Seafarer Ventura Rebuild thread

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

This little Ventura came up for sale on Gumtree a couple of weeks ago and ended up at my place.

The 1600SO Haines is finished and I felt the need for another project, so son #1 decided a nice 1/2 cab would be a great idea and I've always had a soft spot for the Seafarer Ventura.

I particularly liked this boat, because it hadn't been mucked around with over the years,
The jump seats and the fold up table and all the bespoke trim was still there. The original floors and hatches with the trim bits were still there, as were the alloy cover strips between side pockets and deck coming.
The side pockets were still the originals, and although knackered, were so good, they will be perfect templates.
The original bunk boards and cushions were there and could simply be recovered - no damage - but of course, I will replace the boards.
A pump-out wc was there and everything was neat and tidy. 40 years old, but still presentable.

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1st order of business was to check out the hull for damage and rot and I determined that the transom needed doing, The girders sounded solid and there were no tell-tail cracks around the spray chines.
So move onto the mechanical side of things and check it all out.
It had a 1979 Mercury 150hp Black Max V6, with a really old and seized trim system. I just happened to have a spare transom assembly (left over from the Mustang rebuild), from a 2003 MercV6 complete with a good 2 wire power trim/tilt.
Ok, that's good, but the motor has to come off to fit the replacement parts, so my long suffering mate, Cyril the Merc Guru, came over and had a play.
The little 150 had a very healthy 125 psi on each cylinder, so we decided to keep it.
I thought of fitting the spare 200 Merc, but it's plated for 175hp max and the kids were going to pilot it, so refurb and pretty up the 150 it is:

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He is a happy chappie, because we didn't need to strip it down for a rebuild.

Stinking hot day, but we noticed someone had modified the windscreen to fold down to reduce height, so Into the garage it goes!

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Waiting for refurb parts to arrive and I'll need to find some time to spray all the "supposed to be shiny" bits.
Really pleased that I found a site in the US that does reproduction stickers for the early Black Max's including the wrinkle finish sticker. Should look great.

So that was day one.

Next, I decided to get the boat off the trailer to have a better look at the transom and to get rid of the trailer, which was so wrong in so many ways for the boat. But it was a beaut trailer.

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I kept the boat as low as I could to make getting in and out as easy as possible.
I'll block it up later when its time to prep for paint.

[giddyup58]

Given that I had decided to respray the boat, the easiest way to repair transom floors and girders is with the rear deck/outboard well removed. Just bite the bullet, grab the 5" with 1mm cutting wheel and 10 minutes later, you're committed! Doesn't take long to create a whole lot of work...

Day 2: Boat off trailer & Deck off. That's it, unceremoniously placed behind the boat:

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Strip all the rotten stuff:

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Move onto removal of the floors.

Day 3:

I had heard that seafarers had masonite floors, but I could never really believe it.
It's a fact, The floors are masonite.

They were in oddly very good condition. Remember, this boat is 40 years old and I know for a fact that it has sat outside unprotected for the last 5 years.
I had 2 soft patches towards the back that I wanted to replace, and the entire fuel tank floor was spongy as was the cabin floor, so it all had to come out.
The masonite in good condition was excellent. It was only 4mm, but was heavily glassed on the top side and sealed with resin below. All the floors and strengthening members were clinched in place with copper nails onto wet (sprayed) choppy. The adhesion was impressive, even after all these years.

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Found a rat nest under the rotten cabin floor!

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I got to have a good look at the stringers, and the 2 inners need a small repair each at the cabin "bulkhead" area and the keel stringer may need replacement.

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Finished it off with a thorough hoseing out:

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Hard to believe, but today was 7 solid hours.

Tomorrow, I'll try to prep the whole interior with the 125mm grinder and if I'm lucky, may even begin moving forward.

But I think there's a full day of prep there.

Grinding. Such Joy, but should only have to do it once and then the fun part of boat building begins...

[Fed]

A 150 HP C/W a well preserved 40 Year old virgin, could this one be a keeper GUP?

[shortthenlong]

Do you need an extra son? I'm quite good at finding boat projects

Matt

[Noelm]

Most don't believe the Masonite floors, all the ones I have pulled up were not coated on the underside, I have seen those silly fold up seats with a single leg for support go through the floor, transom rot is very common on lots of brands from that era, I think it's mostly from bad motor installs, just drill holes for bolts through the rubbish timber used and not seal them, it's just a matter of time. What length is it? can't think of the model range.

[giddyup58]

. What length is it? can't think of the model range.

Its a 1980 Seafarer Ventura - Same hull as under the Viking, I think. Little brother to the Vagabond.
They are rated as a 17'er (5.1m) but in order to get the correct trailer I measured it down the center line, and it actually measures 16'2".
Common practice back then was to measure around the gunnel, which came in at 18'6", so I guess they split the difference...

[Crooked]

Hey giddy up, i’m currently doing a cruise craft rambler, full rebuild with transom stringers floor and I am converting to a centre console.

When I pulled up the floors they were also Masonite, they were spongy but still sturdy. The other thing I noticed from your pick was the transom thickness. When I pulled mine out it was around 40mm (double thickness ply) above the floor and then 20mm single ply below the floor, yours looks the same. I was a bit surprised at this although there was transom knees in place. Suffice to say I have gone double all the way through.

Evan

[giddyup58]

Hey Crooked.
Well spotted and good call.
I'll be doing the same.
But it's nice we will both be applying overkill.
Mine had a 150 on it from day 1, and honestly, I was going to wait until next season to fix the transom.
Even though it was a crazy half thickness job, there was so much glass that there was very little movement, however sounding proved it to be rotten around all penetrations - motor, aux. bracket. swim ladder. ride guide mount, transducer & ski hooks and alloy top capping.
Not much left really.
And I was horrified at the state of the "wood" when I pulled the inner skin off!
But when putting a LOT of weight on the tilted motor, the transom barely moved...
Go figure...

[scottar]

Hey Crooked.
Well spotted and good call.
I'll be doing the same.
But it's nice we will both be applying overkill.
Mine had a 150 on it from day 1, and honestly, I was going to wait until next season to fix the transom.
Even though it was a crazy half thickness job, there was so much glass that there was very little movement, however sounding proved it to be rotten around all penetrations - motor, aux. bracket. swim ladder. ride guide mount, transducer & ski hooks and alloy top capping.
Not much left really.
And I was horrified at the state of the "wood" when I pulled the inner skin off!
But when putting a LOT of weight on the tilted motor, the transom barely moved...
Go figure...

Always been a "feature" of Seafarer transoms as I understand it. Plenty of glass - to the point the timber almost wasn't needed.

[Noelm]

Its a 1980 Seafarer Ventura - Same hull as under the Viking, I think. Little brother to the Vagabond.
They are rated as a 17'er (5.1m) but in order to get the correct trailer I measured it down the center line, and it actually measures 16'2".
Common practice back then was to measure around the gunnel, which came in at 18'6", so I guess they split the difference...
OK, I thought it looked bigger, just got a bit off target and thought maybe it was another model, they were sold as a 17' the runabout model was the Vermont I think, not many of them around, there was a really neat and tidy one in a yard near me for about 10 years, unused and was pretty unusual in that it was white and purple from new, it vanished about 6 months ago.

[Fed]

With mine (1985) they extended the thick part to include the bottom motor bolts.
Still solid, no cracks and no bolts depressing the fibreglass.
After seeing yours I'm not keen on any further investigation.:)
I like your style GUP, straight through the rodholders, classic!
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[gazza2006au]

Giddy i donno where u find the energy to do this much work in 3 days bloody hell u put me to shame

[Crooked]

I was just having another look at your photos and really the similarities to the cruise craft I deconstructed and started reconstructing is amazing. The same transom, masonite floors, same stringer layout and the same funny little cleats between the stringers to support the floor. Was there a partnership between these two builders in the past?

I'll be interested to watch how you tackle this project, I have made steady progress on mine in rebuilding and converting to a centre console. Here is a pic of when i started to pull out the floor you can see the cleats the same as in the Seafarer and the transom was also the same
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then when the stringers wet back in, I put them back in the same place (well I moved two inside stringers that create the fuel tank coffin out 50mm for a larger tank), you can see it's a very similar layout

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and where it is up to now with the floors and fuel tank coffin back in, i put a bulkhead in where the cabin started to provide lateral strength given the cabin is now gone.

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[Noelm]

Can't see the pictures, I don't think there was any connection between the two builders, probably just the accepted method back then.

[Crooked]

Thanks Noelm, I tried to fix it now I think I have double, buggered if I know but they are there now!

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Well, the weekend didn't prove as fruitful as I'd hoped.

The rain kind of slowed the whole process down, but got a bit done working between showers and dry out time.

When we left off, the cabin floor had just been removed. The nex day, I had a good look at it and decided that the WC floor had to go too, as did the lower half of the WC bulkhead.
That appeared to be it for rotten timbers in the front cabin.
Getting the WC out was "challenging" and in the end, it was removed expeditiously by the careful use of the demolition hammer and pinch bar!
So onto removal of rotten timbers and grinding the area in preparation for reconstruction.
That's where the time and danger comes into it. Very cramped area, 800 watt grinder spinning at 10,000rpm 300mm away from your face while lying on a floor... Not fun. But slow and steady, and it's now ready for new stuff.

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Then on to the keel.
It was very heavily laid up, to the point where it sounded solid, but when I pulled the copper nails out, they didn't offer much resistence. I was pretty lucky with the stringers, so i guess I cant complain about the keel needing attenton.

