Boat TLC questions

[vroom ZOOM]

Hello!

Well, the boat that stupid me tried to bring on a flatbed car hauler is finally here... albeit not on a car hauler. A boat trailer did the trick.

Anyways, I thought I was buying a boat that was totaled for being rear ended so the engine was all messed up and the bow of the boat as well, from being pushed up onto the trailer. Well, once I saw it it wasn't damaged at all. LOL. So now I have some extra cash in my boat budget to give this thing some TLC. I know you all like pictures, so there are a few here. Basically Ill be working on this thing and asking random questions along the way.

So first of all, the vinyl and carpet floors and adjacent surfaces are pretty worn out. This brings up the first question, should I go vinyl or carpet on the floor? What is the general preference? Also as you can see in the pic below, I will need to cover the gunnel caps which are covered in vinyl right now. I was thinking of putting carpet on those, since all kinds of stuff gets mounted there. Once you remove equipment, the carpet hides old mounting holes nicely, unlike the vinyl. And lastly, I have to cover the tops of the flip up seats and the back deck, should I go carpet or vinyl on those?

One more thing for today. The consoles are getting pretty chalky. Is there any cure for this? I heard about using a heat gun, but kinda scared of cooking the consoles. The switches are also real chalky, any treatment for those?



And lastly, my boat has a lot of scuffing. What compound/sandpaper grit/process should I use to bring it back? TIA.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... If ya do any fishin', carpet sucks, for washin' off fish, 'n bait guts,....

Try rubbin' out the dull painted areas with rubbin' compound, then polish, then wax,....

 

[Scott Danforth]

if the dash is plastic, the chaulkiness is from the loss of oils in the surface and the plastic is breaking down.

I would use what you have as a plug to make a mold to make new ones out of fiberglass

regarding the switches, if they are carling, just pop off the actuators and buy new ones. they are about $1.00 each for just black and with light bezels about $1.62 https://www.waytekwire.com/item/44434/Black-Contura-III-Actuator/

 

[briangcc]

Personal preference, either carpet or SeaDek. All my boats are fished from, all have had bloody fish at some point dripping blood on the carpet (pike for one are absolutely messy fish). Know what? It dries and I don't see it. This is on tan carpeting. Worst case, rinse it with a bucket of water and move on.

Of all the things that can go wrong during a fishing trip, snagging a hook in the carpet isn't one of them I've experienced in my years of ownership. I think this is more of an old wives tale. Bimini/convertible tops - sure, been there, done that.

I have small kids so soft on the feet is key...and non-slip is a bonus. Vinyl would be a non-starter for my family - slippery as all heck even when dry. My kids skate across pontoons with that stuff.

 

[dingbat]

Of all the things that can go wrong during a fishing trip, snagging a hook in the carpet isn't one of them I've experienced in my years of ownership. I think this is more of an old wives tale.

Rest assured snagging hooks in the carpet are not old wives tales.....lol

Once a trip if we're fishing with Sting Silvers

Fishing with squid, blood worms or chum is not compatible with carpet in the least bit....yukkkk

 

[vroom ZOOM]

if the dash is plastic, the chaulkiness is from the loss of oils in the surface and the plastic is breaking down.

I would use what you have as a plug to make a mold to make new ones out of fiberglass

regarding the switches, if they are carling, just pop off the actuators and buy new ones. they are about $1.00 each for just black and with light bezels about $1.62 https://www.waytekwire.com/item/44434/Black-Contura-III-Actuator/

OOOHHH! Nice! I was looking at these at the marina and they wanted $44 each! Thanks for the info on the switches! Is there a way to put the lettering on them?

As for the consoles, they are the weird fiberglass coated with plastic stuff. Could I somehow prep the surface and shoot topside paint onto them?

- edit if I heat it up with a heat gun, it seems like the plastic peels off of the console... so now two options. either peel or just shoot single stage over. Not sure on how to prevent the paint from peeling if I go with the latter...

 

[vroom ZOOM]

well, it seems like vinyl is a bit more preferred for the more hardcore fishing boat, opposed to the fishnski boats. This boat is going to be a hardcore fishing boat, so I will leave vinyl on all horizontal surfaces, except for the gunnel caps.

