Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

[86RajunCajun]

Hey all!

So i have decided to re model this bass boat this winter. She really needs a full restore so ill bite the bullet and get it done as i like the boat and plan to keep it a while longer.

The transom, stringers and deck were pretty much all in some stage of rot, so they are all being replaced this winter. I have her already stripped down and now i am trying to think of how i can modify the top cap to get the effect i want. I will describe this in a bit, but i guess first things first, i need to introduce you all to my little money hungry hole on the water LOL.

1986 Mastercrafter Cajun II with a 1986 V150 Mariner V6.

Before tear down..Sorry bad pic i know..

So after the deck started caving in, i knew it had to all come out. So lets dig in there and see what we have eh! It was ALL bad! So out it comes!

Transom section...

Motor off...

And hangin out LOL...

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

So after i got the motor off i started working on stripping the rest of the wiring and steering and all other things that were in the way of removing the top cap.

Once i got all that out of there heres what it started to look like...

A little splitting action here...

Coming along...The previous owners have done a number on this poor boat!!
I cant say the origional builders did a very good job either. This boat was not well made from the factory.

OMFG YUCK!!!!! Look at that rot lol.

Removed some glassed in foam crap and look...more rot!

Stringers after foam was dug out from the hull and all around them..rotten too...

Time to rip all the stringers out and clean her gut up...

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

After i got the top cap off, i noticed how much room was wasted by the interior of the top cap.. i want to change this and open it up. Now i just need to figure out how i am going to go about doing this. I want the stern area from the helm back to be open, so i want to cut out the rear casting deck and the bench seat, and live wells and all that...is this possible without causing the hull to be weakened? Heres some pics...

I want all the back area here cut out...from the splash well to the helm, gotta go.. any ideas? Just break out the sawzall and get creative? lol

So pretty much i want to turn what was the rear casting deck and live wells into a passenger seating area. Ill get more pics soon so further detail what i want it to be like.

And of course the project goes on....stay tuned lol

RC

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Looks like you are well on your way. welcome to the madness. I am right there with you.

 

[bkwapisz]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

I bought my Ranger 680 specifically because it didn't have a rear casting deck. I like that better too. I plan on doing a bit of trolling and not much 2-man bassin' up here. Here's a pic or two of the layout. The batteries and livewells are in the bulkheads on the sides. You can stand on those I guess if you want to, but I'll stay on the deck. :redface: Anyway, here's an example of where to move the stuff to if you're interested. Looking good there BTW.

 

[thrillhouse700]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Looks awesome, man at least your foam was glassed in haha ours was just throw under the deck loose, under the front part of the cap loose, under the rear of the cap loose, needless to say it was very easy to remove it all.

 

[prolinews]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

I'm glad I'm not the only one jumping on a for the bass boat rebuild I spent a week on demo a week on rebuild I've run out of vacation time. I've got about eight hrs of work left before I can drop the cap back on. I'm not sure how much you want to spend on it , but I recommend coosa for the transom and knee walls . I used it in my boat for transom, knees,sole and core I can dead lift the back of my boat now( motor nor cap on it 20ft bass boat).

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Hey all, thanks for the replies and motivating words! Glad to know i am not going it alone!

BK, your ranger is awsome! i like the layout. My boat looks like it is wider toward the stern and it has a tapered shape growing wider as you go back. This makes square construction of any interior a bit more difficult to say the least. I figure i am going to end up making molds for glassing in new gunwales after i cut out the interior at the rear of the top cap. Im sure ill figure out some way of making it functional while still having a good looking boat.

Going forward...we been having some very strange weather here in ohio for this time of year. 75* in november just doesnt seem right to me, but i am taking full advantage of it while i can! Got more tear out done to the hull and of course more pics to share.

Here we go..

Sorry for the bad pic, but here is the trransom side of a stringer. Totally rotten! They didnt LOOK rotten, but my how glass can hide the rot!

Here is whats left of the transom! I couldnt believe that it came out as 1 piece for the most part. It was falling apart at the top..

Whole transom out..

Got this for 20$ at harbor freight! what a deal! It works great and really makes short work of pretty much anything used to build this boat.

Between the sawzall and the angle grinder it was like cutting butter thus far. Almost ready to remove the center stringers...

and alas, after about 2 hours of cutting, grinding and sweeping up...here is where she sits....

Next step from here is more grinding and getting rid of all the rough spots in the glass to prepare for a new base layer of glass. I have a few thin spots on the hull that i am going to build up a bit and then pretty much lay a full hull layup to be sure that the inside is sealed up and strong.

After i get the inside done i need to flip the hull over and re fair the entire thing after i fix a BUNCH of niks and dings in the chines and other areas. Some areas on the bottom have been worn almost through to the glass from years of loading and unloading on a carpeted bunk trailer.

So for now, this is all i have, but the work goes on. There wont be much of a pause untill the next segment.