What a mess. Just sodden rotten timber for the most part. Not very pretty. But it all came out and ground up ok:

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Onto the transom. Had to remove all of the old transom remnants and fair in the glass ridges in preparation for the new transom core.
That was all going well, until my grinder (AEG 125mm) decided not to work any more.
OK, I have a spare - the AEG has died twice before, so I keep a cheap Ozito 125 handy because the AEG sole agent, Bunnings, will only repair them and not replace, and it always takes over 2 weeks.
So out with the Ozito, which is a horrid grinder to use, as one must always keep the trigger depressed. Handle like a 7" sander/polisher.
So that's going well, all looking good, until it too decides not to play any more.
OK, there's a few spots that need the fine touch of the vibrating multi tool with the tungsten blade. Nup. Dead. AEG of course...

So full grinding paraphernalia on - dry suit (which makes you sweat like a bastard), full face respirator, ear muffs, leather gloves and work boots and the last thing you want to do is to stop, because it takes a lot of mental preparation to put all that stuff on and commit to hours of grinding... Not happy...

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Well, I got a bit done. Not much. I really wanted the transom prepped so I could fit the new transom core today, but that couldn't happen.

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I took all the broken tools back to bunnings for repair/replacement and decided to flick the Ozito and use the refund to part finance a Makita 125mm grinder.

That shouldn't break too quickly...

[Noelm]

Strangely enough, I have an Ozito cordless and a plug in grinder I got as throwaway tools to do a specific job, and to this day they are still going great, the plug in one is quite old now, my "good" Makita is in the bin, I don't think they are anywhere near as good as they were a few years ago, AEG seem to be the same, good name, but questionable quality now, I think Milwaukee seem to be the best now, I have a mate that is a Plumber and he can wreck anything, most of his tools are dead in less than a year (dropped in sewer, dropped in water, buried in mud, fallen off roof) but his Milwaukee stuff is still working well.

[gazza2006au]

Key to keeping the tools going is to blow them out at the end of the day i have one of those bunning XU1 grinders still going strong after about 4 years my jig saws are another thing tho i have two i think one is Ozito with adjustable speed both crab walk but great tools they keep on keeping on just need to clean them with compressed air blow air into all the vents to keep them clean internally

[giddyup58]

Only got a chance to play with the Ventura for a couple of hours today, but thankfully, the transom is now prepared for the core.

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Still a lot of grinding to go, but as we say - small steps...

[gazza2006au]

I know u don't like people cluttering up your rebuild threads giddy so i'll be quick are u going ply or thermolite?

[giddyup58]

I know u don't like people cluttering up your rebuild threads giddy so i'll be quick are u going ply or thermolite?

Gazza, I'm going ply again.

You may be aware of my 24' Mustang rebuild and the 1600SO Haines rebuild threads hereabouts, and they both turned out well and on budget and I used ply.

It's all well and good to use the thermolite as a sales pitch or for bragging rights, but properly repaired transoms and stringers featuring Marine plywood are 100% acceptable.
I was a professional boatbuilder for over 20 years, worked extensively with hi tec composites and at Millkraft fixing everything that floats and yes, working with the foams is great and they do not rot, but at what cost? And why? The board is just the beginning. You need to go epoxy and that is not fool proof or inexpensive like Poly.

I just don't see the need to complicate the work or blow the budget on very simple repairs.
Transom and stringers are not rocket science and most of the guys here who have done the repairs themselves, seem to have done fabulous jobs and without any formal training.
Well done chaps! Cudos to you all.

I love reading a good build thread and seeing the level of competence and confidence rising weekly.

Lets face it - I dare say most of us could probably have a pro boat yard do the repairs, but what is the fun in that? I reckon it's really cool to do it yourself and then to carry that smug warm feeling inside that you got it right and saved thousands...

Sorry for the essay...

PS - Just my opinion regarding the ply. I really don't want to get into a debate here on the pro's and con's of the divers products, so if I've stepped on opinions or made anyone indignant, then my apologies...

[catshark]

keeping it old school.... awesome and enjoying this thread, must be a big effort to do all that grinding. like you say preparing for it is probably the hardest task .

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Managed to get a bit done over the last few days.

The transom was ready for the marine ply core, so easiest way to get it perfect is to make a pattern from strips of 3mm MDF and hot melt glue it all together:
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I keep the transom core about 40mm clear of the hull and topsides joints, so when glassing it in, I can glass onto the actual transom then 75mm onto the 90 degree. Makes the glassing much stronger and much easier.
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I also draw a grid onto the rear skin to drill holes to allow for epoxy glue to escape. I generally make the grid at 50mm centres. Lots of glue, lots of 20mm chipboard screws (all of which get removed when dry) plenty of squeeze out, gentle tapping with rubber mallet - no voids here...
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Glassed in the core. Total of 4 x 600 choppy and 3 x 450 D/B. All waxed poly.
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Reinstated the stringers to the transom. I put the deck back on and scribed the well to transom joint. May have to modify the well to come further up the transom as there's quite a cantilever there to the top bolt holes, seeing I have increased the transom from a long shaft 5" to an XLS. Glassing the well outside and underneath adds phenomenal strength to the transom. Generally, I use a 300gsm choppy tie layer followed by a 450DB for actual strength - no strength in choppy, just bulk - followed by another choppy to make it all neat. It was also a good time to reinstate the rear side/transom stiffeners:
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Next, I had a look at the state if the stringers, cut out and prepped any rotten areas and made new infills. Thankfully, there was not much wrong and the repairs were easy.
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My big complaint with the original build, was that the glass covering the stringers wasn't rolled properly, and a big delamination causing an unattached bubble, formed on both sides of the stringers. It didn't seem to affect the strength of the stringers, for there was no delamination anywhere and no cracking under the hull, but I knew it was there and I was in the mood to get into the dry suit and do a lot more grinding!
I ended up cutting the bubbles out with a 1mm cutting wheel - the bare sections in the preceding photograph - and reglassing all the stringers after a very thorough preparation grind.
I admit, the glassing is probably overdone now considering the original attempt by the factory, but at least I know it's right.
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A quick regrind of the floor to prep for the attachment of the keel, which was already pre-cut.
Bit of thickened resin for glue/coves, bit of resin, a bit of rolling, and all done:
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I also got the front portion of the keel under the V berth fitted and glassed as well as the lower V berth bulkhead.

All in all, the transom and stringer repairs sucked up 5 litres of aerosil, 20 litres waxed poly resin, 7m2 600 choppy, 8m2 350 choppy and 7m2 450D/B.

Apart form the keel section under the cabin floor and the front and rear floor sheet bulkheads, (next job), the boat is ready to be prepped for the floors, The thickening laminates which go under the seat pedestals and at the attachment point of the rear coming, need to be prepped and glassed on the undersides as do the actual floors.

I love seeing these things progress from sows ear to silk purse.

[Noelm]

Looking great, you might have to take up boat renovations in your spare time!

[giddyup58]

Looking great, you might have to take up boat renovations in your spare time!

What spare time?
I'm too busy renovating boats!

[Noelm]

You can do them at night!

[ericcs]

what type of engine are you planning for now that you have a 25" transom?

[Noelm]

Just about everything is available in 25", it's kind of the "standard" these days.

[ericcs]

just curious, as giddyup commented that the black max that it came with was in great condition. though he might still use it, like on the 1600SO!

[giddyup58]

just curious, as giddyup commented that the black max that it came with was in great condition. though he might still use it, like on the 1600SO!

Yeah, we have a few bits left over from when I was accumulating parts for the twin 200's I was going to use on the Mustang.
Extending the gear selector 5" is easy, we have a couple of spare 25"trunks and extending the drive shaft can be done for about $250.
The driveshaft from the 150 was knackered, so we knew it needed attention, so may as well go 25". We have all the bits.
Just makes sense to have the higher transom...

[catshark]

great in depth show and tell, class work.

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Got in the last 2 bits to finish the keel, under the cabin floor and under the Loo:
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That let me get in the front and rear floor bulkheads. Again good ol' Marine Ply, glassed in place and just waiting for the weather to clear so I can get the fuel tank floor, cabin and cockpit floors in and glassed.

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Then the fun part begins - fairing and painting.

Not 100% sure how I'm going to do the deck non-skid.
The 1st boat I restored and which set me on my way to becoming a boat builder, was a Caribbean Concorde in the late 80's. It was a 23'er with a 228 Mercruiser. Not particularly fast, but a great solid boat that was desperate for a paint job when I got it.
Not knowing any better, I masked off the original non-skid and literally painted around it.
The original gelcoat was darker than the new paint colour, so the contrast worked out quite nicely.
I saw the boat years later, and couldn't help thinking how good the darker non-skid still looked.
And it was obviously the factory non-skid, which is always preferable to that sprayed on stuff...

I'm thinking of doing the same with this boat, but there is a lot of discoloration in the gel coat.
If I can get the "black spot" out of the gel coat, it may well be a viable option.

The other consideration is the finish of the floors in the boat.

I don't want to get caught up too much on this build. The idea was a quickie for my eldest, but of course, it is turning into an epic.
I was thinking a simple flecked gelcoat finish, but fairing the floors properly and adding gloss boarders and non-skid inserts to the Mustang added less than 2 extra days...

[Noelm]

I reckon a good speckled floor is hard to beat, covers lots of rough bits, is so easy to clean and not really slippery, especially if you do it in a more modern colour than old time brown.

