The original shape LesRo Sportsman is a model that had eluded me for many years, but I always liked the look of it, so when one came up on eBay, I matched the opening price with my first bid, and ended up winning it as nobody else placed a bid.
It could well be that everyone else was a lot wiser than me, but I have ended-up with it and it will be a long-term restoration project that will have to be fitted in-between a lot of other build/repair work that I already have stacked-up waiting for my attention.
This boat came with a fitted glow-plug engine of unknown size or type, so the first job was to remove the engine, fuel tank and silencer etc to see just how bad and fuel soaked the inside of the hull was, and then try to work-out how to dry it out and make any repairs that may be needed.
Bob.
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The original shape LesRo Sportsman is a model that had eluded me for many years, but I always liked the look of it, so when one came up on eBay, I matched the opening price with my first bid, and ended up winning it as nobody else placed a bid.
It could well be that everyone else was a lot wiser than me, but I have ended-up with it and it will be a long-term restoration project that will have to be fitted in-between a lot of other build/repair work that I already have stacked-up waiting for my attention.
This boat came with a fitted glow-plug engine of unknown size or type, so the first job was to remove the engine, fuel tank and silencer etc to see just how bad and fuel soaked the inside of the hull was, and then try to work-out how to dry it out and make any repairs that may be needed.
I found that the lovely brass rudder post that I wanted to leave in the boat takes a smaller diameter shaft than the brass types that are really available today.
These older shafts were often made out of silver steel, so they were always very straight and strong enough to resist almost any collision....and didn't need to be quite so fat as the weaker brass shafts that are used now.
The old type rudder blades were still only made from brass, and in the event of a prang the blades would often tear-off - leaving the silver steel shaft nice and straight, but in the boat on its own with no blades left on it.......just like this one was!
I am trying to do a little bit to this boat in-between all my other projects, but if find some time will make a new rudder to fit this original brass holder rather than swap it out for a new moulded plastic type.
When I was shivering in my workshop(shed) the other night I took another look inside this hull as I continue to ponder about the best way to leech-out the fuel from the wood.
I took a look up inside the “pointed end” and was a little dismayed to discover that the keel was a bit ‘soft” right at the very front of the bows.
This came as a bit of a surprise as although the inside of the boat is suffering from being fuel soaked, I had no idea that it could actually rot the wood - if anything, I thought it would preserve it !
It was too cold to stay out sulking about if for too long, but I did shove a screw-driver up inside and gouged-out some of the soft wood* - enough to convince me that I may need to get stuck-in to some fairly drastic surgery to cut away the bows and replace it.
* This "soft wood" may have been some sort of gunge that I hooked out as when I removed the fixed front cabin roof at a later date (to give better access) the wooden keel was seen to be solid and in good health.
No Rot!
For no good reason that I can think of, I took this (red) Sportsman out of the workshop(shed) and put in the sun on a folding go-kart table that I have had outside for years.
I had already stripped-out the other (blue) Sportsman and found it to be nice and clean inside (ex-electric powered - so no glow fuel in that hull) and that would have been the easiest one to work on, but I couldn't resist the challenge so.....I had to take a look inside this one too!
Suddenly I found some tools in my hand, and the fixed front cabin roof had been removed!
This gave me direct access into the area of the bows that would usually be hidden from sight once the boat had been built, but I wanted to take a good look inside this area to see how badly fuel soaked it was.....and to check why I thought it could have some "soft" wood in the keel at the bows end.
The "reveal" showed that there was no rot in the keel at all, and just goes to show the benefit of opening up any enclosed areas that are not readily in plain site before starting any restoration work on an unknown Classic Model Power Boat hull.
Many a happy hour was spent scraping away the dried-on fuel - or was it some sort of varnish? - I am not sure, but this section is starting to look quiet good, so I will move on the engine room (motor compartment) next to and start cleaning that up too...well for as long as the sun keeps shining....
This will make a super model to add to my Classic Model Power Boat fleet and I am already thinking about how I am going to rebuild it.
