Finally got the Maraciabo on the water today. Although it's not done, I wanted to give it a test run before winter sets in.
All went well, the boat handled great and the motor ran perfect.
After a little delay I am finally back working on the boat. Finished the transom and mounted the motor. I decided to leave the paint go until this winter...…I really want to get this on the water and test it before the snow flies. If all goes as planed we will put it into the water this...
One of my concerns was clearance for the Teleflex steering cable....turns out everything fits nicely. A few bolts, screws & rivets and this part of the project will be complete.
Thanks, I appreciate the support.
Not sure doing these restorations is in the cards for me.....that said, I would be willing to help/share with those doing a Maracaibo restore.
The dash is ready for wiring. My plan is to wire it on the bench then install it when complete. I think trying to wire it after install would be a hassle.
Progress has slowed a bit.....my dang day job is getting in the way of my boat building project.
Stock dash vs custom.
I removed the old cable steering system and replaced it with a SeaStar NFB system. For nostalgia sake, I retained the original steering wheel and center hub.
The dash will be painted white, the inserts will be Teal to match the seats and boat paint.
One step closer to the finish line, I completed the seat bases and custom dash.
I test fit the dash and found it only needs a few tweaks....the overall fit is excellent. The pocketed part of the dash will have an okoume inlay the rest of the dash will be painted. I was going to use a SS...
My 2nd Maracaibo had the original floor and seat bases so I was finally able to see how the factory assembled these boats.
Turns out the original floors are only 1/4" thick....kind of lame. I like my floors much better they are a 1/2" and solid as a rock. You can see the seat base were...
