88 Capri Restoration (Splashed 08/2022)

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Will do

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

This the link on the OMC forum pertaining to my upper and lower unit.

Spare Stern Drive

Out of curiosity, when looking for a spare stern drive, what one might look for? I personally would avoid salt water units.

forums.iboats.com

 

[LaqueRatt]

Just finished reading your thread. Every bit of it. Good stuff! I've restored bikes, sleds, and cars. Never a boat though. I can lay glass, but never done anything on the scale you did. Awed by your skills and dedication. A lesser man would have given up. Got a few questions if you don't mind humoring me:

Would you do it again? Would you have undertaken it if like me, you just read a tale like this one! LOL

Did you pretty much know what you were getting into beforehand? Aware that all that wood would need replacing?

Did you do anything to the exterior? Paint? Buff? Do you plan to?

One last one and if you don't want to answer it I understand. Approximate cost of supplies and parts? Did it exceed the value of the boat when finished? Would that amount have bought you a newer boat that didn't need extensive work?

I guess to be fair since the final product is basically a new boat, it should be compared to one. Which surely costs a lot more. That's a win in my book!

Nice job on the boat and on the thread. Looking at your pics answered a ton of questions I had about how an I/O is constructed.

 

[Chris51280]

Just finished reading your thread. Every bit of it. Good stuff! I've restored bikes, sleds, and cars. Never a boat though. I can lay glass, but never done anything on the scale you did. Awed by your skills and dedication. A lesser man would have given up. Got a few questions if you don't mind humoring me:

Would you do it again? Would you have undertaken it if like me, you just read a tale like this one! LOL

Did you pretty much know what you were getting into beforehand? Aware that all that wood would need replacing?

Did you do anything to the exterior? Paint? Buff? Do you plan to?

One last one and if you don't want to answer it I understand. Approximate cost of supplies and parts? Did it exceed the value of the boat when finished? Would that amount have bought you a newer boat that didn't need extensive work?

I guess to be fair since the final product is basically a new boat, it should be compared to one. Which surely costs a lot more. That's a win in my book!

Nice job on the boat and on the thread. Looking at your pics answered a ton of questions I had about how an I/O is constructed.

can't speak for him, but to answer my side:
I probably won't do it again. very time consuming and dirty. We are not getting any younger either. I'm not a quitter and once started, you just have to finish. I can't stand money being wasted on half finished projects. Prices have gone up significantly. you probably pay 25 percent more than 2-3 years ago. Just in wood and resin with misc. stuff. it was easily 2500-3000 dollars for a 18 foot boat.

The problem is with "more" expensive boats even if they are newer that they are also old. anything 15 years and older, you have to assume that the wood started to rot. the boats are being put together very cheaply. doesn't matter if its sea ray or bayliner. So I picked one that obviously showed that it needed repair. Those are definitely cheaper because it can not be hidden. The ones that cost more might look good but have underlaying issues that nobody knows about but have a high probability of needing it.
Unless you buy a boat that for sure does not have any wood for structure, you most likely will have problems down the road because of the poor workmanship of the factory build, boats need to be pumped out fast and with minimum effort for max profit. resin and man hours are expensive and make up the cost of the boat. There is also a reason why so many boat builders went out of business

 

[LaqueRatt]

Thank you for your words of wisdom. Nothing like good advice from a "been there, done that" guy. I'm still flat out floored over how glass boats are constructed. Not like I ever imagined. The first pics in this thread had me wondering what the heck I was even looking at.

At his point I'm almost thinking I'd be better off fixing up an old wooden boat than fiberglass. Since I'm mainly interested in fishing, I'll prob stick with aluminum, but something heavier with a proper helm might be more to my liking. The tiller thing seems awkward and frankly a little bit dangerous to me.

 

[todhunter]

Another data point, since I finished mine a year ago:

I'm 40 and not sure I'd want to do another one...definitely could, but it was a huge time suck. I'd estimate I have somewhere between 300-500 hours in my complete gut and restore. Counting the hours invested, it would not be worth it to get into the game of buying and flipping boats, so unless you just LOVE the process (ahem, @zool, lol), it's not worth it to do more than one...in my opinion.

If you're looking for a project though, it was fun (for the most part) and very rewarding in the end. I paid $600 for my boat/trailer and probably spent another $10,000 on the restoration. I did a full gut/restore of the wood/fiberglass structure, new upholstery, new dash, maintenance items on the already running engine/drive, and wet sanded and buffed the exterior gelcoat.

The make/model of my boat (PowerPlay XLT-185) isn't that common and has a small following, so if I sold it I could probably recoup most of the money I invested, but it would not pay for the hundreds of hours of labor that went into it. If you're restoring something more common (like a Bayliner for example), the cost of restoration would likely be just as much, but it would be unlikely you could sell it for the money invested.

