TojosMojo
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2009
- Messages
- 128
Hello everyone, I am brand new to this forum but have been following several of the the restoration projects on here for awhile, and that was the inspiration for this new project I bought last night for $500. I have always been a new boat kind of guy and up till this one all 6 of my previous boats had been purchased new, the last one being a 1999 Stratos 273 Vindicator bass boat...
Unfortunately I decided to sell my baby 2 years ago due to the effects of coronary artery disease, but after having open heart surgery this year (yep 41 and already a Quad Bypass, dang cholesterol) I am now feeling 100% better but I truly am heartbroken because I miss fishing and boating so much that I had to do something about it.
I should kick myself for selling that totally wood free all composite/fiberglass boat with aircraft aluminum hatch lids... Not a single thing on that boat to rot! Hull only weighed 1100pds. and it ran 72 on the GPS... Oh well live and learn...
So here is my problem and solution:
Problem: just bought oldest daughter her own car and paid her first years tuition and book fees for college, which she starts in two weeks. (problem = broke for awhile, lol)
Solution: Find a boat that has great potential and a nice layout for fishing and a little tubing for my daughters also must have a good running engine and lower unit. (solution = 1979 Bomber Commander with an original rebuilt Mercury MCM 165 that looks and runs like its less than a few years old.)
I bought this boat last night after watching it on Craigs list drop in price for over a month it went from $2500, 1500, 1200 and finally down to $800 to free up their carport. Apparently the pics of the inside scared the potential buyers in there area before they even decided to look at the boat in person. I'll tell you I got this boat from a farmer in the back woods of eastern KY, it was a solid 3 hour trip each way from Louisville into the mountains, but I was determined to have this boat after seeing a couple of Commanders that looked awesome. Not to mention that the engine alone could bring over $1500+, and did I mention I have the Bombers clean title in my hand.
As I have said I have not done this before but I am an Autoworker that has been trained to do factory body repairs and painting (metal is different beast but some basic concepts should apply), and I also had a small business building cabinets on the side (so wood work is no problem). I was a commercial spray painter that worked with all sorts of epoxies and zincs before my job at Ford Motor Co. Also my Diy skills and experience with home remodeling and additions should come in handy for this project. With all that background said I guess its time for the photos...
first pics are what was listed in the boats ad...
Check out the engine cover (yuk!)...
Heres pics I took today...
Gotta love that name "Executioner"...NOT!!!
I'll post more picks of the not so nice stuff a little later like the floor/deck job that's sitting on new wood stringers but he covered the new exterior grade plywood with non epoxied luan and just a water sealing prime on the top surface only to make it smoother for carpet, this all has to come up so I can see his stringer work and see if there is enough flotation (or any at all, I'd say there is very little). He also shot cheap galvanized deck screws to hold it down so I guarantee I'm not going to be happy with his stringer work... All I can say is at least most of the old rotton wood is out and it should be alot cleaner to work with.
About the engine, I gotta say this engine starts at the first turn of the key and runs so smooth, the lower unit shifts very smooth into forward and when put into reverse, very smooth. This farmer knows his stuff when it comes to engines and drive systems, as he explained every little detail about how he went though the engine and lower unit what was replaced and so on. He also rewired all the trailer, all the switches, the lights and horn in the boat and everything works, amazing for a 30 year old boat that's been neglected for years.
Heres my updated resto plan and list of items to purchase (will edit as I go)
Updated Boat Restore Plan list:
1: Stringers: Are in great shape from bow to stern, they are not going to be replaced.
2:Floor/deck will be 1/2" exterior grade ply glassed of course. And I am a carpet kind of guy as I also prefer the sound deadening qualities when fishing, will have high grade marine carpet on floor, deck, on top all the storage lockers.
Also going to re-run the wiring and install heavy 6 gauge wires for the 24 volt trolling system.
3: Interior: going with 2 bucket seat for comfort and a smaller fold down in the middle of them, the 2 front storage lockers will have custom vinyl wrapped around thick foam and will snap in and out as needed. The back deck will have very thick cushions made to the height of the engine cover. Color scheme will be Tan carpet and seats like these shown here but looking for some with a red stripe in them:
______________________________________________________
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r254/mbjr1/boatseats.jpg
______________________________________________________
Custom Cushions will also be made to mirror the seats I purchase.
Used a wire wheel on my variable speed grinder and cleaned the steering wheel right up, now I will clear coat it. I'm going to replace the dash panels, the fuel and trim gauges, maybe even change them all if I can do it at a reasonable cost. Going to clean up the rest of the chrome to see how it looks and replace the trolling motor with a foot control and a removable mount to be able to store it when I'm out just cruising and tubing.
4: Finish: Going to try and buff back the original sides/transom gelcoat, then have some quality vinyl decals made for the sides and the name in the back, Going to make a set of "Commander" decals. Also in the works will be a set of gold flake "waving" checkerboard decals to run down the sides about 5' long 12'' high.