[giddyup58]

I reckon a good speckled floor is hard to beat, covers lots of rough bits, is so easy to clean and not really slippery, especially if you do it in a more modern colour than old time brown.

100% agree.

What were they thinking?
Brown highlights and speckle?
Even the gunnel rubber has faded to a putrid brown!
Hideous!

I'm set on Oyster as the main colour for the boat, but undecided on the colour for stripes and boot topping.

Orange worked really well on the Haines 1600SO, but I'm a bit hesitant to go so bright on the Ventura...

Black works well with Oyster, but a bit overdone and bland...

I'll give that a bit of thought.

[Fed]

I just noticed the frames at either end of the coffin area 'appear' to be sealed to the keel & hull?

On mine (Viking) they are open and there is also a hole with a bung in the floor of the cabin triangle that can be removed to allow water to flow from the front to the back of the hull going under the coffin false floor.

Edit: Did your's have a little curly pig tail tube inside each side of the transom, sort of like a breather but water tight due to the curls?

[DATCOL]

Oyster & a nice deep maroon

[gford001]

100% agree.

What were they thinking?
Brown highlights and speckle?
Even the gunnel rubber has faded to a putrid brown!
Hideous!

I'm set on Oyster as the main colour for the boat, but undecided on the colour for stripes and boot topping.

Orange worked really well on the Haines 1600SO, but I'm a bit hesitant to go so bright on the Ventura...

Black works well with Oyster, but a bit overdone and bland...

I'll give that a bit of thought.Just got my Ventura back from the painter. In the other thread on here.
Went with a charcoal hull and (i think) matterhorn white.
Apparently it has a slight blue tone, rather then the original grey/brown of the oyster.
The guy at the paint place reckons thats the colour most new boats go with.
Saw a sample and it looked nice.

Sent from my [device_name] using Ausfish mobile app

[giddyup58]

I just noticed the frames at either end of the coffin area 'appear' to be sealed to the keel & hull?

Not any more.

On mine (Viking) they are open and there is also a hole with a bung in the floor of the cabin triangle that can be removed to allow water to flow from the front to the back of the hull going under the coffin false floor.

I'll do the same.

Edit: Did your's have a little curly pig tail tube inside each side of the transom, sort of like a breather but water tight due to the curls?

No, it didn't, but I have seen them before.

I have set mine up so the whole underfloor can breath, which should keep things nice and dry.
I'll put up some pics before the floors go down.

[giddyup58]

Had a win over the last few days, despite the rain.

The floors are now screwed and epoxy glued in place, just waiting to be glassed.
That's a major step in the right direction and I may add, a huge visual change so the little Seafarer is starting to feel like it will make it back into the water.

I fitted the under-well floors first as they were the trickiest. Obviously, the besser blocks are there to hold the unfastened part of the floor down while the epoxy glue sets,
The centre piece has a bilge pump well built in, which sits 30mm below the level of the floor.
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Next was screwing and glueing the cockpit floors in place. The floors had the undersides glassed first.
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Lastly, the "coffin" floor was fitted:
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What's not shown is the WC floor, which was also glued and screwed in place and is in line for glassing.

Didn't get time to do the cabin floor, but that shouldn't take long.

Once it's all glassed up, I'll move onto paint preparation of the hull, topsides, deck and cabin.
Then I'll worry about flowcoating/painting interior and there's quite a bit of work to set up the removeable center floors/hatches so it looks right.

It's very satisfying to see these jumps in progress. Adding floors is a highly visual and satisfying milestone.

More soon, hopefully.

[brett62]

giddy good to see you are well underway with this next rebuild. Really enjoy watching you get into these jobs. I think this is the third boat you have done since I started my rebuild so you are much faster at it then my project. Lets see how many more you can do before I hit the water. ;D http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/images/icons/icon14.png

[giddyup58]

Not a race mate. Slow and steady and make no mistakes...
I've been watching your build thread for a while and I'm really impressed with the thought you put into your build and the quality of your workmanship.
You will get there and then look for another project!
There's something wrong in the world if you don't have fiberglass itchies in your forearms...

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Work and weather really gets in the way of messing about with boats.

Work this morning - (I hate that!) and finally got home to glass those floors in, but I got frightened by the thunder and the black skies and packed up and ran inside.
I did managed to start glassing the coffin:
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I have cut all the glass in preparation - that's it there on the special work bench 118903

Notice how Harry's (that's me) "Law of horizontal surfaces" applies?
For those of you that haven't heard of it, it states simply that any horizontal surface, no matter when created, will be instantly covered in shit.

So needless to say, it did NOT rain and I'm really peeved of...

But tomorrow is another day...

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Had a productive past few days, as the weather was ok (finally), so I got into the glassing of the floors:

Started with glassing the floors under the outboard well. The bilge pump sump looks to be off-set and it is, so the hose can come up with a nice radius. It is going to be covered by a fuel tank and will never be seen:

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Next, I glassed the cockpit floors and then the "coffin":

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That took a bit of doing, given that I was alone and in full sun. But, thankfully, no disasters and it all went down nicely. It helped that everything was cut to size and pre-fitted, so when it came time to actually apply resin, there were no hitches. The dark finish is because I chose to add a layer of peel ply over the top of the 450D/B. It helps to fill the weave much better and as I have decided to gloss paint and non-skid the floor, it will give a much better result for very little extra cost and effort.

Next was to put the back of the boat back on and work out what to do with the outboard well.

You will see from the 1st photo of this post, that I have scribed the line of the outboard well onto the transom.
As I have decided to run a 25" leg, the well is much too deep in the boat and the canterlever forces to be exerted on the transom will be enormous with no support.
The remedy is to cut up the well and lift its floor to be mid way between the top and bottom outboard mounting bolts. Had I left it as it was, the bolts would all have been in the well. Not ideal.

By raising the floor of the well to midway between the top and bottom bolts, after glassing the floor top and bottom to the transom, it creates a massive girder across the transom to stop it flexing.

So after cutting out the old well floor, I laid up a new one giving it a bit of a V to promote drainage, and then scribed and fettled it until it fitted neatly
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Then glassed it in from the top:
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Happy with that. If I'd left it, we'd be asking for trouble. I don't think the transom would have held up with the XL leg...

That left enough time to glass in the WC floor:
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and the cabin floor:
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And that's enough for the day...

Next, I take the back of the boat off again, prepare the underside of the new well floor and glass it in properly, prepare the back of the boat for permanent refitting, fit fuel tank cradles under the well area, flow coat and fit bilge pump then refit back of boat.

Interesting to see how long that takes...

[Noelm]

Glassing the floor is good hey? all nice and flat and downhill, so much easier than sides and upside down shit.

[giddyup58]

Had a couple of hours spare this afternoon, so I took the back deck off again and gave it a good grind and glassed the underside to complete the repair:

Here it is ready for the grinder:
118954

And here after the glassing was finished:
118955 118956

So it's all prepped now and ready for glassing back in place and flow-coating.

I tidied up a few little jobs at the back of the boat, so now I think the deck is about ready to go on permenantly.
I just want to glass a couple of stops in place to locate a 50 litre plastic tank and to glass in a 3/4" pad for mounting the fuel filter and whatever else I can think of...

[giddyup58]

Bit of an update.

Fitted a 50 litre alloy fuel tank that came with the boat. There is a 100 litre under floor tank currently under construction, giving a total of 150 litres. The old 150hp Black Max's are thirsty by today's standards, so 150 litres should be safe...

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=109362&uid=582453&d=1554714593

Flow-coated the area under the engine well, flow-coated the rear deck before reattachment, then epoxied the deck back where it belonged:
119002

Double 450db in vinyl-ester to attach to transom from the inside:
119003

And the same again on the outside:
119004

Then onto spot repairs of all preexisting damage, old fitting mounting holes and stress fractures in the gel coat:
119005 119006 119007

Bog up the nasty bits - epoxy and micro balloons.
You will notice the Mustang in the background is getting the bogging business as well to it's outboard pod:
119008

Lots of sanding, and get it ready for highbuild:
119009

Bogging usually take 2 goes for something complicated like a transom well, but this one with all the modifications, proved to be a bit more problematic, so I had a 3rd go at it and chose to highbuild everything else, so as not to get too held up:
119010 119011

Then jump in the car for a 7 hour round trip to buy a trailer for the little beastie:
119012

Next job is to final sand the bog and high-build the well and transom.
Jotun Penguard HB usually sands better if left to cure for a couple of days, so I'll raise the boat a bit and pay a bit of attention to the hull (chine to chine, underwater) and topsides (chine to gunnel) and get them into high build.

May have a look at the trailer too, which needs 3 new cross members. But the rest looks OK...

[Chimo]

Do they still sell Tinka Seafarer Classic or is that really good second hand?

[shakey55]

Do they still sell Tinka Seafarer Classic or is that really good second hand?

I’ve got a Tinka Seafarer Classic that is 20 years old and still like new.

I’m pretty sure Tinka still make a Classic but not sure if marketed as a Seafarer Classic.


Sent from my iPhone using Ausfish mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91595)

[Chimo]

Great find!!!!

It looks like my 2000 one but smaller..........

[giddyup58]

It’s a 2001 model. I particularly like it because it has keel rollers as well as the wobble rollers.
All 3 crossbraces are shot, but they are an easy fix.
I’ll drop the subframe off and check for rust on the main rails (also easy replacement if necessary), change the old tail lights for new LED’s, service brakes and bearings, fit bearing buddies, possibly fit new plastic guards, then it should go a few years more.
I was very lucky. It’s a beaut little trailer.

