1978 bmc

[Treyu]

Hello everyone! I have been reading these forums for nearly 5 hours now (getting hateful looks every so often from the wife).

A few weeks ago I made the decision to buy a bass boat but am totally clueless about them. I searched the local sale papers and craigslist but came up empty. I was driving near a friends house today and saw a boat with what appeared to be a christmas tree laying in it. To make a long story short, I bought a 1978 BMC that appears to be a bass boat/ski boat for $100.00. The trailer is in great condition (one bad light). The boat itself is another story...

There is no motor with the boat. From what I could tell by walking (after the tree removal), the floor was fairly solid minus one spot near the far edge of the hull. There were a few knicks and dings in the hull and a couple of rough places on the topside but for the most part the structure was intact. The carpet is basically shot, the drivers seat is missing, and the passenger seat is a mess. The paint on top is faded but most of the fixtures seem to be in great condition.

I'm excited about the idea of fixing the boat up but am also very intimidated.

I have no interest in a big motor at this time, I simply want a reliable fishing cruiser. Is it possible to hook up a low hp (9-20) to a steering wheel?

I will do my best to post a few pics tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

Here are the photos I promised:

I attached the pictures of the stern area with surface rot of the thin gas tank and battery support structure. The transom appears to be in perfect shape. I checked every inch of it and it seems intact top to bottom. Would it be possible to go through and tear out the rot and simply rebuild that section? Nothing pretty mind you, just for stability.

The hull of the boat is in great shape. I went over it in detail yesterday and could find nothing even remotely resembling a crack. All my questions revolve around the paint and interior. I'll number these, hopefully that keeps them a little more readable.

1. Is it possible to do anything with that heavily oxidized paint? If not, what is a very cheap alternative that would last 2-3 seasons? I don't mind a little elbow grease at all, in fact I prefer it to spending money.
2. I found a 7.5 Mercury stick motor for $400.00 and it appear to be in great shape. Is that too much money / enough power for just slow bass fishing.
3. Would Lowes marine grade carpet be decent for 2-3 seasons? If not, what is the next cheapest alternative?
4. What size battery should I get if I plan on running two floating lights, a 30 thrust trolling motor, navigation lights, and occasionally a spotlight (possibly side mounted blacklights as well).
5. What type seats should I get in order to accommodate those seat mounts that are in the boat presently?
6. What am I missing? I am completely new to the boating world and honestly have learned everything up to this point by reading this site.

Pics:

The first three are the boat prior to being cleaned up, the rest are after we removed the hardware, carpet, and 10,000 pine needles from the Christmas tree that had been laying in it since December (I'm thinking it was a couple of December's ago lol).

Thanks again!
Trey

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 bmc

Welcome to iBoats Trey!!!

That's a Great little Starter Fishing Boat. I had a very similar boat 20 years ago.

1. Is it possible to do anything with that heavily oxidized paint? If not, what is a very cheap alternative that would last 2-3 seasons? I don't mind a little elbow grease at all, in fact I prefer it to spending money. Buffer and Compound polish. It is probably Gelcoat and NOT paint.
2. I found a 7.5 Mercury stick motor for $400.00 and it appear to be in great shape. Is that too much money / enough power for just slow bass fishing. That would be a good "Kicker" motor but I think you will need about a 40 hp for a Main motor $400 is proably about right but In my opinion to small a motor. Get a 40lb thrust trolling motor for slow bass fishing.
3. Would Lowes marine grade carpet be decent for 2-3 seasons? If not, what is the next cheapest alternative? Yep that should work just fine.
4. What size battery should I get if I plan on running two floating lights, a 30 thrust trolling motor, navigation lights, and occasionally a spotlight (possibly side mounted blacklights as well). Probably should get TWO twelve volt Marine Batterys
5. What type seats should I get in order to accommodate those seat mounts that are in the boat presently? Wall Mart sells some nice Fishing Seats and the Swivel mounts.

6. What am I missing? I am completely new to the boating world and honestly have learned everything up to this point by reading this site. Do you have the Steering controls and the Throttle controls Gas Tank for the Motor.


A little more "Spit and Polish" and you'll be catchin fish!!! Let us know if we can help with any more questions or issues.

Welcome Aboard!!!

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

Hey Woodonglass,

Thank you for the lengthy reply. I have the steering wheel but the cables for the steering and throttle have been removed. I do have the gas tank which seems to be in good shapte.

