1982 Baja rebuild

[RIkoSuave55]

I found this 1982 Baja on Craigslist. I was able to get it, the motor and the trailer for 300 bux! the owner just bought a boat and he just wanted rid of this boat. He claims the motor ran decently last summer (2013) and he gutted the interior but thats as far as he got.
Im a novice. I own a 14 foot aluminum fishing boat. I love to boat but i could never really afford it. Im thinking with this boat of lining it with plywood, covering it in marine carpet and using it mostly for fishing , maybe tow the kids around in a tube or two.

It looks like alot of great information on this forum and im willing to put in some work to find out info. Im hoping to get some help from some people on this forum and im also hoping to get pointed in the right direction. Got an opinion? Know any good resources? Let them fly here.

The trailer is in great shape and the motor looks to be in great shape. The hull has no cracks . SO im thinking i couan line her with plywood and be fishing next summer? I live in the great state of michigan and with 30 miles of 20-30 lakes. Bass fishing is what i love to do. Let me know what you think

 

[Streffpilot]

Go to the boat restoration and repair section on this very forum. You will have more information than you will know what to do with.

As a starting point, I would remove the old deck, and drill test holes in the stringers & transom. If they are wet and rotted, or the foam is waterlogged, you bought yourself a $300 going on $1500- $2000 project.

Hope you like the f'glass itch. I hear some forum members feel lonely without it. They will chime in soon enough.

A moderator may want to move this to the restoration page so don't be surprised if that happens.

 

[81 Checkmate]

What the heck is the yellow thing in the boat?

Very similar to my 1981 checkmate..........But i have a I/O set-up. Take lotsa pictures before you disasemble. I would do a full restore.

That will be a cool boat when you get it finished.

 

[sphelps]

Yep looks like your in for a full restoration . At least structurally . Your walk through windshield not lining up is a sign of rotten structure under the deck usually ..
But your in the best place for advise anywhere on the web !

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome to iBoats!!!

That 115 RUDE' is a GREAT Motor!!! That hull Will make a Great "Fish n' Ski" Platform but...I fear you're in for a bit of restoration work. Stingers, Bulkheads, Transom and Foam Replacement are prolly in your immediate future. This will help get you started... Once you get the Floor/Deck removed you'll need to drill into the Stringers, Bulkheads and Transom to confirm that they are waterlogged and needing to be replaced. If so then get em all ripped out and all the old glass ground out and then let the restoration begin. Once you have a "Clean Slate" you can pretty much put her back anyway you desire. As stated for $1,500 to $2,000 bucks you'll have a boat that'll be better than factory and will last for decades!!!

Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms

 

[Brian 26]

What the heck is the yellow thing in the boat?

Two knee boards stacked on top of each other

 

[NSBCraig]

First off don't go crazy drilling holes!

There is only one stringer down the center of the boat.
Only the flat section in the middle is the floor the rest is the hull.
The entire bottom of the hull is cored with balsa.
The windshields not lining up is just the structure under them and is the simplest part of the resto.
Foam will only be found in those two boxes (notoriously poorly sealed and rotted) in the back and maybe some in the very bow. Just cut those boxes out with a grinder (diamond tile blade works best). Cut a couple inches away from hull and rip them apart.

Unless someone didn't seal holes in your transom it is fine. You should check it out real good. Does it move when you pry on it with the motor. Are there stress cracks in the corners? (and there is no reason to waste money on better plywood then was original, if the transom needs replacing use 3/4 cdx) Think about adding knees though in case you put a bigger motor on later.

There is actually a very good chance that your only going to have to rebuilt the interior pcs not structure, but of the real structure I'm betting the stringer is rotten. Baja didn't actually use a stringer it's really just a floor support that doesn't connect or reenforce the hull. It's attached to the floor piece and mine was gone.

 

[Woodonglass]

NSBC, I don't think His Open bow Baja and your Closed bow Baja are going to have the same substructure. Different hull design.

 

[NSBCraig]

Why? What reason would there be?

It's just add on's that my boat didn't have. They built a different mold for the cap/deck and then put different plywood parts in to accommodate it.

I'm sorry I guess he'll find out and let us know what he finds, but I'd bet that a company that didn't put much effort into their build quality didn't change much.

You'd want to put the basic structure into the hull before popping it from the mold wouldn't you?

So If I'm looking at the exact same boxes filled with foam and gas tank location as mine (Something they did change at times. Some are up front), the floor looks identical, mine doesn't have the boards running down the chines that hold your ski's and stuff (I'm building custom molded pcs with poly'd fleece, but really just playing with the boat now the weather is perfect here.) His is bow is missing pcs. All in all though it should be the same core hull that mine is.

I would even bet that the foam isn't even waterlogged, its just the boxes they put slightly above zero effort into sealing.

They are the same hull and came out of the factory the same year.

Edit: I see the hull is flared up front now, so not exact same, but I'm still betting they are the same is many ways.