I am restoring/modifying my 1996 Rinker 180. This boat was my parents (kind of still is) that I used through high school and college. The original plan was just to ride it out until I could afford an inboard. Then I bought the tower to ?hold me over?. I then came to the decision that the tower needed speakers. Since I was all ready working on audio I decided to put two 10? subs under the dash and glovebox. This was all done under the notion that I could just swap it all into the (hypothetical) new boat. After putting a little money into the boat, I started to feel attached and began thinking of what else I could do. Subsequent research led me to this forum where I plan to share the process and seek advice and guidance.
The boat interior is in pretty poor shape. I live under multiple trees and before I took a real interest in the boat, never took the time to cover it up after use; instead opting to run the vacuum over it before every use. It is holding up mechanically. That, coupled with my lack of skill/experience and fear of never having it put back together, is why I have no intention of messing with the engine.
Thus far I have added ?
? Aerial Ascent 2.25? universal wake tower along with a board rack. $600
? Two 10? rocksford fosgate subs and rocksford fosgate 1500 watt 2 channel amp. $225
? Two SJS Dezigns Quattros speakers from a friend. $50
? Sony XM-ZR604 600 watt xplod 4 channel amp. $60
? Kenwood KAC-745 4 channel amp. $60
? Pioneer DEH-4400HD head unit. $150
I am currently in the throes of installing all of this. For starters, it is proving to be way more expensive than I imagine. I've got over $1000 in it. Granted, my mistakes have added to that ie buying the wrong head unit (hopefully they'll accept a return) and messing up the speaker box and having to buy more carpeting/wood. I was certainly not expecting to pay over $100 in wiring. I also had a weird wiring thing I had worked on that cost me $150.
So money aside, this project has been a bit of a head ache. Full disclosure, I didn't know a whole lot about car audio when I began. That has certainly changed now and I am grateful. As I said before I placed the subs under the dash. The same space is used a little further towards the bow as storage for life jackets, anchor etc. I did not know this before but apparently subwoofers need an enclosed box to perform well. I always thought the box was simply a holding mechanism but there is much more too it than that. The shape of the boat and the placement of the subs does not allow space for a simple square box behind the sub. Instead, I am going to have to use the boat as part of the box and spray insulating foam to seal two wooden ends.
One of the tower speaker mounts has a broken off drill bit. I originally tried to use a drill press but it just pushes the bit in the drill to the side and shaves off the aluminum side. I have read a few ideas on this forum pertaining to solutions but I think I am just going to take it to a weld shop and see what they can do about it.
After completing the install of the audio I plan to build a swim platform. I was quoted around $1200 for a fiberglass build from that guy out of Arizona. Since I don?t think the boat is valued at less than $3000, I had to respectfully decline. I found a good thread on this forum relating to the job.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=205100
I have only spent about $200 on everything. I bought 1x2x6 red oak. The biggest challenge is going to be cutting a piece of larger board to fit the curvature of the back of the boat. I dont have much of a lip on the back end that I can tuck it into so my seam will be visible and I want it to look decent. I am going to take a piece of cardboard and cut it to the shape to be able to get my line down. Then I will cut the board and make minor changes until it fits snug. Will have more on this when I start the project next week.
Once the swim platform is done, I plan to convert the seating to something more reminiscent of an inboard v-drive with the wrap around seating. It will allow for a more intimate/friendly setting for passengers while providing much more storage space. Frankly, I am surprised they don?t come from the factory this way as it better utilizes the space in small I/O runabouts. Just my opinion anyways! I plan on doing the framing and upholstering this fall/winter in the off-season so look out for a bunch of questions pertaining to sewing, embroidery, and upholstering around October.
Lastly, I plan on a simple paint job so the exterior and interior match. I have a friend who paints cars that said he would do it for me. I have researched the different paints required and will consider using those rather than automotive paint.
Questions I have for the moment
? I valued this boat at around $2000 (I haven?t checked NADA). Do you think with these additions I will be able to fetch more for it than what I am putting in? I was hoping everything could get me closer to 6k-7k to put towards an inboard
.
? Has anyone built subs into their boat? How did you manage the challenges of tight space requirements for a good box? Do you think foam insulation is my best option?