What kind of seat bases should I get to go with those at Wal-Mart?

Thanks again!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 bmc

What is the Inside diameter of those mounts? These swivels fit 2 3/8" openings and sell for $25

bucks....

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1978 bmc

Look for a motor that is already set up for remote operation and comes with controls. It will cost you a bundle to convert a tiller motor and probably be a pain. If you're not looking for speed, then I'm sure anything 10HP+ will push it. Keep in mine you are undoubtedly carrying around a bunch of wet foam under that deck. I wouldn't put much effort into trying to restore that gel coat. I'm sure it's shot. I'd paint it with Rustoleum and be done with it. You definitely scored more than $100 worth of stuff there and I like those old bass boats. This one would be worth the effort to fix up.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1978 bmc

Welcome to iBoats Trey!!!

That's a Great little Starter Fishing Boat. I had a very similar boat 20 years ago.

1. Is it possible to do anything with that heavily oxidized paint? If not, what is a very cheap alternative that would last 2-3 seasons? I don't mind a little elbow grease at all, in fact I prefer it to spending money. Buffer and Compound polish. It is probably Gelcoat and NOT paint.
2. I found a 7.5 Mercury stick motor for $400.00 and it appear to be in great shape. Is that too much money / enough power for just slow bass fishing. That would be a good "Kicker" motor but I think you will need about a 40 hp for a Main motor $400 is proably about right but In my opinion to small a motor. Get a 40lb thrust trolling motor for slow bass fishing.
3. Would Lowes marine grade carpet be decent for 2-3 seasons? If not, what is the next cheapest alternative? Yep that should work just fine.
4. What size battery should I get if I plan on running two floating lights, a 30 thrust trolling motor, navigation lights, and occasionally a spotlight (possibly side mounted blacklights as well). Probably should get TWO twelve volt Marine Batterys
5. What type seats should I get in order to accommodate those seat mounts that are in the boat presently? Wall Mart sells some nice Fishing Seats and the Swivel mounts.

6. What am I missing? I am completely new to the boating world and honestly have learned everything up to this point by reading this site. Do you have the Steering controls and the Throttle controls Gas Tank for the Motor.


A little more "Spit and Polish" and you'll be catchin fish!!! Let us know if we can help with any more questions or issues.

Welcome Aboard!!!


View attachment 101355

Spot on ^^

YD.

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

Look for a motor that is already set up for remote operation and comes with controls. It will cost you a bundle to convert a tiller motor and probably be a pain. If you're not looking for speed, then I'm sure anything 10HP+ will push it. Keep in mine you are undoubtedly carrying around a bunch of wet foam under that deck. I wouldn't put much effort into trying to restore that gel coat. I'm sure it's shot. I'd paint it with Rustoleum and be done with it. You definitely scored more than $100 worth of stuff there and I like those old bass boats. This one would be worth the effort to fix up.

What type of prep would I need before using the rustoleum? Thanks for the info!

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

I'm at the lake right now, but those look perfect. What site did you find them. Thanks again, you guys are great!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1978 bmc

What type of prep would I need before using the rustoleum? Thanks for the info!

I'm sure Mr. Woodonglass will be back with an extensive step by step he's compiled for painting with Rusto.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 bmc

Seat Swivels Here...
http://boatingsavings.sportsmansgui...seat swivels&gclid=CIG26r6g66kCFQns7QodkwJbag

Ok Here's my recommended formula for Rustoleum Paint for Roll n' Roll and for Spraying.
This Should yield one THIN coat on a 14-16 foot FIBERGLASS boat hull. For aluminum boats use Rustoleum's Self Etching Primer on ALL bare aluminum spots and Rustoleums Bare Metal Primer on the rest. If you have Deep sides you may need to adjust the amount of Paint you buy. I recommend Rustoleum's Topside Primer. IF your boat is NOT left in the water for MORE than 3-4 days at a time, this will work fine. This is NOT for boats left in the marina for the season.

This is for Roll n' Roll Application

Final sand with 180 grit and wipe down with acetone.
Two coats of Primer. Roll n' Roll technique is the same. Thin coats!!!