[giddyup58]

When we left off, the deck and cabin were in 1st coat of high build, the transom and engine well were getting lots of attention with epoxy bog and the hull had been ignored.

The next step was to get the boat a bit higher and get stuck into preparation of the hull. It was a bit of a mess, but eventually got it sanded and repairs under way. Major problems were damage to the lifting strakes and deep gouges, caused by the absolutely wrong trailer.

119036 119037 119038 119039 119040

Once that was done, I got back into the transom and well and the results looks pretty good once high build was applied:
119041

I put it back on the ground and sanded the deck and cabin and considering the amount of repairs done, it has come up pretty good. I will most likely get away with spot filler and careful sanding rather than re- high building the entire top half. I'll see.
119042

So back up in the air and high-build the hull and topsides. Took a bit to get it right, but finally managed to get the gloss on. I used Oyster White Jotun Imperite top coat, which I'm really happy with. Same paint and colour I used on the 1600SO Haines:
119044 119045 119046

Had a little paint still mixed, so I painted the fiberglass seat shells and the front hatches. (This picture is before painting):
119043

I've ordered another kit of paint, so hopefully I can get the deck and cabin painted and the non-skid as well over the Easter long weekend.

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Haven't been able to get any painting done over the weekend so far, but I did spend a day on the road collecting "Gumtree" parts and another repairing the trailer. I got 'ol mate Cyril over to give me a hand so we could get it done in the 1 day. Unfortunately, we couldn't run both welders at the same time, but we did get it all done.

1st, we stripped all the rollers, winch post, jockey wheel, spare wheel, lights and trailer coupling, then we dropped the sub-frame and flipped the frame to check under the main rails. Thankfully, they were still solid - saved a lot of work...
119064 119065

The rear brace was still solid, but I added a stiffener, just in case.

The next 2 were rotten, so they were replaced:
119066

I then grinder-wire brushed the entire trailer and X-tolled everything, so it should keep the rust monster at bay for while yet.

119063
(Tried 4 times to get this photo to sit the right way, but it wont, sorry).

I fitted most of it back together, so it can be moved and support itself. The winch post and spare can go on any time. But I still want to replace a couple U bolts that had to be destroyed to remove, replace the keel rollers, and refurbish the multi roller brackets and frames. I've found the easiest way is to strip them, replace whatever steel (if any) needs replacing, then drop the lot to the galvanisers.
I've ordered a new set of LED trailer lights and wiring and all the fixing and adjustment bolts and existing U bolts have been treated with Tef Gel, which is a hideously expensive lubricant/anti-galling/anti-rust treatment specifically for nuts and bolts.
A new set of bearing buddies and new gal. wire for the brakes and she'll be like a bought one!

The 3rd day, I spent sanding the deck, cabin and cockpit. Even had the weather been perfect, I still would have done it.

Hopefully, the weather Gods will be kind tomorrow and I can get it done.

[giddyup58]

Hi all.
And the saga continues...

So the Easter break was a washout, but that didn't stop me from painting. Genius. The whole lot blushed and had to come off due to the contamination from trees and insects and the blushing...
119148 119149

Impossible to tell from the photos, but it was awful. The hull and topsides look great - no contamination and plenty of gloss and little peel - just what you want. But the decks were barely passable and the cabin top and the engine-well were disasters. Lots of little 5mm leaves, bat poo, large insects and blushing. Silly me. Should have waited or painted it in Arnie's booth.

Anyway, I put it on the newly repaired trailer and pulled it onto the driveway (which is devoid of trees) and resolved to start painting no later than 10am;
119137

I spent days sanding, but eventually it was ready, but I was held up with a week of solid showers, so I turned my attention to the engine and the cowls which were original 1979 items that needed lots of attention. The motor had a major birthday. We decided to pull the exhaust cover and were pleasantly surprised to find no nasties, so we confidently pulled the heads expecting the same, but were disappointed to find that the heads had rotted from the inside out:
119145

Also, there were 3 new pistons in the port side, but the head had been peppered with shrapnel and not replaced:
119146

I got onto Glen at Allparts Outboard who came to the rescue yet again with a beaut set of later model (compatible) heads. So the motor is now restored, but looking a bit crap, so I gave it a quick hit with black 2 pac, and it now looks like new:
119136

(Don't know why it keeps listing the photos as landscape only. It's portrait in my computer...)

The cowls were awful too and I couldn't believe how long they took to get right:
119138 119147

I had earlier painted the seats, but was unhappy with the stress fractures. Ruined an otherwise nice pair of seats...
So I got the grinder out, prepped and glassed:
119139

Yesterday the 1st good sunny day we have had in a while, so I finished prepping the engine cowls and gave them a hit with the black 2 pac.

I spent the rest of the day preparing the deck, cabin and engine well for a repaint, and today, managed to get the painting started by 10am.
It went really well and I'm happy with the result:
119141 119142 119143

Next will be the stripes and non skid, but need to let the paint harden for a couple of days.

In the meantime, I'll drop some bits to Ravi for chrome plating (which I should have done weeks ago!) and go to AlFab, who reputedly made the widows for the boat back in the day, to see if I can get some bailey channel and rubber to restore the side windows.

[gazza2006au]

Giddy u seem to have more stamina than a 21 year old bloke where do u find this energy? Is it some herbal tea or something

Can u let.me know how u went about getting your transom perfectly flat? Did u use a fairing board or a pnumatic straight line sander?

[giddyup58]

Can u let.me know how u went about getting your transom perfectly flat? Did u use a fairing board or a pnumatic straight line sander?[/QUOTE]

PM'd

[Ah Me Ting]

Great write up and project info!

I'm envious of your practical skills. But, no doubt my Mrs is glad I don't have them otherwise I'd have a yard full of projects... Half finished.

Looking forward to seeing the finished project. Keep the updates rolling...

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

I had a chance to get the engine cowls done:
119181

The decals were amazing. Very happy with the end result. The textured vinyl is very effective and has given the motor that "new from factory" look.
119182 119183

I wasn't sure on what colour to do the stripes, so my son (who owns this boat), chose black. We did a similar paint job on an 1850 Bullet some years ago which he liked. But not my 1st choice.
119184

I was getting a bit over sanding masking and painting, so I had a play with the front hatch window. I went to AlFab and bought some of their rubber sealing bead, window felt (for the side sliders) and and a piece of perspex and a quick stop at Bunnings for a perspex specific jigsaw blade. The old frame pulled apart and cleaned up easily enough, the old perspex templated the new and after a few minutes, an as new front hatch window:
119185

I really have no idea why this site has now decided to lay over portrait photos. It never used to...

Anyhoo, the seat mouldings were next in line, so I rough faired the repair, added epoxy bog and faired it in, a good layer of high-build and ready for a final sand and colour:
119186 119187

After the stripe colour was decided, the rest was easy. I had paint for non-skid left over from the Mustang build which just happened to be the right shade of gray, so mask and prep and that's now done:
119188 119189

It was getting a bit late when I applied the non-skid, so I reused the skirt masking and formed a tent over the new paint to protect it from overnight dew. Worked a treat:
119190

Last painting job was the cabin stripes. I'm still not totally convinced that black is the right colour, but with a black bimini, chine tape and white gunnel rubber with a black insert, it may just look right...
119191

Which brigs us to yesterday, when the project took another big leap forward.
The motor was finally done (except for gearbox - sound familiar), and it was married to the hull. A little bit of fettling to fit up the hydraulic steering ram and there it is:
119192

What's next?

In the short term, I'd like to get the gunnel rubber and the chine tape on and have a go at rebuilding the side windows and fitting them. Then probably concentrate on getting the motor fired up, which means wiring.
Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike wiring?

[gazza2006au]

You do some A class work Giddy

[catshark]

great work master craftsman, they could be the best decals i have ever seen, absolutely bang on.

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

I picked up some Gunnel rubber from a guy on Gumtree. He was apologetic that he only had a full roll measuring 11.2m (what an odd size), but luckily for me, the Ventura just happens to be exactly 11.2m on the gunnel!

I decided to block the topsides down with 800, 1200, 2000 then 3000 wet and dry and then give it a good machine cut prior to fitting the gunnel. It's really easy to burn the rubber when machine polishing the boat.

Absolutely worth the effort.

While i was at it, I coiled the gunnel rubber into a 44 gallon drum and added quite a bit of hot water to soften it up a bit. Managed to get it on where it should be, but without glue as I want it to cycle a few days and nights to take the bumps out.

But it is sitting there nicely and gave me a much better idea about the colour scheme.
It is definitely growing on me, but more importantly, the lad loves it.

119211 119212

Last on the list was to recondition the side windows. What I thought would take an hour stretched into 3, but the end result made it worthwhile.

Broke out the Sikaflex and final fitted both side windows and front hatch glass (perspex).
119213 119215 119214

I'd like to have a look at the windscreen in the next couple of days to see if it can be salvaged.
The perspex will be easy enough to swap out, but I have a suspicion that the frame has been "interfered with " too many times to be able to be brought up to an acceptable standard.

[Dignity]

Looks great mate. I had an old Cruisecraft Rustler 14 where I needed to replace the side windows. I use smokey/dark grey polycarbonate but instead of putting it into a frame I cut it larger and screwed it direct to the cabin with a taped sealer and it looked awesome with so much cleaner lines. Bit late for you unless you have the pennies nd the time but it would have so fitted with your black theme. I will have to see if I can find some photos and post them if I can. I did have an engineer check on structural issues before I went ahead.