Cheers!
RC

 

[BitterSweet]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

hey partner thanks for swingin in on my post... i appreciate the support... ive subscribed to your thread and added you as a buddy.. ill be shootin you a message here in a few to give you some insight on the deck and cap plans... but while im here... you boat is looking good and im envying your progress a bit... that tansom is pretty rough looking... i dont really know what to expect with mine being that i got the redneck fix on it... but well see i guess... keep up the good work... ill be talkin to you...

 

[scrawnyronny]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Ok RC. You must have started this project well before yesterday right?? Please tell me yes because it may make people,....oh... like me feel like I'm dragging my butt around in circles if this is 2 days work. Are you superboatman or have you been at this tear down awhile? Joking aside, I like your project and I'm looking forward to following your thread.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

HAHA....well, it isnt all 1 days worth of work, but i got all this work done in about 16 hours of work over 3 days or so, then i held onto the pics another 2 or 3 days before i posted them. Got busy doing stuff around the house for my wife, i forgot all about starting the restore thread hehe.

Once i get started on something i tend to go pretty heavy on it till i hit a point where something slows me down due to financial things or family etc. I just so happened to have a few days worth of clear schedule and i took advantage of them fully lol.

As far as where i am now...i plan to get the PL9000 and the wood for the stringers, deck and transom between now and saturday, and then hopefully this saturday i can get the finishing touches on the hull done and get it ready to have the glass layed up inside.

Thanks for the posts all and ill keep this updated as i make progress.

Cheers!
RC

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Well, i got to thinking about this project,and i realized that i have not yet correctly introduced you guys to the powerplant that i plan to use to push this old tub. Iv done a good bit of work to it over the last 18 months, so i figure i will share what i have learned about it with all of you in hopes that it will find someone in need of information, and therefore become useful! Worked for me lol.

So what i have is a 1986 model Mariner V150. This is a carbureted V6 with factory installed oil injection system <removed and deleted before i got it> but of course i looked it over before i accepted the engine. Previous owner was a boat guy like myself, so im sure he handled the engine well while he had it. As for the owners before him, hell who knows! All i know now is that this engine is in really great shape and has always run like a beast...till the ignition blew on me LOL. I did replace the stator, both power packs, the trigger and the rectifier about 7 months ago. Pretty pricey venture, but it was time. This engine ran on all the factory installed parts for its entire life other than spark plugs. Thats pretty tough stuff in my opinion! I only hope to get another 23 years out of the parts i installed... that would be great!! Wire insulation break down caused a short in the ignition system and really did a lot of damage. Many of the wires were rotten and didnt look it, but had cracks and such in them that allowed arching. That was all she wrote for the old parts.

This is a list of the things i have done to the engine since iv had it 18 months.


New water pump impeller kit.
New Spark plugs.
New spark plug wires.
New thermostats.
New power packs.
New trigger.
New stator.
New rectifier.
Carb kits x3 w/floats
New reed blocks.
New fuel pump kit.
New fuel line and filter.
New fuel hose and bulb.
New fuel line quick connects.
Fresh gear oil this winterization.
Mercury Power tune decarb this winterization.
All new marine fasteners on all coolant hoses.<after they were all inspected>
120 PSI on all 6 cyl's.

I have about $1100 in this engine including what i paid for it initially and all these parts iv installed.

What i still need to get fixed is...

New trim status sending unit. <maybe, i like the seat of my pants way>
New anode for lower trim cylinder.
New manual relief valve for trim system.
New paint job on entire outboard. <black and red to match boat theme>
New temp and water pressure sending units and gauges.

So thats about it i think. Im baffled on how i will get the entire engine painted, including the trim system. I dont forsee the paint job turning out very well without a lot of pain staking grease removal and some very cramped area sanding. Not looking forward to it at all. I am however looking forward to making the exhaust housing lower unit and cowling's look awsome!

Here are a couple pics i just snapped while enjoying a cold beer in my cold garage lol. I was planning!

Control side. The cables are removed and the fuel like is just hanging there so things look a little different when all hooked up.

This is the electrical side. Pretty much everything you see on this side other than the starter, the starter solenoid, and the trim solenoids are new parts. All connections to the engine were cleaned and sanded to bare metal then sealed with liquid electrical tape. I wont be having short problems due to neglected electronics again.

\

This is a shot of the choke plate. This is mounted to the 3 carburetor's and holds the trim solenoids on the starboard side. This plate also grounds the trim system to the engine through the mounting bolts. Mine needs a new gasket between the choke plate and the plastic air box that mounts to it.

And one for all you boat tweakers out there. CHEERS!!!! <Doesnt the outboard look like a transformer in the background?>

Take care all!!

RC

 

[BigDnuts]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Wow... that looks to be one hell of a project..good luck

 

[vegasphotoman]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Fun stuff, doing a great job...keep on rockin!

