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  1. F

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

    So I went to pull the engine at a buddy’s house using his gantry. It was about 10” short of clearing the transom, so I couldn’t remove the engine from the boat, but I turned it around and set it forward about 2’ on blocking, tied it down to the stringers and brought it home to continue transom...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I don’t see anything that looks like evidence of that. There is an aluminum bracket the holds up a piece of 3/8” ply wood that makes the shelves for the batteries, the PO just had foot man loops and strap screwed to that to secure the batteries, there is no significant corrosion on those...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    As I dismantle this boat, all the damage seems to originate on the inside, very few if any rivets seem to have worked themselves loose. The leaks near the keel all appear to be from water sitting in the bilge, wicking down around the rivets and corroding the edges of the hole till it could...
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    StarCraft 181 SS conversion

    I’ll be watching! I built a 2”x3” box tube transom for a 14’ welded boat. It was not terribly difficult but probably not worth the effort. I probably would have been better off with a single piece of tube across the top of the transom and then wood from there down. You really have to plan your...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I got Gluvit on the main seam of the bow, sides, hull and transom except under the engine. I only got about half the other rivets in the boat before I ran out. Second can was ordered last week but not going to be here till next week.
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    82 Starcraft MR 180 floor, slight refit and leaks

    I was sloppy at first taking my boat apart, drilling off the heads of pop rivets and pulling parts without paying attention to the bodies of the rivets. Before you know it I had 100 little widow makers waiting for me around the boat to get me in follow on steps. I got several cuts like that...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Here is a major factor in why I don’t want to fix this boat right now. I can’t really work passed about 11 am on it, since I am doing this in my driveway. This is a mild summer though, we often don’t even get cool nights. It’s not unusual to stay over 100 passed midnight and never get below...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    One more project I am trying to get done in this round- I have a 15hp kicker on the Port side, I am looking for a configuration where I can get both batteries on the Starboard side to get a little more balanced. They are group 27 and 9 months old, and don’t fit side by side, and there isn’t room...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I got the last of the carpet out today, spent a bunch of time using some citrus paint stripper I had to get the stuck carpet bits out. Worked okay with a two hour soak and pressure washing. I also took the bolster pads off the gunwhale in the cockpit and the inner transom panel off. This boat is...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I did make it to the lake last weekend, man there were a lot of boats! I went to a lake I used to go to with friends when we would go tubing and sporting around in my friends’ 21’ Tahiti mini day cruiser with a 454 and Berkeley jet. I haven’t fished there just because there are other lakes...
  11. F

    82 Starcraft MR 180 floor, slight refit and leaks

    When they build this boat, they really start at the bottom and go up. In order to get to the rivets that hold the side upholstery panels on, you have remove the windshield- the frame of which is also installed over the carpet on the cuddy roof/ dash board area. The vinyl around the fronts seats...
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    82 Starcraft MR 180 floor, slight refit and leaks

    What a bummer. I went through a gallon and a half of OTF over the week getting all my decks saturated and I decided I’m going to make a couple of cuts/ holes. I have a little old left over epoxy, I’m going to hit the cuts with that to save the effort of repeated coats of OTF. Hopefully they...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    The goal for the day was to lake/leak test the boat (on the trailer) so this morning I am trying to get it ready move, hence attending to the bow stop. I decided I would make a small adjustment, raising the roller 2” and sliding the stop back about 3/4”. I noticed the flange where the bow stop...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    The tounge on this trailer is very light with the trailer at the end of the bunks. I’d really like to carry it farther back to get space between the bow and the cross member but I think it’d be pretty squirrelly on the road like this. The trailer is probably a little long for the boat, but it...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    I had to slide the boat back on the bunks get my air hammer clear of a trailer cross member for some of the rivets. Now I am ready to get it back up to the bow stop, I think my roller is actually a little low. Is it just me or should this be raised about two inches so the roller center is just...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    Worst case scenario, my wife will be in Arizona next week, I just hoped to get a lot done while she’s away!
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

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

    No, I got my gluvit, I ordered contact adhesive for new vinyl (DAP 1145 landau top spray grade) for installing new nautilus. The vinyl lays over the plywood and runs up the side of the hull a few inches. The center deck section and cabin deck need to be wrapped before installation. Everything...
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    I didn't want to restore this 1997 Islander this summer

    My glue order was canceled because you can’t ship the good stuff to California.
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    helm wiring, should be simple, i'm not too bright.

    I think this is sinking in, but I like this explanation so I’ll share it. Buss bars are like manifolds in your fluid analogy. It’s like an open plenum where electricity can flow freely between conductors connected to it. It gives you a convenient place to make multiple connections. When you...
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