Kiss my a**, I bought a boat!

Well, I found the boat/project I said I was looking for. 1986 Skeeter Starfire 90 with 75 Mariner. I still don't have a picture hosting service, so if y'all want to see it, I'll add a link to my facebook page. There is a small hole in the deck that I will have to attend to. Some re-wiring and new lines, fresh fluids in the lower unit and probably clean the carbs and new batteries. Wish me luck! I'm sure I will be on here bugging y'all to help me figure out how to do stuff.

You'll get plenty of good advise here. Good Luck.

From what i've seen here so far,i agree w/pepop....tons of knowledge here and none of them are selfish w/info.Wish u best!

A new boat and a Lyle Lovett tune...dont get much better than that !

welcome to the brother hood of boat ownership, lots of pain and misery, occasioned with short bursts of euphoria!!!

congrats and gig em Kenny

Thanks y'all! Been outside this morning tinkering. Taking the battery out, cleaning out the bilge, trying to figure out some way to re-deck without having to pop the deck cap off, but looks like to do it right, that is what I'm gonna have to do. Otherwise, I'll can dig out what wood I can get to, and cut a couple of pieces of plywood to go under the deck. Just don't like that idea. And, I think my foam is shot. Off to sweat some more. BTW- Good catch one the Lyle Radtexan!

pop the deck cap off???? Big job!!!! Throw some plywood in the bottom and fish. The fish dont care.

congrats, and hope you find it a rewarding re-build!

True, Mark. Homer (my fishing mentor) always says he's never seen a boat catch a fish, but I want it to be safe and last. I just removed the fuel tank and the deck under there is shot too. The seat mount is gone, and all of the foam is pretty much toast. I don't think it will be too bad. I have more time than money or sense, so I think I'm gonna pop the top. I got such a good deal on this boat, that if I get too far into it and decide to quit, I'll get all of my money back parting it out.

Nothing wrong with that.

get on smugmug.com its pretty cheap and works very well for pics.

or talk to your Internet ISP..you already have a free homepage space
And use donation-ware called Jalbum that works really well for making a picture gallery.

you got the makings of a good boat redo and learning story.

Thank y'all!
I just signed up on 'photobucket' so now I will work on how to link it up. I may just link up to my facebook album, that is pretty easy.

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx343/1JAFO/1986%20Skeeter%20SF90/boat004.jpg

Good fun, fixin' up stuff.
Get her where she'll float and Go get 'um.

Your title reminds me of what my brother used to say
when someone told him that.
He'd say "This ain't no time for Romance we got work to do".

I still laugh about those days.

just copy the IMG location you ag !!! we'll work on resizing next

Aw C'mon Red! Thank you! I'll figure out the pictures later.
Trying to get psyched up to tear this boat apart!

Looks good to me.
Donate that pinger to the museum and let's hit the lake.

Right on, that's a great line from Lyle Lovett's song "If I had a Boat".

Congrats on the new boat and don't worry about the decking, just go fishing and hold off restoring the deck until the weather cools off. Looks like you already found the excellent iboats forum for help restoring the deck, I saw your post there. Good luck and enjoy the process of restoring it.

Just in case you don't know. That big black box that sais Lowrance, is a flasher. IT TELLS YOU HOW DEEP THE WATER IS. I know there are young bucks on here looking at that thinking "what the heck?" Its from back in the day. When men were men and didn't need no stinking SI.

Mac, I was thinking about keeping the pinger for that "'ol skool" look!

Jeff, iboats is awesome. In the Skeeter section is where I saw a guy pop the cap off and re-deck. I'm committed now, or should be, so I'm gonna get ready to scalp her soon! Besides, the guy I bought from is going to have to file for a lost title, so I have a little time to 'work.'

When I get closer to lake ready, I'll be looking for help on how to get the motor ready.

Yep! I still got one out in the shed. Still works too.

