Before and After
Before with 25 yr old junk electronics
It is hard to describe how bad this boat was and how much time it takes to rebuild everything CORRECTLY. These photos are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. This is NOT a cosmetic restoration. It is, in the words of an old auto restorer, A Frame Off Complete Restoration right down to the hull. Everything has been restored, rebuilt or replaced. Everything!!
After with new Thomas Faria gauges. Electronics get better every year. Will wait to get the latest after launch!
Vberth. Moldy and stained. It was NASTY and stinky!
New foam backed Ultra Suede after extensive repairs. Got the material from 1800BoatTops.com
Port Engine. The after cooler drain plug leaked salt water down left side of the engine. It literally was like a knife to the side of the engine. Wiped out the valve cover, exhaust manifold, cooling water tubes, oil cooler cover and oil pan. The oil pan had a hole in it and would not hold oil!
Engine was completely disassembled. Each part was sandblasted, primed with epoxy primer and top coated with catalyzed acrylic enamel. All new hoses, gaskets, bolts. New (used) exhaust manifold and expansion tank.
Had a bit of rot.....heck - had a LOT of rot!
Had a bit of rot in the bulkhead
Epoxy to the rescue!
Generator sloshed around in the bilge with salt water for 20 years. Only had 500 hours on it. Did the sandblast and paint thing on it.
Runs like a proverbial top now. I hooked up a 6000 watt load - 4 1500 watt frying pans - and it did not even phase it. My diesel mechanic friend says the water pump needs to be replaced with a newer model that has better seals between crank case and sea water. Old model pumps tend to leak sea water in to the crank case!
In case you were wondering how I got the gen out of the bilge. Saw horses, 4x4's and a Harbor Freight electric hoist. I built a ramp down under and put a pulley where the arrow is. Hooked a cable to the gen, pulled it up the ramp until it was directly below the hoist. Next I hoisted it up above the deck. Put the hatch back. Finally I slid the gen across the deck and lifted it off the boat with my fork lift.
Had some serious rot in the cabinets due to leaking windows. A little teak plywood, a biscuit joiner, glue and back to new. Top coated with Minwax polyurethane satin finish.
Swimming in fuel oil and sea water.
Engine room was gutted, cleaned and painted with epoxy. Everything was rebuilt. New bulkhead sound insulation. All new wiring and bonding system.
Water tank hold was swimming in water. The stringers were rotted.
All new stringers tied through the bulkhead with 3/8 alum plates on each side. All epoxy and 3 - 4 layers of biaxial cloth.
Rotted and falling apart
Solid glass, marine plywood and epoxy
