IWELD
Seaman
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2007
- Messages
- 52
Hello all, I've just (re)-started my first rebuild project and have been reading posts on this forum for over a month now and I just gotta say thanks! The collective knowledge I've uncovered here has been priceless. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into when I thought at first I was gittin a real deal on a '76 Mark Twain 20 Footer, with a Mercruiser 302 I/O...(there was a fair amount of alcohol involved proceeding the transaction 
). The full reality of what lay ahead of me did'nt set in until I got the beast home, raked out the leaves, and I pulled up the carpet and top layer of what used to be the floor. Before me I saw the blackest most vile wasteland of what used to be the backbone of this magnificent ship. Cockroaches scurried to hide from the daylight and the thick smell of years of rot assulted my senses. It was mid July and temps were high. I could almost feel the dense cloud of decay as it turned to steam in the hot sun. I had no clue of what to do next. I fumbled thru my garage and found some gas used for the lawnmower. (not to torch it ),The least I could do was to see if the engine would run. My expectations were low. I hooked up a spare battery and tested the trim. every thing seemed to work fine there. The horn was a little muffled, after inspection and digging out the mud dobbers nest, it sounded fine. So at this point things were not looking so bad. Maybe the engine was fine. I disconnected the fuel lines from the engine and could immediatly smell the varnish the old gas had become. I removed the air filter from the carburator and poured in a small amount of the gas. A slight turn of the key and I heard the engine crank, once...twice... and then amazingly she fired up. What a hell of a suprise that was! I hadn't poured very much fuel in the carb' so the glory only lasted for a few seconds. But it was a enough. I had decided then that she would once again be restored to her former grandure. But how? I asked myself. I didn't have the answers then but I did know the she had to be gutted and cleaned up before the restoration would begin. So thats what I did. Sawsall, hammer, chisles, and whatever I could find I used and began. After two days of nonstop destruction I had a pile of scraps laid all around the perimiter of the old boat. And so much fiber glass particles in me I could have battled a porcupine and won. It was hot, which made the fiberglass dust from the angle grinder stick to my sweat like glue. By the third day I had enough. I collected all the trash and loaded up my pickup and headed for the dump. And thats pretty much how I left it.....for two years. In the time in between then and now I moved to a new house, got married, and changed job titles. I dragged that old boat with me wanting to finish it but never having the motivation. It just wound up being shade for my ol' dog Fletcher to lay under. Recently I was able to take my wife out fishin with my mother in her boat on pom de'terre lake. Then the bug bit me again, I had to drag that old boat out of the back yard once more. This time its was for good. Again armed with an angle grinder I went to work on her. The drive has been removed, engine pulled and all surfaces ground smooth. Lumber has been bought and yesterday I finished cutting and preping the transon for installation. As I said in the begining the collective knowledge i've found in these forums has turned an overwhelming task into a forseeable success. Still, there is a lot of work yet to be done. So now that i've come this far I hope I can still rely on you veterans for guidance. So from here on out plan on reading some post from me. (hopefully I wont sound too stupid). Ive posted a few pics for any one interested.
Thanks again
). The full reality of what lay ahead of me did'nt set in until I got the beast home, raked out the leaves, and I pulled up the carpet and top layer of what used to be the floor. Before me I saw the blackest most vile wasteland of what used to be the backbone of this magnificent ship. Cockroaches scurried to hide from the daylight and the thick smell of years of rot assulted my senses. It was mid July and temps were high. I could almost feel the dense cloud of decay as it turned to steam in the hot sun. I had no clue of what to do next. I fumbled thru my garage and found some gas used for the lawnmower. (not to torch it ),The least I could do was to see if the engine would run. My expectations were low. I hooked up a spare battery and tested the trim. every thing seemed to work fine there. The horn was a little muffled, after inspection and digging out the mud dobbers nest, it sounded fine. So at this point things were not looking so bad. Maybe the engine was fine. I disconnected the fuel lines from the engine and could immediatly smell the varnish the old gas had become. I removed the air filter from the carburator and poured in a small amount of the gas. A slight turn of the key and I heard the engine crank, once...twice... and then amazingly she fired up. What a hell of a suprise that was! I hadn't poured very much fuel in the carb' so the glory only lasted for a few seconds. But it was a enough. I had decided then that she would once again be restored to her former grandure. But how? I asked myself. I didn't have the answers then but I did know the she had to be gutted and cleaned up before the restoration would begin. So thats what I did. Sawsall, hammer, chisles, and whatever I could find I used and began. After two days of nonstop destruction I had a pile of scraps laid all around the perimiter of the old boat. And so much fiber glass particles in me I could have battled a porcupine and won. It was hot, which made the fiberglass dust from the angle grinder stick to my sweat like glue. By the third day I had enough. I collected all the trash and loaded up my pickup and headed for the dump. And thats pretty much how I left it.....for two years. In the time in between then and now I moved to a new house, got married, and changed job titles. I dragged that old boat with me wanting to finish it but never having the motivation. It just wound up being shade for my ol' dog Fletcher to lay under. Recently I was able to take my wife out fishin with my mother in her boat on pom de'terre lake. Then the bug bit me again, I had to drag that old boat out of the back yard once more. This time its was for good. Again armed with an angle grinder I went to work on her. The drive has been removed, engine pulled and all surfaces ground smooth. Lumber has been bought and yesterday I finished cutting and preping the transon for installation. As I said in the begining the collective knowledge i've found in these forums has turned an overwhelming task into a forseeable success. Still, there is a lot of work yet to be done. So now that i've come this far I hope I can still rely on you veterans for guidance. So from here on out plan on reading some post from me. (hopefully I wont sound too stupid). Ive posted a few pics for any one interested.Thanks again
