Re: Restoration of my unknown 13.5ft fiberglass
I haven't updated this in a long long long time, so here's a bit of an update.
I finished the transom install. I got it PB'd in and then tabbed it in. Then came the issue of putting the cap back on.
Unfortunately I made the transom thicker when I replaced it (1/2" or so) so I had to cut out the splash well from the cap and reglass it in. Huge pain in the rear. I've spent the last couple weeks working my buns off on the boat. I got my rear seat mounted. I decided to go ahead and use a 2002(ish) Ford Explorer leather rear seat against everyones advice. Haha. Realistically the boat wont see much water inside. I dont boat in the rain and it will be garaged for its entire life with me. I still need to glass the base of the rear seat.
Then came the challenge of finding front seats that matched. Fortunately I was able to find a sale on two front seats that I liked at bass pro. And the price was right at $50/seat. The color isnt EXACTLY the same, but its pretty close.
I also ordered a new steering cable kit to replace my pulley system. I fiberglassed in the holes in the splash well where the pulleys used to be. Once that arrives I'll get to enjoy the challenge of attempting to get it hooked up to my 40hp Mercury.
Eventually I'd like to upgrade from the 40hp Merc, which is why I made the transom thicker and beefed it up as much as I could back there without adding unnecessary weight.
My plan is to move two batteries up front under the bow (one for trolling and accessories, and one for starting). I was debating moving the fuel tank up there as well but Im not sure how safe it will be having the batteries right next to the fuel in a semi enclosed space. Im also not sure how well the fuel would travel all the way to the back. I dont want to strain the fuel pump too much or end up with running issues from the fuel line being ~12-14 feet. Any thoughts?
Anyways, on to the pictures.
Here's a picture of the front seat sitting there with the rear semi installed. At this point I only had one front seat. Now I have both. Unfortunately the pedestals I bought (explorer pedestals) are too tall. So I'll have to cut them down prior to install. But it gives a rough idea of final install.
Here's a side view of the huge mess inside the boat, but it also shoes how well the color match is. Its really too bad the back seat inserts dont match the light grey of the fronts. Perhaps thats something I'll have an upholstery shop fix one of these days.
Here's the hull and cap back together and in primer. I still need to get another quart of primer because some of the spots are pretty lightly coated. As in not full coverage at all. But I ran out of primer so I worked with what I had. I'll finish it off tomorrow after work hopefully.
Its still a little rough around the top of the transom so I'll finish that off prior to full paint. I think I'll do the splashwell in a rocker guard type finish. I find myself always tossing stuff around in there (tools etc) so it will fair better when it comes to actual use. So the finish in there doesnt have to be top notch either. Bonus.
And finally, a blurry overall picture. Sorry the picture sucks. I was in the far corner of the garage and still couldnt quite get the entire boat in the picture so I was holding it above my head to try to get it all in.
Honestly the more I work on this boat, the more I love it. Its so small that it easily fits in my garage with room to spare. With all the seats installed it has plenty of interior space. The rear seat folds down for storage of life jackets, fishing rods etc under the splashwell. And by the time Im done it will essentially be a brand new boat. The trailer will need some TLC however. I still need to figure out carpet too. I dont want too dark of a color because I'll bake in the sun. Maybe match the light grey in the front seat as closely as possible?
So what do you guys think?
