1990 Baja 196 ESS

[Matt LeMunyon]

Hey guys! I’ve posted on here a few times, mainly in the engine forums, but it’s officially time to come over to the restoration forum. Back in the summer of 2020 I bought this boat as a project. Years before that I watched both of frisco boater’s restorations several times, so when I bought it I figured I’d have to gut it from the hull up, but I’ve just been tackling simple cosmetic issues since then. It’s officially time to go all in though. I poked my head in the ski locker yesterday and the forward and aft bulkheads are completely gone. I also have a soft spot right in front of the drivers seat.

Here are my plans. Since the deck is relatively small and there are only 2 stringers and 2 bulkheads, I plan on using coosa as my core. I also plan on raising the transom from 20 to 25 inches and closing in the splash well and using a jack plate, both for aesthetics (I feel like this boat would look a lot better with the outboard sitting higher up) and for seaworthiness. I plan on using it in the bay and im not sure if im repowering with a younger 2 stroke or a 4 stroke.

I plan on beginning this project next spring so I have more time to get my ducks in a row. Summer is also almost over so I don’t think I’d get this done before warm weather runs out. I do have some questions. In terms of resin I'm torn between poly and vinyl. If I’m going to use this boat in choppy conditions, would it be better to use vinyl? Or will it not really make a difference?

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

Here are pictures of the boat
Here are the rotten bulkheads


The floor follows the uppermost strake and seems to stop right past this bulkhead. In front of the bulkhead is a huge amount of foam. I think i can get away with leaving that bulkhead alone and joining the new floor to the the last few inches under and past it

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

Been pretty busy this week but got a chance to get some work done. A day this week I’m going to pull the gas tank. The PO cut the fuel line and hooked up the little red tank, so I’m curious to see what was wrong with the original when I pull it out. I’m also going to start ripping up the carpet. The mounts for the seat bases are completely gone, and I was able to stab a hole in the floor with a screwdriver. I gotta say starting the demolition feels weird. On one hand I know the boat is worthless unless I do all the work, but on the other I’m thinking to myself “what are you doing? You’re destroying it!” It’s what I signed up for when I bought it though. Gotta keep going.

 

[todhunter]

The day you get th last rotten wood out of the boat is a relief. The day you start adding new wood and glass to the boat is another huge milestone. That ski locker lid will look amazing after you sand and refinish it. I put one in my boat that I bought on eBay, and it looked way worse. Teak cleans up nice.

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

The day you get th last rotten wood out of the boat is a relief. The day you start adding new wood and glass to the boat is another huge milestone. That ski locker lid will look amazing after you sand and refinish it. I put one in my boat that I bought on eBay, and it looked way worse. Teak cleans up nice.

If I feel this way now I don’t know what I’ll feel when I actually start cutting! I’m actually excited to start though. The ski locker seems to be the only thing that held up pretty well. I have some teak oil somewhere in the garage that I’ll definitely use on it

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

Spent some time after work getting the gas tank out. The floor under the tank is completely shot, as you can see with the screwdriver stabbed into it. I noticed this cross brace running between the flotation boxes (also rotten). I’ve seen transom knees that are glassed in vertically connected to the stringers, but I don’t think I’ve a brace run this way. Is that common?

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

Spent the afternoon ripping up all the carpet that would be in my way during the restoration. The carpet on the sides I will keep for now but probably rip out in the future. Just more of what has already been found- rot. But the good news is with all the carpet out you can really see how small the floor is, which will make my life a lot easier.

I also noticed this water stain on the gas tank. I completely missed it when I took it out the other day. It goes around the entire tank, so believe at some point this boat sank.

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

My new trailer bunk bracket kits came in the mail today. My trailer didn’t come with the boat from the factory and I bought it from the owner of the boat yard so I could get the boat home. I was never happy with how the boat sat on the trailer. The current brackets have through bolts that go through the cross members of the trailer and there are several holes for some adjustment, but the boat still sits somewhat crooked. These new brackets have u-bolts that go around the cross members and are also height adjustable. My next step is to get the boat straight and true on the trailer so the gutted hull won’t warp on me. Then I can focus on getting the motor ready to be pulled off

 

[Matt LeMunyon]

Welcome back to what will be the longest restoration in history. Life got in the way and almost no progress was made in the past year, but this week I was able to take off the outboard and put in on the stand I made months ago. Now I’m working on getting the boat off the trailer and drawing up plans for a cradle.

I have pictures attached but they don’t seem to show up

 

[kcassells]

Picture option has been down for a month. It's getting fixed.