Bass boat resurrection

[Bigcountry78]

Hey all, hopefully this is in the right section. This is my first boat project, and the first one I’ve personally owned, although I grew up on a pontoon since my dad has always had one. Anyway, it’s a bumble bee, got the whole package for $400, with title. The sticker on says 2010, I’m assuming it’s been sitting since then. It has a 75HP Suzuki, and a really nice trailer. I had to drive 200 miles round trip to get it and ended up blowing out a trailer tire 10 miles from home. They’re dry rotted anyway. I’m currently researching what I need to do to make the motor up. As far as the hull, I’ve gotten most of the old rotten carpet off, and it looks like all I need is some seats. I have access to some off of a salvage boat, as well as a trolling motor and a newer fish finder. I hope the paint can be saved, as it looks like the original was a deep red metal flake.

 

[cpo1]

I remember seeing a few of those on lakes. Nice find. Isn't that metalflake fiberglass gel coat, rather than paint? Just curious. Anyway, looks like you'll have a nice boat down the road a bit. Is the trailer galvanized?

 

[Bigcountry78]

I remember seeing a few of those on lakes. Nice find. Isn't that metalflake fiberglass gel coat, rather than paint? Just curious. Anyway, looks like you'll have a nice boat down the road a bit. Is the trailer galvanized?

That trailer isn’t galvanized that I can tell. It could be fiberglass gel coat, and it probably is. I’m new to all this. I hope it’ll be something I can be proud of, I don’t feel like it’ll take much to make it nice.

 

[todhunter]

The gelcoat may be hard to save. It looks super oxidized. If you end up wet sanding/buffing through the outer layer of clear gelcoat and get into the metal flake layer, it supposedly turns a cloudy color.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Check the transom and stringers for rot

 

[Bigcountry78]

The gelcoat may be hard to save. It looks super oxidized. If you end up wet sanding/buffing through the outer layer of clear gelcoat and get into the metal flake layer, it supposedly turns a cloudy color.

What would you recommend for polishing it? Or attempting to at least.

 

[Bigcountry78]

Check the transom and stringers for rot

Will do. Hopefully I don’t find any surprises.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Will do. Hopefully I don’t find any surprises.

Being about a 35 year old boat. If you dont find rot, buy a lottery ticket

 

[Bigcountry78]

Well I finally got a battery in and got to take a look at the motor. It looks like it was run last week, so that’s a good sign. All the linkages are present, attached, and move freely. Bilge pump and aerator work, Nav lights don’t so far. I also have a switch that says fuel, not sure what it does just yet. Rank out of time for the day.

 

[Bigcountry78]

Being about a 35 year old boat. If you dont find rot, buy a lottery ticket

Well, in every nook and cranny, all I can lay eyes on is fiberglass. Where should I look to try any get an eye on the wood? Is it possible it’s built entirely of fiberglass?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Well, in every nook and cranny, all I can lay eyes on is fiberglass. Where should I look to try any get an eye on the wood? Is it possible it’s built entirely of fiberglass?

Its build of wood covered with fiberglass. The stringers and transom have a wood core

Test drill. If the shavings are dark and wet, your transom and stringers are rotten

 

[Bigcountry78]

Its build of wood covered with fiberglass. The stringers and transom have a wood core

Test drill. If the shavings are dark and wet, your transom and stringers are rotten

Ok, I’ll test that in the next few days.

 

[Bigcountry78]

After settling in from having our daughter, I’m hopefully back on track with the boat. First order of business was to get some new tires on the trailer, which I did yesterday. Now I can get it wherever I need to go to get work done. I have a water pump kit on order, and I’m going to pick up some new spark plugs and fuel line tomorrow. I’ve also sourced two seats from a parts boat I have access to. Hopefully all I’ll need from this point is a battery and some carpet, and I’ll be good to go. The trailer also needs minor wiring work and a set of safety chains, but that’s small potatoes.

 

[Buzzsaw420]

Looks like a good deal for $400. That’s how the plywood looked on my 43 year old Peterborough I picked up last year. Before you go putting your carpet down, as rementioned before, check under the floor for rotten wood and foam and crap. You can lose a lot of unnecessary weight from under there. Just throwing it at you cause it worked for me. Cheers.

 

[Bigcountry78]

Finally had a nice day to put on a new fuel line, install new plugs and an impeller kit. Wasn’t able to get it to fire up though. I didn’t mess with it very long, I just wanted to get the new parts in. I’ve also got the seats in place. One step at a time I guess.

But I’m also kicking around the idea of selling it. I recently picked up a 14’ Jon boat with trailer and a 10 hp motor for $150. Which, if I’m totally honest with myself, is all I really need. I don’t fish enough to justify the registration and upkeep on a bass boat, and I’m thinking about buying another rifle. So I feel like it might be in my best interest in the long run to sell the bumblebee, buy my rifle and pocket the rest. I knew about maintenance costs going into it, but I was blinded by the glitz and glamor lol.

 

[Chris1956]

If you do decide to keep it, you should clean and rebuild the carbs. If they are partially clogged, and you run it, it can run lean and damage the cylinders, rings, pistons... Carb kits are pretty cheap....

 

[Bigcountry78]

Well I’ve been messing with this thing for a bit and I can’t get it to fire off. There’s a water alarm on the dash that sounds anytime the key is on, but even with the lower unit in water it still sounds. I’ve even tried a bit of starting fluid and no luck. I don’t think I’m getting spark but I can’t confirm because of very short plug wires. Is there a way to bypass the kill switch just to rule that out?

 

[Chris1956]

If she won't fire with ether, you have no spark.

You might look on the maxrules web site for a wiring diagram for the motor, and post your issue in the Zuki forum.