pontoon restore

[vergil]

I am posting the before and after pic of my pontoon project and the pics of the work along the way, i am doing this project on somewhat of a budget. the boat is a 1968 riveria cruiser that was going to end up a dock, or at the scrap yard, the motor
(1977 75 hp johnson stinger) seems to be in really good shape 130 psi in all 3 cyl. and starts right up, though i know more about space ships then i do an outboard motor
but here are the before pics

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

here is the boat with no handrails and some of the decking up, notice the grinder as every screw, nut bolt etc.. had to be cut off or drilled out (always use stainless steel or at a minium galvenized hardware)

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

and the last set of pics is the toon completly stripped (how she sits today), now to start the wiring, and start cleaning, stripping the old paint off the pontoons (alot of old overspray of primer, and old powder coat) the project has slowed down due to weather, and i am plan on taking my time as it is jan. and dont plan on puttin her in the water till april at the earliest

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: pontoon restore

A real labor of love. I'm glad to see you doing the job right the first time. You'll have plenty of braggin pictures in the months to come, so please share.

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

A real labor of love. I'm glad to see you doing the job right the first time. You'll have plenty of braggin pictures in the months to come, so please share.

I hope to have it done right the first, being an older boat (it would be very easy to put more in it then the boat then its worth)but i think i can have a nice boat and not have a ton of money in it

 

[Russell48]

Re: pontoon restore

Thats right, Do it right the first time an will last a life time,, Keep up the good work over there Virg,,

 

[Jobless Recovery]

Re: pontoon restore

I hope to have it done right the first, being an older boat (it would be very easy to put more in it then the boat then its worth)but i think i can have a nice boat and not have a ton of money in it

Doing it right gives a big sense of satisfaction. We restored and and went way over and probably will continue to do more as time goes one. And yes, you WILL put more into it than it's worth but you already knew that. Enjoy your project and keep the pics coming. The fun is all in the project (there's not as much of you in the boat when you buy it vs. when you work on it yourself).

 

[5150abf]

Re: pontoon restore

You've got the bug now Virgil, you will never be done with it, always that one more thing.

I have rebuilt my fishing boat from the keel up twice in 9 years, the first time it needed it the second was because I didn't like a few things and wanted to change them but I am always messing with something, as long as you are enjoying yourself who cares.

And yes you will have more into it that it is actually worth but using a boat you built yourself is very satisfying.

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

Before the teardown, the ol boat looked like some navy screw up (battleship grey primer) but have some of the side panels painted(and what a differnce),I went to sherwin williams and was really surprised with what they carry. I got some marine/industrial epoxy sorta paint, this stuff is supposed to be uv resistant, and gasoline resistant, really good coverage (it looks like 1 gallon will do all the side panels) easy to apply. and has a really high gloss finish, but it was a little on the expensive side ($89.00 a gallon)
I am gonna see what they have as far as a bed liner like substance for the deck,
checking out the rustoluem brand bed liner stuff as well (a little bit cheaper but readily availible and will paint over it so its not flat black)
Still thinkin about those tubes though as far as how i am gonna strip them, or just lightly sand whats on them then paint something on there to help protect them, I noticed where the battery for the motor sits it has dripped some battery acid on the back, top side of the toon.It was nutrulized and cleaned but really left the alum. tarnished (i guess i am lucky the previous owner caught it and it didnt eat a hole in the toon) so i am leaning on painting them with something like that paint i got for the side panels just in aluminuim grey (not real shiney as we do fish)
For now i am working on the electrical wiring, and getting ready to cut and fit the wood to the deck.
I do have the bug, and the more i work on this ol thing the more i am starting to like it, Ill keep the pics coming

 

[Russell48]

Re: pontoon restore

Hey Virg, Was you going to put the ol rails back on ya toon or try to get updated one's for it, Just wondering cause I have a 1970 with good rails that I mite not put back on mine,,

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: pontoon restore

I went to sherwin williams and was really surprised with what they carry. I got some marine/industrial epoxy sorta paint, this stuff is supposed to be uv resistant, and gasoline resistant, really good coverage (it looks like 1 gallon will do all the side panels) easy to apply. and has a really high gloss finish, but it was a little on the expensive side ($89.00 a gallon)

Correctly applied that epoxy paint will last a loooooong time, you made a great choice with that.

I've been a pontoon owner for a whole 7 months now and we've already decided to start on our retirement boat in about 6 years. I'll find a servicable 24'ish hulk like you did and outfit it with the nicer furniture and features. I don't think I could build a base level pontoon for as cheap as new, but I'm pretty sure I can build a luxury pontoon for a lot less.

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

just a quick update, havent got a lot done, but have some must post advice, remember if you use tongue and groove plywood you will lose a 1/2 inch per sheet, so if you need 5 sheets to do your toon, you will actually need 6 to scab in a piece,

 

[Russell48]

Re: pontoon restore

Yea thats true Virg,, Man I plum didn't say nothing about that an sure am sorry,, I thought ya would have known that when ya got it,,

 

[5150abf]

Re: pontoon restore

Another thing Verg is to try and keep the joints on top of the crossmembers, probably not posible with the tounge and groove though, it just makes the joint stronger and helps keep water out.

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

i knew better then that, i was thinking about the last time we took the toon out water splashing through the joints, as far as keeping joints between the crossmembers that should be fairly easy, i couldnt imagine the joints not being on a crossmember, right now progress has come to halt due to weather and work

 

[ralphl]

Re: pontoon restore

I've seen lots of comments "put more in it than it's worth". Not from my point of view. I know that every screw and bolt is stainless and solid. I know the primer, paint, carpet and furniture are the best - and yes, probably better than anything that could come from a factory. The knowledge of how well my boat is put together, top to bottom, is worth every penny.

 

[Russell48]

Re: pontoon restore

I like puting more in it then it's worth, At lease I will know how much better my toon is built an going to last a lot longer for me, Can't wait to get my 1970 Riviara Cruiser done for spring,,

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

thats a very goog point ralphl, hadnt thought of it like that, how is your 70 cruiser coming around russell?

 

[Russell48]

Re: pontoon restore

I got the ol floor off now an grounded down all ol screws, So in about 2 weeks I will be putting new floor down, Wife is haven surgry next week so I won't be able to do alot,, An thanks for asking Virg

 

[vergil]

Re: pontoon restore

hopefully with warmer weather we can get something done