Update- Rub rail off and all rivets drilled. All cables and wires un-hooked from the motor. Cherry picker in place to remove motor. Just don't like the way I have the straps set up. Looks like the motor will tilt pretty good when the bolts let go. Should I get a lifting eye?

I have removed engines with and without a lifting eye. If you dont use one just make sure you have it strapped and balanced to the best of your ability.

Got the throttle and gear cables out. I only thought I had the steering cable ready to come out, but it has other plans.

Motor is off, free and clear! The slide tubes in the pivot tube were corroded/rusted. A combination of heat, pounding, and lube finally did it! Now to build a motor stand!

Deck cap is completely loose. My son and I worked all afternoon on the filler putty between the transom and splash well. Gotta give a big shout out to my son for figuring out a better way to do it. I/we spent several hours trying to saw the rock hard Bondo type glue. After a water break, he suggested we take a chisel and see if we could pop it loose that way. I didn't think it would work, because I already tried with a flat pry bar. Well, the chisel worked in about 30 minutes. He is a pretty good hand. I hope he will want to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and take up fishing with me.

If he does, it'll make every minute you spend together working on it even more rewarding

I hope so Big Brown! I'll have my son figure out how to use the photobucket to resize and post the pictures. I'm almost down to bare hull. I think I may get lucky, the transom seems SOLID!

congrats on the new ride and gig em

Great news that the transom is solid. How about an update on your progress.

Take some pictures throughout the restoration and post em here, Keep us updated. Its technically off-topic for this forum but some of us are interested. Restoring boats and motors can be almost as much fun as fishing. Except when its 100 degrees in the shade, then it can get frustrating. Stick with it and good luck on your future crappie rig.

I didn't even think about it being 'off topic.' I mentioned in my 'introduction' post that I was looking for a boat, so I posted it here. I have a bunch of pictures, but still trying to figure out how to post them, easily. I am almost down to bare hull. I just have one stringer left to cut out. I have to cut one of, what I call the 'dog houses' out. The little black plastic boxes on the back corners. The foam in one of them is soaked.
Fiberglass itchies SUCK!

Well, that was easy.

Demo is done. I may have to grind down the channels where the stringers were a bit more. I left them in so I didn't have to try and figure out where to replace the stringers.

AK, UDAMAN!! I got to hand it to you for tackling a job like that! One thing though, I have no doubt that if all goes according to your plan, you're going to have a FINE ride. Good luck to you and STAY IN THE SHADE!

Man thats awesome! Gotta love that old Skeeter graphic!!!!

Thanks y'all!
I gotta stop the demo! I'm tired of finding more stuff to fix! If I'm able, I hope to pick up my plywood tomorrow or Friday. Work on fit over the weekend, and start glassing next week.

How do you like the Aggie A/C?

WillieFindum here,
congrats on taking on this project. here is a site that might be of interest before you start doing glass work. found this a couple years ago when i was thinking of doing the same thing. I chicken out. good luck keep us posted

http://transomrepair.com/catalog/

I wondered what that was, couldn't really tell cause it's in a shadow. It's a little portable a/c isn't it?

No, just a squirrel fan. But I do have a window unit I could throw up there!

I pulled the livewell inlet covers, and the wood is wet. So, I cut an inspection panel, and the wood is still wet. I may use Willie's Sea Cast suggestion, or just cut new plywood.

Took the day off yesterday to enjoy my birthday with my family.
Got the transom cut off this morning, pretty wet. Glad I decided to replace it.

I gotta stop digging, I keep finding more wet wood. The plane plate/pad was soaked.

99% of the wood is out of the boat. Almost resdy to start cutting transom and stringers

This is great keep it up.

You a Baaaaaad man

Fishbonz

Mad Man maybe, and possibly single soon. Oh well, more time to fish!

Awesome Effort !

It's gonna be a huge sense of pride when you and your boy are on pad on a smooth morning sometime soon headed for memory cove !!

You'll never forget it..........never.......