[catshark]

looking real nice, the black is looking real nice, the windows tie it all together, what a sweet little craft. wehn i was looking around for 3000 grit, the only place i could get it was from QLD

[giddyup58]

Bit late for you unless you have the pennies nd the time but it would have so fitted with your black theme..

I chose to keep the alloy frames with the sliding perspex windows.
Have a look at my Mustang 24 build, where I did exactly as you have suggested. I think it looks great on that boat, but probably a bit too much on the little Ventura.

Thanks for the thought though.

[Ah Me Ting]

My envy of your skills is continuing to grow. Boat is looking good. I'm not a fan of the black. White gunnel looks good with it though as you said...

How do you find the time to do this stuff? 🤔

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

I've managed to get a bit done of late.

I decided to have a go at the screen, despite being assured by windscreen manufacturers that I was wasting my time.
Unfortunately, I didn't take many progress shots, as I didn't really expect it to be good enough to put on the boat.

The frames took an age to strip down, as due to having stainless screws into alloy frame, the screws had all seized, The blow torch came to the rescue and heating the female part of the frame allowed all the screws to be removed.

This shot shows the frames with perspex removed but taped to its corresponding frame.
119305

This is of the front screen frame sitting on a really grubby temporary work bench during the refurbishment process:
119306

Next stop was to get new perspex (marine blue is the tint) for $150, cut to size and rebates cut in. I figured that if the frames didn't come up to scratch, I could always sell the reproduction perspex to another Ventura owner. And I wasn't set up to do the rebates, so I thought the $150 was very reasonable.

But as luck would have it and despite there being about 20 x 1/8" holes from canopy stud mountings and several larger holes for hinge mounts (the screen was hinged to fold back) and a ton of old silicone, a bit of elbow grease, epoxy bog, etch prime and epoxy paint saw the frame fully restored and looking pretty darn good:
119307 119308

This thing was an absolute mess and they wanted $800 for a new one. It came up so well, I am still down on myself for not even trying to restore the Mustang's screen, which was in much better condition than this one. Could have saved $1,100... Bugger.

While I was waiting for the perspex to be done, my mechanic mate Cyril came over and we fired the V6 for the 1st time. Must admit, that was quite a thrill and it sounded very healthy. It inspired me to get the finger out and go harder.

I fitted the Seafarer and Ventura stickers, which I am very happy with. Excellent quality.
The chine tape was next. I always thought that chine tape at the very bow of Ventura's looked odd, so I tried flattening the arc of the tape out at the stem. I'm still undecided if the experiment worked. But it is certainly better (to my eye at least), than the factory "ski jump".

I got hold of some el-cheapo orange 6mm pin stripe to finish the paint edge between the black and the white, and I'm happy with the concept. Just needs much better tape, which won't be too hard to find.
119309

Also put on the cabin top grab handles, LED nav lights, stern cleats, ski hooks, rod holders, engine hand control and foredeck hinges and clasps. The bow roller, cross bollard and gunnel rubber end caps are with Ravi for chrome plating and should be ready in a couple of weeks.


Next, I had a look at the fuel tank situation. The alloy centre tank came in at 110 litres but I still wanted to also use the 70 litre plastic tank under the well, but the space had been prepared for the 50 litre alloy tank and the plastic tank wasn't going to fit easily.

No option but to cut out the existing work and have a rethink.

The tank is held in place by battens glassed to the new floor, and it just touches the underside of the well, so it can't pop out and there is room for the centre tank plumbing to come up, so all is good. It just took an age to bite the bullet and undo perfectly good work and do it differently. All that trouble to pick up 20 litres.

This is what I have ended up with:
119310 (Why won't the site allow portrait orientation? How do I fix this?)

I moved the centre tank forward to the cabin bulkhead to help offset the weight of the rear tank. There is still a usable underfloor storage area behind it.
The plastic tank is biased a bit to port to give better access to the fuel filter/water separator and battery, which will go under the stb'd side.

So all the fiberglassing was finished, and no excuse not to don the dry suit and grind it all out and prepare for flowcoat:
119312

After the flowcoating is done, I'll concentrate on fitting up the motor controls, fuel, wiring and steering.

Hopefully, more soon...

[Fed]

Kill your camera app, reopen it and take a portrait shot, it seems to depend on what type of pic is the first one taken and all other pics in the session will be the same orientation (I think).
To get back to landscape kill & reopen the camera app again.
Maybe there's a setting in the camera app to alternate between them but simply rotating the camera doesn't do it.
You could also rotate the shot with software.

[giddyup58]

The photo is portrait and properly oriented in my computer.
It imports as landscape...

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Had a play with the Ventura today and got the cockpit under-floor, under engine well and sides flowcoated and speckled. Kept with the black. white and grey theme. (Not yet speckled in 1st pic).
119322 119323

I'll fit up the alloy angles to carry the hatches next and see about coming up with something to dress the cut out and think about what to do with the cockpit floor.

Then we can get stuck into the fit-out.

Does anyone know of a good value marine upholsterer in Brisbane that you'd happy to recommend?

I think I need to buy a sewing machine... How hard can it be?

[blacklab]

Giddyup,
Great thread, been following from the start, I particularly ( but not only) like the posts on re doing your front screen, I did exactly the same, but
I hated the faded old silver anodising on mine, so I spoke to a mate about the possibilities of powdercoating it. Most said it wouldn't adhere, but he reckoned he could do it. Came up a treat, time will tell how it weathers, but looks better than the original and like you saved a fair amount of coin in re doing
the existing one....... Your project is coming along well, will look the part once done.......

Col

[giddyup58]

Hey Col.
Let us know how that powdercoating goes.
I was advised not to do it as the powdercoat would not take to the anodising.
But that was told to me by a screen manufacturer, so I'm not 100% sure of his sincerity.
I hope the painted frame holds up, but I would have much preferred powdercoating...

[blacklab]

Will do, mind you, it's probably 12 months or so before I finish and get her on the water.
I was told that too about powder coating over anodising, but the guy that did it is near my factory, and I had a chat with him about it, He got really aggressive with the old anodising before powder coating, it's definitely stuck, but the weathering will tell the true story. It's very similar to your shape.

Col

[shakey55]

Coming along very nice. If this is for your young fella he will love it


Sent from my iPad using Ausfish forums

[gazza2006au]

Giddy love that blue tint to the windscreen i have only ever done one windscreen before i bought a sheet of clear perspex and used the old windscreen as a template i remember i cut it a bit to fast and put a small 4cm crack on the main windscreen i paid $180 back than if u do it your self u need to cut slow and drill the holes soft and slowly as not to crack it

I went from a really sandy windscreen to crystal clear the difference was awesome could see everything at night

[giddyup58]

Giddy love that blue tint to the windscreen i have only ever done one windscreen before i bought a sheet of clear perspex and used the old windscreen as a template i remember i cut it a bit to fast and put a small 4cm crack on the main windscreen i paid $180 back than if u do it your self u need to cut slow and drill the holes soft and slowly as not to crack it

I went from a really sandy windscreen to crystal clear the difference was awesome could see everything at night

Next time, try a perspex specific jigsaw blade, and back the perspex with a piece of timber when drilling holes which stops the drill bit from catching the perspex at the very last instant. Also, a brand new or sharpened bit is more likely to catch and crack.

[Fed]

Can you re-anodise a previously anodised frame I wonder?

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

A bit of progress..

The under floor alloy 110 litre tank turned up, so I got stuck into making the hatches fit.
Bunnings sell a beaut 20mm x 20mm alloy section, 3mm thick, which was perfect to carry the hatches.
To set the level, I used 20mm x 12mm x 1.4mm alloy to "frame" the aperture, with the 20mm on the vertical. This is the exact thickness of the deck hatches/floors - 18mm ply glassed both sides.
So the method was to fit the frame then offer up the 20x20 to the bottom of the frame and firmly fix it to the sides of the stringer. Worked a treat:
119402 119403

here it is with the floors in place... I was a touch short on the finishing alloy...
119404

Next, it was time to get serious about fitting all the systems.

I started with the bilge pump as it is situated under the plastic tank and cannot be reached later without a bit of trouble. After fitting the pump and the hose and connecting to the skin fitting, I had to extend the length of the 3 wires from the pump - it has a built in float switch - to the dashboard.
Seeing I was playing with wires, I decided to fit the battery and fabricate some new battery cables and fit and wire in the new kill switch.
Next was the stern/running/anchor light - 12v LED, then mounting of the fuel filter/water separator and the tank selection valve:
119405

I then fitted the fuel system, which entailed fitting the centre tank and the rear tank, and running filler, breathers and fuel lines. I'm not totally happy with the position of the rear tank, as to get it out is a bit of a headache, but I do like the extra 70 litres of fuel the boat can carry...
119406 119426

The steering hoses were then fabricated and I hooked up the fuel, battery cables, shift and throttle cables and wiring harness to the motor.
It now starts on the boats key.
119407

I wanted a bit of a change and decided to play upholsterers:
119408

I got the side panels covered and I'm pretty happy with the result.
We decided to carpet the cockpit and that is coming up a treat:
119409

And that brings us upto date.

I have been promised the gearbox for this coming week, so maybe a sea trial next weekend. Fingers crossed!

[gazza2006au]

Giddy i thought those sides wrre part of the hull and glassed on do u think u will loose some integrity without those being structual?

[giddyup58]

Giddy i thought those sides wrre part of the hull and glassed on do u think u will loose some integrity without those being structual?

