87 SS180 First Rebuild

[astor]

Took her out again today, and got the video, I think it got upto 48mph on the speedometer.

Thanks for watching, and all the comments. This was a really fun project, although I wouldn't call it done yet. I still have a few things I want to do to it.
Still have to figure out why the temperature gage isn't working. all other gauges are working great and are original. i put a new temperature sender in and now it is maxed out, might need a resistor or something to work with this gage.

 

[astor]

 

[classiccat]

you were haulin' some serious tail!

sounded AWESOME! :madgrin:

 

[Watermann]

Thanks for the ride along! She cuts a fine wake and the Merc sounds great :thumb:

 

[DirtyHarry83]

That boat looks amazing.

 

[astor]

Thanks for all the positive comments guys!
its been a blast, the boat turned out better than I expected, thanks to all the encouragment, advice, sharing experiences and the great ideas here. I think that 135 Hp Merc might be a little much for this boat, but its better than not having enough.

 

[astor]

The seat bases I bought were the shortest I could find that were adjustable
But at 12-18" , when I needed them to be 8"

So I disassembled the bases and cut the tubes with a sawzall I then used a belt sander to straighten up the cut and deburred and chamfered with a hand file
Had to drill another hole for the pin to lock it in at 8"
I think they turned out pretty good

 

[BWR1953]

That's some mighty fine sawzall work. :encouragement:

 

[Watermann]

Yeah, nice work... nothing like the sawzall savant work we see so often on our old boats.

 

[astor]

Redid one of the rear seats tonight
Used that SEM Marine vinyl dye
I'll have to see how it holds up

 

[astor]

Decided to color the rear seat center panels burgundy
Using the vinyl spray

 

[DirtyHarry83]

Really nice work. Very nice results

 

[classiccat]

Better than factory Astor!

 

[coostv]

Heck yeah! Why not?!

 

[BigNuge]

Well, I just finished the ENTIRE thread....what a project!! Hats off to you Astor for a top notch resurrection!

I’m new to this forum, and am looking at the same boat, only a couple years newer (1989). I have only seen it in pictures, going to look at it on Sunday. If it’s not a basket case then I’ll be dragging it home!

I am making this thread my master reference for any refurb work I may be doing!

May I ask, if you were to do it all over again is there anything of note you’d do differently?

Thanks again!

 

[astor]

Thanks BigNuge,
there are some things I would do differently- I'm not sure I would strip and polish the hull next time, this took too much time, but it does look nice.
I should have thought ahead a bit for the seat bases and had some thicker material and stainless T-nuts already installed.

also if I were to do this over again, I would probably build a structure to raise the windshield about 6 inches. so I could have taller seat bases. I'm 6'3" and the original seat height is a bit low for me.

Also I still want to add a trim switch like Waterman did, in the splashwell, as my 87 Merc doesn't have the switch at the motor.

But overall, this was a really fun project, I recommend doing something every day if you can. This took me nearly six years to complete due to various reasons. Actual time spent on it- probably could have been done in the evenings and part-time on the weekends and could have been done in 4-6 months.

Have fun!

 

[BigNuge]

Thanks BigNuge,
there are some things I would do differently- I'm not sure I would strip and polish the hull next time, this took too much time, but it does look nice.
I should have thought ahead a bit for the seat bases and had some thicker material and stainless T-nuts already installed.

also if I were to do this over again, I would probably build a structure to raise the windshield about 6 inches. so I could have taller seat bases. I'm 6'3" and the original seat height is a bit low for me.

Also I still want to add a trim switch like Waterman did, in the splashwell, as my 87 Merc doesn't have the switch at the motor.

But overall, this was a really fun project, I recommend doing something every day if you can. This took me nearly six years to complete due to various reasons. Actual time spent on it- probably could have been done in the evenings and part-time on the weekends and could have been done in 4-6 months.

Have fun!

Well that's too bad regarding the polishing part of your project (it being the worst part). I really liked how it came out, but understand that it was a super time consuming part of the job. Following your advice, I will likely not go that route when I do the resto.

I just got mine home yesterday. Like you, I hope to actually use the boat for a season or two before jumping into a complete refurb/restoration. I know I will do it at some point, but it wont be this year. The floors are solid, and the interior is in decent shape. I'm going to clean up some electrical, clean the interior, tune up/water pump/gear oil change on the OB, then run it next summer.

Thanks for all of the info, and for documenting your project!!

 

[astor]

I couldn't wait till spring
Uncovered it already and got a new cover for it

 

[Watermann]

I couldn't wait till spring
Uncovered it already and got a new cover for it

Man what a beauty! So that cover has a super nice fit, details on it please.

 

[astor]

TopGun material custom made top with a local canvas shop
Cover is snap fit with 3 support poles and separate motor cover......so I spent way too much.....
My original plan was to make my own top. I still will for the islander I have a bit later this year
I also want to make a snap on bow cover for this boat