77 28' Crest remodel

[mickeyfinn]

Have been reading posts on here for quite a while. I have an OLD 77 Crest 28 footer that has suffered from years of neglect. We finally decided to pull her out of the water (probably the first time in 20+ years. Reading the posts on the work done by people here, I thought I would do a little sprucing up. The boat stays in the water uncovered so it will never stay a show boat due to the weather. When I removed the carpet, the original wood was in amazingly good shape with no soft spots at all. I don't think they make wood this good anymore. I have removed the carpet, playpen and furniture. We wanted to update it and replace the fencing since the old stuff had been brush painted 4 or 5 times over the years. I am replacing the furniture with some inexpensive wise furniture. So far I am happing with the way it is turning out. Like I said, not trying to make a show boat, but just wanting to make it less ugly . Also considering a repower. The boat currently has a 55 horse mercury which really struggles 12mph max. I have an older 110 hp johnrude I am looking at swapping. Shaft sizes for the two motors are the same. What should I expect for speed. Not looking for a speed boat, but would love to see close to 20 mph on the top end if we want to ride to marina for dinner or go to the other side of the lake.

 

[HotTommy]

According to one prop selector tool, if everything is properly configured you should max out at around 20 MPH. Good luck with the project.

 

[BigDfromTN]

Looking good.

My guess is you should be able to hit the 20 mph mark. My 24' with a Mercury 90 4stroke will hit 21 or so most days. We hardly ever run her that fast but sometimes it comes in handy.

 

[mickeyfinn]

20 would make me happy. Not that I need the boat to go that fast, but at least the 12 will be a good easy cruising speed. I redid the fencing using home depot trim coil. 75 bucks all in, including rivets. The carpet is a 23 Oz marine pontoon carpet and for seats I have plastic bases so I am just buying 650 dollars worth is wise cushions and hardware. I used a fabric spray on the armrest to match the new seat colors. If I sell the bass boat with the 55 mercury on it I should get through the whole thing less than $500.00 out of pocket. It won't be the best looking ride on the lake, but it will be the best looking 77 pontoon around. I figure the stereo, new cables lights and wiring may push me to 800 or a 1000 total. Almost ready for summer. Hope to be back in the water before the holiday kick off.