...and Ecstasy of Boat Restoration
by Don Blodgett
The story of Sheer Agony began in Algonquin, Illinois in 1948 when I was a boy growing up on the Fox River. In that year, a local store keeper took delivery of a 1947, 18-foot finned Ventnor runabout. Within the 18 miles of navigable water, there were several marinas and many inboard and outboard powered boats of all types, but only one finned Ventnor. It was by far the most dramatic boat on the river, and it made a lasting impression on me.
In 1953, I moved away from the river to attend college and pursue a career. About ten years later I returned, bought an old Chris Craft and resumed the hobby. I looked for that Ventnor and for the family who had owned it, but both were gone.
As my economic circumstances improved, I began to search in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin for a Ventnor runabout, but found none. After moving to New Jersey in 1977, I finally began to find Ventnors. Generally they were utilities or later-model finned runabouts with an occasional heavily-modified boat; most were in poor condition.
Finally in the late ‘80s, I came across Sheer Agony in a Hemmings ad. The boat was owned by a firearms dealer and stored in Maine. It was original, needed a lot of work, and the price was very high. I didn’t pursue it. However, in 1994 another ad appeared in Hemmings for three boats, one of which sounded like Sheer Agony. I tried again, and the price had been reduced considerably. I drove to Maine to see the boat and bought it.
By now, Wayne Mocksfield, the restorer on Lake Hoptacong who had taken care of my wooden boats, had sold his marina and retired to Florida. I was definitely in the market for professional help, as Ventnor runabouts are complicated to work on. The decking is edge-nailed tongue and groove narrow planking that slopes downward and together at the stern, and is most difficult to install without splitting or breaking. The framing shapes resemble pre-WW II racing planes, and the transom is a nine-ply laminate bent in one piece around the entire stern of the boat. Unfortunately, the only good restoration shops I knew of were 1,000 miles away, so I began to ask around. In retrospect, I learned an interesting bit of information: Restorers generally will not discuss others of their caliber or better - only those who are clearly inferior.
Finally a fellow in upstate New York from whom I had purchased a Penn Yan Swift recommended a restorer near him who had served him well. I thought, if he can restore a strip-built boat, he must have talent - they’re not easy.
The owner of the shop and I met, agreed on the scope of the work, which included new decks and refastening the hull among other things, and the work began. At this time the engine, a 150 Gray Fireball, was removed and sent for a complete and thorough rebuild to a noted East Coast rebuilder who specialized in Gray engines.
On my second visit to the restorer, the new decks had been installed and were being feverishly sanded. Upon inspection, the new decking was very wavy; the port and starboard planking adjacent to the king planks differed in width by more than half an inch on 1-1/2 inch boards; and at the bow, and particularly at the stern, almost every plank was split. He said they had had a tough time putting the decks on. (Definitely an understatement.)
The hatches were sitting on a sawhorse adjacent to the hull. I picked one up and had a look. The decking had been installed with two inch roofing nails which protruded 1-1/2 inches on the underside. The thought occurred to me that justice might be served if the hatch door were to slam on the worker who had installed the decking. Needless to say, the restorer was paid, a transporter, Dave Ryel, engaged, and the next step of the adventure began.
Agony was transported to a restorer in
Virginia Beach who had advertised in Classic Boating and
from whom I had purchased several Ventnor parts - a self-proclaimed "Ventnor
Expert." After several months of glowing progress reports and
payment of considerable sums of money, 
this
individual vanished. The recovery of Agony required the services
of a local law firm, five members of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s
Department and once again, the trusty transporter, Dave Ryel.
On a hot and humid August morning, our group converged on the restoration shop. As you might guess, the glowing reports were untrue, and poor Agony was in a state of disarray and disassembly - her parts scattered throughout the shop. It took the better part of the day to sift through the chaos and unfortunately, some parts were never recovered.
The boat was finally winched onto Dave Ryel’s trailer - a very large, tandem axle model. Dave had delivered a cabin cruiser nearby and tied in the pick-up of the Ventnor with that trip. We stopped for gas before crossing the Bay Bridge tunnel expanse. I pulled out first and waited for Dave at the Bay Bridge tollbooth. After waiting for half an hour, I decided to proceed. I figured if I stayed close to the speed limit, Dave would catch up.
I arrived at my home in northern New Jersey about 10:30 p.m., told my wife that I had lost Dave, had had nothing to eat all day and that what I really needed was popcorn and some liquid refreshment. We sat on our sun porch (which has a view of the road) and relaxed and waited.
About an hour later we heard what sounded like a bit block Chevy with straight pipes approaching. It was Dave - sans muffler. We settled him in with a bowl of popcorn and asked what had happened.
