Restoration Notes
I did not keep track of the many hours it took to restore Miss Macatawa, but it seemed like a lot. The restoration entailed sanding off the old paint from the bottom and sides and repainting both, but not the mahagony plywood deck. It was left alone since it was original and looked very good after many years of care. The interior sides and bilge and floor panels were color matched and given new paint, as well. Throughout the restoration the original builder, Jason Petroelje, visited my shop and helped with restoration details. He even applied the fine line tape for the updated pinstripe and gave me a new/old stock set of chrome nameplates for the sides.
The upholstery was also replaced by a local craftsman, Warren Veurink, who very well might have installed it in 1957. He matched it as close to the original as possible and it looks very good.
My family uses this boat throughout the summers as well as showing it at Michigan boat shows. I plan on repainting the hull portions and sanding and revarnshing the deck in 2008 since it is now show cracks in the varnish after 50 years of service.