This brings another question: what type of glue to use? Carpet glue, or contact cement, or maybe someone has a secret concoction?

 

[Scott Danforth]

OOOHHH! Nice! I was looking at these at the marina and they wanted $44 each! Thanks for the info on the switches! Is there a way to put the lettering on them?

As for the consoles, they are the weird fiberglass coated with plastic stuff. Could I somehow prep the surface and shoot topside paint onto them?

- edit if I heat it up with a heat gun, it seems like the plastic peels off of the console... so now two options. either peel or just shoot single stage over. Not sure on how to prevent the paint from peeling if I go with the latter...

just google carling switches and switch covers. companies like pacer and a few others offer laser engraving of the switch covers. you can even get them on fleabay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/174881754311

15 Switch Cover Kit

Our Top 15 Covers Quick-order our top 15 switch covers. These are the 15 most common switch covers we have. Easy-to-use Cover Removal Tool included FREE… no additional tools will be needed to replace your boat’s switch covers. Covers Included: Nav/Anc, bilge 1, bilge 2, horn (red), livewell...

newwiremarine.com

Electrical Components | Pacer Group

Pacer carries A-Frame Breakers, C-Frame Breakers, Fuses, Bus bars, Indicator Lights, Meters, Enclosures, Switches, Switch Covers, & Battery management materials.

www.pacergroup.net

if you get past the deteriorated plastic, you can paint your dashes.

you can also do the spray on tool dip and peel it off and re-start ever 6 months.

 

[dingbat]

This boat is going to be a hardcore fishing boat, so I will leave vinyl on all horizontal surfaces, except for the gunnel caps.

In that case, I would strip, seal and paint with non-skid epoxy paint.

 

[briangcc]

Rest assured snagging hooks in the carpet are not old wives tales.....lol

Once a trip if we're fishing with Sting Silvers

Fishing with squid, blood worms or chum is not compatible with carpet in the least bit....yukkkk

I fish with Mepps, Rapalas, 2-3" jigs, Senkos, etc. We'll agree to disagree on the carpeting as that's not something I've experienced at all. For me, old wives tale.

 

[vroom ZOOM]

Had a cold spell of weather, but now had a chance to work on the boat again. The consoles turned out to be a bigger disaster than I first thought. There was basically only one screw holding the entire console on the boat. I got lucky it did not fly off when I first brought the boat home. No wonder the windshield did not line up. These stupid aluminum brackets got glued to the console with some crap at the factory. some have now completely came off. Lasted about 12 yrs.


I'm thinking of grinding the glass a little, and then fiberglassing these brackets on. A screw should prevent the brackets from coming out of the pockets formed by the glass. Thoughts? I guess it is time to now get the grinder out and make some dust. (The irony, I thought I was buying an aluminum boat ).
These loose brackets also explain why the corner was looking so messed up. I was wondering how they could have done such a hack job at the factory... Turns out it was not the factory, but the console turning into a rattle trap...


A few days ago I hit a spot of the console with the pressure washer and it looked pretty good. I'm thinking maybe I could pressure wash, wipe down, and maybe shoot a coat of clear onto it... The only problem is that broken corner, its basically impossible to do a blend repair there... . Who knows what they coated the consoles with...

Finally, lets appreciate what may be the worst rigging job I have ever seen... I got a rigging hose to get that all sorted. Seems like I am looking to do a complete re-rig.

 

[vroom ZOOM]

It has been a while since I last posted anything on my mini refurbishing alumacraft project thingy...

Finally I got something done and got the engine all re rigged and the wiring fixed. Some dummy connected both charger banks to one battery despite the fact that there are two batteries beside each other... But I got that fixed.


The warm weather has arrived and I started to glass in the new brackets for it.

Also started fixing the chipped corner. Rustoleum gray is an exact match to the colour the consoles were so I guess I got lucky there...

Also I bit the bullet and pulled up the floor to replace some rivets. I don't like using the pop rivets, even the sealed ones, because they aren't half as strong as proper solid rivets. It didn't take long to pull up the floor and scoop out a little foam covering the rivets.

Inside was the yuckiest mess I have ever seen. Everything was coated with slimy goo. I hit it with the pressure washer and it hit me back in the face with a bunch of dirty water