1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

[BassCanada]

Hi..

I just bought this 1987 1660V Procraft boat, got it for a very low price.. The boat is in good shape.. I checked the floors and transom thourghly and they are in good shape.. No soft spots.. I plan on changing the wiring, carpeting, seats, steering, and of course doing a complete gel coat restore.. My question is can any of you folks tell me ( just from looking at the photos) if you think I can bring the shine back to this boat.. It is very heavily oxidized.. if so can you please explain the best process..

 

[BassCanada]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Hi..

I just bought this 1987 1660V Procraft boat, got it for a very low price.. The boat is in good shape.. I checked the floors and transom thourghly and they are in good shape.. No soft spots.. I plan on changing the wiring, carpeting, seats, steering, and of course doing a complete gel coat restore.. My question is can any of you folks tell me ( just from looking at the photos) if you think I can bring the shine back to this boat.. It is very heavily oxidized.. if so can you please explain the best process..

Can anyone tell me?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Polishing compound and wax should fix your shine, but that would be the least of my worries with that boat.

 

[BassCanada]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Could you please expand on your answer.. What other things should I worry about.. I have taken it apart and the transom and stringers are in good shape.. Also the floor is not rotted.. Motor works great.. Had it checked at my local marina before it was bought..

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

So you cut out and removed your decking?

Have you core sampled your foam to check for waterlogging?

Did you drill your transom to check for rot/wet wood?

The oxidation on your paint comes from exposure to the elements, the same thing that rots your below deck structure.

Have you pulled up the carpet yet, do you have any pics of the decking without the carpet?

 

[BassCanada]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Ah I see what you mean..

Yes we checked the transom thourghly at my local marina.. The carpet has been taken up as well as the floor.. Like I said the stringers all look good.. We also took out the gas tank to check for rot.. I did not do a core sample on the foam though.. Thanks for that tip..
The boat was only in the elements 2 months a year.. The folks I got it from were the original owners, they kept it in the garage for the rest of the year.. They just never bothered with the gelcoat upkeep.. Thought maybe the gelcoat was to far gone to restore..
Thanks for your insight

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Ok, you may have lucked out and got a good one then... it's very rare to find a boat that has been kept that well.

If the polishing compound doesn't work you can try wet sanding, but you'll have to remove your decals to do that right. Maybe just polish her up the best you can and be happy you got a good boat.

You are going to keep it covered or garaged when not in use eh?!

 

[BassCanada]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Ok, you may have lucked out and got a good one then... it's very rare to find a boat that has been kept that well.

If the polishing compound doesn't work you can try wet sanding, but you'll have to remove your decals to do that right. Maybe just polish her up the best you can and be happy you got a good boat.

You are going to keep it covered or garaged when not in use eh?!

Yup.. I will keep it covered and in a garage,, But now you have me worried about the foam.. Ive been reading about water- logged foam.. I will check it tomorrow.. If I have to pull the cap off and replace it well so be it.. Don't want to.. But
at least I enjoy working on projects..

Thanks again

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

How did the foam turn out? I have the 1950v of the same year and just found some cancer when trying to unbolt the seat mount on the bow

 

[BassCanada]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Well I had everything checked out again after JignGrub threw the fear of God into me..
The transom was in great shape but I did find a few soft spots in the floor
I ended up cutting the floor out and did discover that the foam was wet in the cockpit area.. Not saturated but wet..
So I pulled out all the foam in the entire cockpit area..( all of it, even under the seats and console) Stringers were in great shape, (thank the Lord).. It was just wet near the bottom..
Not a pleasant job.. A lot of digging, scraping and more digging..
Thats were I am now.. All the foam is out..
Like I said the stringers are solid, the factory didn't glass in all of the stringers so I,am going to finish what should have been done
in the first place before I reform..
I will post some photos in the next few days as soon as I can find where the Child has put the cord to my phone..

 

[ninhalo5]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Wow, you know as far as you are on the rebuild, might be a good idea to go ahead and replace those stringers, sounds like they are right there and easily accessible. Make everything new

 

[BassCanada]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

I have a question..

Does anyone know if the foam in a 87 procraft is just for safety?? Also I discovered the strangest thing ( at least I find it strange.. There was foam ( the spray in type) down the center of my boat and around the drain area.. Is this not strange.. Is it needed there or can I just leave it out.. Seems to me that it was preventing the water from draining properly..

 

[GLynch8]

Re: 1987 Procraft 1660V restoration

Just wondering what you saw as a very good price for this boat? I am looking at the exact same boat and was just curious.. Thanks