1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

[seif5034]

Hey all.
I'm excited to get started on this thing soon under the supervision of you experienced captains.

This is (as the title suggests) a 1974 Ranger II. I got the boat, motor, trailer, seats, a couple depth finders and a fire extinguisher and a brand new set of trailer lights all for a crisp $100 bill.

The interior is all fiberglass and feels real solid. Transom has no give or flex to it at all.

Outboard is not currently running, but looks like it won't need much.

Trailer needs a bit, but tires are decent and it pulls okay. I still want to pull the hub caps and check the bearings to be sure.

The plan is to update the interior to make it much more usable as a bass/crappie boat. I'm going to keep the exterior as original as I can. Currently the layout is HORRIBLE and the livewell is more of a baitwell and can't be opened if the captain's char is in place. Seats are too high and the front deck is too low.

 

[seif5034]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

Hull damage.
This gouge is in the Keel, I can see the fiberglass, but it looks like mostly gelgoat repair


This one is in the port-side runner/cathedral whatever the technical name for that is. No damage to fiberglass at all. I just need to clean it up a bit and fix the gelcoat here as well.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

Welcome to iBoats!

Sounds like you have a plan!
We'll be here for you to help when and where needed. What did you do to ensure the soundness of the transom?

 

[seif5034]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

What did you do to ensure the soundness of the transom?

Thanks!
I haven't done anything fancy. Just pushing/pulling on it in various places. I don't know any technical way to test it. The decks are strong enough that I can stand on them and walk around without any soft spots too.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

Here's the deal. From your pics, it appears the boat was stored uncovered outside. Boats of this vintage that have not been cared for meticulously usually have structural issues. Under the deck is a Stringer system that supports both the deck and the hull. It ties in with the transom as well. There could also me flotation foam under the deck and it could be saturated with water and if so, this could add hundreds of lbs. of weight to the boat. There's no good way of telling all this without cutting exploratory holes into the deck to see what lies below. For the transom you can drill into it about 1" deep, back in the bilge area down low at several spots and check the drill shavings to see if they are dry. You can also raise the motor up and bounce HARD on the lower leg to see if the transom flexes. If it does even just a little bit then you have issues that need to be addressed.

This is a link to a Thread of a similar boat to yours and shows what pitfalls might be waiting for you...
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...ger-bass-boat-restoration-project-370311.html

 

[seif5034]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

Waterlogged foam would not surprise me at all. I've been doing some research on it trying to prep myself for removal and replacement. There are drainage holes in the deck fore and aft. Could I just pull the drains and look through there to check the stringers and inspect other things under the deck? I'll try that trick with bouncing the motor to see about flex. The idea of drilling into the transom just to look and see seems like a bad idea especially if all turns out dry. I sure don't want to head out with a bad transom. (my cousin did that once with me in the boat in a '70's bowrider....needless to say it sank.).

Thanks for that link too! Should be a nice guide to follow.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

Drilling the transom is actually a very common practice. You only use a 1/4" drill bit and if it turns out to be OK you fill the holes with the Marine Sealant 3M 5200. You'll learn all about that stuff if you stay on here long enuf. Trust me, you're not gunna hurt your transom drilling a few holes in it. Nothing you do to this boat won't be able to be fixed with all the help you'll get here on "Boating University"
Try anyway you can to "See" what's under the deck. If you can access it, you can core sample the foam by cutting some teeth into a 3' section of 2" pvc pipe and the Hand screwing it down into the foam till you hit the hull. You'll be able to tell if you have a water problem. This too is a common practice and won't hurt anything.

 

[seif5034]

Re: 1974 Ranger II Bass boat revival

OH! okay For some reason I had it in my head that I was gonna be drilling large-ish holes in the transom. Like 5/8 or 3/4" Don't ask me why I was thinking that. 1/4" doesn't scare me at all. Thanks for the reassurance Woodonglass. I've got that "everything can be fixed" attitude when it comes to things on tires, but Boats are still a fairly new thing to me so I'll be relying on the forum a good bit. Should be fun.