1973 Thundercraft Astro 165 SS

[JeffreyMilford]

I have recently acquired a 1973 Thundercraft Astro165SS boat. Im not very educated on boat information, repairs, restoration, outboard motors, etc...... Im just trying to find out helpful information on these topics and subjects. The reason I am posting this thread is because im trying to actually restore the entire boat. So here goes all the questions! First the bottom floor under the orginal flooring is decent just a few minor cracks and blemishes. Im not sure if your suppose to be able to see the stringers and flotation foam in the v of the boat or not. But what I am trying to do is fix the cracks and replace the sub flooring and putting new carpet down. I need detailed directions on the precedures to complete these actions. So how do you patch cracks, lat sub flooring, sealing it, and putting the carpet down? The second part is sanding and painting the entire inside of the boat. How do I sand and paint the entire inside of the boat? I also need detailed directions and products I would need to use. The last thing I need to know is how to remove the steering wheel? I will include pictures with this post so it might help me out a little. So if anyone can please help me out with this information I would gladly appreciate it. And you have any other information on the boat its self I would also gladly appreciate it to. Thank you to whom ever may be able to help me in this situation. Im trying to get the boat on the water by next summer!I cant get my floor pics or the steering wheel. If anyone has a way I can email you directly or text you the pictures let me know thank you

 

[maryhannaj]

Re: 1973 Thundercraft Astro 165 SS

Hey JeffryMillford. Welcome and congrats on your boat. Im also pretty new here in the community. As far as answering all of your questions, I can't do that but I can say that you are in the right spot for help. There is what seems to me like an unlimited amount of knowledge and experience within this forum. And the best part is that the members are not only willing to share this knowledge and experience, but they are all extremely happy to help out with whatever they can.
As far as the repairs go, your motor looks to be of the Johnson/Evinrude make, so there is a specific section of the forum that is dedicated to those motors and a lot of members with a ton of of information to share about them. Chances are, you will find an answer there for any question you have about your motor.
As far as the repairs on your hull itself, your already in the right spot and you have posted a thread to get things started. You can also just do a general search of the forum for things that you are interested in or for answers to other questions you may have. I promise I'm not trying to tell you something you may already know but by reading and looking at the pics that other members have posted on their threads will provide ideas and answers to road blocks you may run into on your project.
This community has shared knowledge with me that has turned out to be just as, if not more reliable than any answer you will get from a repair shop or a dealer, and the best part...it's free. The members are sharing opinions and knowledge because they enjoy doing so.
Good luck on your project, and really look into the structure in your boat like the transom and stringers. Chances are that on an older boat, you may have some rot in there. I know that's exactly what happened with my boat. And it looked pretty good to me on the outside.