17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

[spoontoad]

I should start out that I am new here, and came across the site & forums while doing some research on repairing a friends 17ft 1988 Blue Fin "Sportsman" boat, so go easy on me.

I recently picked up a friends boat to repair it for him (long story). While I am mechanically inclined and am a mechanic, this is my first boat project. Anyways, after bringing it home, I went thru the boat & motor. It's not in bad shape, and the hull all looks sturdy. The motor seems to turn over if I turn the flywheel by hand, but the starter wont do it unless the spark plugs are removed (weak starter?), but nothing major.

I should mention the boat has not seen water since 2002, and the motor was last started in 2003.

As for the boat itself, the entire floor needs to be replaced - top & bottom. We will also replace the carpet. Here are some pictures of what I am working with. Like everyone today, we are on a budget, which is pretty small. I've read alot of information on wood - plywood vs green treat vs marine grade and we are still undecided. Any thoughts, idea's, etc would be great.

As for the rest of the boat, my friend was wondering if he should make it more of just a fishing boat? Basic stuff, but alot more open room or maybe a larger well? How would a potential design change affect the boat itself - balance, strength, etc? Another idea thought was to make a bench type seating at the bow?

Since I took the pictures, I pressure washed the main exposed area, vacumed & cleaned it up. The tank, seats, etc are put in storage until we need them.

Thanks for any help & advice you can provide.

Edit: The electrical also seems to be sound too.

 

[chargerboy]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Welcome to the forums! That's one cool looking boat you've got there, I really like it. As for your questions about whether or not you should modify it, it's up to you. If it works the way it is, then leave it alone, if you have the time to change it around and the money to work on it (it can get expensive to do extensive modifications) then make it a fun project and document it on here

Weight distribution is something that you should be thinking about, remember you want weight evenly balanced, with just a little bit more at the back. Figuring out how many people will be in it, what kind of gear you'll be taking, where things are going to be stored and where people are going to sit should be accounted for.

 

[spoontoad]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Thanks Chargerboy! I have been coming back to this site for alot of research. Probably some of the best advice, thoughts, and ideas I have seen! So yes, I will share the updates as we move along. The down side is it will be slower than we like because of our budget, and our "at hand" cash. This could also make for an interesting boat if we do change things up a bit. It will be fun!

 

[chargerboy]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

I just re-read your first post and realized I forgot to answer your question about plywood. Marine plywood is basically a stronger grade of exterior plywood. They both use the same glues, although marine is typically a bit stronger, usually has more plies, and less voids in between the plies. Regular exterior plywood is just fine for almost all applications, remember to always seal your wood well with preferably fiberglass to make sure it will last. Green or pressure treated woods are to be avoided in a boat. You really don't get any benefit from the pressure treated chemicals in a marine environment, and it will repel any chemicals you try to put on it such as epoxy, resin, or even paint.

If you are re-doing your floor, like everybody else seems to find on their boats, the stringers should be checked as they might be rotten, as well as the transom. These need to be solid and the wood not wet.

I hope this helps you get started on the right track.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

If you are re-doing your floor, like everybody else seems to find on their boats, the stringers should be checked as they might be rotten, as well as the transom. These need to be solid and the wood not wet.

Aluminum boats have aluminum stringers so this doesn't apply fortunately.

That boat is an open canvas. Configure it however you want. You could easily go center console, dual or side console with it. If you're on a budget, properly sealed exterior plywood will be fine.

 

[geeco1]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Spoontoad,

You stole my boat that is exactly like my boat that I just finished last month. You can follow my restore thread in the link from my signature. I figured that I spent about $600 on the restore, but I think that I could have saved a little knowing what I know now. If you have any questions, feel free to post them on here or send me a private message. I will be glad to give you any help that I can, as well as everyone on this forum.

 

[spoontoad]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Thanks for all the advice and information. We decided to go with exterior grade plywood . The original floor (or at least what we pulled out) was just over 5/8th inch. We are installing 21/32nd thickness plywood, so there shouldn't be any problems only being a tiny bit thicker.

I just laid the new flooring on saw horses, took some measurements and templates, and about ready to make the first cut. Our plan is to cut it to size 1st, then "mock it up" to make sure it all fits nice, then do the sanding/sealing of the flooring. There are also other things we will be doing besides, such as laying the plastic and deciding if we want original looking interior design, or something a little out of the ordinary. We'll also go over all the wiring at the same time.

I am taking pictures so I will post them as I go. When it comes time to doing the sealing, I have heard fiberglass resin, but have heard others mention Thompson Waterproofing, and similar methods. What methods have held up? If we use a resin, how much does that add to the weight of the boat?

I am happy I found this site & forum. Lots of interesting post, idea's, and and great pictures of other restoration projects!

 

[spoontoad]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

geeco1, your boat looks awesome! The gray carpet really gives it a good look! I will be referencing your post for sure doing this project!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

do NOT use thompsons. That stuff is worthless. The best method would be to fiberglass it. 2nd best would be a couple coats of epoxy resin. 3rd best would be marine spar varnish and then probably porch and floor paint. It's all about how much you want to spend and how long you want it to last.

 

[geeco1]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

geeco1, your boat looks awesome! The gray carpet really gives it a good look! I will be referencing your post for sure doing this project!

Thanks! There are a couple of things that I would do different and I still may do them. #1 on my list is I think that my consoles are too wide. I think that I may rebuild them a few inches narrower.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Nice rig, wow that thing had lots of carpet

Looks like the old deck came out in many pieces, too bad you don't have them for templates.

I agree with Ezmobee on the waterproofing tactics...I went with 3/4" ext grade sealed with 2-3 coats of epoxy resin. Make sure you get all the edges and fill as many voids as you can for good protection.

I'm into my Starcraft about $600 so far for the deck replacement, marine vinyl and other stuff so far, you can spend more or less as needed and be just fine.

Good luck and welcome to the Starcraft club(Bluefins are really Starcrafts with different stickers).

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Good luck and welcome to the Starcraft club(Bluefins are really Starcrafts with different stickers).

True at one point but I don't think the 80's US Marine ones are.

 

[geeco1]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Be sure to check-out the BlueFin section at the bottom of the main forum page. It has some information that you might find of interest.

 

[spoontoad]

Re: 17ft 1988 Blue Fin Sportsman floor and carpet replacement

Huron Angler, my friend actually saved the old flooring just for that purpose (templates) . And yep, it has alot of carpet! I pulled the padding of the front and also found lots of mold on the carpet behind the padding

This week, I also got the upper bow removed so I can get the floor underneath out. We are doing more work today and hopefully I will get some pictures uploaded tonight.