? Do you think cardboard is the best way to cut the curve of the transom?
? Is redoing the interior a dumb idea? How much money is that going to cost me?
? Since my boat is only in the water when I am on it, and sits on the trailer the rest of the time, would it make a huge difference if I used automotive paint as opposed to marine?
I will post pictures shortly.
The boat interior is in pretty poor shape. I live under multiple trees and before I took a real interest in the boat, never took the time to cover it up after use; instead opting to run the vacuum over it before every use. It is holding up mechanically. That, coupled with my lack of skill/experience and fear of never having it put back together, is why I have no intention of messing with the engine.
Thus far I have added ?
? Aerial Ascent 2.25? universal wake tower along with a board rack. $600
? Two 10? rocksford fosgate subs and rocksford fosgate 1500 watt 2 channel amp. $225
? Two SJS Dezigns Quattros speakers from a friend. $50
? Sony XM-ZR604 600 watt xplod 4 channel amp. $60
? Kenwood KAC-745 4 channel amp. $60
? Pioneer DEH-4400HD head unit. $150
I am currently in the throes of installing all of this. For starters, it is proving to be way more expensive than I imagine. I've got over $1000 in it. Granted, my mistakes have added to that ie buying the wrong head unit (hopefully they'll accept a return) and messing up the speaker box and having to buy more carpeting/wood. I was certainly not expecting to pay over $100 in wiring. I also had a weird wiring thing I had worked on that cost me $150.
So money aside, this project has been a bit of a head ache. Full disclosure, I didn't know a whole lot about car audio when I began. That has certainly changed now and I am grateful. As I said before I placed the subs under the dash. The same space is used a little further towards the bow as storage for life jackets, anchor etc. I did not know this before but apparently subwoofers need an enclosed box to perform well. I always thought the box was simply a holding mechanism but there is much more too it than that. The shape of the boat and the placement of the subs does not allow space for a simple square box behind the sub. Instead, I am going to have to use the boat as part of the box and spray insulating foam to seal two wooden ends.
One of the tower speaker mounts has a broken off drill bit. I originally tried to use a drill press but it just pushes the bit in the drill to the side and shaves off the aluminum side. I have read a few ideas on this forum pertaining to solutions but I think I am just going to take it to a weld shop and see what they can do about it.
After completing the install of the audio I plan to build a swim platform. I was quoted around $1200 for a fiberglass build from that guy out of Arizona. Since I don?t think the boat is valued at less than $3000, I had to respectfully decline. I found a good thread on this forum relating to the job.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=205100
I have only spent about $200 on everything. I bought 1x2x6 red oak. The biggest challenge is going to be cutting a piece of larger board to fit the curvature of the back of the boat. I dont have much of a lip on the back end that I can tuck it into so my seam will be visible and I want it to look decent. I am going to take a piece of cardboard and cut it to the shape to be able to get my line down. Then I will cut the board and make minor changes until it fits snug. Will have more on this when I start the project next week.
Once the swim platform is done, I plan to convert the seating to something more reminiscent of an inboard v-drive with the wrap around seating. It will allow for a more intimate/friendly setting for passengers while providing much more storage space. Frankly, I am surprised they don?t come from the factory this way as it better utilizes the space in small I/O runabouts. Just my opinion anyways! I plan on doing the framing and upholstering this fall/winter in the off-season so look out for a bunch of questions pertaining to sewing, embroidery, and upholstering around October.
Lastly, I plan on a simple paint job so the exterior and interior match. I have a friend who paints cars that said he would do it for me. I have researched the different paints required and will consider using those rather than automotive paint.
Questions I have for the moment
? I valued this boat at around $2000 (I haven?t checked NADA). Do you think with these additions I will be able to fetch more for it than what I am putting in? I was hoping everything could get me closer to 6k-7k to put towards an inboard
.? Has anyone built subs into their boat? How did you manage the challenges of tight space requirements for a good box? Do you think foam insulation is my best option?
? Do you think cardboard is the best way to cut the curve of the transom?
? Is redoing the interior a dumb idea? How much money is that going to cost me?
? Since my boat is only in the water when I am on it, and sits on the trailer the rest of the time, would it make a huge difference if I used automotive paint as opposed to marine?
I will post pictures shortly.