Progress report! Basically took the week end off, but got busy this week. Had to get materials and supplies lined up and then had to engineer the new transom.
My reluctant helper.

Looks like you got some good help there!

[/quote]
Looks like you got some good help there! [/quote]

He was scared he would mess something up. I told him its just a little piece of wood. He did a good job!

That's GREAT AK. I can remember when my son would help me with projects like that. Now, he just KICKS MY REAR whan we go fishin (he wore me out today before the storm hit). But that's great too!

I sure hope he'll fish with me. Anything to get him out from in front of the computer and video games!

I rebuilt the wood transom of my boat last December and I would like to give a little advise. If you would like to never have to worry about water getting into that wood ever again, please go here The Rot Doctor and read about CPES. Use it before you glass in that wood and never worry about that pinhole in the glass you might have overlooked because it will never be able to rot your replacement wood no matter how much water comes in it.

BTW that boy is wearing the right T-Shirt!!!
Gigum

I looked at that stuff when I was agonizing about what options I had for my wet transom. I decided to pull the transom and redo it. Even though this is my first transom redo, I feel confident that this glass work will outlast the rest of the boat. Or, it may be a new brush pile on GV!
Speaking of transoms, got home from work today and took all my clamps off, and that transom is solid! There are a couple of spots that will need some fixn' attention, but nothing major.
I'm trying to get motivated to cut some stringers, but I neglected to note a major measurement. So, I'm trying to figure out where to measure from to get a good deck hight.

looking pretty good, how thick is the transom wood?

2 pieces of 23/32 A/C laminated together. So about 1.5". It'll be a little thicker when I get done building up the fiberglass.

I think you my not understand what CPES is and does. Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealant is the thickness of diesel fuel and it is painted on to new wood. It penetrates the wood and fills the pores in the wood then hardens into epoxy plastic. This keeps any water from entering the wood in the future and thus preserves the wood. I did this to the new wood that I installed in my transom last December. I now have no worries about what will happen if any water gets to that wood because it cannot get into the wood no matter how long it remains in contact with the wood.
This is not the same as the procedure that I think you were refering to which is a way of repairing a rotten transom wood without replacing it. I opted out on that myself as well.
Keep up the good work!

I looked into the CPES. Any you are correct, I misunderstood what it does. I thought it worked into rotted wood to stop the rot. I think the pour in stuff you are talking about is Sea Cast. I hear is is good stuff, but it just wasn't for me.

I fought all week long trying to fit the first stringer in. After is realized that I trimmed it too much, I cut it to take the flatness out of it. It fit the contour of the boat almost perfect, leaving me with a good template. I made more progress in 4 hours today than I did all week. I should get the two outside stringers cut in the morning and start on the deck. If I'm lucky, I may be able to start glassing Thursday.

Couple update pictures. Getting close. My helper abandoned my for the comfort, safety and A/C of his grandmother's house.

Lookin good!

Progress has been slow. It is pretty difficult to work resin in this heat. My stringers are in. I still have a couple of braces and bulkheads to cut and glass. All my deck pieces are sealed and ready to glass. Shouldn't be too much longer!

Still doing a great job!

Finally making some progress. Had to take a little time off to cool off, hunt, and fish. I'd post the fish pictures, but don't want to get knocked off the "Crappie" section for posting trash fish pictures!
I got some foam poured and deck screwed.

Man, that's some work you are doing on that boat. Good for you. Looking like it's moving along too.

I have never seen something like this before. Thank you for sharing your project! I am really enjoying it!

Thanks for the comments!
Finished layin' the deck and foam today. Just need to lay a layer or two of glass and then I should be ready to re-cap. I have crappie fever!

Hey, you're doing some awesome work here. Lot of hard work too. But, when you get it all done you're going to have bragging rights and you are going to be so pleased with the results.

I'll be interested in seeing the final pictures.

Nice job!

I got a little off track for a while, but I'M BACK!
Finally got the deck glassed! I'll be ready to get the cap back on soon! Ordered new steering cable, hoses and pumps today.