Not at all. The boat lasted 40 years with a 150 on the back and no signs of any stress fractures.

[Fed]

I see you snuck a steering wheel in without telling us, where did you get it $$?
No transom 'knees' although I don't think it needs them the 150 is a lot of motor and Seafarer must have thought otherwise.
With a 150 this will be a missile.
FWIW I put foam tape on my floor infill supports to help with nvh.

[gford001]

Giddy i thought those sides wrre part of the hull and glassed on do u think u will loose some integrity without those being structual?Originally they're just a piece of ply, screwed on. Nothing structural.

Sent from my [device_name] using Ausfish mobile app

[giddyup58]

I
No transom 'knees' although I don't think it needs them the 150 is a lot of motor and Seafarer must have thought otherwise.
FWIW I put foam tape on my floor infill supports to help with nvh.

The transom is now 50% heavier than Seafarer made them - (mine is full thickness to the keel), and the inner skin had been properly and heavily hand laminated, the inner stringers are twice as high at the transom than standard and glassed on with knitted fabrics and not just heavily attacked with a chopper gun and poorly consolidated (rollered).
The original transom knees were not as close to the floor of the engine well as my stringers are and the engine well has 4 layers of mat-back 200/450D/B attaching it to the boat, whereas the original had it bogged on.
I'm pretty sure the 150 is safe. ;-\

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Had a little play with the boat today.

Hardly any room behind the dash for bus bars or fuse holders, so I decided to beef up the very flimsy cover, widen it a bit and hinge it. It was originally held in place by 4 PK screws, which is so unbelievably agricultural. I glassed in some 1/2" ply so if needed, I can screw into it. Probably hang the VHF under there. There is just no room in these little 1/2 cabs. And what's with that vacant space behind the hand control? Must have a think about that and do something with it...
119422

So with that hinged, I started installing the new instruments.The water pressure gauge needed the hose run back to the motor where there is a problem because the fitting kit doesn't cater for V6's the age of the poor old 150, so I will need to get a couple of adapters to tap into the correct water circuit. The temp gauge will work once I find the temp sender unit which has curiously gone missing after stripping the heads...

But, all in all, pretty happy with progress.
119420 119421

We didn't get a new speedo, as this boat will have GPS. There are dash mounted compasses available that are supposed to fit straight into instrument holes, so that is a sensible option. No on ever uses a compass these days, but it is still a legal requirement, so I'll see what we can find.

Another option is to hard mount the Lowrance 5" screen Hook 2 over the speedo hole and find another place for a compass. But that will necessitate a substantial modification of the already rebuilt hinged cover. I guess it only needs to be done once, and it should look pretty good when done...

There is still a bit to go with the wiring.
I have to find a place to mount a 6 gang switch board - probably the end of the hinged cover, and we also need a place for the bilge pump control and an hour meter.

Still no gearbox. Deja vu with the little Haines SO...

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

I managed to finish off the wiring to the point where the boat can be used.
The switch panel has been fitted as have the +ve and -ve bus bars.
Power has been brought up from the battery switch and the running and anchor lights have been wired in, as have all the engine instruments.

I found a correctly sized compass to fill the speedo hole, but it is unlit (no provision for internal illumination) and looks a bit out of place.
It will probably look less so if I paint the square mounting flange the same colour as the boat
119430 119431

Behind the dash was very tight, but it all fitted without having to utilise the cover panel:
119432 119433

The nav light wiring is held in place by double sided tape for the moment.
When I have finished fitting cabin lights, GPS sounder and VHF radio, I'll have a shot at lining the cabin, and the glued in carpet should hold the wires in place.

I still need to get the bilge switch in and an hour meter.

Unfortunately, the gearbox wasn't ready so no water test yet. Hopefully, soon...

[ranmar850]

Are you leaving those aluminium sections around the tank hatch unfinished and exposed? Tend to be slippery when wet.

[giddyup58]

Are you leaving those aluminium sections around the tank hatch unfinished and exposed? Tend to be slippery when wet.
They're only 12mm wide. Doubt they could cause a slip. If they do, easy enough to paint with nonskid.

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

Couple of weeks since my last post, but not all that much appears to have happened even though I have spent a lot of time on it...

The sounder/plotter is now in, but that wasn't a big job...
119520

The bilge pump control is wired in as is the engine hour meter, but I didn't get a photo...

Put down the rest of the cockpit carpet and finished the cover strips;
Flowcoated and flecked the cabin bunks:
119512

Started lining the cabin:
119515 119513

Now that's not as easy as it looks.
You will notice that the front piece of carpet appears to be a different colour, but it is off the same roll. The bias of the weave is 90 degrees out, giving a totally different colour.

Rip it off, do it again, learn as you go...
119514
The original upholstery looks horrid and will obviously be changed, but the cushions make the cabin a lot easier to work in.

I got onto the cabin sides and ceiling, and the result is by no means professional. But I am getting more proficient with the whole procedure and I reckon I'm close to getting it right. Also, the photographs put the job in the worst possible light. It doesn't actually look as bad in the flesh, but I'm still not 100% satisfied with it.
But notice that the unsightly wires have all disappeared?
119516 119517

I was quoted over $1,000 to get the job done, but $120 worth of carpet and $40 for a couple cans of spray adhesive, and I reckon I can do it. And if it ends up crap after the next attempt I'll rip it all out again and get the pro's in and only have wasted a couple hundred.

It's like the windscreen refurbishment. Never done one before, learn as you go, surprisingly good result, saved a heap of cash. Worth a try, but it is very time consuming.

I was all happy with the colour selections, until I found a really trick, good quality, ORANGE outdoor carpet...

Now that's got me thinking...

Gearbox should be here soon, so I'm champing at the bit to take it for a run.
Consequentially, I had to put a bit of time into the trailer.
The boat was sitting too high at the back and the rollers were not engaging, so I had to modify the rear roller group mounts to get them lower and adjust those in front to balance it all out. Worked a treat.
I also had to fabricate taillight mounts and mount the new LED tail lights.
This shot is before treating with rust preventative and cold gal and setting the rest of the rollers:
119518

So the whole boat came down a couple of inches, the keel rollers are engaging and the wobble rollers are about 75% loaded. Hopefully, this trailer will work (unlike the Mustang's, which I still haven't had a chance to look at).
119519

I went to fit the original bow rail, but found it has a couple defects that need attention. No, I can't straighten bent stainless tube, so I will be taking it to an expert. I'm not proposing to modernise the look of the bow rail or to add a bowsprit, as the anchor will be a little 6kg Rocna, which can be easily manhandled and will not need to be carried on a bowsprit.

Has anyone had experience with those cheap eBay bimini tops?
My guy wants $1,000 for a bimini.
eBay traders want about $150. I suspect they are rubbish...

[Chimo]

While you are sorting out the bowsprit I suspect you are at the right place to get some stainless bows and ss cable for a good bimini.
Might also be worth checking out RTM for one and use their sunbrella on your ss bows as their stock is not bad quality and frequently a fair bit less than witw000xxxs
Boat is looking excellent.

C
C

[Ah Me Ting]

Hi all.
....

I found a correctly sized compass to fill the speedo hole, but it is unlit (no provision for internal illumination) ..

Check at ya local Jaycar... They have retro fit small led illumination type kits etc.

Saw them used on a car forum, when customising old Speedos etc so night illumination matches new modern sound systems etc.

[blacklab]

Hey Giddyup, Your doing a great job, loving your update posts.
I'm near to doing my cuddy cabin soon as well. Is that stuff you used actually carpet, or that lining stuff ???.
I see you use adhesive from a can, how did that go ?
And still more questions, My Cuddy area has a lot of curves and angles, what was your end method to do yours ? have you actually put in a lot of joins,
or did you mainly just shape and glue ???.
Sorry for all the questions, but it may help me make less mistakes LOL.

Col

[giddyup58]

Hey Giddyup, Your doing a great job, loving your update posts.
I'm near to doing my cuddy cabin soon as well. Is that stuff you used actually carpet, or that lining stuff ???.
I see you use adhesive from a can, how did that go ?
And still more questions, My Cuddy area has a lot of curves and angles, what was your end method to do yours ? have you actually put in a lot of joins,
or did you mainly just shape and glue ???.
Sorry for all the questions, but it may help me make less mistakes LOL.

Col

Hey Col.
The material is not a carpet, but is like a latter day front-runner, if you know what that is (was).
All the Chandlers carry some. It's as tough as nails, and I've found the best way to cut it is with a very good set of dressmaker scissors and a box cutter with break off blades. Got to keep the them sharp, or else you start tearing the "carpet".

I'm by no means an expert in lining the insides of cabins and you guessed correctly - I do have a lot of joins.
But I did discover that the material can be tortured to take compound curves and if stuck down well, doesn't seem to pop off.
I will have another go at it, I think, and try for fewer joins and try to get larger pieces on in one go.
I think each plane needs to be a separate piece - Ie cabin side separate from bulkhead, separate from ceiling.
Try and use one piece to go around the cabin windows. Joins in highly visible areas can't be hidden...
I did inside all the cupboards on a big cat I built years ago, and that worked out really well. But I do admit, this little 16'er is getting the better of me.
I'm using Selleys spray adhesive - about $20 a can at Bunnings and it holds pretty well if the instructions are followed.
I tried the Sikaflex spray glue thinking it would be worlds best, but it was very average.
I did get a can from Daley's (trim supplier) and it was beaut, but it would want to be for $44 per can!

