New Boat Owner, need some direction!

bcorona1

Cadet
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
7
Recently I purchased a 73 Richline Fiberglass Bass Charger (I think thats the model) It came with trailer as well as a 1969 Evinrude 25hp outboard motor (model # 25903b). We got the boat for 300 bucks, not a bad deal I dont think. We took the boat out the other day to make sure it was functional. When we purchased the boat we got the motor to turn, and the lady we bought it from said it hadnt been cranked since about last may. The hull seems strong, the transom seems solid. There is only one soft spot in the bow deck area. When we took it out on the lake to test her out, we couldnt keep the motor running strong. Supposedly the motor ran fine last year, and it has had fuel injector work and been re-wired and plugged. The motor is very clean, seemingly. I was curious as to what i should do in order to get this boat into fishing ready status. We have only invested about 300 into this boat and are just looking to get the boat in functioning shape, hopefully without breaking the bank. So as of now i think we are going to do a few things :

To Do List :
1) get motor to run smoothly
2) Re-deck the boat (temporarily)
3) Sand, Fill, Seal, and Re-paint Hull (minor scratches, and minor gouges)

Does this seem feasible for a boat project. As far as getting the motor to run better, i need some good direction. I am pretty handy and have worked on a few types of motors, just no outboards. As far as re-decking the boat. I was thinking about cutting into the original deck to make sure the stringers and foam are "structurally" sound and just decking over the original deck. I know that this is not a permanent fix, but we are not looking to keep this boat forever, we are just looking to fish on it for a few years. I know that we need to cut 1/2 plywood to shape, resin seal it, affix it to original deck, then glass into sides. Does this sound relatively accurate? With the hull, we need to sand it down, fill scrapes and scratches with "bondo" material, seal with resin or epoxy paint, and then sand and re-coat a few times. Does this sound feasible?

Like I said we have never owned a boat, but are looking to gain experience in boating as well as repair. We purchased the boat for 300 bucks and are not trying to break the bank to get to water ready. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Here are some pictures of the boat:
 

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JGra

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
222
Re: New Boat Owner, need some direction!

I think you got a great deal on the boat. I think you will find that you will not get alot of support about decking over an old deck on these boards, at least I did not. I was in the same boat as you. I got a free boat from a friend and picked up a trailer for 150 bucks. Floor had some soft spot in it and really needed to be replaced. I was just looking to get it repaired to get a couple 3 years out of her. So thats what I did. I cut out some of the bad spots in the floor and put some new plywood over the top, glassed the top and sides of the floor. Some fresh paint and aot of elbow grease and I think I got out what I wanted plus I think it turned out well. Total in my whole project including the motor was around $1500 bucks.I would say go for it. You dont have to do a total restore if your just looking to get a couple years of fishing out of her. This board is great though. You will not find a better source of ideas and information, and the people hear are great. You will find alot of opinions and advise on these boards. Alot of it good and some you may not want to hear. Take in all the advise and apply what fits your project, thats the approach i took. I am sure I will get comments about this post. Below are some before and after pictures of my project. Good luck with your project.

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bcorona1

Cadet
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
7
Re: New Boat Owner, need some direction!

That looks great! What kind of paint did you use? What kind of deck covering is that?

Hopefully i can get around the same results with our little project boat here.
 

JGra

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
222
Re: New Boat Owner, need some direction!

Thanks, THis all started out to be a very low budjet project. The paint was just a gallon of rustoleum exterior oil based paint. I just used a roller to put it on. I only painted the deck and not the hull. The flooring was a left over piece that is used inside ambulance units. Its is also available on the internet and I have even seen it on e-bay before.
 
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