TEAM UNSTABLE MESSAGE BOARD

sadclownwp

i got a 1976 14 foot fiberglass tri haul, I bought it as a project boat. Its a bit weathered, but it comes with a 18 horse, and it floats and runs quite well. Its got a few scars on the bottom, but as far as we could tell nothing more than cosmetic damage. I am looking to restore it... I would like to fix all the scratches on the bottom, and paint it, fix the live well ( i think i needs new hoses and a new airator), and i need to take all the dryrotted carpet out of it and put new carpet in it. I think i need to replace the wireing and the fishfinder as well. Well basically everything but the body and motor is gonna have to come out.

Anyone have any ideas or tips on boat restoration?
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Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

sadclownwp · Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 6:43 pm Post subject:

restoration has begun, will document with pics when complete
_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

sadclownwp · Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 6:34 pm Post subject:

when i started i though it was gonna be so much worse than it really is. once you get past the fear of having to repair fiberglass and start doing it, its so much simpler than it seems like. the most tedious part is sanding it down and washing it in de-waxing solvant.

so far the total is 450$ for the boat and a few new plugs.
$305 dollars for new lines, sandpaper, solvant, non hull paint, a sprayer, anchor, paddles, boat cover, and hummingbird dual beam fish finder.

still need 2 quarts of epoxy hull paint at $50 a pop. and a 15x5 piece of outdoor carpet at about $90

soon for less than $1000, i will have a boat perfect for any bass or panfish hangout. only a few more weekends of work on it, and she will be ready. Whos up for a full day of fishing at Willow Slough
_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

Capt Gar · Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 9:25 pm Post subject:

half the fun is knowing what it looked like and what you did to it. I did a complete make over on my jon boat with the help of Wild Bill. It's a an awesome feeling once it's all done.
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Capt. Gar

-Kley- · Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 8:40 am Post subject:

Yeah, throw some pix up from before and after. I love that stuff
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-Kley-
Keith D - Website Admin

sadclownwp · Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 8:08 pm Post subject:

she has come a long way

Old and Busted

New Hottness

This weekend the real challenge begins... Repairing parts of the Hull and new epoxy coating. after that i can finish painting the inside, and put the carpet down.
_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

-Kley- · Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 10:21 am Post subject:

Yeah, an old 70s trihaul. The perfect two-man fishing machine! Is the motor in good shape? Looks like a fun project, it really does. Keep us posted.
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-Kley-
Keith D - Website Admin

sadclownwp · Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 2:34 pm Post subject:

yeah the motor fires up like a champ. i got new feul lines for it so she will be running again soon. now all i have to do is find a good oil to mix with the gas and i'll be set. whats a good 2 stroke motor oil for an early 60's 18 house evanrude?

I'm just glad the boat is comming along as well as she is. I'm ready to do some major bass fishing on her. If i bust my ass and work on her all weekend she should be ready to put on the water again in 2 weeks and then bass of Willow Slough and Lake Maxintukee watch out.
_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

wild bill · Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject:

DUDE, SWEET STEP BY STEP PICS. THAT BOAT HAS MORE POTENTIAL THAN CAPT. GAR IN A MINI SKIRT. ONE THING THAT I LOVE ABOUT A STRIPPED BOAT IS THAT YOU CAN SET IT UP TO YOUR NEEDS AND WANTS. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND WILL BE WAITING FOR MORE PICS. WILD BILL.

tommyrico · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 8:53 am Post subject:

WB,

As funny as the comparison between this project & Kevin's attire is - this guy could have a 6 foot wide hole in the bottom of this boat and still have more potential than Gar in a mini skirt!!!

Hilarious... Shocked

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Rico

sadclownwp · Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 9:24 am Post subject:

My hull paint came in yesterday, so i'll definatly throw some pics up of sanding and painting. As for Capt Garr in a mini skirt, lawl.
_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

sadclownwp · Posted: Fri May 08, 2009 10:48 am Post subject:

tonight I have to cut an old and rusted bolt off so i can get the engine off the back, then hopefully i can get a few buddies over and we can pull it off the trailer and turn it upside down so the sanding and painting can begin.
_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

F-N-G · Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 7:10 am Post subject:

Sounds like fun .. well maybe not fun, more like work.. I can't wait to see more pics. I've never known anyone to restore a boat so I'm interested to see how the project comes out.

sadclownwp · Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 10:35 pm Post subject:

didn't get the paint started, but we did pull the boat off the trailer to work on it. We would have started the sanding and painting today but the boat proved to be to damn heavy to do it the way we thought we were going to. but here are pics of some trailer upgrades we did.

2 new bottom boards to replace rotting old ones

Installing the fabricated brackets and grinding them down a bit.

New roller bracket

Had to fabricate and install a front bracket since there wasn't one for the keel to rest on, and new strap since the old rope it had was dry rotted.

_________________
Its been said a million times, and it is still as true as ever, a bad day fishing is still better than a good day working.

-Kley- · Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 1:58 pm Post subject:

Keep us posted. If you're close to Valpo, PM me if you need another set of hands to help lift the boat and move it around.
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-Kley-
Keith D - Website Admin