2 cups Paint
1/4 cup of ACETONE or if the temp is over 80 degrees use Mineral Spirits
1 oz of Hardener (1/8 cup)(Sold @ Tractor Supply Stores)

Wet roller with paint an roll out about 4-6 sqare feet. If you can HEAR the paint (Sticky Sound)you are rolling too long. Put the first roller in a Plastic bag and use another roller. wet it out but wring out almost all of the paint and then Re-roll the area you just painted. Use a very LIGHT stroke and the paint should lay down with NO Bubbles!. Put this roller in the bag and use the other roller again. Repeat this process untill the boat is painted. Always do the re-roll with a damp roller with very little paint in it and LISTEN. You will hear the sound that lets you know when it's time to stop. It's kind of a sticky sound.


For Spraying.

Final sand and wipe down with acetone.
Two coats of Primer. Use HVLP spray gun with 1.2mm Tip. Thin coats!!!

1 qt paint
1 1/2 cups of Acetone 1/4 cup of Mineral Spirits
2oz of Hardener (1/4 cup) (NOTE: Only add Hardener to the amount of Paint that you will use in an 8hr period.) DO NOT use after this 8hr period.

This yields two coats of Paint.
Shoot first coat in the morning.
Wait 4-5 hours.
Wet sand with ScotchBrite Pad LIGHTLY to knock down any nubs or bugs.
Dry.
Tack cloth off with Mineral Spirits.
Dry.
Shoot second Coat.
Let dry over night
Repeat wet sand and Tack cloth
Shoot 3rd and 4th coat if needed.
​

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

Thanks so much for the advice! As soon as I get back I'm starting and will post pics.

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

I know this is probably an elementary question, but what do you mean when you say "wet" it out? Also, how do you get into the finer areas, such as those around riveted in storage lids and the trim around the outside top of mine? Thanks again Woodonglass, you have been an amazing help.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 bmc

Wet It OUt means get it soaked with Paint but then wring out all of the paint.
to get into the cracks and crevices you will need to use a 1" Foam Brush. I won't leave any brush marks just like the roller.

Check out this guy. He just used the Roll n' Roll method using the Paint Formula

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=309879&page=26

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

Check out this guy. He just used the Roll n' Roll method using the Paint Formula

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=309879&page=26

Those are fantastic! What size roller do you recommend? Also, what do I do after the final coat, can I apply wax right after its cured? As always, thanks again!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 bmc

Those are fantastic! What size roller do you recommend? Also, what do I do after the final coat, can I apply wax right after its cured? As always, thanks again!

6" Foam roller. Ultra Fine. With the hardener it will be "Hard" in 4 hours but... I would NOT do ANYTHING to it for a Week to let it FULLY CURE. Then WAX away!!!!

HINT: If you want a COLOR that you cannot find, then you can use Acrylic Artists OIL paint from any Art supply store that you buy in tubes. Thin it with Acetone and mix it with the Rustoleum GLOSS WHITE. You can get ANY Color in the Rainbow and it works GREAT!!!!

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

I think the red would work good if it was a little darker. Could I mix a hint of black with it to make that maroon?

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1978 bmc

I think the red would work good if it was a little darker. Could I mix a hint of black with it to make that maroon?

Nope..that will give you muddy red ..

It depend on what Base red you start out with .. sometimes just adding purple will get you there. If you get a light maroon..then start slowly adding black to get your shade.

Hue first..shade last.

YD.

 

[Treyu]

Re: 1978 bmc

Nope..that will give you muddy red ..

It depend on what Base red you start out with .. sometimes just adding purple will get you there. If you get a light maroon..then start slowly adding black to get your shade.

Hue first..shade last.

YD.

Thanks for the heads up! With the shades rustoleum offers, what would you recommend if I simply used the base color with no extra shading? Also, what size engine would get it on the plane?

By the way, I want to thank everyone responding and offering help. I've set at the lake today and actually held my own in a few boat conversations, something I could not have done a week ago.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1978 bmc

If you want maroon, you will need to buy the Rustoleum RED for your BASE color. Then Some Blue, Black and or Yellow

Then use a combination of one of these...

Cool: Start with the primary red color, add a small amount of primary blue (you can always add more later, be careful, too much will make purple), and then add black until you achieve the tone of maroon that you want.

Warm: Same as above, except instead of the blue you would use a small amount of yellow to achieve a warm maroon that will have a hint of a brown color as its base (you can not add brown itself to it, as it is not a primary color and will create mud).