79MERC1150
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 43
I am at a crossroads with this old boat. It is a 1980 Astroglass 176 bass boat with a 1979 Mercury 1150 outboard, and a G&F drive on trailer. My parents bought it new in the fall of 1979. After Mom passed away in 1994, I bought the boat from Dad. The boat has about 600 running hours on it, and has been stored in a garage all of it's life. It has never been in salt water. It is still solid, and looks decent. She still runs well, and gets lots of compliments, but is starting to show her age. What needs to be done is the wiring, which is original, and it needs a complete rewire. The engine harnese was replaced a few years back, so that part is good. Astroglass made a mess of the OEM wiring when the boat was built, and 30 years has finished it off. It all works, but has that rat's nest look. Lucky for me my best skill is electrical work.
The steering is OEM Teleflex. The metalflake black gelcoat has some flat spots in a couple of places, but still has good depth and color, so I think that it will buff out. The trailer paint is old and peeling, and one of the plywood steps fell off of the trailer. There is no rust. I am going to do a complete tear down of the trailer, repaint, new bunks, new wood, and new carpet. I am thinking about upgrading the steering to the Teleflex Baystar hydralic system, and replacing the stock Mercury control with a new Teleflex unit. The rest of the boat will be stock. I am thinking that newer style controls will make the boat easier to handle. We have 11 grandkids, and they are getting interested in kneeboarding, fishing, and boating. Would you keep it 100% stock, or undate some items like the engine controls and steering. Thanks in advance for ideas.
Charles
The steering is OEM Teleflex. The metalflake black gelcoat has some flat spots in a couple of places, but still has good depth and color, so I think that it will buff out. The trailer paint is old and peeling, and one of the plywood steps fell off of the trailer. There is no rust. I am going to do a complete tear down of the trailer, repaint, new bunks, new wood, and new carpet. I am thinking about upgrading the steering to the Teleflex Baystar hydralic system, and replacing the stock Mercury control with a new Teleflex unit. The rest of the boat will be stock. I am thinking that newer style controls will make the boat easier to handle. We have 11 grandkids, and they are getting interested in kneeboarding, fishing, and boating. Would you keep it 100% stock, or undate some items like the engine controls and steering. Thanks in advance for ideas.
Charles