1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

[frozenhawaiian]

so as you guys can see from the photos this boat has seen better days, little bit of background is that my Fiance's family bought it upwards of a decade ago and it was used regularly but didn't see much upkeep and care. so basically now my Fiance and I are jumping into an overhaul/restoration of it. today was day one, all the seats have had it and came out (both the bucket seats and the rear bench seat. I discovered several parts of the floor are soft and I'm not sure if I want to just repair the damaged portions or just replace the floor outright. cushions in the cuddy were trashed so they got canned. this boat also went aground 3 years ago and has been sitting idle since then so it's going to need a new upper and lower unit and propeller, needless to say we have a lot of work ahead of us. I have a few questions for you hot shots.

1. fix the rotted parts of the floor or replace it outright?

2. i know the photo quality is bad but does the hull look like it needs to be repainted or just a good going over with rubbing compound and a wax job.

3. trailer has been sitting for almost 3 years, I can tell just from a quick glance that at least 2 of the tires need to be replaced (double axle trailer) should I replace all 4 tires or only the ones that are visibly degraded. also what of the bearings? can I expect them to be bad and needing to be replaced?

here's a few photos of the boat, just to give you guys a rough idea of the work we have ahead of us.

hula girl

IMG_0232 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

trashed rear bench seat in the process of being removed

IMG_0230 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

cuddy with the waterlogged cushions all removed. that open compartment had 2 inches of water in it when I took this pic

IMG_0221 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

filthy engine compartment, but last time it was run this engine performed great.

IMG_0223 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

the piles of stuff needing to be replaced that we ripped out of the boat today.
IMG_0234 by HawaiiNate, on Flickr

 

[Chadsci]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

Nice Chris Craft. I wish my boat had a built in swim platform like yours. Looks like a great project boat. Did you get into it for the right price?

I am a novice for sure but my thoughts on your questions would be...

1. fix the rotted parts of the floor or replace it outright?
I replaced the Entire floor in my boat. I would remove the carpet and check all the floor sections, Then repair what is needed or replace the whole thing. On the plus side, the new carpet will be cheap(relatively) and makes such a huge difference.

2. i know the photo quality is bad but does the hull look like it needs to be repainted or just a good going over with rubbing compound and a wax job.
The Green paint on my Lancer was faded like yours. I used a hull cleaner and then Mequires oxidizer remover wax with a orbital buffer. If you have prior experience with a buffer you could tackle that yourself.

3. trailer has been sitting for almost 3 years, I can tell just from a quick glance that at least 2 of the tires need to be replaced (double axle trailer) should I replace all 4 tires or only the ones that are visibly degraded. also what of the bearings? can I expect them to be bad and needing to be replaced?
Tires is the one thing I would not mess around with. They are cheap and the four new ones with be under $400. Plus get an extra rim and mount one of the best of the old tires on it for a spare(or just buy 5 tires). The Wheel bearing and brakes should either be serviced or at least checked by a pro if you have not done that type of work before.

Any pics of the complete interior?

 

[frozenhawaiian]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

thanks for the response, a big part of me says just replace the floor outright so it done once and for all, and I hate marine carpet, once the floor is done I'm gonna put a layer of glass over it then paint it and put a non skid on it. at this point though I think getting the trailer road worthy is my priority at this point so I can move it into my buddies shop.

 

[bnicov]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

The two captain's chairs can be re-uholstered to look like new, they'd be pretty expensive to replace if the wood isn't rotten. The bearings on the trailer should be pulled off, inspected to see if they are still ok (probably are) and should be cleaned thoroughly and repacked with marine grade bearing grease. The brakes should be inspected to see if they are still functional, cleaned and lubricated. New tires is pretty much a given. Rubbing compound and a buffer should do a pretty good job of cleaning up that hull. The floor should be replaced entirely if there are several soft spots. As for the upper and lower drive units, have them checked out by a qualifed marine mechanic, for all you know, they could just need new lubricant and a coat of paint. Also a new prop and a new skeg welded on. Good luck, she's a nice looking boat. With some TLC, you may get her going for a reasonable cost.

 

[WILSONS88]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

I agree with bnicov. Trailer first, bearings checked, repacked. Probably replace the seals while I was in there. Check brakes and actuator, replace tires. Had to do the same so my Chaparral when I got it. I wet sanded with 1000 grit and compounded and polished out then hand waxed. Looked brand new when I was finished. Lot of work but I get lots of compliments on a 23 year old boat.

 

[vfrkent]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

Don't forget before you get going on this project to check the stringers and transome, most likely with it sitting out and exposed to the weather the stringers and transome will be rotted and need to be replaced before doing anything else.

Regards,
Kent

 

[frozenhawaiian]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

The two captain's chairs can be re-uholstered to look like new, they'd be pretty expensive to replace if the wood isn't rotten. The bearings on the trailer should be pulled off, inspected to see if they are still ok (probably are) and should be cleaned thoroughly and repacked with marine grade bearing grease. The brakes should be inspected to see if they are still functional, cleaned and lubricated. New tires is pretty much a given. Rubbing compound and a buffer should do a pretty good job of cleaning up that hull. The floor should be replaced entirely if there are several soft spots. As for the upper and lower drive units, have them checked out by a qualifed marine mechanic, for all you know, they could just need new lubricant and a coat of paint. Also a new prop and a new skeg welded on. Good luck, she's a nice looking boat. With some TLC, you may get her going for a reasonable cost.

sadly the wood bases of the captains chairs were completely rotted so they had to go, and the we asked the mechanic after the but was run aground if they were salvageable and were told both upper and lower unit were ruined. I swear if I ever get my hands on the idiots that took it joyriding.......

 

[frozenhawaiian]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

Don't forget before you get going on this project to check the stringers and transome, most likely with it sitting out and exposed to the weather the stringers and transome will be rotted and need to be replaced before doing anything else.

Regards,
Kent

the transom and stringers are actually in suprisingly good shape, it was stored indoors for most of it's life, only been stored outside the past 2 and a half years.

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 1985 chris craft scorpion 230 restoration

In my opinion the 1st thing on the list is to make sure your motor and outdrive are operational that can and will be a big part of the rebuild budget then tackle the deck and any electricals needing r&r'd the cosmetics can be worked on as you go. Good luck and looks to be a good rig to startwith.