Good luck with the refurb.

Do a build thread with lots of pictures!

[giddyup58]

Back to trimming the little Ventura.

You may recall in last rebuild, the 1600 SO Haines, that I was a quite taken with the colour combination of white and orange, but I have never been able to find Orange outdoor carpet.

Well, I found some today, ripped up the newly fitted carpet in the Ventura, and did it again:

119523 119524

Ok, maybe it's a bit more red than orange, but I reckon it looks great.

This has made the rest of the upholstery colours fall into place, (in my mind at least).

I won't say much more now, in case I change my mind...

Little steps...

[blacklab]

Thanks Giddy, That makes it a bit clearer. I new that the stiffness of carpet just wouldn't work, but I think I know the stuff your talking about.
I've been slack with mine, as far as documenting it, had a couple of disasters with outsourcing the structural fibre glass work, but getting back
on track now. In fact, there is copious amounts of work being done on it at the moment, which I will put a thread up on soon.
There's a lot of things now I see in your re build thread, that I'm quietly saying to myself "why didn't I do that" But, never mind, we learn as we go as the saying goes. Thanks giddy, probably 2-3 weeks away from starting my cuddy carpeting, so you have given me a few clues to go on.

Cheers
Col

[myusernam]

An old motor trimmer told my the spray contact adhesive was like having sex in a canoe - fxcking near water. I know u can thin and spray the real thing. But all good if its working. I bought a 4 box of selleys four litre tins for my floor. Farking expensive. Guess i should have thinned that a bit. Used nearly 3 cans.

[gazza2006au]

I think that old motor trimmer had some wild fantasies ;D

[RayLamp]

Back to trimming the little Ventura.

You may recall in last rebuild, the 1600 SO Haines, that I was a quite taken with the colour combination of white and orange, but I have never been able to find Orange outdoor carpet.

Well, I found some today, ripped up the newly fitted carpet in the Ventura, and did it again:

119523 119524

Ok, maybe it's a bit more red than orange, but I reckon it looks great.

This has made the rest of the upholstery colours fall into place, (in my mind at least).

I won't say much more now, in case I change my mind...

Little steps...
That red would be a safety colour! All you gotta do is craft the black carpet into a "V" for Ventura and you've got a permanently installed V-sheet!

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

I had a good think about the cabin lining and decided to give it a serious go, rather than 1/2 assed mucking about.

Bought a new load of backless carpet, bought a cheap 2mm suction spray (glue) gun and I got a couple litres of spraying glue from an upholsterer friend.
The method was to carefully pull down the patchwork that was my 1st attempt and cut out one piece and glue it up properly.

Here's the original removed with all the pieces firmly glued together used as a template for the 1 piece:
119592 119596

Before the new piece could go up, I had to flowcoat and fleck all the areas that were not going to be covered. I saw from the 1st attempt that the 40yr old flowcoat was spoiling the whole effect, so it needed doing again.

The good glue was a revelation. Easily held the carpet in place and let me move it about a bit before final fixing.
119597 119598

I don't think I could have done it without the template. I'm sure the pro's know how, but I don't.
All that was left to do was to cut in the edges, which went pretty well. Not perfect, but pretty good.
I had an epiphany regarding the back rest covers, so I used some left over carpet as a sample - red on st'b'd side, grey/black fleck on port. I'll let the son make his choice when he gets back from holidays...
119599 119600

I've made up new bunk boards and I'll get them to the upholsterer next week. That brown disaster can't stay...

I finished the helm seats and repainted them. Here they are in highbuild just before final sanding and paint:
119601

And here, set up with original upholstery and the other fitted with new marine ply backing boards with 3x coats of everdure...
119602 119603


I was pretty lucky in that all of the original timbers were good enough to use as templates, with only minor fettling necessary to make them perfect:

While I had the black 2 pac out to fleck the flowcoat, I painted the front cover of the outboard {which had somehow managed to slip through the cracks for the past few weeks), and added the decals and soundproofing.
119593 119594 119595

Pretty happy with those decals...

I got the gearbox back today and it is now in highbuild waiting for a break in the weather so I can spray it black and fit it up. That will be all the mechanicals complete.

This coming week, I hope to get the rear jump seats, the helm seats and the bunks and backrests to the upholsterer to work his magic.
I'd also like to get the bow rail looked at. May go for a more modern design... Maybe not...

The joys of fit-out...

[blacklab]

Hey Giddyup, Luv your work.
As previously mentioned, following your re lining with interest. I guess I have to try and do it once, so I'll be trying to make templates or the like.
I guess, if you can get it looking half decent, I don't think it matters how many joins there are, but your second effort with less joins is ideal.
This spraying glue you got, does it have a name ??? from memory the first effort you did you used the spray can, how was that to pull off ?, do you recon
it would have held it up there over the journey ?????

Col

[giddyup58]

Hey Giddyup, Luv your work.
This spraying glue you got, does it have a name ??? from memory the first effort you did you used the spray can, how was that to pull off ?, do you recon it would have held it up there over the journey ?????
Col
Hey Col.
I can get the name for you tomorrow, but I know that Daley's at Archerfield sell it by the litre and by the 20litre drum.
I think the 20 is under $200, so just pop into any suburban upholsterer and see if he'll part with a couple litres for 20 or 30 bucks.
It is infinitely better than the spray stuff.
It was very easy to pull down, as I had decided to use it sparingly because it is so expensive - 1 small can cost $20 and does not go very far when used correctly. Having said that, when used correctly, the adhesion was very good, just the coverage was terrible.
All the lining in the Ventura took 1.5 litres of glue from the gun, and will Not come off easily.
Shop around for a 2mm gun. I got mine NEW from the Paint Place for $25 off gumtree...
Good luck.

[giddyup58]

Had a play with the little Ventura today. The gearbox had turned up, so hit it with some 2 pack black yesterday afternoon and left it to dry overnight.

I found all the nuts, washers and the bolt to secure the box to the trunk, then turned the place inside out to find the flotorque hub for the Laser 2 propeller. Eventually found it and after spending a disproportionate amount of time fitting the water tube into the trunk, I finally got the leg on.

Quick trip to the servo for 20 litres of 95 octane, add a bit of oil, decant into rear tank, prime the carbs, choke for 8 seconds - Oh Joy! Instant noise!

Adjusted the idle, checked for leaks, checked gear selection - Job done.

119665

Continuing problem with portrait shots...

Anyhoo, getting closer every day. Not much left to do now...

[giddyup58]

Hi all.

I got the boat and trailer registered, which was a bigger job than anticipated.
Not the boat - that was easy.
The trailer...
I decided to put it over the weigh bridge, "just to be sure' about the weight.
I thought a 1300kg rated trailer would be more than adequate, however the weigh bridge didn't agree:
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=110094&uid=582453&d=1565090663 http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/attachment.php?attachmentid=119824&d=1565090707&thumb=1&stc=1

That's with no fuel, no gear, no seats or upholstery...

OK - solution - New 1500kg gal springs and new 13" tyres rated to 800kg each. The bearings were Ford, rated to 1500kg and the axle was 45mm round rated to 1500kg, so all good for a 1500kg rating. Which should do.

Tell you, I was surprised to see 1220kg on the scales...

So the son got back from his O/S holiday and we put the boat in for a test run.

119825

Unfortunately, it shat a power pack within a few minutes, so we limped back to the ramp and went home.

New power packs and tried again last weekend.

Good Grief.
The darn thing is quick.
4,000 rpm cruise - 30 knots verified by 3 GPS
5,300 rpm WOT - 40 knots
Spinning a 19" Laser II, which I reckon can come up a hole or 2 (maybe).
May be able to squeeze a bit more out of it.

No exciting pic's, but the son has a Navic drone, so maybe we can get some good footage next time...

With as much tact as he could muster, he asked that I lose the orange carpet.
What would he know! - He's colour blind!!!
But it is his boat, so I have changed the carpets over...

The upholsterer has done a great job for us, and the helm seats are done and fitted, as are the rear quarter seats and fold up table. The bunks and back rests have been promised for next week, so it looks like it's just about done...

I'll get some photos up when the upholstery is all fitted.

Then maybe I'll be able to get back into the Mustang so I can finish that too...

[ranmar850]

Tell you, I was surprised to see 1220kg on the scales... weighbridges have a knack of doing that--they ALWAYS weigh more "than you think". Every single boat I've ever weighed came in at least 200kg more than I thought it would. As for vehicles--I put my fully loaded ute over a weighbridge before I left for my recent holiday. Even without the weight of the trailer on the drawbar, it was, well, lets just say it would be an amazing testimonial to Nissan Patrol toughness. It's been carting this same load long distances over shocking roads and tracks for a very long time, and you just can't get a GVM upgrade on anything which would cover that weight. So the camper will have to live on a 2 tonne trailer from now on.

BTW, great job on the boat.

[gazza2006au]

Haha Giddy i thought that carpet was a throw back to the 70's wall paper i see your son has taste lol

40 knots on this old girl would have your skin peeling off haha suprized she weighs 1.2 ton i think i will be in for a huge shock with my boat hopefully trailer passes as 2ton

[Dignity]

Giddy, awesome work, your son now has a beautiful boat. Retro is all the fashion now, somehow the grey backrest is a bit of a let down, maybe black would have lifted it. I'm sure you both will get years of enjoyment from her.

[Fed]

Was the 1220 Kg the stand alone weight of the rig or the weight on the trailer wheels with the car still connected and taking the ball weight off?