Glass job is not perfect, but it's nothing I cant grind out. It will all be covered anyhow.
Going tomorrow to get the last of the flotation foam to fill the 'dog houses', the black boxes in the back corners.

Comin along nicely! WTG!

you're doing a great job!! looks like you can really nailed this one

you doin mine next ?

just seeing all this thread for the first time... read through all of it! i gotta tell u man, its nothing if not motivational for me! i have (rather my dad and i have) my granpas old skeeter... same year and model as this boat is... but the deck and console layout is a lil different for some reason. maybe a year or 2 off but its the same boat none the less... in need of all the same stuff, decking, likely transom is bad, bad wood everywhere, seat mounts gone, wiring probably bad, and needs a lower unit. we fished out of the boat hard up untill about 2000, and its sat ever since . weve debated whether or not its worth the effort, money, and time.... but i think in the end done like this, being that we'd be fishing out the same boat we fished in so many times years ago......maybe it well worth it

WOW thats all i can say

dang that looks like a lot of work. great job though. why did you pick an old skeeter and not something bigger might i ask?

It's not easy, but it is very rewarding. Probably my favorite quote during this rebuild went something like this, Me-"If they built this boat right, we wouldn't have to do all this," My son-"dad, if they had, we wouldn't have this boat right now."

Crime of opportunity. Co-worker had it, and it was cheap! And yes, it is a lot of work, but I've enjoyed it.

Progress update.
Slowly, I'm making progress. I just need to apply sealant to all the through hull fittings and livewell pumps, run new hose, install my new steering cable and then I'm ready to test fit the deck cap.

Looking great!

Dang photobucket! Can't post pictures right now. What do you expect for free! Well, Got the deck cap back on, and it almost fits. I got my transom a little too tall, but nothing I can't fix with my trusty belt sander! As soon as photobucket comes back up, I'll get the new pictures posted.

Pictures

Looking closer and closer to brand new!

Thanks! But, I don't think I'll get her back to new, I'm just trying to get her buttoned up and on the water!

Looking good. You saved a boat from the landfill, and made one that will give you some good service for years to come.

Good job man! There is no better sense of satisfaction than doing it yourself(not to mention money saved). Wait till you catch your first fish from "your" boat! Every boat I've owned had to be "rehabbed"...I wouldn't have had a boat otherwise.

Awesome job, I enjoy reading and watching you progress! Im in the middle of my own restoration project as well. I will be following your progress so keep posting and updating. You dont know how helpful these types of post are to the rest of us who might be a little intimidated or unsure about what they can and cant do.

Awesome, Chris. My turn is next and told my wife that. In my mid 40s, just bought a 4x4 Tundra that someone hit already in the front right bumper and ran off on me, but it has a tow hitch, so the crappie boat is next (I know, I keep saying that).

Gig em' bud and good fishin' to ya. Used to hit Somervelle in the Spring when my wife was in class back then. He he.

--Eric

Very true. My son is bugging me to camp in the backyard (he's 8) and to go fishing. He didnt' want to when he was 5 or 6. Maybe he's finally coming around. He does have my blood in him. ha ha.

--Eric

Got the motor back on! Good compression on all four cylinders! I got lucky!


Getting ready to carpet.


We finished late at night. We were working in the dark, literally, we lost power in a wind storm.





First mate testing out one of the original Skeeter fishing seats.


First mate's art work. Nice work son!


Getting ready to splash!


No still pictures of the actual splash, my wife got video happy with my phone

Towing my buddies pontoon back to his slip. He blew up his lower unit. And he was supposed to be my chase boat!

My first mate and me.


DONE!

AWESOME! Way to go!

I just want to say I've really enjoyed watching the entire project and I appreciate you letting me (us all) in. It"s been awesome and you have done a fantastic job. Can't wait to see your 1st Mate holding up the 1st big slab caught from the "new" rig. BTW, FANTASTIC carpet job!

