1979 15' Sabre 70HP Johnson restore

[opc167]

I?d like to share my restoration, or upgrade I should say, of my 1979 16' Sabre that I inherited from my parents. The 70 Johnson is probably the best motor we have ever owned and has never let us down.

Issues on the surface are:
? Soft spot in flooring close to transom.
? All fuel lines/wires need to be striped.
? New seating cushions, etc.
? 13 ? x 17 pitch prop replaced (purchasing RPM gauge to get a baseline then go from there)

Task at hand:
Sand blast and paint the trailer with new finders.
I?m stripping all hardware and hopefully I can install a battery box on the flooring. I have a soft spot I have to repair. I hope I can install it centered on the floor about 2 feet from the transom.
Painting the inside hull with gelcoat white and install carpeting.
If I can get enough help, I need to flip the boat and bring back the gelcoat finish.
I want to replace the two windshields with a curved walk-thru (will have to cut the fiberglass back on corners).

More later on the progress

 

[Rebel01]

Re: 1979 15' Sabre 70HP Johnson restore

Checkin' in....I'd like to follow on your project. I would definitely make the soft spot the first priority, as that will determine what other work you may have to do. Of course it is good to plan for engine/prop performance in advance, I would look at the structural aspects first.

Cheers and can't wait for the updates.

 

[opc167]

Re: 1979 15' Sabre 70HP Johnson restore

I have everything removed from the hull now. Now comes the fun part. My next step is to cut out the flooring where it's very soft. I hope it's not rotted too bad. More to come.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1979 15' Sabre 70HP Johnson restore

Before you cut the deck, I believe that is a 1 piece "Tub" constructed Cap. That means the entire top half of the boat including the floor was molded and installed at the factory as One Piece. If you remove the rub rail and the hundreds of screws holding it in place you may be able to remove it all in one fell swoop. If the stringers and transom are bad, you will need to remove the cap any way so it might be better to go ahead and do it now. Something to consider.

 

[opc167]

Re: 1979 15' Sabre 70HP Johnson restore

Not a bad idea. My first thought; would the manufacture do any glueing in addition to the rub rail screws that might cause me a headache? I do have a hoist that I can use the boat weight to help pull the top cap from the hull. I'm just not sure what all is under the top half. Thanks a lot for the advise.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1979 15' Sabre 70HP Johnson restore

Yes, there is probably foam &/or adhesive holding the cap down to the hull, possibly at the joint covered by the rubrail. You won't really know until you remove the rubrail & screws/rivets & attempt to lift the cap off. Then you should be able to tell where there's adhesive bonding them together.

Possibly behind the sides:

And where these stern storage boxes are too:

And if foam filled, it could possibly be adhered all along the bottom of the deck (floor) stem to stern.

All depends on how Sabre built it.

There is plywood between the inner & outer fiberglass skins of the transom, so you'll need to address that before you attempt to remove the cap. It is even more likely to be well adhered to both the rear cap & stern fiberglass inside & out. It can be challenging to cut free.


Do not try to force the cap off. Once you start taking it apart, it won't be nearly as strong as it is all put together. Cracking the gunwale near the consoles particularly.