 

[shawnc]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

I'm doing something similar with an '88 Haulin' Bass 15 1/2 foot bass boat i drug home. I started on the trailer and stripped it down, repainted it, new bearings/races, and new bunks. My floor was shot and the foam was soaked with water. I split the hulls, sanded and repainted with rustoleum, which turned out pretty good, and filled the floor with construction foam board. I'm doing this on a budget. Luckily my transom was in good shape and the boat didn't have stringers to worry about. It's only rated for 30 hp and I'll be putting a 25 on it. It's going to be a small lake fishing machine.

Good luck with your build.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

I'm doing something similar with an '88 Haulin' Bass 15 1/2 foot bass boat i drug home. I started on the trailer and stripped it down, repainted it, new bearings/races, and new bunks. My floor was shot and the foam was soaked with water. I split the hulls, sanded and repainted with rustoleum, which turned out pretty good, and filled the floor with construction foam board. I'm doing this on a budget. Luckily my transom was in good shape and the boat didn't have stringers to worry about. It's only rated for 30 hp and I'll be putting a 25 on it. It's going to be a small lake fishing machine.

Good luck with your build.

LOL great name for a bass boat! "Haulin Bass" Thats awsome!

Your lucky man for sure. The stringers are proving out to be a bear to deal with. The problem i am having is finding wood good enough to make new ones. All the local Lowes and Home Deopt stores have pretty much garbage wood to choose from. I may have to dig a bit deeper to find good wood worth using in my boat. I only plan to do this once and never again.

Good luck with your build and thanks for dropping in on mine!

RC

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Hey all, got an update!

First thing, I want to apologize for the image size! I sized them all 800x600 not knowing the forum prefers 640x480:redface:....from now on ill post only 640x480 or under images. Sorry Mr mods!

This brings me to another question...does anyone know how to do a bulk image resize on a photobucket album without re uploading? I am finding no option for it, if it even exists?!

Ok so boat stuff update...well i have finally found a grade of outdoor ply that will suffice for my project. I plan on picking a couple sheets up very soon... hopefull as soon as this weekend but well see lol. Things havnt exactly been slow paced around here for me. Been really busy working and i have 3 projects going right now so damn its hard to find time to work on them all or type even an update.

So i plan sunday to get into it and make some progress. Nothing else to do all day long but boat work. Id like to get the hull grind done and get it all level and clean and ready for stringers and glass.

I have also made the decision to convert the top cap from side helm to center. I saw a design that i really like and the thing looks abolutely fabulous.
They are made by Allison Boats..
http://www.allisonboats.com/bass_boats/xb2002_index.php

This setup is awsome!

Where they have the open space in the rear of the driver i am going to place a bench seat and under it will be the gas tank. This is how the boat was built with you sitting under the tank lol...so i am gonna keep it that way, just change where you sit on it.

Very beautiful boat in my opinion! I would like to create a helm just like this boat has by using fiberglass over wood skeleton like the boat was originally built, but better of course lol. With my boat tho, i would be missing about 3/4 of the rear casting deck because mine is a 17 footer. With this configuration in my boat, i pretty much have no rear casting deck, and only a very suitable sized area for 3 passengers and myself. This will make the rear section of the boat for passenger comfort while underway, and the front of the boat will be for fishing primarily. I will be laying a removable deck system to take place of the front seat/rod lockers and between them the open area will become storage and leg room for me. I am tall, 6'3" and my boat was just too damn cramped as it is now. It has to change for my comfort and passenger comfort as i spent a lot of time on this rig in the warmer months and found exactly what i wanted changed about this boat to make it perfect for my needs....LEGROOM LOL!

I will get some pics of the area to be worked on and get them posted and get some research done on what i am aiming to achieve, then kinda just shoot from the hip and see where it lands.

RC

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Very cool design! Will be unique for sure.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

Welp, once again work and the holidays have pretty much owned me lol. I have managed to get a bunch of grinding done on the inner hull to get prepped for glassing, but there is still much to do in the way of grinding and sanding.

I have come to REALLY REALLY hate grinding fiberglass!! I hate the dust and the itching even tho i wear a protective suit and breathing mask etc, i still itch like mad!!

I did get the plywood i will be using for the stringers and transom, but i havnt got around to cutting anything yet.

I have been lucky enough to be able to save some funds for my resin and glass materials but i havnt decided yet where to purchase these products from.

Sorry for such a bleak update with no pics etc, but i promise i will get to posting more pics and progress as soon as i can. I want to have this boat ready for the spring fishing rush so i need to MAKE some time to get to working on it.

Thanks again for all your kind words of encouragement guys, they mean a great deal to me as i undertake this type of project for the first time.

More to come soon!

RC

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Diving in...Bass boat remodel!

I have been lucky enough to be able to save some funds for my resin and glass materials but i haven't decided yet where to purchase these products from.

If you don't have somewhere local, I haven't heard anything but great things about U.S. Composites. http://www.uscomposites.com/