Wheeler parts, boat information wanted

Hi there, I have a friend who wants me to take over his 1956 38" wheeler and restore her. Well, Id love to !!! I can not find much in the way of history on the particular boat, Ive googled it 50 times in different ways. The most common thing I get Is " Wheeler Is Back !!! ? well, that aint so or at least I dont think so. I believe Tom Fexas Has passed away and there is no information on the reality of wheeler comming back. Never the less, I would like to learn as much as possible of this once appon a time magnificent 38' wheeler SF. Turns out I knew the old owner, an electrician who owned it for many years and though a knowledgeable boater , was in fact a butcher and much of the boat is ,,, cant use those words here. So, Ill need to rebuild the entire interior,m sallon, galley, dinette, the 392 Palmers, and the V Birth which is at least 48" off the sole for some reason. Really will need to start from scratch. BUT !!! Its a WHEELER ! a 1956 38" SF that looks 10 years ahead of its time. Ohh, did I mention, its been GLASSED Arh Arh, the bottom with matt, the hull sides with just the epoxy. Now,,,I believe it was done after the hull was redone with new planks and ribs back when the "Pro's thought it would be a good magic bullit. But, as we all know, it is usualy not, and seldom done rite, or whatever but truthfully it is dry,(almost) and does seam to be done properly for the time when if they did all the rite things it may be a good thing. This Ive yet to start digging but I do know this was done years ago and still dry with few cracks. So,,, Im interested in learning all I can learn about the model wheeler, finding parts, and best advise, (a hot topic I know) to tackle this rehab . It has the most beautiful lines of a wheeler, also very close to a Matthews, My Fav,,, and If I dont do it, Its going to the chipper. and none of us want that. Lay it on me,,,, maybe gental lmao, Gar

the situation has changed now that Sandy roled through here and sank my 43' Egg to the bottom and now im practicly homeless and broke after draining all funds to help the Ex and her dad through surgery and the flood. So I may be doing a quik makeover to put this in a somewhat livable order. I need that guy on TV and his Sears & Home depot team with there credit cards

Ya, it will actually be a very nice boat when all the junk and butcher work has been removed,. The hull is strong, although its been glassed, its tight. and rather than go through all the man power to sand it all down I think Ill leave it for now, or perhaps sand and fair it out some and a new Al Grip paint job, then concentrate on the interior. Galley/Kitchens for me are a snap, Ive been building them for 25 years. So too are the heads. but a new lectrosan or vacuflush may cost some. Maybe I can find some used parts there for both galley and head, new plumbing,, ya, lotsa work as the talley mounts. The engines,, I like the idea of rebuilding but as good an engine as they were, they are ridiculous to get parts for in some areas, but If I can pick up a pair of 350's 2nd hand in decent shape that may be the best choice,,

Thanks Erik I will be down there fairly soon, I love take a look at them. Ill send a PM

Id love to see some pic's, Ill take some of this one next time there

wow Jeff, that is stunning, you my freind have worked VERY hard indeed, and every bit of it shows. Is that Cetol finish?

really, Oak rails? thats a first to me, though Im more novis, I always think teak or mahogany,

ummm not sure what thats all about but, I thank you for no other reason than I get to come back here and look at this UNBELIEVABLE Wheeler !! so thank you very much lol
So jeff, your a good person to ask, I generaly say to people that frown on wooden boats that in truth, a wooden boat,well maintained is really only maybe 10-15% more effort than plastic.(15 being generous) reasoning being, a plastic hull needs a tremendous amount a care to make it continually shine, wood not so much. Yes every few years a lite sand and a new coat of the good stuff and your off for another few years. Plastic, your buffing, polishing, a couple times a year if you want that beautiful shine. Then every 10 years you'll need to do a major up to 800 grit to bring back to the original perfect Gellcoat and a reseal. So all the rest, is the same, from the outside in as for maintenance. A boat's, a boat. Its a hole in the water you through your money into either way. ya think?

I stand corrected, though you will still see boaters hauling there boats and Buff, Polish all that many many times. Then there's the spider cracks I get to fix all the time, hey I make a living doing that lol. Not saying that in anyway that wood boats are a piece of cake, but its just not all that bad taking care of a well maintained wooden boat. If they get behind, then its a bad thing, agreed. Its all in the mind set, and your desires. A wooden boat is something to behold. The craftsmanship is a forgone era, I for one sorely miss. Hey, I do fiberglass, and Im an old school carpenter ( though I do keep up, not dead yet) and if you've been around boats long enough, and have been out more than once on a real wooden classic, you know. The fiberglass boats just dont work, perform, ride, handle, and most of all, satisfy the brain censors like a beautiful wooden classic boat, period. Its something you really have to have had some time with. not just a ride around the block. Two things come to my mind here besides this gorgeous Wheeler, and he knows exactly what Im talking about. 1, my last trip with my 1969 43' wood Egg Harbor down the Hudson River, through New York Harbor, the Verazano bridge, Jamaica bay, the ride was exceptional. 6 hours, 15knts, apx 45 gal. burn, came across some massive wakes from some really big boys out there and my boat took it like there was nothing there. It was incredibly stable through some serious action. I had 4-5 ' rollers, besides wakes, major winds, this was the most comfortable ride I ever had. I brought the throttles down once in the whole trip to avoid the role. Its something the fiberglass folks will never know unfortunately. Hey don't get me wrong, IM NOT TRASHING FIBERGLASS !! I will be replacing mine with Fiberglass, But I do know the difference. enough said, probably wore out my welcome with this post already, and I forgot # 2. Thats my CRS, I suffer from that big time. :>)

Gad Zooks thats a gorgeous Wheeler

got wheeler?

would love to see your wheeler, where is it and more detail please, pics too