domwebhost
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2008
- Messages
- 117
Hi all,
I thought that I would document my pontoon boat restoration as it happens to give you guys a look into one man's journey (maiden voyage even) into restoring this boat.
A little nautical background about me:
My dad had always had pontoon boats and I grew up helping him rewire them, rebuild power-heads, change out water pumps and impellers, and even install an under-deck ladder; however, I have never taken on a project of this scope.
I bought a 1989 Starcraft Bass Buggy off of Facebook Marketplace locally (well semi-locally) for $700. It is 20 ft. and it didn't come with a trailer.
I rented a trailer and had a friend help me to get it from the seller's house to mine and the fun begins
When I looked at the boat I noticed that the deck was in very poor condition as was the upholstery. My plan is to strip it down and start from the pontoons/frame up.
Once I got it home and got some free time I liberated the rails and fencing off of the pontoon boat as well as almost all of the furniture (except for the console and the front seat as there is a live well in there and I ran out of time). The furniture stands were so rotted that I didn't need to unbolt them. I simply lifted them up and they came right out without any resistance (I made sure to measure and draw a diagram so I will know where everything goes back in), The flat headed carriage type bolts were not too bad to get out considering that they were 28 years old, but a few were stubborn and had to be coaxed out of there There were a total of 32 of these bolts (with 7/16" nuts on the underside) that had to be taken off along with 4 hex head 7/16 bolts that bolted into the deck on railing braces.. The railing splits in half right in front of the motor so I was able to manipulate the rails off of the deck with the help of my step dad. The frame for the canvas top also had to be taken off as well as to disconnect the wire going to the canvas top light. I also took off 3 out of 4 of the aluminum runners (for lack of a better name) that sit on the perimeter of the decking (the 4th one will have to wait until tomorrow since I forgot my drill bits and there are 4 rivets holding it on).
The attached pictures are what it looked like when I bought it compared to what it looks like today. I am hoping to get it stripped the rest of the way down tomorrow (it is supposed to thunderstorm tonight, but I am hoping that it will be okay by the morning.) I am going to be adding to this thread as I do the work so that everyone can see the progress I am making and the transformation (attempt
) of this oldie-but-goodie into a fun toy for my family.
I thought that I would document my pontoon boat restoration as it happens to give you guys a look into one man's journey (maiden voyage even) into restoring this boat.
A little nautical background about me:
My dad had always had pontoon boats and I grew up helping him rewire them, rebuild power-heads, change out water pumps and impellers, and even install an under-deck ladder; however, I have never taken on a project of this scope.
I bought a 1989 Starcraft Bass Buggy off of Facebook Marketplace locally (well semi-locally) for $700. It is 20 ft. and it didn't come with a trailer.
I rented a trailer and had a friend help me to get it from the seller's house to mine and the fun begins
When I looked at the boat I noticed that the deck was in very poor condition as was the upholstery. My plan is to strip it down and start from the pontoons/frame up.
Once I got it home and got some free time I liberated the rails and fencing off of the pontoon boat as well as almost all of the furniture (except for the console and the front seat as there is a live well in there and I ran out of time). The furniture stands were so rotted that I didn't need to unbolt them. I simply lifted them up and they came right out without any resistance (I made sure to measure and draw a diagram so I will know where everything goes back in), The flat headed carriage type bolts were not too bad to get out considering that they were 28 years old, but a few were stubborn and had to be coaxed out of there There were a total of 32 of these bolts (with 7/16" nuts on the underside) that had to be taken off along with 4 hex head 7/16 bolts that bolted into the deck on railing braces.. The railing splits in half right in front of the motor so I was able to manipulate the rails off of the deck with the help of my step dad. The frame for the canvas top also had to be taken off as well as to disconnect the wire going to the canvas top light. I also took off 3 out of 4 of the aluminum runners (for lack of a better name) that sit on the perimeter of the decking (the 4th one will have to wait until tomorrow since I forgot my drill bits and there are 4 rivets holding it on).
The attached pictures are what it looked like when I bought it compared to what it looks like today. I am hoping to get it stripped the rest of the way down tomorrow (it is supposed to thunderstorm tonight, but I am hoping that it will be okay by the morning.) I am going to be adding to this thread as I do the work so that everyone can see the progress I am making and the transformation (attempt
) of this oldie-but-goodie into a fun toy for my family.
