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 Author  Topic: PT- 486 Waiting to be Restored
Frank Andruss

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: Jul 31, 2015 - 1:49pm
More and more folks are contacting me about donating their help on this upcoming 486 project. I had hoped to hear from more of my friends on this Forum. It is the first real chance of an Elco boat being restored, that will run under her Packard Engines. It is something that many of us have been dreaming about. Let's get involved..............


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  Roy Forbes

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Roy Forbes  Posted on: Jul 31, 2015 - 2:30pm
Is your Packard going to one of the lucky ones ??

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Frank Andruss

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: Jul 31, 2015 - 3:52pm
No way Roy, that baby stay's with me. Besides I am pretty sure they have four Packards on site.


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  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Jul 31, 2015 - 7:57pm
Roy;
Frank is right, engines are the least of the worries at Kingston. besides the engines with PT 658, PT 309, PT 305, Fall River and the 2 in Mystic and 1 in Norway. I still believe there are several more out there,(not in museums) they just have to be found again.
Also, thanks to Jack Searles, who told my of a location, back in 1993, that at the time when I called them, had 10 "new" engines and 4 V- drives, (the engines only had factory test hours and were still packed in cosmoline and in the crates). This was what wasn't sold and what was left out of his original stock!! The owner originally told me he bought at surplus action, the complete contents of a warehouse in Texas(around 1946-48). 45 Packard 4M-2500 engines, and 45 V- drives, plus complete spare parts inventory for all 45 engines and V- drives to be rebuilt once.
At the time, the owner said if I was to buy an engine, he would recondition them and op test them too. 1993 price was 10000 a piece. There are more.
Take care,
TED


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  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Aug 1, 2015 - 12:55pm
All;
It would sure be nice to see Pat Rodgers old boat, PT 486 RON 4, back in the water someday!!!!!! And ALL the others in Kingston Too!!!!!!!
Take care,
TED


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  Jerry Gilmartin

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jerry Gilmartin   Send Email To Jerry Gilmartin Posted on: Aug 2, 2015 - 3:59pm
I found some more recent photos of PT486 and PT459. The 486 was in the process of being moved and was on a trailer on July 26th 2012. The earlier picture of PT459 in Kingston NY at the Fleet Obsolete is from sometimes in 2009. Jerry

PT486 transom shows 2 exhaust outlets for the twin diesel engines



PT486 bow




PT486 Stbd bow on trailer



PT486 stern shows rudders and twin shafts


PT459, a 78ft Higgins that has been cut down to 65 feet. She is also located at Fleet Obsolete adjacent to PT48


Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

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Jeff D

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Jeff D   Send Email To Jeff D Posted on: Aug 3, 2015 - 7:00am
It looks like original restoration plans were the victim of the recession: http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/PT-boats-on-the-Hudson-4876351.php



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Frank Andruss

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Frank Andruss   Send Email To Frank Andruss Posted on: Aug 6, 2015 - 6:24am
I do have some shots of the inside of the 486 that I got yesterday, along with Ted Walther. Although I feel the restoration of the 486 should be done, I have been doing much thinking about this project, and I am leaning towards developing the building they have into a PT BOAT MUSEUM first.. They have a wonderful large building on the water that would make one first class museum. I think if the Museum were up and running first, the 486 restoration would be the icing on the cake. I am now convenienced that the Museum should be the main item to try and get completed. Between the artifacts I have and artifacts from others, this could be a real nice place, and it would serve to bring traffic to that part of Kingston. I feel confident that this would be the way to go first. It will bring people in and then we would have a good base of possible people that would sign up to help with the boat. We are hoping to meet in the middle of September to discuss all of these possibilities. By the way, the inside of the 486 is in pretty decent shape for her age and retains a decent amount of her original items.


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  TED WALTHER

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of TED WALTHER   Send Email To TED WALTHER Posted on: Aug 6, 2015 - 8:22am
Frank;
This sounds like a really good plan, then a force of docents can be created to present the museum with you. Such as down here at the Military Aviation Museum (http://www.militaryaviationmuseum.org). They have a force of docents and a separate force of mechanics and craftsmen. Here you can tour their museum, and 4 hangers then also watch the craftsmen and mechanics restore planes and conduct maintenance on planes in the 5th hanger. A lot of the craftsmen come directly from the Aviation Maintenance programs at the local Universities, Colleges and Aviation Maintenance schools in the Virginia Beach area, such as Aviation Institute of Maintenance, UVA, and ODU. As for the Kingston location maybe SUNY has similar programs. This is something to look into also.
The World War Two Museum has a similar set up with its museum docents and PT 305. Bob or Randy can correct me here but I am sure they have some kind of thing going with LSU and other schools local to them.
Once the museum is established, people in the surrounding communities will want to become involved, because it is now tangible, not just an idea. The buildings and location is excellent for this, this will also allow the other boats an actual chance at restoration too, and when they are completed, they can be just craned into the water, and OP tests can begin.
Take care,
TED


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Higgins Fan

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Post a Reply To This Topic    Reply With Quotes     Edit Message     View Profile of Higgins Fan   Send Email To Higgins Fan Posted on: Sep 4, 2015 - 7:53am
That's correct Tec, the National WWII Museum has a partnership with the University of New Orleans. Their repository contains all the drawings, and the Naval Architecture assisted the 305 project; they performed the stability analysis.

I also suggest performing restoration in a facility which will allow activities year round and a full-time coordinator.

Another lesson learned is to determine if the boat will be used on water or on static display. Changing horses mid stream is painful.

--
National WWII Museum
PT-305 Restoration
Phone: 504-528-1944 Extension 375

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