good shape....

Going to be a wiring nightmare however!

Do many of you have experience with this model/year?

Some of you may know the boat. It is listed on the registry. It was out of Ohio and is named "Freedom Won". It was sold on EBay in 2005 and trucked to the Potomac River in Virginia.

Thanks!

Luckily, I had all the original wiring diagrams as well. They are the blue-print type originals. Since it was new, somebody had always updated the drawings (but left the originals intact).

I had to replace a lot of wood inside mine. It had sat for 3 years in the weather after being moved here from Ohio. Have a friend with an old 42 Matthews and he replaced a lot of wood for me. Luckily I have a contact back in Ohio with a restored '62 36-ft Riviera that had been "wrecked". He sent me the window I needed, and all the original wood I needed.

Since then, the interior has been completely stripped to bare wood and 6 coats of Captains applied. Looking sweet....... My basement is still full of drawers and cabinet doors in the process of 8 coats+ each.

Have not started on the exterior yet. I have some rot around the windows and under the side of the windshield., so am not going to be able to strip those areas and make it look good. Around the windshield it is stripped though. I love the idea of the pale green. Is there an actual name for that color in those years?

The story of mine is as follows: It was bought by a guy here in Colonial Beach about 3 years ago on eBay from a guy in Ohio. He had it trucked down here to Virginia, had bottom paint applied, new zincs and new props installed, and put in the water. Since that time three years ago, I have watched it sit in the weather and deteriorate at an alarming rate. He never took it out once. The new canvas eventually blew down and the boat started to fill with rain water.

I rescued it before any real deadly damage could be done. It came with full tanks of gas. A perfect generator (original), new 300HP Crusaders (1983 350's with receipts for every brand new part, bolt, etc), new trannies, new head system, etc etc. Motors needed new distributors and the gas freshened a bit. Spoke with the guy who rebuilt them in 1996 and he reset the hour meters to 0000 when they were rebuilt. Now reads 130 on each side. Yep, new motors with over $10k in reciepts for them alone.

Great hull. Was pulled in August by the last owner (farthest it moved in over 2.5 years) and had new bottom paint and zincs installed. CAPAC is still a good solid 6 and that is brackish water.

Everything is there for this boat. No rust, no more rot (just had it all taken care of), all perfect upholstery came with the boat, perfect carpet, etc.

All this for the grand total of $500. Don't ya just hate me??? Really.... Have pics of before, and now in the process, if anyone is curious about what $500 will get you now-a-days....

Well, after having 2 Marinettes (aluminum), I do not think I would go that route again. Much easier to take care of, and repair a steel hull then it is for aluminum. The painting process of a steel hull is very simple. Aluminum is a 4 step process, and all has to be accomplished in a certain time-frame for it all to be perfect. Steel is just a sand-prime-paint ordeal. Aluminum is a b---h!

I did like the lightness when it came to fuel ecomony though. Rougher weather was tough, but they were also fly-bridge models. I like the idea of the heavier steel hull right now. Of course I have not had it out yet as I am awaiting the new distributors, but have talked with the guy who put it all together in Ohio. With the new motors, trannys and props, it will top 31mph and cruise at 22mph. Not to shabby. According to him, when it had the 283's, it would top out at 22mph.

It's funny. I did not even know what a Roamer was until this one dropped in my lap. I saw them on a website that is linked from the Marinette site and thought them an oddity at the time. Hmmmm....

I would have probably taken an aluminum Roamer over a steel one, but am just running with what I was given (almost). I do like the "solid" feeling the steel hull gives though. I step on my Marinette and it wobbles all over the water.... Big difference! I guess the only real issue for me is the paint/prep dance you have to go through with aluminum. The hull on my Marinette is rock solid and in brand new condition. The hull on the Roamer however is a different story. It has had a few new panels on the hull installed. Most of the keel under the main cabin has been replaced, as well as the areas under the gas tanks. Aluminum will last forever and never let you down. I just hate the paint and upkeep process.......

What is the story behind the MD boat? Any idea? Do you have more pics of the green boat?

I am planning on taking pics soon. The interior is going back together, and part of the exterior (handrails) have been removed for varnishing. Seats are removed also. I need to replace several pieces of wood where the seats attach.

I will send pics as soon as I can. I have a lot of "before" shots, but the are pretty scary!

Send a few pics of your boat if you get a chance.

Looks like someone was not keeping an eye on their CAPAC and had a little bit of a zinc deficiency going on. The interior is what interest me the most. I have not seen many pics of the interior of these boats. I only have been going on what I have in mine already. If you have more interior pics, please post them if you have a chance. I would really be interested in seeing them.

I just sent you a private message.

Thanks for the pics! I just wanted to see how my new interior refinishing stacked up against other Roamer interiors out there. I will post pics as soon as I have the carpet installed.