The inevitable 1973 15 Reinell tri-hull restoration!

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

I finished painting the boat, and finally replaced all of the hardware. I had originally planned on painting the motor and trailer while the boat was on blocks, but a father / daughter camping trip came up, and I had to take the boat. I hope to get the motor back off of the boat, and the boat off of the trailer again in the next few weeks.
This was my first time using a spray gun. The texture is not perfectly even. I started to get the hang of it right around the time I was finished. And we have a few spots where the blue bled through the tape that need touching up. But for $80 worth of paint, and a few hours after work, I can?t complain.

You can kind of see the finished bow cushions. I will try to get better pictures this week.

I?ll post more pictures when I start to paint the motor and trailer.

 

[fstorm08]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

she looks GREAT!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

I'd say for your first Paint job, she looks pretty NICE!!!!!

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Thanks guys. I appreciate that. Like I said, it’s not perfect, but I’m pleased with the results.

One thing I learned that I can pass on to anyone trying this for the first time: If I were to do this again, I would “roll” the paint on to the bottom of the boat rather than spray. Using the cheap gravity fed spray gun, it was hard to get a good angle and coverage while lying under the boat. Rolling would have been much easier and quicker. But for me, spraying was definitely the way to go for all of the contours of the bow seating and splashwell on the top side.

Now for the trailer. What would be the preferred method of painting the trailer? I can adjust the spray from the gun, but would I be better off rolling, or even brushing the trailer? Any strong opinions out there?

 

[Fender929]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Hi dob, My father in law just gave me his what I think is a 1973 Reinell. This is my first boat and it has been sitting for about 15 years. I came across your restore and have been reading it over to get some ideas of what I am gonna have to do to restore it. By the way yours turned out awesome. The decking on the boat looks pretty sound. I don't think I will have to replace the deck like you had to but everything is stripped out of seats, gas tank upholstery ect.. so I will be replacing the interior and it looks like the hull needs some fiberglass repair like yours the trailer rollers are shot and it has some scratches. Doesn't look like there are any holes that go all the way through. What I wanted to ask you is what did you use to repair the bottom of the hull and also could you possibly post some pics of how you set up the interior? I have scoured the internet trying to see how the interior is laid out in the back and how the seats mount. I just ordered new seats for it and but don't know how they mount to the deck. Also was curious as to where you located your gas tank. And one other thin I noticed there is a factory hole in the back of the boat at the very bottom that goes through next to where the engine sits. I noticed on yours that it looked like you closed it up. I will post some pics of mine here in a minute. But I just wanted to pick your brain a little. Sorry I don't know too much boat terminology so excuse me for my descriptions.

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Hi dob, My father in law just gave me his what I think is a 1973 Reinell. This is my first boat and it has been sitting for about 15 years. I came across your restore and have been reading it over to get some ideas of what I am gonna have to do to restore it. By the way yours turned out awesome. The decking on the boat looks pretty sound. I don't think I will have to replace the deck like you had to but everything is stripped out of seats, gas tank upholstery ect.. so I will be replacing the interior and it looks like the hull needs some fiberglass repair like yours the trailer rollers are shot and it has some scratches. Doesn't look like there are any holes that go all the way through. What I wanted to ask you is what did you use to repair the bottom of the hull and also could you possibly post some pics of how you set up the interior? I have scoured the internet trying to see how the interior is laid out in the back and how the seats mount. I just ordered new seats for it and but don't know how they mount to the deck. Also was curious as to where you located your gas tank. And one other thin I noticed there is a factory hole in the back of the boat at the very bottom that goes through next to where the engine sits. I noticed on yours that it looked like you closed it up. I will post some pics of mine here in a minute. But I just wanted to pick your brain a little. Sorry I don't know too much boat terminology so excuse me for my descriptions.

Thanks. I need to get out and take some pictures of the interior. As for the lay out of the seats, after I finished the deck, I just put the seats in loose and moved them around until I felt comfortable with them and marked the position. If you can, mark a center line down your deck from bow to stern. That'l help you get everything squared up when you install seats and what not. People here use different techniques for installing seats. I glued (PB'd) the wooden mounts to the floor, and then used l brackets to screw the seats to the mounts. That way I didn't have to screw into the floor. I'll try to get some pics up soon.

As for the hole in the bottom, the drain hole, I didn't close it up. RobertD doesn't have a drain hole and he posted a few pictures in this thread. So you may be confused. Also, since I did my restore backwards, there was a period when I had to tab the transom over the drain hole, but I eventually opened it back up.

The gas can is just a 6 gallon that I got at W-mart. I really like the original aluminum tank, but I just couldn't get it clean enough and I was getting tired of pulling the carbs out to clean them.

The best thing for you to do would be to start a resto thread. You'll get a lot of great advice. I can help with the Reinell specific stuff. When you do, PM me the link and I'll be sure to chime in and help out when I can.

