Aroline Boat Fan Club
Cabinaire, Canadaire, Carryaire, Convaire, Corsaire, Debonaire, Skyliner, Speedaire
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Courtesy of P. Guibord 2006 |
Coutesy of ACBS |
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PG Home port - Ottawa ON - Canada
Cabinaire, Canadaire, Carryaire, Convaire, Corsaire, Debonaire, Skyliner, Speedaire
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Courtesy of P. Guibord 2006 |
Coutesy of ACBS |
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| In answer to some of your questions about the Cabinaire I have, here is the continuing saga: In 2003, a neighbour of mine, here in Ottawa, bought the boat from the original owner, a gentleman in this neighbourhood that had purchased it new in 1964. Some of this fellow's original paperwork and brochures had also survived but, there is no price list or even a hint of the original cost (probably didn't want his wife to know). The boat hadn't been in the water since the late 1980's and it's original paint finish, a light blue hull and white upper parts, had deteriorated badly. This neighbour stripped what was left of the exterior paint and recovered the original upholstery. The interior paint, a blue/pink "Roxatone" finish, was still in good condition. The original motor was a 1964 40Hp Evinrude and it had been partially disassembled some years ago. Having acquired yet another craft, this neighbour sold me the boat in 2004. I continued the "restoration" by replacing the rubber window trim which had perished (an interesting experience in itself). I also replaced all the rusting steel machine screws with stainless steel equivalents. I made slight modifications to the front seat since I found that the original design made it rather awkward to leave the driver's seat in an emergency. I found a 1963 Johnson 40Hp motor that the owner swears is working and adapted the Evinrude's short shaft lower unit to it; this combination fit in well with the original electric wiring and controls. I refurbished the steering mechanism and rewired the boat's lighting and horn. The photographs on my web site show the boat on a "Tee Nee" trailer (these were originally yellow but someone repainted this one black) although it now sits on a more appropriate galvanized "EZ Loader". The boat is registered as 32E9595 and doesn't have an actual name yet. I am not certain of the serial number, the license has a stroke through the "Hull No." box and there is a scribbled "5146" nearby; I will try and verify the actual plate when the weather improves. The rear seat is about 18 inches forward of the transom which has a cast aluminum central brace, there is just enough room to get a metal OMC gas tank in on one side of the brace, the battery box is on the other side. The manual wiper was made by "Storm-King" (I have the original user "manual") and I am now looking at adapting a modern blade to the "ANCO Dead-Locker" arm; I see on the net that these are still sold for marine use and to fit old Jeeps. I don't know if the wiper was installed by Aroline or fitted later and, unfortunately, the original owner is not in good enough health to remember much. I have yet to put this boat in the water. I have a cottage on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, a very short distance from Ottawa, and should be operating from there and the adjacent "Aylmer Marina" this summer if the motor co-operates. The river is rather shallow in front of my place and one has to anchor offshore and shuttle via a rowboat. Building a mooring is a complicated thing involving old tires and cement. The only "before" picture I thought of taking was of the window trim but I do have quite a few more "after" pics than are on the web site; I could put them up or send them to you if you wish. Let me know if you want more details. | ||
 Paul applied a decal to answer ALL the questions |
 Check out the windshield wiper ! |
 Now on an EZ loader trailer - Jun 06 |
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 Good company Oct 06 |
 Peaceful mooring near Ottawa Oct 06 |
 Very Clear DOT decal Oct 06 |
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Now that the "season" is practically over I thought I would update
you on what has been going on this way. I have also included some
pictures that you can use if you wish.
I finally got the boat in the water and was able to putter around a bit. Unfortunately, the 1963 Johnson motor was not very co-operative after being in storage for 30 or so years. I tinkered with it and thought I had it right a few times but I finally had to admit defeat and went in search of a competent outboard mechanic. Most marinas and outboard repair shops simply laughed when I mentioned the motor's age. I almost despaired of finding someone to fix it when my neighbour asked what was wrong with the nearest dealer. He was right, I found a mechanic who was not only willing to tackle the job but was quite competent and tuned it up to run very well. This was too late in the season to use it much but, we should be out there next year. I was hoping to start restoration of the original Tee-Nee trailer that came with it but there are only 24 hours in a day. I see from some old ads that they were originally painted yellow and came with chromed "half-moon" hubcaps. The tag on this one says it was made in Toronto. I have included a picture of the tag on the boat's dash. After corresponding with Paul Fraser, I am pretty convinced that the number 5146 is the actual serial number of the boat. There are no holes under this tag so I think it is the original and he thinks that number would fit the sequence.
The final picture of the boat is at it's mooring since the shore of
the Ottawa river at our cottage is very shallow and almost everyone
that has a boat there has to keep it away from the shore and reach it
by rowboat. |
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