so how am I doing with my first boat?

Ok, so i recently purchased a 1972 avanti tri-hull 16ft with a 1982 50hp merc 2 stroke. bought the boat as is from a "friend of the family" for $600. boat came with a trolling motor, very small livewell, and widescreen hummingbird fishfinder. Motor didnt run when i got it, but supposed "friend" said it ran great before he stored it for 2 years. Later found a work order in the glove box stating the motor needed a new stator and switchbox. around $350-400 in parts alone. I was PISSED.. so i was just about to order the parts when i came across a thread here on iboats saying to check the kill switch. so i did. the switch looked like it had been rotated and it was hard to actually move it. so i snipped the wires to the switch and the motor fired right up!! saved myself some $$. so im fixing the little things with the motor, impeller, driveshaft seals ect.

the demolition: all the wood panels were rotted to the point where the vinyl was holding the crumbs together. out it went! CARPET GONE! this will be a fishing boat. Floor has a soft spot and will be redone over the winter.

UPDATING AN OLD BOAT: im planning on painting the whole deck with non-skid. im going cheap for now being its getting ripped up anyway. I purchased a tach, battery guage(the one that lets you know how much of the battery is being drained). and im building a custom baitwell, about 17 gallons. all lightbulbs will be replaced with leds to minimize the strain on the battery. Im also installing some underwaterlights that im making myself. Baitwell will have a timer. I purched new folding seats and got rid of the back-to-backs. I also plan on rewiring everything( previous owner THOUGHT he knew about wiring, but no) . Installing 45 degree rodholders, led deck lights. Anything that is wood will have a nice deep stain to it with clearcoat. Boat will be solid white in and out with the wood trim accents, Im going for a nice clean look. Ski locker will be stained, along with a few lids im making for the storage compartmens.

Electrical: Two batteries, one cranking and on deep cycle with a battery selector switch, Leds as stated, fishfinder, Baitwell timer and activation switches with livewell led light, all new wiring where needed.

Motor: Carbs will be pulled off and cleaned after i finish the impeller and seals, all new fuel hose and filters (previous owner didnt have one filter installed), has aluminum 15 gallon tank that will be pulled and cleaned. will be repainting motor. Inside of motor is CLEAN, fuel hoses are dry rotted but that was expected.

This is my first boat, im trying to do everything right and this site has helped me a great deal so far. I am taking picturs along the way so ill post them when its all done. How am i doing so far?? Im looking to make a fully functional fishing boat that can be a nice boat for tubing and such with the girlfriend/friends. Im really liking how its turning out so far. Sorry for the long post, but thats my boats story. any opinions? thanks for reading

-Joe

Re: so how am I doing with my first boat?

Seems like you've got a bit of a job on your hands , post this in the restoration section and the guys there will give you great advice/ideas on how to get in great running shape.

good luck

Re: so how am I doing with my first boat?

the demolition: all the wood panels were rotted to the point where the vinyl was holding the crumbs together. out it went! CARPET GONE! this will be a fishing boat. Floor has a soft spot and will be redone over the winter.

Click to expand...

You should address the deck sooner than later before you get too carried away. I suggest a complete deck removal so you can inspect the stringers and foam,

You should also check your transom for wet wood/rot.

It sounds like you're going to do a great job and have a really nice boat when you're done.

Keep us updated.

Re: so how am I doing with my first boat?

thanks for the replies! i was going to rip up the whole deck to check everything, but wont really have that kid of time/money til the fall/winter. I had a guy look at it today, he said it looked normal being it was flexing while it was on the trailer and itll be totally different in the water. i still plan on redoing the deck though, and the transom if needed. better to do it right. sorry for posting in the wrong area, ill move it over the the restore forum. thanks again!