As Dave began to pull away from the pumps, a young man in a Honda CRX pulled in behind him to use the same pump. Since the trailer was quite long and the Ventnor was situated near the end of it, there was a sizable distance behind the truck and the boat. The young man (who appeared somewhat dazed) pulled his CRX between the trailer and the boat. As Dave pulled out, he felt a tug on the trailer. As he glanced in the rearview mirror, he saw that the driver-side trailer tires where about three feet off the ground - resting on the hood of the CRX. The young man seemed oblivious to his new hood ornament and calmly stared into space as Agony rolled by. The only casualty was Dave’s muffler, which detached later in the trip. Dave is now known to a small group of admirers as "Honda Dave."
By now I was gaining a certain amount of notoriety. I was aware of two people who would know who the good craftsmen were, and I threw myself on their mercy. I was given the same name, Jim Murdock, from both Dave Ryel and John Clark. He was also the closest. However, I was cautioned that his shop was small (just two people) and that he had a sizable backlog. John Clark added, "This fellow works with only a small number of customers and has his own way of doing things. If he doesn’t like you, he probably won’t work for you." I thought, if he likes pitiful, he’s going to love me.
Dave Ryel took Agony to Jim Murdock, Jr.’s "Vintage Boat Restorations" in Harwinton, Connecticut, and I drove up the next day. Jim examined the boat and asked me what I had in mind. I told him I wanted the boat done right and asked if he could do that. He asked how the boat go in its present condition. I told him the story, and when he stopped laughing he said, "Yeah, I can do it." Then he explained how he worked: everything would be done authentically and to the highest standards; no shortcuts; no good-enough"; no West System; no modern power, etc. I liked him. He didn’t dislike me. I was on his waiting list.
Work began on the hull in the fall of 1995. It was in good condition with only a few broken fasteners. The battens (which had been incorrectly installed in the upstate New York shop) were replaced. Agony was then put aside in favor of prior customers’ projects. During this hiatus, the engine, a 151 Gray Fireball, was sent out for a complete rebuild.
Work resumed in late spring of 1996. It was determined that the new decking and deck frames could not be salvaged. The deck was removed; new Honduras mahogany tongue-and-groove planking was milled to order; new mahogany deck framing was completed and sealed; and the deck planking was installed.
The fall saw the fairing of decks and sides, all finish sanding, stain and sealer, several coats of varnish on the decks, and paint on the sides. Interior woodwork repair was completed, sealed and painted. The bilge was painted, steering, shifter and throttle rods were cleaned and installed. The engine was painted and fuel lines, spark plug wires and water line for the exhaust elbow were remade and installed. The engine was installed and the fin was repaired.
The winter months saw the restoration of all gauges; a new gas tank was made and installed; all underwater gear (strut, rudder, etc.) was installed; and the engine was aligned. Wiring was installed, as was throttle linkage, fuel lines and filter. Additional varnish and pain were applied.
In the spring of 1997 Agony’s decks received several coats of varnish and the sides and bottom were painted. Linoleum, dash, gauges, switches and cables were installed. The side panels, dash and crash pad were upholstered. The bilge pump was cleaned and installed. The fin was installed. Most hardware was installed, although many of the missing pieces had to be fabricated or cast and chromed. New brass trim was installed on the deck fin and a new lead-lined battery box was made and installed.
The summer of the first scheduled show went right down to the wire, but things were going relatively smoothly for Sheer Agony. The upholstery was completed and installed, the missing items which had been purchased or made were received from the chromer and installed. A boat cover and a boat trailer were made last-minute items like a bow pole and Ventnor burgee and decals were put in place.
In the race to complete Agony for her debut at the Southern New England show in Essex, Connecticut on July 12, there was no time to water test the boat. The rebuilt engine had been run in the boat, but not under load or at speed. Agony arrived early Saturday morning with her show handlers, Jim Murdock and his brother Mark. They launched the boat and idled it over to the show mooring. Jim said it was idling rough and the transmission was slipping. It would have to be water-tested and sorted out prior to the Lade Winnepesaukee show in two weeks.
The Essex show was in a beautiful setting and the chapter members couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful. The boat was very well received, taking Best in Class, Best in Show and Participant’s Choice. Agony was the first boat to score 100 points in the 13-year history of the Southern New England chapter’s shows. Maybe our troubles were over.
As luck would have it, illness and the completion
of another boat prevented the water test to sort out the engine and
transmission problems prior to the New England chapter’s show on
July 
26th.
Jim had tried to balance the carburetors to remove the rough idle
problem with no luck. Upon removing and examining the carburetors, he
found glass beads in the bowls. He also found the oil gauge was weeping.
Upon disconnecting the supply tube, remnants of glass beads were found
in it. Not a good thing. Jim took up a notch on the transmission to
remedy the slippage problem.
