Doing boat restoration has become an ongoing hobby for me. Each project seems to be more complex than the last. I like that progression. It broadens my skill sets and prepares me for the next, which may be more difficult.
My last boat restoration involved a lot of wiring projects. I added a nice sound system with a high power amp. I didn’t need to but I really wanted to make this boat stand out. To that end, I also added blue led interior lighting to it. In order to do that I had to add a lot of auxiliary wiring as well as switches and power panels. I also learned to leave drag string inside the hull for future wiring projects. I also learned a lot about fiberglass repair and gel coating. There was a large gash in the upper part if the boat. Thankfully, not in the hull.
Before that I restored a Wahoo center console 180. That was really an education for me. I re-pwoered that boat with a used Mercury engine. It originally had an Evinrude. I learned the hard way that I had to run all new controls on that boat to match the engine. Here’s a link to that article. Wahoo Restoration
I’m on my third restoration project, a 1966 Boston Whaler 13. This one is going to be a challenge. The hull is in great condition. However, the inside shell needs a lot of work. There’s several layers of old paint as well as some fiberglass de-lamination that needs to be corrected. Not only that, but there are sections of the non-skid flooring that need to be repaired (ore entirely removed). On top of that, the engine, a 1988 Johnson 40HP hasn’t been run in over 20 years. I’ll be spending a lot of time getting this seaworthy but am looking forward to the challenge!
Getting Started with Wiring the Console In order to get the boat console wiring done, the first thing I needed to do was map out a wiring path for the inside of the console. My solution is to usually stare it for a while until a plan starts to come together. Whatever wiring path I …
Installing the Boat Console Wiring – Boston Whaler Restoration Part 17B Read More »
Preparing the boat console for the Boston Whaler Restoration was an interesting endeavor. I had originally wanted to control the power from the engine remote controller. Instead, I opted to add a push button switch that would power up the console. The reason for this is that I wanted to be able to have power …
Preparing the Boat Console -Boston Whaler Restoration Part 17A Read More »
In this segment of the Boston Whaler restoration I will take you through the process of installing the rub rail. If you have heard these rub rails are difficult to install, you would be correct! They are however within reach of most do it your selfers. What You’ll Need Two drills, one with a drill …
Installing the Boston Whaler Rub Rail -Boston Whaler Restoration Part 16 Read More »
Introduction Let me start off by saying that I ordered the mahogany wood classic Boston Whaler interior from Bob Latourelle. in Massachusetts. Bob does great work and for the price it is a great deal. In this article we will take you through the process of installing the super sport wooden mahogany interior. On a …
Installing the Boston Whaler Interior – Restoration Part 15 Read More »
In this part of the restoration, we will be going over restoring the Boston Whaler boat trailer. The trailer that came with my Boston whaler didn’t quite meet my expectations, partially due to the age of the some of the components. On this particular boat trailer, we will be replacing the Rollers, adding side bunks …
I’ll be priming and finishing the hull in part 14 of this classic Boston Whaler 13 restoration. To get this hull to a perfect finish, I’ll be using TotalBoat two part epoxy barrier coat and Interlux perfection. Interlux is a two part polyurethane boat paint with a high reputation. Of course, there will be a …
Roll, Don’t Tip Two Part Polyurethane Boat Paint! – Boston Whaler Restoration – Part 14 Read More »
The next step in restoring this Boston Whaler 13 is going to be fairing and prepping the hull for it’s final paint. Fairing is the process of creating a smooth surface in preparation for applying epoxy primer and final painting. The objective is to have the surface free of dips or bumps. I’ll be using …
How to Fair and Prime a Hull with Epoxy Primer – Boston Whaler Restoration – part 13 Read More »
Hull Fiberglass Repair In this article I’ll cover a hull restoration . This involves a major hull fiberglass repair. I fixed the normal gelcoat and small fiberglass damage you would expect on an old Boston Whaler. But, I also found that the large chine on the port side had been compromised. Surprisingly, it was completely …
Damaged Hull Fiberglass Repair – Boston Whaler Restoration – Part 12 Read More »
I bought this Whaler without an interior so had to buy one. Luckily, there’s a great craftsman in Haverhill MA who fabricates them out of real African Mahogany. Bob Latorelle put together a Super Sport interior for me at a fantastic price. The wood came unfinished so applying spar varnish was the first order of …
Applying Spar Varnish to a Mahogany Interior – Boston Whaler 13 Restoration – Part 11 Read More »
Now that the weather is warming up here in North Carolina, I can finally start working on the hull and the boat transom. The transom fiberglass repair will consist chiefly of patching in all of the holes with a permanent fix. The only holes I won’t fix are the ones for mounting the engine. This …
Sealing the Boat Transom Fiberglass Repair – Boston Whaler 13 Restoration – Part 10 Read More »
