184 replies to this topic

[(='_'=)]

hopefully this is the right forum for this....

as some of you may know because of my previous questions, i am restoring an old bass boat... the boat was given to a friend and me last year, with a broken lower unit, a Johnson (or Evinrude?) 85HP motor that didnt work, no bilge pumps, thorn carpet, thorn seats.... the only thing that worked was the trolling motor.... but it floated and most important, it was free... after some work, we replaced the lower unit, fixed the motor, hooked a bilge pump, and began fishing.... right now the boat runs great, we even use it for skiing when we cant go fishing.... but it is not as pretty as it should be. so, the plan for this summer is to make it beautiful again, so we are going to do a full restore. this is what we have right now:



as you see, its old and small, but for the lakes around here, we dont need much more than that.... this is the only pic i have on my FB account, i will look for more of the current status later....

the plan is:

- recarpet
- fix the upholstery
- paint inside
- paint (or wrap) oustide
- paint motor
- add a stereo and speakers
- add authomatic bilge pump switch
- rebuild rod locker
- install flush pedestal seat mounts

we are also thinking about extending the front casting deck a little bit, but since we also use the boat for skiing and just hanging around in the water, we havent decided what to do yet....

this is the first time my friend or i try to accomplish something like this.... and we have limited time, as fishing season begins by the end of june and we need to have the boat ready by then....

the only progress we have already done was to remove all the old carpet, and we are beginning to remove everything we need in order to begin sanding and preparing the inside for painting, including the trolling motor, hand rails, etc....

i plan on using this thread to post the progress and get comments from people who have already done this....

this is my PB, a little over 5 lb... this year i will try to catch a bigger one, but if i cant, at least i want the boat to look good while trying..

[Nitrofreak]

You have already made a huge improvement with the girl you put in the boat, LOL !!!

I wish you all the best of luck, a complete restore is difficult but worth the investment, take your time and I promise, you will enjoy the end result.

As far as a wrap goes the bottom of your boat takes a lot of abuse, it may not be a wise choice, the top part (above the water line) however works well.

When you recarpet, use tack glue instead of carpet glue, carpet glue can ease up through the fiber and leave stains if you are not carefull.

I for one can not wait to see your progress, good luck !!!

[Shawn Dompierre]

I'm in to watch the progress

[Traveler2586]

this is my PB, a little over 5 lb...

I'd say your PB is a whee bit more than five pounds, and a fine catch.... Congratulations.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

I am looking forward to seeing the progress. While you are fixing it up don't forget to spend some money on protective measures like a keel guard and transom saver.

[(='_'=)]

thanx everyone for the comments!!

Traveler, i forgot to mention, those are about 5 pound... each hahaha i wish....

Ninja, the transom saver we already have, but i dont know what a keel guard is....

i forgot to mention, i live in Mexico, so, besides English being my second language and me not knowing the terms for some specific words, that has some other implications, like lack of supplies (closest Academy is in El Paso Tx, a 3 hour drive one way).... so most probably you might see some redneck or improvised fixes, but that is mostly because it is difficult and very expensive to get the proper materials or supplies where i live.... but i will do my best to make this boat not only a bass catching machine, but also a girl catching toy... if i could manage to get that girl in the ugly boat, hopefully things will improve with a nicer boat....

one quick question regarding hand rails.... i will remove them to paint or wrap the boat, should i put them back in place or leave the boat without them?? im leaning towards permanently removing them, but want to see some opinions, as we use the boat also for skiing and pulling a tub....

[Ima Bass Ninja]

This should help ya. They sell em at academy. It will be my next purchase for my boat.

http://www.keelguard.com/

[(='_'=)]

thanx, ill look for it in Academy next time im there....

meanwhile heres another view of the boat as it was last year, with the tow rig....



hopefully ill take some pics tomorrow of how the boat looks like without the carpet...

[Michael DiNardo]

Sweet Jeep too!!!

Mike

[(='_'=)]

thanx Michael!! i have been working on it since 2007, everything was done by myself (bumpers, tube doors, cargo racks)... that proyect is almost over, so now its time to work on the boat...

heres a rough schedule of the new proyect:

1) preparation for paint/wraps (sanding, remove everything that can be removed)

2) analyze if we are going to extend the front deck or add more storage space (for this i will post more detailed pictures of the inside of the boat, for you to help me decide on the layout.... its worth noting that i have never even seen another bassboat, all i know about them is from the internet, so i have a rough idea but dont really know what would be best considering this boat is not only used for fishing)

3) build the storage space if needed. this includes installing stereo, speakers, cup holders, rebuild the rod locker...

