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| Alan Arrighi |
| 1955 19’ Correct Craft HurricaneHull No. 568
Danenberg Boatworks Forum member since December 7, 2009 |
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This is a 30th year anniversary model; all boats produced that year came with a yellow detail in some fashion, what Correct Craft called Cyclonicolor styling. It is very retro, this boat screams 1950's.
The Hurricane model itself was not built in quantity; records at the plant were destroyed in a fire so there is no way to know how many were produced. Former Correct Craft CEO Ralph Mellon, who is now in his 90's, had no recollection of this boat. The hull number is 568 but this only means it was the 568th boat produced out of all models that year. As far as I can tell, there is only 1 other Hurricane in existence, which is actually from where the engine for my boat came. My boat was originally powered with a Gray Marine 6 cylinder; somewhere along the line a 327 Gray Marine V8 was installed. I wanted to replace it with a period-correct engine, since the V8 Gray was not available in 1955. A friend of mine stumbled across the 331 Hemi that was actually original equipment on the other existing Hurricane. I purchased the engine and just about everything else: hardware, dash gauges, seat frames, et cetera, and the hull was scrapped.
My intent with the boat was to replace the bottom and refinish the topsides and deck. But after flipping the boat and removing the bottom, we found two things that changed our plan. First, the stem and transom frames were rotted and beyond salvage, requiring the removal of the topside planks to gain access. The second problem was when trying to remove the topsides. We found the boat had been repaired once already and much of the topside planks had been bedded in 5200, making them virtually impossible to remove. The decision was made for us to replace everything, which in the end was the right thing to do, anyway.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this project and learned to work with new materials, i.e. 5200, varnish, polyurethane paints, and the like. Also, I learned some new crafts, like steam bending and fitting planks with the famous Danenberg router method. I've been a hobbyist furniture builder for years, but not much can prepare you for your first wood boat restoration.
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