MARINE GRADE DECKING OR NOT

[bruceb58]

That's exactly what I will use when the time comes to get rid of the carpet.

 

[ahicks]

If you haven't already, make sure you plan on raising the railings, at least1/2". Makes for much less maintenance. Even many of the leaves we seem to collect on our boat just blow off the boat. Many, right through the gap between the rails and the flooring. Note as well, that the "shims" used are going to sink into this type flooring. If the shims are only 1/4" thick, you're not going to have much of a gap under the rail. -Al

 

[A.F.C. 8511]

ahicks,
We must have the same vision. It sounds like you just described my boat plans to a "T"...lol
but my number$$$ seem to want to project much higher.
perhaps because of brand new 24ft Tandom axel trailer and future probable purchase of NEW 90 or 115 motor.
Decking, vinal floor, and furnature, plus misc expencess should be very close to ur cost.

How does your new cable steering work for you? Well?
I considered hydrolic steering for an additional cost differance of about $300.

 

[ahicks]

The straight mechanical steering works great on our 90. The only time one finger won't work is when accelerating hard from just over an idle. The Honda just kind of explodes from there and we'll be near top speed in just a few seconds (our boat is kept on the light side and rarely has more than 4 people on board). It's accelerating so hard you can feel the back of the boat scooting sideways a bit due to the prop walk. Very temporary condition that's easily handled with one hand, and for as often as that's done with our boat, the expense of the hydraulic system would be impossible to justify. I can't see a 115hp boat being THAT much stronger, but I sure can if talking one of the much more powerful 6 cylinder engines (150hp+) !

As far as the vision, we moved the entire set of railing forward 3' to allow some room around the rear ladder and to help balance the load of the boat with the extra weight of the new 4 stroke. That lends itself to looking like a much newer boat than the '99 it really is.

Our boat has 24" tubes (would have been nice if they were 25") but I would caution that REALLY large passengers (300lb) need to stay on the back half of the boat if we're going to stretch our legs a little/blow the mosquitos away and there's much of a chop. That is the one thing I might change if I got a chance for a "re-do". I might have moved the railing forward just 18" to assure plenty of extra flotation in front even if the back floats a little lower.

My point is, that new 4 stroke is going to be heavy. Depending on the size of your 'toons, you may want to allow for that....

 

[A.F.C. 8511]

ahicks
I have considered making room on the stern to allow for a swim type platform, and placement for a nice retractable ladder. Also considering the position of my gas tank being mid vessal. Trying to balance boat and distribute the weight in the most proficient manner. Considering the constants
pilot seat being occupied
engine weight
declining fuel load
and most likely passenger seating pattern.
So like you Im not taking this restoration lightly

 

[ahicks]

I went with an "L" section opposite of and to the rear of the helm. Gas tank is under the forward section (across from the console), battery under the corner section, and the rear (going 2/3 of the way across the back), is reserved for our 2 anchors and a couple of bumpers. This did require custom battery cables and due to very careful routing, are nearly 12' long. I ended up using 6ga cable due to the length (first try would barely turn the engine over!). Cables and gas line routed under the deck and I wanted to be very careful to avoid any possibility of the trailer or boat lift fouling either the battery cables or the gas line. And yes, both the tank and battery compartments are well ventilated. All of the seat bottoms are plastic, and because the seal between the seat and the bottom might be described as crummy at best, great care was taken to make sure all drained properly and have good air circulation. I absolutely hate cleaning up old black biology experiments.....

 

[A.F.C. 8511]

So you mounted gas tank inside the "L" shaped seat adjacent to helm?

 

[ahicks]

One leg of the "L" across the back, the other leg located on the port/left side. Tank located in the seat section opposite the console/captains chair, with the idea it would keep that weight of the tank forward, off the stern, and help offset the weight of the fat old man that's generally driving.

 

[A.F.C. 8511]

Ok, so yeah... thats my same thought process. Balancing the "constants" on the boat. A driver (captian) fuel, battery, and motor. Strategically placing the constants.

ahicks how did you address a filler cap for fuel tank?
did u run a hose extention for the neck?, or do you open the seat lid and just top fill using original filler port?

 

[ahicks]

I went with the KISS method. Following the rest of my theme, I installed a brand new 6 gal. low profile tank that easily fits under the seat. Yes, it'll go through that pretty quickly when horsing around, and for those occasions we keep an extra tank of fuel on board and swap as necessary. The rest of the time, our normal usage, we can go weeks on a single tank of gas. No desire for big hard to handle (heavy) tanks here.

 

[HotTommy]

When I rennovated my old boat I didn't move the fuel tank, but it was necessary to replace the filler and hose. I used a filler similar to the one below where the vent for the tank comes through the filler. If you wanted to place a tank under the seat but fill it from the outside of the boat, you could cut a hole in the fence for a filler like this one and run fill and vent hoses down to fittings on the tank. .... As ahicks mentioned earlier, be sure to vent the area around the tank well.

 

[lmuss53]

Great resto thread guys, but one word of caution. Before you put a big piece of that budget into this hull, make SURE you are going to be able to get it registered, and have it looked over by a competent boat mechanic to make sure it is seaworthy and capable of supporting the new deck and furniture. Make sure the tubes are in a condition and of sufficient diameter to carry the new deck around. Make sure the transom is good to handle the power you plan to put on it. If you don't know these thing now you should find out very soon. It would be a terrible shame to put a bunch of time and money into a boat that won't work like you thought it would. I recall a pontoon on the restoration pages that was discovered to have pinholes from internal corrosion all through the pontoons, AFTER the whole job was done. Start with good bones.