More details as I go...
Keywords: Bomber Commander 180, Bomber Boat, Bomber, Commander, Mercruiser 165, Mercruiser MR drive, MCM 165
Unfortunately I decided to sell my baby 2 years ago due to the effects of coronary artery disease, but after having open heart surgery this year (yep 41 and already a Quad Bypass, dang cholesterol) I am now feeling 100% better but I truly am heartbroken because I miss fishing and boating so much that I had to do something about it.
I should kick myself for selling that totally wood free all composite/fiberglass boat with aircraft aluminum hatch lids... Not a single thing on that boat to rot! Hull only weighed 1100pds. and it ran 72 on the GPS... Oh well live and learn...
So here is my problem and solution:
Problem: just bought oldest daughter her own car and paid her first years tuition and book fees for college, which she starts in two weeks. (problem = broke for awhile, lol)
Solution: Find a boat that has great potential and a nice layout for fishing and a little tubing for my daughters also must have a good running engine and lower unit. (solution = 1979 Bomber Commander with an original rebuilt Mercury MCM 165 that looks and runs like its less than a few years old.)
I bought this boat last night after watching it on Craigs list drop in price for over a month it went from $2500, 1500, 1200 and finally down to $800 to free up their carport. Apparently the pics of the inside scared the potential buyers in there area before they even decided to look at the boat in person. I'll tell you I got this boat from a farmer in the back woods of eastern KY, it was a solid 3 hour trip each way from Louisville into the mountains, but I was determined to have this boat after seeing a couple of Commanders that looked awesome. Not to mention that the engine alone could bring over $1500+, and did I mention I have the Bombers clean title in my hand.
As I have said I have not done this before but I am an Autoworker that has been trained to do factory body repairs and painting (metal is different beast but some basic concepts should apply), and I also had a small business building cabinets on the side (so wood work is no problem). I was a commercial spray painter that worked with all sorts of epoxies and zincs before my job at Ford Motor Co. Also my Diy skills and experience with home remodeling and additions should come in handy for this project. With all that background said I guess its time for the photos...
first pics are what was listed in the boats ad...
Check out the engine cover (yuk!)...
Heres pics I took today...
Gotta love that name "Executioner"...NOT!!!
I'll post more picks of the not so nice stuff a little later like the floor/deck job that's sitting on new wood stringers but he covered the new exterior grade plywood with non epoxied luan and just a water sealing prime on the top surface only to make it smoother for carpet, this all has to come up so I can see his stringer work and see if there is enough flotation (or any at all, I'd say there is very little). He also shot cheap galvanized deck screws to hold it down so I guarantee I'm not going to be happy with his stringer work... All I can say is at least most of the old rotton wood is out and it should be alot cleaner to work with.
About the engine, I gotta say this engine starts at the first turn of the key and runs so smooth, the lower unit shifts very smooth into forward and when put into reverse, very smooth. This farmer knows his stuff when it comes to engines and drive systems, as he explained every little detail about how he went though the engine and lower unit what was replaced and so on. He also rewired all the trailer, all the switches, the lights and horn in the boat and everything works, amazing for a 30 year old boat that's been neglected for years.
Heres my updated resto plan and list of items to purchase (will edit as I go)
Updated Boat Restore Plan list:
1: Stringers: Are in great shape from bow to stern, they are not going to be replaced.
2:Floor/deck will be 1/2" exterior grade ply glassed of course. And I am a carpet kind of guy as I also prefer the sound deadening qualities when fishing, will have high grade marine carpet on floor, deck, on top all the storage lockers.
Also going to re-run the wiring and install heavy 6 gauge wires for the 24 volt trolling system.
3: Interior: going with 2 bucket seat for comfort and a smaller fold down in the middle of them, the 2 front storage lockers will have custom vinyl wrapped around thick foam and will snap in and out as needed. The back deck will have very thick cushions made to the height of the engine cover. Color scheme will be Tan carpet and seats like these shown here but looking for some with a red stripe in them:
______________________________________________________
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r254/mbjr1/boatseats.jpg
______________________________________________________
Custom Cushions will also be made to mirror the seats I purchase.
Used a wire wheel on my variable speed grinder and cleaned the steering wheel right up, now I will clear coat it. I'm going to replace the dash panels, the fuel and trim gauges, maybe even change them all if I can do it at a reasonable cost. Going to clean up the rest of the chrome to see how it looks and replace the trolling motor with a foot control and a removable mount to be able to store it when I'm out just cruising and tubing.
4: Finish: Going to try and buff back the original sides/transom gelcoat, then have some quality vinyl decals made for the sides and the name in the back, Going to make a set of "Commander" decals. Also in the works will be a set of gold flake "waving" checkerboard decals to run down the sides about 5' long 12'' high.
More details as I go...
Keywords: Bomber Commander 180, Bomber Boat, Bomber, Commander, Mercruiser 165, Mercruiser MR drive, MCM 165
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