Bass boat restoration and i need a bit of help.

[fishinwithozzy]

Hello All,
I was lucky enough to find a 1986 Astroglass 151 on craigslist recently for a whopping $100 bucks! That being said, it needs to be restored and although I've been a mechanic for years I've never worked on a boat. I am looking help and advice to make this thing fishable quickly.

I have already replaced the rotten runners and refiberglassed them, I added marine pour foam and used 3/4" plywood wood for the new flooring, ( it's not pretty but it will work). I currently need help with plumbing identification and a good parts list of things I'll need (pretty sure im missing... everything).

Here are some pictures of the things I need identified(i.e. plumbing, drain hole, bilge pump hole, etc....) and the boat overall, or how I got it anyway.

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, welcome aboard.

however you have a 38 year old fiberglass boat that needs a full restoration. that means pulling the cap, taking care of all the rotten wood in the stringers, transom, etc.

the pictures show busted transom, rotten wood, etc.

then you need to fully rig it. you are looking at about$500 in tools and PPE and about $3000 in materials just to restore the hull, about another $1000 in rigging and then your motor.

the prior owner sold it to you for $100 because it would have cost him/her almost that much to have it disposed of.

the pics of the trailer show the trailer is also rotten, having split into pieces under the transom roller

@mickyryan is currently restoring an old astroglass.

your first step should be here. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/how-tos-and-other-great-information.283508/

read links 14, 15, 18, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b in their entirety prior to doing anything

then read Mickys post. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/astroglass-1989-full-rebuild.766365/

 

[fishinwithozzy]

first, welcome aboard.

however you have a 38 year old fiberglass boat that needs a full restoration. that means pulling the cap, taking care of all the rotten wood in the stringers, transom, etc.

the pictures show busted transom, rotten wood, etc.

then you need to fully rig it. you are looking at about$500 in tools and PPE and about $3000 in materials just to restore the hull, about another $1000 in rigging and then your motor.

the prior owner sold it to you for $100 because it would have cost him/her almost that much to have it disposed of.

the pics of the trailer show the trailer is also rotten, having split into pieces under the transom roller

@mickyryan is currently restoring an old astroglass.

your first step should be here. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/how-tos-and-other-great-information.283508/

read links 14, 15, 18, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b in their entirety prior to doing anything

then read Mickys post. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/astroglass-1989-full-rebuild.766365/

Thank you for the information,this helps a lot. However, I wanted to point out a few things I may have miscommunicated, 1. I have already replaced the stringers with new fiberglass. 2. I already poured new foam and put down 3/4" plywood as the new floor. 3. It's really hard to see in that picture but the trailer isn't split, it's just a rusted bracket for motor prop-bar (or whatever it's called). 4. The transom feels to be in great shape considering it's age. It's just dirty and has a few holes from what looks like where an old jack plate used to be mounted, also it didn't budge or make any kind of cracking noises after I dropped a 1974 mercury 70hp outboard on it the other day which from what I can find online is between 250lbs and 350lbs.

The front deck is also solid as I'm a big boy at 294 when last weighed, and not a single soft spot. The plumbing is my main focus as I don't know which hose is which?

 

[Grub54891]

That plate on the transom is a sure sign of rotted transom.

 

[fishinwithozzy]

That plate on the transom is a sure sign of rotted transom.

I figured that was just extra support and strength for a jack plate... thank you for the information

 

[Scott Danforth]

Thank you for the information,this helps a lot. However, I wanted to point out a few things I may have miscommunicated, 1. I have already replaced the stringers with new fiberglass. 2. I already poured new foam and put down 3/4" plywood as the new floor. 3. It's really hard to see in that picture but the trailer isn't split, it's just a rusted bracket for motor prop-bar (or whatever it's called). 4. The transom feels to be in great shape considering it's age. It's just dirty and has a few holes from what looks like where an old jack plate used to be mounted, also it didn't budge or make any kind of cracking noises after I dropped a 1974 mercury 70hp outboard on it the other day which from what I can find online is between 250lbs and 350lbs.

The front deck is also solid as I'm a big boy at 294 when last weighed, and not a single soft spot. The plumbing is my main focus as I don't know which hose is which?

based on the pictures you have shown, the hull is rotten.

post pics of your stringer repair and transom repair. if the floor was rotten, the transom was rotten 10 years earlier.. boats rot from the bottom up. first to go is the bottom of the transom, then the stringer, and lastly the floor.

 

[fishinwithozzy]

based on the pictures you have shown, the hull is rotten.

post pics of your stringer repair and transom repair. if the floor was rotten, the transom was rotten 10 years earlier.. boats rot from the bottom up. first to go is the bottom of the transom, then the stringer, and lastly the floor.

I don't have pictures of that unfortunately. I appreciate the information and if I have to then I'll start over and take the cap off since 1. I now know that's a thing and 2. I want to make sure it gets repaired right.

 

[rebuilding boat]

I inherited a 1978 Hydra Sport that has been sitting for over 40 years. The cost estimates above are very close but might be a little conservative. Something to consider is that taking the cap off is bad enough, but putting it back on is a real ordeal. Especially when you only have one person doing it all.

 

[mickyryan]

Can't see pics but I can tell you from experience these bass boats are pain in n ass to decapp at the rear depending lol but well worth fixing

 

[Grub54891]

Yes. Pullig the cap on some of them requires you pull the sides all the way to the windshield. I had a friend that needed a transom, when I checked it over, it required it to be pulled that way. He took it to a local shop and had them do it. It turned out perfect but a little labor more than most.

 

[mickyryan]

I usually pull completely the turn cap over and replace bedding in that as well , the thing is on this one they had filled the transom area with extra resin/ mix and I had to cut all that out just to remove cap