To recap - you sound interested, you've restored other things...I say if you've got $8K - $15K you can invest over about 18-24 months and you've got the space and time, find a unique boat that you like and start a project. In the end it'll be like a brand new boat or better, and you'll come out way cheaper than buying a brand new boat.

 

[LaqueRatt]

I stopped counting after 3,000 hours on my Camaro, so I definitely get the time suck part. I don't have, or want to invest anyway, any of the requirements on your list. Mad props though for making it happen. I'm 10 years older now and would rather fish or putz around with the two boats I own than to waste the summer screwing around with another old boat.

I'd like to see how your boat turned out. Do you have a thread on your resto?

Could you recommend a good aluminum boat? I have an AlumaCraft and MirroCraft. The Aluma is too shallow, the Mirro is hard to walk in. Seems like it needs a floor maybe......and I'd really like a steering wheel set up I think. Both are 14' which seems plenty big enough.

 

[todhunter]

I stopped counting after 3,000 hours on my Camaro, so I definitely get the time suck part. I don't have, or want to invest anyway, any of the requirements on your list. Mad props though for making it happen. I'm 10 years older now and would rather fish or putz around with the two boats I own than to waste the summer screwing around with another old boat.

I'd like to see how your boat turned out. Do you have a thread on your resto?

Could you recommend a good aluminum boat? I have an AlumaCraft and MirroCraft. The Aluma is too shallow, the Mirro is hard to walk in. Seems like it needs a floor maybe......and I'd really like a steering wheel set up I think. Both are 14' which seems plenty big enough.

I totally understand that - and 3,000 hours...whew! My glass boat restoration is my first foray into boats with engines, so I don't have any aluminum boat recommendations - I'm about as new as they come.

Here's my build thread: https://forums.iboats.com/threads/1987-power-play-xlt-185-floors-stringers-and-upholstery.739025/

 

[zool]

Another data point, since I finished mine a year ago:

I'm 40 and not sure I'd want to do another one...definitely could, but it was a huge time suck. I'd estimate I have somewhere between 300-500 hours in my complete gut and restore. Counting the hours invested, it would not be worth it to get into the game of buying and flipping boats, so unless you just LOVE the process (ahem, @zool, lol), it's not worth it to do more than one...in my opinion.

lol, its not just me Tod, mickyryan and sam have nice fleets of their own too . When ppl stop giving me boats, ill probably stop fixing them. The cost outlay involved are a lot less for me, since i have all the needed tools, indoor space, and supplies around already, its mostly an investment in time.

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Just finished reading your thread. Every bit of it. Good stuff! I've restored bikes, sleds, and cars. Never a boat though. I can lay glass, but never done anything on the scale you did. Awed by your skills and dedication. A lesser man would have given up. Got a few questions if you don't mind humoring me:

Would you do it again? Would you have undertaken it if like me, you just read a tale like this one! LOL

Did you pretty much know what you were getting into beforehand? Aware that all that wood would need replacing?

Did you do anything to the exterior? Paint? Buff? Do you plan to?

One last one and if you don't want to answer it I understand. Approximate cost of supplies and parts? Did it exceed the value of the boat when finished? Would that amount have bought you a newer boat that didn't need extensive work?

I guess to be fair since the final product is basically a new boat, it should be compared to one. Which surely costs a lot more. That's a win in my book!

Nice job on the boat and on the thread. Looking at your pics answered a ton of questions I had about how an I/O is constructed.

Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad it answered some of your questions.
Being 54 now and knowing first hand what is involved I would personally avoid doing this again only because after 3 years it beat me up physically and I don't have the most ideal facilities to do it but do I regret going through it? Not at all.
I had no idea what I was in for when I started the project and of it wasn't for the people here I probably wouldn't have finished it!

I never owned a boat before and the wife and I wanted one but didn't want another payment and we weren't about to pay some of the crazy prices that were being asked for boats with interiors worse than mine so thar is how the decision was made to get this one. I had no idea how a glass boat was built when I first acquired it so I can say I did get overwhelmed at times.

I have done anything to the exterior yet but plan to in the spring as well as carpet and some interior work.

I still have a couple bugs to work out but that is to be expected.

As far as cost the couple of pictures earlier in this thread wS around $1700 but alot more resin was purchased throughout partly to redo mistakes or things I redid because I didn't like the way it turned out. All total so far I would say probably 5k or so but that includes alot of mechanicals also, I really didn't want to keep a running total lol!

I don't think I could find a structurally sound boat for that price, especially a newer one and even if I did it would certainly need some work.

I didn't do this with the hopes of flipping it because aside from the $ spent the man hours could never be recouped. I love the style of the boat and the feeling of bringing it back from the dead is PRICELESS!

I would like to repower it one day but I look forward to alot of cruises and fishing first

There are alot of beautiful restorations done by people on this forum that I drool over.

 

[chevymaher]

Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad it answered some of your questions.
Being 54 now and knowing first hand what is involved I would personally avoid doing this again only because after 3 years it beat me up physically and I don't have the most ideal facilities to do it but do I regret going through it? Not at all.
I had no idea what I was in for when I started the project and of it wasn't for the people here I probably wouldn't have finished it!

