I have been using the great forum as a reference as I have been deciding whether to start a project. My Father in Law (FIL) recently purchased a new farm. The previous owner used the hay barn for winter boat storage. As he was cleaning out the barn he stumbled across an old boat. The last registration date on the boat is 2002 and my best guess is that it has not been outside since roughly that date. He jokingly told me that if I wanted it I could have it. I went and looked at the boat not knowing what to expect and I fell in love with the classic look of the boat. I have been doing some research and have determined that it is a 1965 Aplex (aluma craft) Bali with what I expect to be a mid 1970's Johnson 40 HP motor. It isn't the biggest boat in stature but it has tons of character and I really want to bring this back to life.
Overall, other than the 15 year layer of dust, it is in good condition for a 52 year old boat. I have done my best to do a quick once over and found the following: The back 4-6 feet of flooring is a little soft and the carpet will need to be redone. The upholstery will need some work, specifically the driver seat. Other than those two things and a tire on the trailer I think a good cleaning will go a LONG way in bringing this back to life. The cleaning should also tell me what condition the fiberglass is in and how much work that may take. The biggest question mark is the engine. I took the engine cover off expecting to find a mouse hotel but it was actually really clean. I am expecting to do some carb work, put a new ignition on the boat and probably some new plugs. I will start with smaller (read Cheaper) fixes and hopefully get the old girl fired up.
Any major things I should be thinking about with this old of a boat? I have redone a pontoon but nothing like this that I will want to keep "authentic".
I will try to post a few more pictures once I send them from my phone.
Any information you want to provide would be appreciated.
Overall, other than the 15 year layer of dust, it is in good condition for a 52 year old boat. I have done my best to do a quick once over and found the following: The back 4-6 feet of flooring is a little soft and the carpet will need to be redone. The upholstery will need some work, specifically the driver seat. Other than those two things and a tire on the trailer I think a good cleaning will go a LONG way in bringing this back to life. The cleaning should also tell me what condition the fiberglass is in and how much work that may take. The biggest question mark is the engine. I took the engine cover off expecting to find a mouse hotel but it was actually really clean. I am expecting to do some carb work, put a new ignition on the boat and probably some new plugs. I will start with smaller (read Cheaper) fixes and hopefully get the old girl fired up.
Any major things I should be thinking about with this old of a boat? I have redone a pontoon but nothing like this that I will want to keep "authentic".
I will try to post a few more pictures once I send them from my phone.
Any information you want to provide would be appreciated.
