Spring start up / Boat Restoration 1998 280 Bayliner

                                         

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BOAT RESTORATION  Project #1 1998 BAYLINER 280

Boat Nut Media thought it would interesting to follow several spring start up boats this year, we have tried to select a cross section of different boats and budgets. Saving the dream! Boat Nut Media has selected a 2001- 410 Silverton Yacht (Sport Bridge),1998-280 Bayliner (Cruiser), 2001- 260 Sea Ray (Small Cruiser) and a 2010- Center Console fishing boat (Fully Rigged with Kicker, Radar, Down Riggers, all the toys)

2015 Spring Project Boat  1998 Bayliner 28 Cierra

List of spring work to be completed: 

1- Restore the exterior of the alpha drive

2- Replace the universal joints

3- Alpha Drive spring service - Gear Oil, Water Pump, Prop Repair, etc.

4- Gel coat repairs to hull on Port and Starboard sides and the back edge of swim platform

5- Replace hull graphics

6- Polish and wax the whole boat

7- Repaint the wiper arm components

8- Replace the haws pipe at anchor locker

9- Replace the horn

10- Replace the VHF radio

11- Repair the wood grain dash all the printing is gone

12- Replace the fridge

13- Clean up the interior like new (remove mildew stains)

14- Clean up and restore exterior upholstery

15- Spring start up on 5.7 liter motor. Fluids, paint the works.

16- Replace the dockside water fitting

17- Replace the Bimini and install tonneau cover

18- Full systems check and repair any failures 

19- New bottom paint
20- New prop

After all work is completed there will be a sea trial and delivery to a new marina. The reason for all this work is the boat has only had 1 hour of operation time in the last 3 years. Boat Nut Media will video the boat at the start of the project, and take you through the project to completion. Work will begin late this week, we will upload videos every two days. If you have a similar projects on your boat you will see the products and procedures that are used to make this boat look like new again.

Bringing this boat back to its former pride and glory will be a lot of work. This is one of those boats that begs the question, what do you do and were do I start? Do you let it go cheap or spend the time and money and bring the boat back to a clean reliable boat. There are a lot of these types of project boats out there and not all of them are worth repairing. Why do boats end up in this condition? Well for whatever reason the owner has not had time, has lost interest in the boat, or cannot afford the boat. How do you determine which boats to save? Boats like this one reach a tipping point, and this one is right on the cusp. Another year of no use and no interest would have pushed it over the edge. This is when the cost to repair starts to exceed the value.

Here is an example of a 2010 Bayliner 260 after one season abandoned at the dock

This boat was chained to the dock with a smashed out port cabin side window all of last summer. The boat literally was frozen when Boat Nut was asked to get it to the ramp! This boat will be for sale this year would you want to be the next owner? There are always tell tail signs of a boat that was abandon or let go. For information on how to detect this type of boat check out Telemarinetech Services from Boat Nut Media.

 If you get to this point you should have sold the boat the first year that you were not using it. If you do not have the budget, the time or the want to repair your boat sell it ASAP take the loss and walk away. Even one year of no use or hours really hurts a boat. This 28 Bayliner will take weeks of time and a large budget to bring it back to where it should be, the fortunate part about this story is the boat has been put away every year correctly. Boats that have been left by owners who have lost all interest rarely seek the correct seasonal services. So luckily in this case the important parts of this boat are still in good shape, the motor, the structure etc. So with the right planning this boat will be one to be proud of again. This boat is going to receive this work not for a profit but for the love of the boat.

Fixing and flipping can be a risky proposition and you can be with the boat for some time. There is no sure thing. I have seen sure fire flip boats be for sale for three years you must be prepared for this or cut your losses.

At the end the boat will either be loved again or it will be sold. No matter what the out come this boat is going to enter the second stage of its life.

 If you are a do it yourself boater this 28 Bayliner would have been a great candidate for a fixer upper, and that cannot be said for too many loss of interest boats out there. Do not be fooled by the story, the boat has had no use in the last couple of years so this boat will be in better shape than a boat that has been used regularly. That is bull, the boat that has been used and maintained will ninety percent of the time the better boat. If you are considering buying a fixer upper this project will be one to follow. You will certainly get a feel for what it takes to restore a mid size cruise.

Boat Nut Media will include the costs of labor and parts for each step, giving you an idea of how much of a budget is necessary, and how to manage this type of project.

Telemarinetech information is available on our next blog and at boatnutmedia@gmail.com

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

http://boatnutmagazine.com/

Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™ No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided.