[giddyup58]

Was the 1220 Kg the stand alone weight of the rig or the weight on the trailer wheels with the car still connected and taking the ball weight off?

Disconnected from tow vehicle, jockey wheel down, tow vehicle well clear of weigh pad.

[giddyup58]

Haha Giddy i thought that carpet was a throw back to the 70's wall paper

Gaz, you say that like it's a bad thing...

[Dignity]

Gaz, you say that like it's a bad thing...

On a new boat with carpet on it and realised all the things against it over the years it made for a very comfortable day on the water.

[gazza2006au]

Gaz, you say that like it's a bad thing... Not such a bad thing Giddy it wasnt to my taste but its not my boat rebuild we all have different taste in things today... just that carpet really stood out from the ordinary i thought u would have went with a black or dark gray to keep it subtle, i'm from the 80's so i'm into the 90's and 00 era my choices would be much different to yours i can understand the orange it may come with your era

[giddyup58]

i thought u would have went with a black or dark gray to keep it subtle,
Just pulling your leg, mate.
Yes, the red/orange was a bit over the top.
Stand by for the next lot of pics, which will feature the new carpet and the finished upholstery.
Shouldn't be much longer...

[Fed]

Years ago a woman posted here with pics of her Seafarer VSea, it had sort of the same colours as the carpet but they were on the outside of the boat. I thought it looked pretty good.
In NSW the RMS only considers the actual weight on the wheels not including the weight on the towbar and I suspect Qld would be the same so you may have had a bit more leeway than you think. My boat would be over weight for sure, my wife it the hoarder from hell.

[gazza2006au]

Fed when i've weighed unrego trailers they make u unhitch it from the car and weigh the whole trailer

[Fed]

That would be to get the weight of the trailer with no load on it.

[giddyup58]

Had a bit of a play today and got a couple of jobs done.

Lifted the motor another hole - should stop the slight case of porpoising and go a bit easier on fuel - or so my Merc guru mate tells me.
119833 119834

It is really irritating that the site wont allow portrait shots.
I'll try to remember in future to take all shots in landscape.

Got rid of all the red/orange carpet and went back to dark grey ribbed.
The frd hatch is fixed in place, as it covers the 110 litre fuel tank.
Obviously, the rear hatch is removable. Stowing jackets and safety gear there. Really too shallow (130mm) to do anything else with it...
But the carpets worked out pretty well, in spite of their not being orange:
119835

I did the final fit of the helm chairs, aft side seats and table.
Fitted a gas suspension pedestal on the drivers side. I have one in the Mustang and they are pretty good.
Luckily, the son likes the orange piping, so it doesn't have to be re-done or "suffered":
119836 119837 119838

Still waiting on the bunk and backrest cushions from the upholsterer. Should be ready early next week.

Water testing again this weekend. Very close to hand over time.

Maybe then I can get the Mustang finished...

[giddyup58]

Fed when i've weighed unrego trailers they make u unhitch it from the car and weigh the whole trailer

Don't need a certificate for trailer weight any more.

[gazza2006au]

That looks really nice Giddy the orange trim on the seats really sets it above and beyond that carpet change done a world of difference love the look of it looks like a high spec job top effort

[ranmar850]

Don't need a certificate for trailer weight any more.
ATM and GTM are two separate things according to the relevant AS. If they want you to unhitch, then that is the ATM. If weighed hooked up, then the GTM applies. They cannot weigh you unhooked and then to apply the GTM rating.

[giddyup58]

ATM and GTM are two separate things according to the relevant AS. If they want you to unhitch, then that is the ATM. If weighed hooked up, then the GTM applies. They cannot weigh you unhooked and then to apply the GTM rating.

Good to know.
Thank you.

[giddyup58]

Raised the motor 1 hole (3/4"), replaced both power packs with very old spares I had lying about and took it for a test yesterday.
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=110131&uid=582453&d=1565504970 http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=110133&uid=582453&d=1565505069

Surprisingly, the motor ran perfectly with the old PP's and punched faster out of the hole...
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=110134&uid=582453&d=1565505447

It was a bit blowy on the river, so we didn't try a WOT run, but it was faster by 2kts at 4,000rpm.
I had a good look at the cav plate at that speed, and both upper plates were clear, but the lower (the real) anti- cavitation plate was still well underwater.

I took a video of it (which will not load onto this site) and sent it to my mate Cyril, who said to come up another hole. That's a total of 4 holes up! (This is exactly the same as happened with the Mustang, where I had to convert the leg from XXL to XL and modify the transom).

So this morning, I raised the motor to the 4th hole.
119865

I checked all the dimensions.
The transom is 25", the leg is XL (25"), and the motor now sits 3" above the transom.
Didn't get a chance to test it today - no one wanted to come for a test run - so it will have to wait until next weekend to see if it is right.

Unhappy with having 2 Power Packs of indeterminate vintage, so I ordered a couple new ones off an eBay vendor. 2 for $71.00.
My poor old mum used to say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, but it seems that these Chinese manufactured items sell for anything between $35.00 and $125.00 each.
They have a 3 month guarantee, so I will fit them up as soon as they arrive and give the motor a thorough flogging. Probably take the Seafarer and the Mustang on a trip to the Gold Coast and back, just to prove reliability (or lack thereof).

Then all I have to do is fit the new bunk cushions, fit a WC and a VHF, orange pinstripe the black/white join on the side and cabin stripes and then hand it over, (hopefully with confidence), to my son and then start to enjoy boating and fishing again, rather than boat building...

But I definitely have my eyes open for a Formula 233 in need of a full restoration...

[gazza2006au]

Giddy really old Johnson/Evinrudes in smaller HP had 21.5" legs do u think this could be the case with your Mercury needing to be raised so high?

[giddyup58]

Giddy really old Johnson/Evinrudes in smaller HP had 21.5" legs do u think this could be the case with your Mercury needing to be raised so high?

Good thought, but no cigar.
25" exactly from bottom of transom bracket to cavitation plate on motor and 25" from top of transom to bottom of V.

Should have an answer tomorrow morning if we are on the right track or not...

[gazza2006au]

How'd u go with the last run?

[giddyup58]

Took the boat out on show day.
Very calm on the bay, so put in at Fisherman Island and went for a run to Peel and back, to check motor height and fuel consumption.

On the way to the ramp, we stopped at the Port of Brisbane weigh-bridge at the Pritchard Road turn off on the Port of Brisbane Highway, with a full load of fuel (175 litres) and safety gear, but no fishing gear and no front upholstery (est.10kg).
Good thing we uprated the trailer to 1500kg.
It came in at 1420kg on its own,
1320kg connected to the car.
OK. No need to worry any more about the trailer, which incidentally, tows beautifully and is super easy for launch and retrieve. Simply drive off/on.

Launched at Fishermans, (which was no problem but for the muck that the idiot boat-less fishermen and net casters leave on the pontoon), then flattened it for the run to Darcy, Hyubers, Hanlon, Douglas, Horseshoe Bay (stop for a look see) and off again via SW Rocks and Hope banks to the ramp.

Total of 63km. We travelled at 4,000rpm (31kts) for 1 hour with the occasional WOT burst and 10 minutes at just above idle.
We went through only 31 litres of fuel, which works out to about 2km /litre. With tank capacities of around 175litres, that gives a theoretical range of 340kms. Work on 250kms and there's a huge safety margin I'd expect.

So that means it can safely cruise from Manly boat Harbour and return, to Tipplers (132k), Sanctuary Cove (152k or even Southport boat ramp (172k) without refueling.

The Mustang with its 300hp Suzuki is more economical, but the old Merc didn't cost anything like the Suzuki did, and the reliability seems to be ok.

I replaced both control boxes earlier with some cheap-shit Chinese gear, and to my surprise, they worked perfectly. Go figure... $71 delivered for TWO ! And they work! Mercury originals are hundreds each...
But just in case, I have the 2 x 40 odd year old originals (which both worked, but for how long?) that will be kept aboard as spares, together with the correct tools, and I had the son do the changeover before we went, so daddy doesn't get a call to fix it if they need replacing while he's on the bay.

The upholstery turned up today.

Here's the before:

119931

And here's the after:

119932

119933

Before:

119934

After:

119935

Before:

119936

119937

After:

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=110109&uid=582453&d=1565252578


http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/asset.php?fid=110108&uid=582453&d=1565252547

It has transformed into a great little boat and with everything renewed, it should give lasting fun and reliability for years to come.

It has been a joy to work on. So I suppose NOW I can get back into the Mustang...

[gazza2006au]

2km's a litre thats is really good fuel economy for a Vsix 2 stroke 150hp!!! guys are seeing this kind of fuel economy from 4 strokes

[gford001]

2km's a litre thats is really good fuel economy for a Vsix 2 stroke 150hp!!! guys are seeing this kind of fuel economy from 4 strokesYeah my Ventura with a DF140A is only slightly better...... that's a 15 model modern 4-stroke.

Sent from my [device_name] using Ausfish mobile app

[giddyup58]

Checked that economy again last weekend, and 2km/litre is accurate.
I am really surprised by the economy...
I honestly thought it would go through twice as much juice.
I think these old 2 strokes can be a bit freaky with fuel use.
A mate had a 1650 bullet for like 25 years, and used to rave about the economy of the 2.5 litre 200 carbie Mercury.
My 200 2.5 on the Haines ski boat is nowhere near as economical as his, yet they are essentially the same motor.
Luck of the draw???
Having said that, my son is now completely happy with his little Seafarer.