Freelance Brand Director
BARRACUDA LIPSTICK
Allow me to reintroduce Barracuda Lipstick, a 1969 Italian Wooden Speedboat.
I've never worked on a classic wooden boat before, but with the help of my good friend Tobin and a little bit of luck boatyards remained open during quarantine, we were able to restore this boat from Lake Como, Italy.
I bought this boat off the one and only, Geoffrey Lillemon, in the fall of 2019. It was stored in an amazing boatyard in Amsterdam Noord and became our new local. If you are interested in all the restoration details, please keep scrolling.
THE BEGINNING
When I took over the boat all wood was exposed. It pains me that I ended up painting over the mahogany sides but after research and coming to grips that it is a canal boat, I wanted more protection. And layers of HB coat and marine paint would help add strength and durability to the boat.
BOTTOM WORK
Heat gun. Scrape. Heat gun. Scrape. Heat gun. Heat gun. Scrape. Heat gun. Scrape. Heat gun. Scrape....
First things first was stripping back the old bottom to get to the bare mahogany wood. Reinforcing the bottom was key so we made it durable with epoxy + fiberglass with the help from the wooden Dutch masters at the boatyard.
COATING
I then sealed it up the entire boat with Epifanes HB coat with a few layers. This acted as a primer but also another level of protection before I used a two component blue antifouling for below the water line.
Above the water line I went with a custom ‘lipstick’ red from Epifanes.
And then topside, we bolted and glued down the top panels as it was coming off the boat. And then before varnishing we sanded the boat more times than I can count ending with wet sanding at 400 grit. The number of varnish coats was around 8 and we used Epifanes Bootslack with about 15%-20% thinner to make it extra slick!
THE REST
Engine + Cable Steering — The 9.9hp Yamaha has a new cowling assy to replace a damaged part of the lid and then repainted it all white with a racing stripe. For the pulley steering, we completely re-did it with new cables and pulleys and rewired the electric. All more difficult than it sounds!
Windshield — Inherited a windshield broken into three pieces. Worked with Dutch company outside Amsterdam to build a new custom one to fit the curvature of the boat perfectly.
Installation of the windshield involve the taking apart sailing toggles to create a sturdy structure for the windshield and rubber base.
Seats — Repurposed 10 year old teak seats that were cut to fit the boat. Then mahogany stained and varnished to match the rest of the boats look. Finally, made custom mounts installed to fit the seats within the boat to make perfectly level.
Gas tank + Battery — Installed bespoke mounts to secure battery and gas tank in the back wooden box.
Floorboards + interior lining — Structural touch up and painted cream white to the interior shell. We replaced part of the top wooden panel where the back cable comes through to the engine since it was broken off.
Steering wheel — Decided to stick to the original steering wheel as it’s apparently a classic but in poor shape. Re-painted and mounted.
Cleats + metal hardware — Added four new cleats for fenders with kit for 100% water proofing, metal polished front hardware and step pads, replaced handles in the back for getting in and out of the water.
Other — Added two beer holders, a bottle opener for obvious reasons and a nav light/flagpole holder.