TIME TO STAR GETTING YOUR SPRING PLAN TOGETHER !

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TIME TO THINK ABOUT SPRING

Spring boat opening, what to look for and tricks to save you money

Part 1

Its that time of year when boaters get excited, its time to get your boat up and running for another great boating season. So what needs to be done and in what order? First sit down and make a list of what issues may have followed you from last fall, this should be your priority. This list may include items other than repairs or maintenance to the boat, check your items you took home or stored away on the boat for damage like mold or mildew, if there any life jackets or gear with mold or mildew  replace the item(s) and clean what you can.. Also confirm details or your slip for this season (its never to early), If you are planning a move from one marina to another, arrange transportation or any outside services you need as soon as possible. As spring service providers gets busy, a delay may shorten your season.

EXTERIOR AND UNDER THE HATCHES

In parts of the world were our boats are stored outside, shrink wrapping is a standard way to protect the boat from snow and ice. One of the draw backs to shrink wrapping boats the way we do is the moisture build up under this cover even when its well vented. Particularly if the boat is wrapped early, or if the fall had been wet or you have a wet bilge. This water will try to evaporate as soon as the temp starts to rise. The moisture will collect on the inside of all surfaces (as there is little air flow). The next thing you know, there is mold mildew and dry rot starting in your boat. Have you ever opened a deck hatch, it appears all black on the inside and on the locker walls. Quite often this occurs in the floor lockers and engine compartment. You know the moisture has been bad when you open the engine hatch and run your hand over the motor(s) and the water runs off your hand.To help prevent this next year, consider late wrapping after the boat has experienced some dry winter air  Always unwrap as early as possible in the spring so you can and let the boat air out. This is particularly true on low hour boats as the heat from the motors really doesn't dry out the bilges and areas below the deck often enough. One great solution to remove excess moisture is to run a dehumidifier on the boat for the last week while the plastic is still on. Open the hatches and take advantage of the cover and remove as much moisture as possible. You may need to continue this after unwrapping for a few days. In the cabin and in the engine compartment. This idea will pay dividends for you, your boat and the motor(s). 

 After you dry the areas up: To clean up mold and mildew get yourself some bleach and a spray bottle, open the lockers and storage areas, spray the straight bleach all over, as far as you can reach, let it sit and rise with clean water. You will see an immediate difference, it will clean things up nicely. You will see the condition of the boat structure, hoses and even wire harness in the area. A return to a clean and original state. Not only does its clean up but it makes things clean to inspect and to work on. This clean up will also reduce nasty odors in the boat. As a matter of fact you can do the whole deck and hull this way before further maintenance is done. You will see the white plastic components such as windlass foot controls, lights, antenna mounts, & plastic housings such as radar and GPS look like new. Do this with the canvas off it usually wont discolor the canvas but it will eat up stitches. When your bilges and lockers are cleaned up. A trick to keep the odor down in any areas that are considered wet or you know collect water is to pick up a small container of chlorine tablets for a hot tub or swimming pool.  Toss one in each of these wet areas. This will keep the water clean clear and odorless, it will also prevent mold and mildew. Any bilge pumps in these wet bilge area will stay clean and the inside of the hoses will remain clean and unobstructed.

Once you have completed the above task get out the bucket and soap and a soft brush and wash up the boat, a soft brush is important I have witnessed boaters scrub the hull with a stiff brush or a brillo pad. Do not do this it will damage the gel coat surface, creating even scratches over the whole hull. This is expensive to have this fixed and this damage is more visible on colored hulls, No hull should require this type of scrubbing. It will not improve the shine or remove any discoloration (fog) on colored hulls. Just give the boat a good cleaning. After rinsing the boat go inside check all the windows and along the deck and hull joint and see if you have any leaks, make notes for repair. Check any "dry storage" lockers for the water. In sunken aft seating areas (aft settee) were the floor drops check the floor for any sign of water, these aft cabin areas are generally were rain water leaks will show up. The floor area here is sunk down and there is very little room under the floor making it the lowest point. This floor area is usually full of foam underneath, so once wet its stays wet until the floor area gets soft. The floor is glassed to the hull here so any water intrusion will find its way to this floor area first. If you do see water try to follow it up walls and get this fixed as this will get wet all the time. This is an area were boats pick up weight (this can be noticed easily if your water line is getting higher every year). This is a great time to use that dehumidifier and place it in cabin close all doors and hatches and run it as much as you can before launch, you will be amazed how much it will pull out of your boat. This will remove odor and add years to the life of your boat!

