Boat Restoration

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Anybody know about restoring a boat? I have an 89 Chris Craft that needs TLC. Mainly the floor boards need replacing and all the wood under the seats.. The vinyl is all intact, just very dirty. It sat for ten years winterized in a shed that eventually leaked. I couldn't pass up the deal it came with an EZ Loader trailer with the hydraulic brake thingy. It's a 205 Limited. OMC 4.3L Cobra. 630 hours. I was at a loss as for where to post this. (Fishing, camping, or DIY) All comments are appreciated.

[wooly]

Gel coat finish? I used to repair fiberglass bathtubs and hot tubs if that helps,lol.

Restored a few dull boat finishes, and fixed a lot of damaged hulls on the side untill everyone found out how easy it was to DIY.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Yeah its a fiberglass hull, but only the bowrider area up front is fiberglass on the inside. Mostly carpeted wood under the rest. I tried to post a pic from the brochure but my phone froze.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Once you have the floor out, make sure to carefully inspect the stringers. Unless they are made of, or encased in fiberglass, they will most likely be rotted/dryrotted as well. Fiberglass/Gelcoat repair is easy, just time consuming.

[Doewhacker]

Elmer That must have been some raise you got! hehe When you coming up to buy the camper?

Edited December 3, 2012 by Doewhacker

[ELMER J. FUDD]

It actually looks like a pos, but everyone keeps saying how it's worth it to shine it up. I need to get it covered asap. I may have a garage to put it in and work on over the winter. The beam is too wide for my garage. Thanks for the input. Doe, I'm leaving the camper thing up to Santa!

[Doewhacker]

Oh Man I have been busy leaving "gifts" inside of every one of the models you wanted on the lot. There is going to be a lot of upset people come spring when things start to thaw.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

There, see how happy the guy on the boat is...

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Theoretically I won't ever have any money for campers because the boat will consume those funds from here on out!

[WNYBuckHunter]

There, see how happy the guy on the boat is...

Hes happy because the pic was taken either on the day he bought it, or the day he sold it.

B - break

O - out

A - another

T - thousand!

[HUNT6246]

In the outside of the hull use a McGuire three part cleaner, restorer & wax. It all comes together in one box. I used it for years, it's a lot of work but will do wonders for the appearance of the outside. If you can use a power buffer that will work good.

On the deck and inside flat surfaces try a mildly abrasive cleaner, some bleech and Simple Green. If you can find an old powered floor buffer with brushes to apply it with, that works good too.

[tommyc50]

well theres an old saying the two times you enjoy a boat when buy it and when you sell it #1 change the oil #2 drain the lower unit ifs milky you have seals leaking they come in a kit change them the oil has no pan so you buy a pump [drill or hand] and pump it out th filter is a pain might have to loosen the mounts to get at it if not you're lucky .#3 drain ALL the gas out the tank and add fresh , change the water seperater if it has one if not buy one . buy 2 dual prpose batt w/ min 550 marine crank amps and a batt selector w/ 1-2 and both chk your wires and clean if green / corr. a hose adapter to the lower unit where the intakes are start the water , spray all the gears w/ wd40 or sim. SLOWLY crank the engine once or twice 4 cranks move the throttel a few times and crank again should start SLOWLY LET IT WARM UP CHK TO SEE WATER COMES out te exaust that showas the water pump is working . now chk the transom w/ a screw driver from inside the bilge if its soft you have rot , the bottom chk w/ a scraaper if you see gelcoat loosen you have bilsters . its not as bad as it sounds its an old boat and been up for a while so baby it and enjoy it. send me a p/m ill asner any quest.

[wdswtr]

One note on using the hose adaptor it can be misleading, if you are pumping pressure water into it. If its has in impellar to pump water just replace it. Seen many times where they dry rot and fall apart from extended periods of time just sitting around.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Man I love this site. You guys are great! I better get my ass in gear.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

A few pics. I washed the outside with simple green and car wash. Going to get the good stuff in a little while. Someone on iboats.com suggested toilet bowl cleaner? I think I'll try the meguiars. I'm going to play with the motor first though.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Messed around with the inside a little.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Lower unit drained and the lower plug. Was able to get the motor turning today, but i have more to do before I start it.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Drive oil.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

The stringers are fiberglass. Thank god.

[wdswtr]

Are they fiberglass or fiberglass coated wood stringers?  I had a boat that was wood stringers covered in fiberglass and the wood was destroyed with rot.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Uh-oh. I better check.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

Stringers are solid.

Anyone familiar with Cobra outdrives? What I've found is they were known for problems shifting. Originally OMC tried to remedy the problem by increasing the tooth angle of the dog clutch gears. This fix created a new problem with them slipping out of gear. The correct fix ended up being the shift cable adjustment. The fun part is adjusting your cable to the correct dog clutch. I like surprises!

[WNYBuckHunter]

The first mention of an OMC outdrive makes me cringe. Ive passed some deals on boats because they had them. Good luck with that!

[Reelhooked]

With the depth of work you're doing, don't overlook the condition of the fuel tank(s). As it's an '89 the tank is probably galvanized construction. I had a problem with leaking fittings that connected the fuel line to the tank, in addition to corrosion on the bottom of the tank where water had pooled. If you can get your hands on the tank I'd suggest changing it, you can do it yourself and it's not a budget buster. Take a good look, last thing you want is to restore your boat and smell fuel in the bilge which is a major safety issue. Good Luck! 

[WNYBuckHunter]

Agreed, go through the wiring now as well. All of the wiring, not just the engine. If any connectors are not shrink wrapped, do it. Remove any and all scotch locks and solder the connections, then shrink wrap them. Electrical and water dont mix well, so you need to be anal about waterproofing it as much as you can. Its tedious, but worth it.