A fixed cabin would be nice (with a removable cabin roof) to increase its water-tightness by removing any chance of any water ingress due any " creeping " down into the hull between the deck surface and the original designs lift-off cabin.
I need to be certain that I will still have enough space available to access the motor mount with a lift-off cabin roof if I convert this to a fixed cabin model.
This is very important as I will be using my favourite water-cooled cast alloy motor mount that will allow a fast motor change if I should ever need more (or less) power than the out-runner (or in-runner) motor that I start with.
I need to leave myself enough space to work with Allen keys to be able to release and install a change of motor at the lakeside using only the onboard tools that will be stored on magnets under the rear deck.
Onwards and upwards................
Bob.
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Back on the bench infront of the 2026 Will Javelin challengeHiden under the fixed front cabin roof (now removed)
Front cabin area and motor compartment almost cleaned ready for the next stage.Maybe not fuel stained front compartment?
No Rot!
For no good reason that I can think of, I took this (red) Sportsman out of the workshop(shed) and put in the sun on a folding go-kart table that I have had outside for years.
I had already stripped-out the other (blue) Sportsman and found it to be nice and clean inside (ex-electric powered - so no glow fuel in that hull) and that would have been the easiest one to work on, but I couldn't resist the challenge so.....I had to take a look inside this one too!
Suddenly I found some tools in my hand, and the fixed front cabin roof had been removed!
This gave me direct access into the area of the bows that would usually be hidden from sight once the boat had been built, but I wanted to take a good look inside this area to see how badly fuel soaked it was.....and to check why I thought it could have some "soft" wood in the keel at the bows end.
The "reveal" showed that there was no rot in the keel at all, and just goes to show the benefit of opening up any enclosed areas that are not readily in plain site before starting any restoration work on an unknown Classic Model Power Boat hull.
Many a happy hour was spent scraping away the dried-on fuel - or was it some sort of varnish? - I am not sure, but this section is starting to look quiet good, so I will move on the engine room (motor compartment) next to and start cleaning that up too...well for as long as the sun keeps shining....
This will make a super model to add to my Classic Model Power Boat fleet and I am already thinking about how I am going to rebuild it.
A fixed cabin would be nice (with a removable cabin roof) to increase its water-tightness by removing any chance of any water ingress due any " creeping " down into the hull between the deck surface and the original designs lift-off cabin.
I need to be certain that I will still have enough space available to access the motor mount with a lift-off cabin roof if I convert this to a fixed cabin model.
This is very important as I will be using my favourite water-cooled cast alloy motor mount that will allow a fast motor change if I should ever need more (or less) power than the out-runner (or in-runner) motor that I start with.
I need to leave myself enough space to work with Allen keys to be able to release and install a change of motor at the lakeside using only the onboard tools that will be stored on magnets under the rear deck.
These older shafts were often made out of silver steel, so they were always very straight and strong enough to resist almost any collision....and didn't need to be quite so fat as the weaker brass shafts that are used now.
The old type rudder blades were still only made from brass, and in the event of a prang the blades would often tear-off - leaving the silver steel shaft nice and straight, but in the boat on its own with no blades left on it.......just like this one was!
I am trying to do a little bit to this boat in-between all my other projects, but if find some time will make a new rudder to fit this original brass holder rather than swap it out for a new moulded plastic type.
Bob.
I took a look up inside the “pointed end” and was a little dismayed to discover that the keel was a bit ‘soft” right at the very front of the bows.
This came as a bit of a surprise as although the inside of the boat is suffering from being fuel soaked, I had no idea that it could actually rot the wood - if anything, I thought it would preserve it !
It was too cold to stay out sulking about if for too long, but I did shove a screw-driver up inside and gouged-out some of the soft wood* - enough to convince me that I may need to get stuck-in to some fairly drastic surgery to cut away the bows and replace it.
* This "soft wood" may have been some sort of gunge that I hooked out as when I removed the fixed front cabin roof at a later date (to give better access) the wooden keel was seen to be solid and in good health.
Bob.