Thank you! He is ready to get into a mess of slabs! I got lucky on the carpet. A neighbor had some indoor/outdoor carpet and gave it to me. It's not a perfect trim job, but it looks pretty good. The only two issues I had were, the gas gauge and spedo don't work. All in all it was a successful re-maiden launch.

Nice job!!! That boat looks great.

AWESOME!!!!You guys are gonna have fun.

what a great job and very good documentation!!! thanks!

-
We are proud of your Stay,at,it,ness!!!
Stay true to the Thump!! - Onewolf

Very cool!

wow kenny that looks incredible!

i don't even want to know the bill after that restore...

great job there ! its nice to see the conclusion to the long process. way to go you guys!

Thanks. Been trying to fish as much as I can. Hard to get going when it's so warm outside.

you should be proud yall did a great job

Thank you! We are. Probably going out in the morning. Not sure where. Either the 'Vine, Ray Bob, or BPort. All are a shot in the dark since I'm still using the Bedrock era electronics.

Priceless!

Well congrats on the purchase. Next to a divorce or a swimming pool it will probably be the most demanding thing on you wallet...Looks like you and your son are not afraid of hard ol dirty work. It takes alot to go through an old boat. Great job. She's a bute! And it will be one more GREAT memory for the two of you to share. Now you can go out and make a few more on the water. Good luck and good fishing.

Thank you! We've been fishing as much as we can, but probably not as much as we'd like. Everything is still running and functioning well. We really enjoy it.

A couple of words seem appropriate, SWEAT EQUITY!! Now just catch lots of fish.

Excellent work you two, that came out great. I don't think I'd have the cajones to tackle that project, afraid I wouldn't get it back right. You not only did it but made it look great in the process.

Thank you. Not sure about the 'cajones', my wife keeps those in her purse. The beautiful thing about this project was that I couldn't really mess it up. Even if I couldn't get it back together, I could have parted it out and recouped most of my money. 2009 was a very challenging year for me and my family. This project, and my desire to fish was a way to keep occupied and hopefully strengthen the bond with my son. It has been really special for me to watch his passion for fishing, and hunting grow.

Great job! How did you end up sealing the top cap on the transom? Do you have any update pics from this year?

Outstanding job!! First time I saw the thread....I couldn't wait for the next picture. Very cool!!

Top cap was sealed to the hull with 3M 5200, a marine grade caulk. All the "finished" pictures are from this June. It could stand a good compound job, but that will have to wait a bit so it doesn't bake on as soon as I put it on.

wow thats awesome! great job buddy!

Beautiful Job!!!!

Thanks y'all. It felt good to get my first road trip under my belt.

Mammoth Job KG!! What a super effort by you & your first mate.You guys are a couple oh Baaaaad Men.

Sorry for the miss abreviation AK

Thanks! It was quite the journey! Still learning boating, and loving it. I said I'd never do it again, but Im getting the fever again. I am truly blessed to have such an awesome first mate to turn the little Skeeter over to when the time is right. No worries about the "KG", it's my real initials.

Good Luck !

Kenny,
I had noticed this link in your sig, but never clicked it till now. Amazing what you'll do when you can't sleep
AWESOMENESS!!! is all I can say.
What a great project to have to bring you and your 1st mate closer together
Y'all still using that boat?????
Back in my earlier years, I had a Skeeter Wrangler 150 and then a Starfire 175. Really loved those old boats and caught a lot of fish out of them.

MY hats off to you for undertaking such a lengthy project and even more so for the awesome job the completed project was

Nice ride, good looking boat

Thanks y'all. I still use the Skeeter. I replaced the carpet and wet sanded and buffed it this summer. Still looks good. My first mate is now using his skills at the local boat shop now.

This was the first time I read it also. WOW what a project that turned out greatness. I want to do something like this with my son (8 y/o) someday. I think that I'll wait a little bit, but you and your son made me smile. and congrats.