 

[Fender929]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Thanks. I need to get out and take some pictures of the interior. As for the lay out of the seats, after I finished the deck, I just put the seats in loose and moved them around until I felt comfortable with them and marked the position. If you can, mark a center line down your deck from bow to stern. That'l help you get everything squared up when you install seats and what not. People here use different techniques for installing seats. I glued (PB'd) the wooden mounts to the floor, and then used l brackets to screw the seats to the mounts. That way I didn't have to screw into the floor. I'll try to get some pics up soon.

As for the hole in the bottom, the drain hole, I didn't close it up. RobertD doesn't have a drain hole and he posted a few pictures in this thread. So you may be confused. Also, since I did my restore backwards, there was a period when I had to tab the transom over the drain hole, but I eventually opened it back up.

The gas can is just a 6 gallon that I got at W-mart. I really like the original aluminum tank, but I just couldn't get it clean enough and I was getting tired of pulling the carbs out to clean them.

The best thing for you to do would be to start a resto thread. You'll get a lot of great advice. I can help with the Reinell specific stuff. When you do, PM me the link and I'll be sure to chime in and help out when I can.

Hey thanks dob for getting back to me. Okay yeah your right it was his that i was looking at with the hole sealed off. On yours is there a plug for that. It just seems that the boat would fill with water with that open. lol. Yeah thats what I want to do with my seats. I really don't want to drill into the deck if I don't have to. I will get some pictures up asap so you can check it out. Also I have seen some people talking about the transom. What is the transom? And also I heard there is a test you can do to make sure that your stringers and foam are in good shape. I've walked around the boat deck and everything feels pretty solid except for 1 or 2 very small soft spots. I just want to make sure this thing is lake worthy before I take it out.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Boat looks sweet. Nice paint design, very unique. Ya done good.

 

[Robert D]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Hi there! Robert D here.....been off the forum a while, fishing of course My sealed off drain plug was the best thing I did. Even after the boat has been moored at a marina for 55 days, I can reach down in the bilge and wipe with my finger......still bone dry and even some fiberglass dust still present! The bilge pump was a waste of money, it seems. I did coat the entire inside of the hull with epoxy, and added some extra glass in places.

Seats...what I ended up doing was carpeting the deck completely, positioning the seats where I wanted them, cut the carpet of fthe deck on the inside under the seats, screwed down L brackets on the inside, then glassed over the screws and L brackets...relined the inside with matching carpet. Overkill, and I hope I never have to remove the seats!

The total restore was well worth it......boat has been very reliable, very fast, and awesome for salmon fishing. Only issue was last year in the Columbia River Gorge, river was at flood stage, high wind driven swells of about 3 to 4 feet and trying to make good time back to the dock. I was a bit nervous seeing swells up higher than the sides of my boat. Felt like the open ocean. Now that was a bumpy ride. My fishing partner concurred....full throttle and we'll take the beating. Actually wasn't too bad except when we caught air a couple times. We were hitting swells and spraying water 20 feet to the sides, slamming a few pretty hard. Definitely not what a tri-hull is made for. Inspected the transom, knee braces and everything else the next day, and it held up with no problem. It was a bit more water than the boat was built for, but it held its' own. As for salmon fishing, you won't find a sturdier platform I suspect. With 2 two-hundred pound guys on the same side of the boat landing a fish, it doesn't even come close to feeling like it is leaning.

You mention a few soft spots in the floor on your project......keep in mind that is usually the tip of the iceberg. Be prepared to go all the way in. You'll probably find 600 lbs of water soaked foam to dig out.....

 

[dOb]

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Re: The inevitable 1973 15? Reinell tri-hull restoration!

Here are some pictures of the bow cushions I made. They aren?t perfect, but for under $100 they?ll work for me.

Last weekend I put the boat up on blocks again and I had the kids help me paint the trailer. I only removed the roller mounts and reflectors. I used a wire brush attachment for my drill, and a grinder to remove the rust. Then I gave the kids masks and gloves and we went to town. I also put a coat of Mercury Phantom Black on the motor. It had some spots of what I think were barnacles at one time.

The motor also had some prop damage from a few weeks ago. While I was sanding the barnacles spot, I decided to try and fix the prop. One blade had about a half inch of damage. I sanded it smooth and put a piece of tape on the back side. Then I spread some JB Weld on the prop and tape, well past where the prop would go. The next morning I used a dremel sanding disk to shape it up.

Sanded again and painted. I wasn?t sure if it would work, but I didn?t have anything to loose. So far so good.

I'm planning on taking her to the gulf coast soon. I know there is probably another forum for this, but does anyone have any advice for putting a small boat in salt water. I know to grease up the external parts good, and to flush her out with fresh water when I'm done. We'll be fishing in the bay, so no rough water to deal with. Any other words of wisdom?