I recently bought a 1988 Smoker Craft Fazer 170 (with a Johnson 70 VRO) from a friend for $450. It had been her father’s and hadn’t moved from under a tree in Ohio for 5 years. I’ve worked with my hands my whole life, but never on a boat, and thought how much work could it be? I mean, sure, it had a 3’x5’ squishy section of deck, but I could replace that. Sigh. So, I towed it home. My son and I cleaned the raccoon poop out of it (not a lot) and scrubbed the whole thing down with soap and water. After that, we began ripping up the carpet. Well, we have now removed the entire deck, as most of it was rotten. The spark plugs have been pulled and I’ve been spraying penetrating oil in the cylinder holes for the last few days, rotating them, and spraying more.
So far, I’ve read Watermann’s post on rivets and ordered a bunch from McMaster-Carr. I’ve gotten the Clymer shop manual for Johnson outboards 48-235 HP. I have gotten the generic Smoker Craft boat manual, as apparently there is no owner’s manual anymore. Not even Smoker Craft has it.
I’m sure I’ll have bunches of questions, but my first has to do with the foam. I’ve found 3 carpenter ant nests in the foam. See pics. I’ve read about repouring the foam, but really don’t want to spend the money, as I’ve already blown through what I told the wife it would cost. From what I’ve read, the foam is there for sound and thermal insulation and to smooth the ride. We may use this to pull a tube behind, but mainly it would be used for fishing. I’m a retired Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and can’t hear as well as I once could and won’t be pushing this machine to its limits. I’ve had enough excitement. If it rides a little rougher and is a little louder, that’s ok by me. Are there any other considerations or options for foam?
My second question: I’ve bought the marine plywood to replace the deck. I’ve been reading about sealing it. Would the Bondo resin they sell at Home Depot be good for that?
Third: Is the outdoor carpet from Lowe’s good enough for a fishing boat? I was thinking this: [url]https://www.lowes.com/pd/Home-Office-Papago-12-ft-Needlebond-Ocean-Blue-Interior-Exterior-Carpet/1000242241[/URL]
Fourth: Is all this worth it? Will this boat last?
Fifth: What else aren’t I thinking of?
So far, I’ve read Watermann’s post on rivets and ordered a bunch from McMaster-Carr. I’ve gotten the Clymer shop manual for Johnson outboards 48-235 HP. I have gotten the generic Smoker Craft boat manual, as apparently there is no owner’s manual anymore. Not even Smoker Craft has it.
I’m sure I’ll have bunches of questions, but my first has to do with the foam. I’ve found 3 carpenter ant nests in the foam. See pics. I’ve read about repouring the foam, but really don’t want to spend the money, as I’ve already blown through what I told the wife it would cost. From what I’ve read, the foam is there for sound and thermal insulation and to smooth the ride. We may use this to pull a tube behind, but mainly it would be used for fishing. I’m a retired Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and can’t hear as well as I once could and won’t be pushing this machine to its limits. I’ve had enough excitement. If it rides a little rougher and is a little louder, that’s ok by me. Are there any other considerations or options for foam?
My second question: I’ve bought the marine plywood to replace the deck. I’ve been reading about sealing it. Would the Bondo resin they sell at Home Depot be good for that?
Third: Is the outdoor carpet from Lowe’s good enough for a fishing boat? I was thinking this: [url]https://www.lowes.com/pd/Home-Office-Papago-12-ft-Needlebond-Ocean-Blue-Interior-Exterior-Carpet/1000242241[/URL]
Fourth: Is all this worth it? Will this boat last?
Fifth: What else aren’t I thinking of?