Jim, Mark and Agony arrived at Lake Winnepesaukee late Friday afternoon. The boat was launched, and Jim and I began the short trip to the resort where we were staying. After a few minutes of warm-up, Jim stepped on the gas to see how the boat would perform. The engine sounded fine, but the transmission was still slipping between 800 - 1000 RPM. We managed to moor without mishap, and since we were a very short distance from the show site - all No Wake Zone - we thought we had nothing to worry about.
Bright and early Saturday morning I headed down to the dock and found Jim in the engine bay with an exasperated look on his face. A gas leak! Ventnor runabouts have a large square 30-gallon gas tank with a circular gauge about half way up the tank. Apparently the boys had put ten gallons in the tank for the Essex show, used little, and added another ten gallons before launching. The gas level was now above the gauge, and the gauge was leaking. I was dispatched to commandeer a five-gallon gas can and a length of hose suitable for siphoning - at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning! We had to be at the Wier's Beach show mooring at 9:00 a.m.
I noticed that the marina across the channel was launching boats for the show. Since few gas stations were open at that hour, I headed there. The establishment was aptly named Channel Marine and two men were in the throes of launching wooden boats. Between launchings I explained my problem to the lead man. He said, "No problem," led me to the repair building, dug up a five-gallon gas can and several lengths of hose, gave them to me and said, "Bring them back when you're through with them." No deposit - no nothing. Very nice people at Channel Marine.
I sped back to Agony, and the siphoning began. It was a sight! Jim would suck on the tube and rub his mouth with soap, saying the gasoline was burning his lips. I believe he even swallowed a bit of the hightest during the exercise. Agony was having fun with us.
We arrived at the Weir's show site with time to spare. The facilities were excellent, the show sponsors were again friendly and helpful, and more than 90 boats were in attendance. Once again, everyone loved Agony and she was awarded Best Runabout Under 20 feet and Best in Show; once again Agony scored 100 points - the first boat to do so in the 24-year history of the New England chapter.
With only a few days between Winnepesaukee and Clayton, there was only time to fix the leaking gas gauge and take up another notch on the transmission.
The Clayton show was enjoyable, as always. I arrived at the show site a few minutes after Jim, Mark and Agony. We launched the boat and maneuvered it to its assigned location - no easy task in the high winds of Friday afternoon. Everything went smoothly, with judging on Saturday and with the awards ceremony and parade on Sunday. Agony was penalized a few points, but still managed to take Best Classic Runabout Under 22 Feet.
After the traditional parade, Jim took Agony out for a photo shoot with the noted marine writer and photographer Robert Bruce Duncan. When he returned, Jim said the boat would now plane, but the transmission was still slipping. We were both getting very uneasy. This should not be happening to a newly-rebuilt transmission.
The next and last stop on the summer tour was the Bay State Woodies show in Northampton, Massachusetts on August 8 and 9. I arrived on Friday afternoon, visited the show site and met many of the members of the Bay State chapter. Another excellent facility and a wonderful group of people.
Jim Murdock arrived with Agony early Saturday morning. We launched, and Jim took Agony for a high-speed spin before putting the boat at its assigned mooring. Upon returning, he said he had taken up two more notches on the transmission and that the slipping problem appeared to be solved.
After the viewing and judging, it was a tradition of Bay State for the participants to take a river cruise on the Connecticut River. This was the first time I actually drove Agony. After taking the controls, I realized an enormous effort was required to shift the Paragon transmission in and out of gear, which was not normal. The boat came up on plane nicely, but appeared to cavitate crossing wakes (or slip?). After a few minutes of running in the 2,500-2,800 RPM range, it became apparent that I could step on the gas, increasing the engine RPMs by as much as 500, but with no effect on boat speed. The transmission obviously was faulty.
We returned to the show site just as a blinding thunderstorm struck. We managed to haul the boat while being buffeted by gale-force winds and driving rain, but in the process we dented a fender on the trailer. Sheer Agony was still not finished with us.
After changing into dry clothes and enjoying an excellent meal, the awards ceremony found Agony once again capturing Best Post-War Runabout 20 Feet or Under and Best of Show. Once again, scored 100 points; the first 100-point boat in the nine-year history of the Bay State chapter.
Agony is now back at Jim Murdock's and I have been awarded visiting privileges for the coming fall/winter season. I have no doubt Jim will beat the boat's problems into submission and that it will return in triumph to our lake in New Jersey come next spring.
In fairness to Jim, none of the problems were of his making; they had all been caused by other "restorers." Reflecting on the purchase, restoration and the summer of excitement, it occurred to me that there are far more shoddy workmen out there practicing under the restoration banner than good ones. It's a shame our sport/hobby doesn't have a method of telling people - particularly first-time enthusiasts - who the good ones are. It's discouraging and expensive to get burned.