4) paint the inside of the boat

5) paint/wrap the outside

6) recarpet

7) Miscellaneous. this includes:

a) fix the upholstery (my grandmother is doing that for me as soon as i get the materials. im still debating over colors. im thinking about gray as a main color, with the details electric green or blue.... what right now is white would be gray, and what actually is red, would be green or blue, including the carpet, what do you think???


b ) paint motor... the lower unit we got is gray and it looks nice, so the motor will be painted the same color and then maybe i will get some Johnson decals to put on it.... im thinking maybe a decal that says something like "85 Starving Ponies", since it WAS 85HP when new....

c) add authomatic bilge pump switch (already got it, really easy installation, so it will be done when we have a chance)

d) install flush pedestal seat mounts (havent got them, but i would really like to have them since the original pedestal mounts take up too much space when not using the boat for fishing)

e) install recessed trolling motor foot pedal (i dont know about this one, since i dont know what is under the deck, maybe a flotation device i dont want to cut into.... i have to check, but i think it would be a nice add on....)

im sure i will learn a lot with this project, and hopefully help someone avoid the mistakes i may be doing...

today i will take some pics of the inside of the boat and post them tomorrow to ask for opinions on the storage/deck....

[Shawn Dompierre]

Nice, I like this list, under your floor is usually foam, you can cut it out, of course you have to be sure to have enough space to actually put the pedal inside ( don't just make a random hole ) Take your time stand on the boat and see where you'd like to have it.
But in the end its worth the upgrade.
Cheers

[(='_'=)]

Nice, I like this list, under your floor is usually foam, you can cut it out, of course you have to be sure to have enough space to actually put the pedal inside ( don't just make a random hole ) Take your time stand on the boat and see where you'd like to have it.
But in the end its worth the upgrade.
Cheers

i am assuming you are referring to the recessed foot pedal, right?? so, if under the floor i find flotation foam, can i just remove it and i wont have a problem??

and yes, since it´s a small boat, i have to check if i will be able to go deep enough to fit the pedal before i reach the bottom of the boat....

thanx!!

[Shawn Dompierre]

Yes and yes for the removal of the foam part.

[(='_'=)]

ok, thanx Shawn!! i was worried about removing the foam.... another thing, i am assuming the tray must have a drain... where should it go?? or i can just make it somehow removable and pour it once in a while....

anyways, yesterday i worked a little bit on the boat after work... i spent 2.5 hours in removing about 30 bolts, they were so rusted i had to cut most of them off.... but i finally removed the handrails and the pedestal bases....

here are some pics of the boat as it sits right now:





one of the front deck:



one shot from the rear deck... i have to replace that steering wheel... it is so small because the PO is about 230 pounds, and a little bit more than 6 feet tall, so he didnt fit with a normal steering wheel...



another one of the front:



one more from behind... here you can see on the lower part of the picture, where the passenger seat is located, and the livewell between the seats:



one from the front deck where you can see both livewells and where the 2 seats must go...





finally, here is a rough (very rough) diagram of the inside of the boat... the decks are not pictured, only the floor space.... i am having a hard time deciding what do to... i would like more storage space and a bigger casting deck, as sometimes we are 3 fishing from the boat, one on each deck and the third one on the livewell in front of the console....

on the other hand, i am worried about the extra weight of the wood needed to extend the deck, and, about seating room for friends when we just go out to hang out in the water.... if the boat was just for fishing i would extend the deck to be flush with the rear part of the console... but i dont know what do do, what do you sugest??

[Shawn Dompierre]

Hi,
I would build the desk flush to the console (like most bass boats today) The weight issue is all in how you build it and with what type of material.

Look at what this guy did:

http://www.bbcboards...-extension.html

I would cut into the storage compartment in your front deck and then build the frame like he did.then if budget allows get some aluminum lids made.
Or use plywood, 3/4" is great but 1/2" does the job but needs to be supported. (good for small lids and areas that are well supported)