 

DECK DRAINS

Make sure that all the deck drains are working correctly, start at the anchor locker and work your way back all drains including aft sink drains. Its a good idea to visually check the anchor locker drain inside the locker. Also check the most forward area of storage below the anchor locker inside the boat. The anchor locker collects sand and seaweed from the chain or rope this blocks the drain and creates leaks into the cabin. Another issue that can create a water leak from the anchor locker is a damaged or a plugged  clam shell cover (s) on the outside of the hull (stainless cover over the outside of the anchor locker drain) . If you trailer your boat or store your boat on a trailer you can damage the chrome clam shell and reduce or prevent flow. Remember on most boats rain water will run into the locker and escape out through the drain the anchor locker is not designed to hold water. When water gets into forward lockers or in forward bilges ninety percent of the time its from the anchor locker area.

 

POLISH AND WAX

After all of the cleaning and drains are checked you are ready to polish and wax the exterior, If you run into a time crunch at least do the hull you can always reach the deck from the dock. Plan to do the hull and any areas you can't reach from the dock on some models this may include the area above the rub rail. Believe it or not do this before any gel repair are completed as the fresh polished gel is the easiest to match. It also allows you to easily see areas in need of repair, as you go along and mark the areas for repair (a small piece of masking tape works best). By cleaning and polishing first you will prevent dark rings around your gel repairs.(This information covered in Part 2)  There are a few things you need to know if you are going to polish on your own, its a long tough job that takes patience and the correct supplies and equipment. Without the investment in the correct supplies and equipment you really are wasting your money. There is bad news for some boaters if you have a colored hull you want to shine up, some hulls are just not going to respond to all this work ( See our article on colored hulls).  A good example is an older boat from the eighties that has not seen proper maintenance or a dark blue or black hull on a Rinker. This work will probably only look good for a few weeks or months,  the colors can appear uneven all over. Rinker colored hulls just don't last they tend to go dull and milky, On any hull, you may fight with old gel repair areas that were done with poor quality gel or to much tint they will continue to give you problems with color and finish.  There are several compounds and waxes to choose from I cannot advise you at this time which to use ( but we will as soon as we are authorized to), ask your local supplier for their advise. You will need to follow the instructions of the product you purchase, Remember if you buy quality supplies the material does all the work, you are looking to create the correct temperature of the pad resistance on the gel of the hull or deck to get a good shine. once polish and wax is done clean up the mess and prep for gel repairs (This information in next article).

The next step is the canvas the large panels with no windows can go in the washer, do not dry. You may need to go to an industrial washing machine to do this, get the canvas back on while still damp. A little vaseline on the snaps lubricates and prevents corrosion. Some chap stick on the plastic zippers works great keeping plastic zippers from failing, but only do this if there are no repairs. If you need any repair work now is the time. Once the canvas is clean and dry you can spray with scotch guard to water proof the material however if you can see sunlight at the stitches this area will still leak, it maybe time to replace panels. When it comes to windows if they are foggy try a little pledge if this doesn't work there is Clear To See a product available from your marine parts store. If they wont come back replace the panel(s). Any tricks generally do not work! To keep your windows longer you must keep some oils in the plastic (this is were regular pledge does the trick), Keep your widows from touching the stainless bars. The plastic will burn when it comes in contact with the bars, foam pipe insulation cut to length is an easy fix.

Stainless can be cleaned up easily, At your local dollar store pick up a bag of stainless steel pads for pot cleaning and just rub the stainless clean, make sure the pieces you are polishing are stainless steel and no platted plastic or other platted materials.. You can wax stainless once its cleaned.

Some extra tips for exterior acetone on a rag for rubber rub rail insert, do not wax the nonskid areas, use rain x on windows, always carry a philips screw driver and tighten screws on your hardware.

 

 Look for Boat Nut Media plan's Spring Start Up Part 2

Gel Repairs, Below the water line, Systems, Mechanical, Upholstery, Appliances, and The rest.

To guarantee access to all of  Boat Nut Magazine articles, pictures and featured services visit the official Boat Nut Magazine ©™ website. Be sure to reply to the Boat Nut Association registration on our site for the latest Boat Nut weekly and monthly news letters and opportunities.

http://boatnutmagazine.com/

Copyright 2015 © Boat Nut Media, Toronto, Ontario. All rights reserved. No part of this information/publications may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, magnetic, or other record, without prior agreement and written permission of the publisher, Boat Nuts Media ©™. No liability is assumed with respect to the information provided.