1981 Bayliner Victoria 2750 - Restore or Bust

[GWPSR]

It floats! Well done. :thumb:

Like a cork! Minimal application of starboard trim tab to match horizon, but it already plains nicely. We'll revisit that after the fresh water tank is mounted in the bow and filled, and after the galley is built.

 

[SEARAY420]

Very happy to see the boat launch!! You and JR have come a long way and this is a boat to be proud of. Shows what dedication, a plan and a whole lot of hours can get you. Here's to spending more time on the water!

 

[rlb81]

Congrats on the early splash! I just came across this thread a few days ago and I've been (impatiently) reading as my free time allows. I've been so wrapped up in the story that I came home on a Friday evening and plopped myself in front of the computer instead of doing some much needed work around the house.It's exciting to see her in the water and under her own power. Here's hoping you two can knock out a nice chunk of work below deck this season! Don't be surprised if you find a few stowaways from NJ one day I'd be happy enough riding in the engine compartment staring at that beauty! Best of luck as you forge ahead.

 

[GWPSR]

Congrats on the early splash! I just came across this thread a few days ago and I've been (impatiently) reading as my free time allows. I've been so wrapped up in the story that I came home on a Friday evening and plopped myself in front of the computer instead of doing some much needed work around the house.It's exciting to see her in the water and under her own power. Here's hoping you two can knock out a nice chunk of work below deck this season! Don't be surprised if you find a few stowaways from NJ one day I'd be happy enough riding in the engine compartment staring at that beauty! Best of luck as you forge ahead.

Thanks I have read some other folks threads the same way.

This weekend I am building a "flip-flop" bench seat. 3/4" plywood. It'll seat two, and passengers can face forward for travel or flop the seatback and sit facing aft for fishing or lounging. The aluminum arms that support the seatback were salvaged from the bench that was rotting on the deck when I got the boat. The base will be covered in fiberglass and painted to match the boat. The seat and back will be vinyl over foam and will be color coordinated, probably similarly to the helm seat. I may incorporate PVC pipe into the seatback to serve as rodholders. I will just have to puzzle out what to use as trim rings around the holes to cover the vinyl. I'll bet there's something in the plumbing aisle at Lowes that would do the trick.

 

[GWPSR]

OK, going to try posting pictures again. As an experiment, the bracket I made for the ourdrive duriing trailering:

And then a couple of the bench seat I built, just after gluing and routing:

And the top:

All wood was given two coats of epoxy (first one thinned). then barrier coat two-part primer, and finally the same topsides paint as the hull. Used marine vinyl from Jo-Anns Fabric amd this is the result:

 

[GWPSR]

Just for yucks, wonder what happens if I try to post some of the pics from splash day that wouldn't post previously:

No, we haven't finished painting the cockpit and there's no seating except for the helm, til we mount the new bench, above.

 

[rlb81]

Nice work on the flip-flop seat, I like that idea! Can you get under the bench for storage?

 

[GWPSR]

Nice work on the flip-flop seat, I like that idea! Can you get under the bench for storage?

Thanks! Yup. About 3.5 cu ft. of storage under there. Going to use it for the ditch bag and maybe a couple of PFD's.

 

[GWPSR]

Finished painting non-skid in the helm area today:

 

[nurseman]

Looks sharp.

 

[GWPSR]

Seats!

Makes the upholstery on the original captains chair look pretty shabby ...

 

[Hoosmatroos]

But that one is being used! A shiny captains chair doesn't look right

 

[GWPSR]

Discovered something disappointing (and a bit angering) tonight while running the boat on the muffs to do some tuning -- the drive bellows that I just put on the boat at the end of last year have large cracks in them! I'm guessing the eBay seller I bought them from sold me new old stock from 30 years ago that was silently rotting on the shelf. The bellows I replaced didn't look like this. Granted, these looked fine when I installed them, but they disintegrated after just one trip. Dammit. The exhaust bellows seem to be fine though. They were ordered at the same time, but maybe not the same place.

If it's not one thing, it's another. I guess I'll look at the old ones and see if I can get the rest of this season from them.

 

[UtahBoating]

Neat thread and nice work. Just spent the last few hours going through the whole thread.

Question on your engine. Did you get a "marine" engine or just a regular 350? Did you get the vortec heads?

 

[GWPSR]

Neat thread and nice work. Just spent the last few hours going through the whole thread.

Question on your engine. Did you get a "marine" engine or just a regular 350? Did you get the vortec heads?

It's a marine build. Non-Vortec. Essentially a brand new pre-86 350. (http://www.michiganmotorz.com/350ci-base-marine-engine-1967-1986-replacement-p-66.html)

 

[rlb81]

Discovered something disappointing (and a bit angering) tonight while running the boat on the muffs to do some tuning

I feel your pain, and while this absolutely sucks, it would be a bit more disappointing and angering to find this out on the water. Glad you caught it before it became a major problem.

 

[52FordF2]

GWPSR,
I was looking at some of your earlier photos of her. She reminded me of an old momma sitting back in her rocking chair sipping her tea with a smug look on her face. Like maybe she liking her new home.
She looks like she come a long way. Hope you solve the issue that you having.

Maybe I missed it but what is her name now, or have you had the de-naming and re-naming ceremony yet?

Fair winds following seas

 

[GWPSR]

GWPSR,
I was looking at some of your earlier photos of her. She reminded me of an old momma sitting back in her rocking chair sipping her tea with a smug look on her face. Like maybe she liking her new home.
She looks like she come a long way. Hope you solve the issue that you having.

Maybe I missed it but what is her name now, or have you had the de-naming and re-naming ceremony yet?

Fair winds following seas

Another iBoater, T-Boner, had a near twin of my boat named "Blue Grandma" We don't know exactly what mine was named at any point in her past, except that I uncovered the single word "TAXI" on the stern when stripping paint. It might have been Termite Taxi, or something similar.

I've thrown around a number of names along the way, but haven't committed any to transom art yet. Current leading candidate is "Refurb Madness"

I have the ceremony bookmarked and we will spare no pomp when the time comes.

 

[bruceb58]

We had this exact boat. Too bad a 454 wouldn't fit in there. I know we considered it.

 

[GWPSR]

I've been working on the boat steadily all summer, but haven't been updating here.

I've built a bench seat with storage behind the back and under the seat:

The whole platform pulls out to make a bed, with fold-down legs under the pull-out:

Can't see it in this view, but there is a layout line on the sole where the front edge of the galley cabinetry will be. That leaves about 10 inches between the cabinet and edge of the bed when pulled out. The upholstered seat cushions will be 4" thick, and will become a mattress when pulled out.