I never owned a boat before and the wife and I wanted one but didn't want another payment and we weren't about to pay some of the crazy prices that were being asked for boats with interiors worse than mine so thar is how the decision was made to get this one. I had no idea how a glass boat was built when I first acquired it so I can say I did get overwhelmed at times.

I have done anything to the exterior yet but plan to in the spring as well as carpet and some interior work.

I still have a couple bugs to work out but that is to be expected.

As far as cost the couple of pictures earlier in this thread wS around $1700 but alot more resin was purchased throughout partly to redo mistakes or things I redid because I didn't like the way it turned out. All total so far I would say probably 5k or so but that includes alot of mechanicals also, I really didn't want to keep a running total lol!

I don't think I could find a structurally sound boat for that price, especially a newer one and even if I did it would certainly need some work.

I didn't do this with the hopes of flipping it because aside from the $ spent the man hours could never be recouped. I love the style of the boat and the feeling of bringing it back from the dead is PRICELESS!

I would like to repower it one day but I look forward to alot of cruises and fishing first

There are alot of beautiful restorations done by people on this forum that I drool over.

I understand every word you just said. I am 61 almost 62 and i could do it again but wow it wears you out. They are such a joy once they are done no payments and just gas to go out, Enjoy my friend and good luck in the voting. Just in case there is ever a rival.

 

[Scott Danforth]

FWIW, I am also 54. the boat in my Sig was my 4th fiberglass boat transom job and a few years later it turned into a complete resto-mod.

I will most likely do it again because I am broke as a joke. Currently working on a small tinny

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

FWIW, I am also 54. the boat in my Sig was my 4th fiberglass boat transom job and a few years later it turned into a complete resto-mod.

I will most likely do it again because I am broke as a joke. Currently working on a small tinny

Scott it was definitely an experience I will never regret but between arthritis, lack of work space and the sometimes crazy upstate NY weather it really became challenging.
A small boat like the tinny you mentioned could always be a possibility because we so many small lakes here, never say never I guess .
I need to catch up on alot of things I neglected during the boat project because the Admiral should be happy !
I will always be checking in here and hopefully adding progress pictures because trying to help others like you all did for me is a way to keep the legacy of iboats alive plus a debt that should be repaid.

 

[kcassells]

FWIW, I am also 54. the boat in my Sig was my 4th fiberglass boat transom job and a few years later it turned into a complete resto-mod.

I will most likely do it again because I am broke as a joke. Currently working on a small tinny

Hey, Scott, did you get a thread on that tinny? I don't recall seeing it. Not to highjack anyone's thread buy I sure do like @sphelps[/USER] classic and smaller boat rehabs.
And I sure know about getting beat up, age, arthritis etc. Digging the small wood boats.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Hey, Scott, did you get a thread on that tinny? I don't recall seeing it. Not to highjack anyone's thread buy I sure do like @sphelps[/USER] classic and smaller boat rehabs.
And I sure know about getting beat up, age, arthritis etc. Digging the small wood boats.

started one. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/fishing-with-dad.759932/

 

[Baylinerchuck]

I for one would absolutely restore a boat again. Would love to do a nice cruiser with a cabin at some point. Right now my open bow Chap is all I need. Don’t really need anything bigger with the bodies of water I frequent. I’ll be tackling some of the vinyl work this winter. Itching to get started….

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Just a small update,
As I've mentioned in the past I've always had a weird idle issue (small backfires, loading up) so after 2 carburetors, bringing the ignition system back to original, gap, dwell and timing I could never get it to idle like she should. I've spent countless hours searching for threads with similar issues and I believe it's stemming from my distributor, which I've had my suspicions of but I finally found a decent price on a used on so that will be one of many Christmas presents to myself lol.
I've also me comparing prices and building my list for the lower unit rebuild.
The upper gear case will be the final winter project after the lower
I will post pictures of progress.

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

I found these pictures of me removing the transom showing how bad it was. The last one shows how even being dirty and looks solid but the damage is hidden. The wood was saturated!
I hope people see this being so far into my rebuild.

 

[sphelps]

Hey, Scott, did you get a thread on that tinny? I don't recall seeing it. Not to highjack anyone's thread buy I sure do like @sphelps[/USER] classic and smaller boat rehabs.
And I sure know about getting beat up, age, arthritis etc. Digging the small wood boats.

Got another one coming up ... May/probably need @Ned L 's input ..

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

I have some great news! Upon further examination and comparison of the old and new distributor I believe that is my idle issue.
The counterweights on the old distributor are just flopping around inside and the pivot holes are completely worn and rusty.
I also noticed how crisp the new distributors counterweights react compared to the old one.
Obviously new is just new to me lol.
I wish I had a YouTube account so I could upload a video showing how bad they are.
Are these springs stretched?