1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

[clueless_imperial_75]

Well here goes... I'm totally new to boating, but my wife has practically grown up on the water. We've wanted a boat forever, and we found this one and picked it up for a song. It's a 1975 Imperial V173. It has an Evinrude 85 outboard, but we were told that it has some issues like possibly a bad fuel pump and the steering is frozen. The boat hasn't been run since 2001 and has been sitting under a tarp since then.

Ultimately we plan on replacing the engine with a new one, so I'm not that concerned about engine issues. My main issue is that the boat needs a full restoration with respect to the deck which is completely rotted. It looks like the hull is in pretty good shape though.

I got in the boat yesterday and started ripping up the floor. Needless to say, it was basically like picking up topsoil and mulch. The stringers and bulkheads are shot.

So here I am hoping to get any and all help possible from anyone willing. I am fairly handy, and my wife knows a lot about bodywork since her dad used to own a body shop (I'm told the concepts are similar...) We are definitely "project people" who value the journey as much as the destination, so it just seems natural that we should try to restore our own boat for our family.

I've read through a bunch of posts from some of the super restorers on this forum (like friscoboater, oops!, and woodonglass). Thanks to all you guys as I already have an idea as to what I'm in for.

Here are a few shots of the boat before I ripped out the deck. I don't have any pics of the stringers or anything yet as a storm was coming through and I didn't want to get caught in the rain with a boat that no longer has drainage capability. I had to get out and cover it up... You'll know what I mean when I can get more pics to upload. Hopefully today or tomorrow.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, please let me know. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[clueless_imperial_75]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Here are some updated photos of the deck removal. A couple of questions for you guys.

1. What's the best and/or easiest way to detach the old stringers from the hull - just use a grinder or a multi-tool?

2. Trying to plan ahead - I wanted to install a ski locker and a gas tank in the center of the deck. However, I now see that this boat has a keel stringer. My question is whether or not I need to replace the keel stringer with another one, or will the addition of a few more bulkheads be enough support? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Welcome to Iboats CI75

You can try a sawzall with a long blade for most of the stringer removal.

I would suggest you put the center stringer back just like it was .

Have you checked your transom yet ?

YD.

 

[clueless_imperial_75]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Thanks Yacht Dr for the advice and the welcome.

I haven't gotten that far back yet... Started with the obvious... What is the best way to check the transom on this boat? Do I take the motor off at this point, or get the rest of the deck out and inspect from the inside?

CI75

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Thanks Yacht Dr for the advice and the welcome.

I haven't gotten that far back yet... Started with the obvious... What is the best way to check the transom on this boat? Do I take the motor off at this point, or get the rest of the deck out and inspect from the inside?

CI75

Your probably gonna take off the Cap at some point in your resto .. but your also should remove and replace/rebed Everything on your transom ( If it needs it or not ).

So.. check your transom when your removing all the hardware off of it. Should give you a good sign of what you need to do back there ..

YD.

 

[clueless_imperial_75]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

I figured the transom probably needs to be done too, especially given the condition of the deck and stringers. I didn't even think of taking off the cap, that would make life so much easier! Thanks for the idea!

I'm gonna have to put off soe of this project until I can get a little more space to work in. In the meantime, I'm gonna get the motor off and inspect the transom and get a gameplan together... Hope to have some more pics up this weekend.

 

[clueless_imperial_75]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Question: Looking at the transom, can anyone tell if this has been worked on previously? I'm not sure if this is just the design of this particular boat, but it seems that a rectangular section of the transom has been replaced... or overlaid with something. In looking at other rebuilds that people are working on, I haven't seen this type of transom design - it's almost as if it's a 2 piece transom whereas most boats are one piece from side to side. Any ideas? I'm planning on taking the motor off to get a better look at it, but was wondering if anyone could tell just by looking at it

Thanks!

CI75

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Check out Bear's '79 Imperial thread he's doing nice work! It may or may not have similar construction & layout. I haven't caught up on your thread, but Welcome to dry dock I'll be back..........

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Question: Looking at the transom, can anyone tell if this has been worked on previously? I'm not sure if this is just the design of this particular boat, but it seems that a rectangular section of the transom has been replaced... or overlaid with something. In looking at other rebuilds that people are working on, I haven't seen this type of transom design - it's almost as if it's a 2 piece transom whereas most boats are one piece from side to side. Any ideas? I'm planning on taking the motor off to get a better look at it, but was wondering if anyone could tell just by looking at it

Thanks!

CI75

Based on the look of some of the foam in earlier pix, I'd say the boat has been worked on previously. The transom may not have been replaced, and a piece of metal was bent and added to the transom.

That is primarily based on the foam, since the transom trim pcs end at the plate under the motor, it may have been original, but I doubt it....

 

[clueless_imperial_75]

Re: 1975 Imperial V173 Restoration

Thanks for the thoughts! Someone definitely did work on the deck - they screwed 1/4" plywood on top of the existing deck and covered it with carpet (no glass or anything...). I'm not quite sure what the foam was meant to do - i.e. replace a bulkhead or for flotation or both... Either way, I plan on replacing everything just a little worried about the transom right now.

I checked out Bear's thread - awesome work. Thanks for the info! Gonna do some more reading & learning.

CI75