Restoration Complete! Final Sea Trial for the Year – Boston Whaler 13 Restoration Part 21
Watch the final boat cruise of the year on the restored Boston Whaler 13! Join us as we celebrate the culmination of our hard work and dedication.
1966 Boston Whaler 13 Restoration
Boston Whaler 13
I love restoring boats, in the past I’ve restored an 18 Ft 2001 Wahoo center console, a 2005 Seaboss 180DC Dual Console. Each of these have been increasingly more demanding in the amount of restoration required. This Boston Whaler 13 I just bought (Less than 2 weeks after selling the SeaBoss) is no exception. Actually, it will require a significant amount of restoration to make it sea worthy again, not that I would take this boat out in Blue water.
Previous
Next
I first saw one of these during a dive trip to Key Largo. I’ve always been a fan of the Boston Whaler boats. Chiefly because of the hull design on them. They handle more like a sports car, tracking hard turns fairly flat. At times at the risk of flinging folks out of the boat! The 13 footer intrigued me because of its looks and practicality.
Whaler 13 Hull and Interior
This 13 footer I picked up had a fairly solid hull and the transom is in excellent condition. Having a solid hull and transom on any 1966 boat is nothing short of a miracle. The interior was another story. There was some delamination in the bow area, which seems to be fairly common on these boats.
There was also a significant hole in the anchor locker. I presume from having an anchor bouncing around in there during it’s 52 years of use. Surprisingly, the fiberglass in that area of the boat was less than 1/8” thick. I thought this unusual for a this boat since they have such a solid reputation.
1988 Johnson 40hp
This boat came with a 1988 Johnson 40hp outboard. I’ve yet to see whether this motor is salvageable or not. The teraflex steering rod is stuck in the tilt tube. As if that isn’t enough, the tilt tube itself is stuck with the engine in the raised position. I’ll have to solve those two issues before I attempt to start it. Starting it will be a challenge as well since the previous owner lost the key to the ignition switch. If I can get it started I’ll do a compression test and go from there.
Update on Motor
I’ve done a significant amount of work on this motor and it is running decently now. You can read on all the work I’ve done here: 40HP Johnson Restoration
I have decided to not use the Johnson. I’ve opted for a newer (97) Yamaha two stroke. The key decision being that the Yamaha has power tilt and trim and the Johnson does not.
The Restoration Project
Overall this looks to be a promising project. I’ve already researched what I need to do for the boat itself. I’ll be using epoxy resins for this project. These resins are extremely versatile in both fiberglass repair as well as filling in voids. The interior will be primed and painted with a marine grade polyurethane paint. I plan on finishing the hull with a sealer and a two part polyurethane paint using the roll and tip method.
For the interior, I plan on buying a pre-made mahogany interior for the boat. My goal is to restore it as close to it’s factory new condition as possible. But, there will be a few modern amenities such as the Teleflex steering and the electrical panel.
This page will be the landing page for this project. As I complete various parts of the restoration, I’ll add posts and link to them from this page.
How to Install a Sierra Teleflex Safe-T QC Steering System – Boston Whaler Restoration Part 20
Learn how to install a Sierra Teleflex Safe-T QC Steering System on a Boston Whaler Restoration project step-by-step in this detailed video guide!
How to Mount an Outboard – Set Height Correctly and Rig – Boston Whaler 13 Restoration Part 19
Learn how to mount an outboard correctly and set the height for optimal performance in this Boston Whaler 13 Restoration Part 19 video.
Installing the Boat Console Wiring – Boston Whaler Restoration Part 18
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 18 Read More »
Preparing the Boat Console -Boston Whaler Restoration Part 17
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 17 Read More »
Installing the Boston Whaler Rub Rail -Boston Whaler Restoration Part 16
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 »
Installing the Boston Whaler Interior – Restoration Part 15
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 »
Restoring the Boston Whaler Boat Trailer
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
Restoring the Boston Whaler Boat Trailer Read More »
Roll, Don’t Tip Two Part Polyurethane Boat Paint! – Boston Whaler Restoration – Part 14
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 »
How to Fair and Prime a Hull with Epoxy Primer – Boston Whaler Restoration – part 13
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 »
