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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I replaced the seized up 500 gph that was in the boat with an 850 Johnson. I got a 2200gph to install as an auxiliary in the engine compartment and I got a Johnson low boy 1250 to put under the cuddy floor. I intend to wire all three for auto and manual operation. I’m thinking the two aft ones...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I’ll have a total of three bilge pumps with dedicated outlets and the live well inlet/outlet fittings all new and sealed with 3M 4200 (not 5200) sealant when they go in. Does anyone have a brand preference for these fittings? Perko? Atwood? Is there something out there proven more or less...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Drilled the through holes in the transom tonight- I think I will through bolt the swim step. I see guys using them to carry a cooler or bait tank, I don’t know if I am going to roll those dice but I can’t see the harm in through bolting rather than the little screw it had before.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I spent the day working on the transom, sanding the Marine Tex epoxy I put on it, and needed to mix up a tiny bit more to go back over a few spots. Next I spent time detailing the engine, gimbal, and transom mount assemblies. I had a great experience with a can of Rustoleum Engine enamel- it had...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I put off cutting out the holes for the drive for a few hours yesterday seriously revisiting the thought of going forward with a conversion. Ultimately I decided I didn’t want to open that can of worms on this boat right now. When I bought this boat, it was largely to try it out and see how it...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Before coating the back of my transom with epoxy, I laid out and all the holes and made oversized dimples. The hope is I have a plastic “washer” remaining when I drill them out so I have a little better seal around my fasteners.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    😂 it’s not that I don’t want to go to the dark side.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    The temptation is real: there was* a 4 stroke Honda 225 with under 200 hours on the market right now for $4,000 with controls. Not sure the year, maybe 10 years old, but still. . . I already have a very good Yamaha 15 kicker that will get me more or less to my hull speed. I’m not out of the...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Ways of backing up the various holes I need to drill working solo:
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Cleaning up the channel that connects the transom and gunwhale at the rub rail. It was too soft to drive out rivets unsupported, so a shim and off cut of plywood gives me a support, and the transom blank gives me a heavy table to work over.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    My wife asked me what it would take to convert the boat to outboard. From this step honey? An engine and controls.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I had this little tool I bought when rebuilding my GM automatic transmission (a job not worth doing) that worked great for clamping the bottom of the transom skin for marking. Any old bolt, a couple of spreaders and a PVC coupler on the inside would do the same.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I had the hole I cut to fit around the bung a little off center, which pulled the whole laminate to one side. When you need to over cut a hole with a hole saw you can cut a scrap and clamp it where you need it and use it to control the hole saw from the outside when there is nothing for the...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    The surf board is watching this from the rafters.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Glued up my new transom with some remnant epoxy resin I had left over from a surf board I made a loooong time ago. I used a small amount of this resin a few months back and still worked, I think it’s 13 years old. The guy I bought it from told me the shelf life after opening was indefinite. I...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I wire wheeled and acid etched till I had these little white specks of corrosion left that wouldn’t come off. I decided to use the tip of a drill and just turn each into a little dimple. Many of them made a little cloud of white dust as veins of corrosion I couldn’t see opened up and released...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    The lowest 6-8” of wood in my transom looked dark and kind of wet when I took it out. Turns out that part is the best preserved. I think someone leaked motor oil or something on it. The surface is smooth, no checks or cracks like the rest of it. Even the edge of the plywood is smoothest and...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    My wife’s car only went in the garage ever when we lived briefly in Arizona. Otherwise if I’m not working on them the cars stay outside.
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Test fit: needs a little clearance at one of the other patches I already put in!
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    In case anyone reading this wishes they had room for this kind of project: I also wish I had room for this kind of project. Setting up to cut transom overlay panel, using old transom board and saw horses.
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