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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | Howdy all,
I just acquired an 86 Maurader with a '99 60hp Johnson as a project boat. I've renovated a few aluminum boats in my day and have owned a few fiberglass rigs that i did minor adjustments to. So, this is my first full renovation on a glass boat. Motor is solid and have a tiller handle on order for it. Got it stripped out, console, carpet, electrical gone. Got the motor off the transom and in the garage. Did a lot of grinding and sanding and sanding and grinding this weekend. The transom was completely rotten, wasn't one piece of dry wood in there, with a needle-nose, shop-vac, crow-bar, and a chainsaw, I managed to get rid of it while keeping the fiberglass in place. Started cutting the deck for removal and exposing of the stringers, of which some are rotten and i'll be replacing. Lots more interior and exterior grinding and sanding in my future along with learning how to glass (doesn't look too difficult). Pouring a sea-cast transom, new carpet, electrical, and interior/exterior painting.
Anyway, looking forward to completing this one and will try to add pics when i learn how. Hoping to keep the questions to a minimum, but might need some info along the way. I do know that i am in need of the starboard side aluminum transom corner piece, if anyone happens to have one of those just laying around? Perhaps, Mr. Worrall? Also, wondering if anyone might know if Tuffy used a poly-resin or an epoxy-resin in their boats in 1986?
This should be a fairly interesting and educational experience...or, I may slip deeper into a drug and alcohol abyss. Either way, it should be entertaining.
Edited by beerforthemuskygods 7/9/2017 8:39 PM
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Posts: 20229
Location: oswego, il | Do some searches on this site. There have been a few tuffy renovations over the years. Should be helpful. |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | ToddM - 7/9/2017 9:29 PM
Do some searches on this site. There have been a few tuffy renovations over the years. Should be helpful.
Those searches are what inspired me to take this project on. Great info on this site, thanks. |
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Posts: 320
| Hey Beer,
I'm just finishing up a total restore of my 88 Marauder. I did a complete tear down to the keel. Main deck, casting deck, livewell, rod storage all came out. Transom was rotted on the port side due to a leaky overflow on the live well and it rotted into the transom so it came out as well. Entire boat was gutted. Luckily the box stringers were still solid so I left them in it.
I used 3/4 plywood and epoxy resin from Raka (great people to deal with). I built the transom by laying up two pieces of plywood and glued & screwed it together with stainless steel screws. The entire piece was glued and clamped into place and bonded to the outer transom glass. Then I used multiple layers of glass and epoxy to built up the interior and tabbed it into the corners on port & starboard sides.
I built the deck to cover the entire floor first and then built the livewell & storage compartments on top of that. This way there is no wood under the deck. It seems the factory built the storage & livewell first and the vertical wall on the inside that meets the deck was sitting on the bottom of the hull. When moisture got in there the plywood sucked it up and it began to rot.
All exposed wood was glassed and tabbed to the sides and all corners vertical & horizonal, were tabbed as well. I didn't want to carpet it so I used a product call Tuff Coat paint to paint the entire inside. That way I can hose it all down when it gets dirty and not have to worry about carpet anymore. The Tuff Coat has small rubber particles in it so you won't slip when it gets wet. I used two gallons and just used a roller to apply.
I also built a storage compartment in the rear for batteries & gas which gives my guest a nice casting deck. I have an extra storage compartment rear of the livewell on the port side. On the starboard side I expanded the rod locker and also have an extra storage compartment as well. The rod locker will accommodate rods up to 9-6. The rear corners have floatation as well as a lot of foam under the deck. The front casting deck and the rear deck is all the same height so no more tripping on raised lids or anything.
I just got a new custom cover made for it and still have to rewire everything and put the hinges on my lids. I plan to get it all done this weekend and get the garage cleaned and back to normal. I still have to clean the hull back up and apply new decals but I'll do that next. Prepare to put a lot of time into this project and have people question your sanity of not just buying a new boat. I could have done that but I just love how this boat fishes. I sold the old Merc 50 hp two stroke tiller and will use my Merc 9.9 four stroke since this boat will but used exclusively for motor restricted local lakes. I know I prolly overbuilt it but I know it's gonna last many, many more years. Maybe someday when I get grandkids, one of them will get the boat!
Have fun with the project. If & when you have questions, let me know & I'll try to help as much as I can. I'll try to get some pics posted too. Load the fridge up with beer and prepare to bleed, get dirty, sticky with resin and have neighbors look at you like you are a complete idiot! |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | Hey Todd,
My neighbors already look at me like that. My front deck is in decent condition, so I'm going to leave that in. I removed the port bunk and all foam last night and sawed off half of the starboard bunk, and removed the deck. I was planning on sistering something together for the starboard bunk and building a new one for the port side. I'd love to see some pics of your bunk builds. What are you using for storage lids? My box stringers are in surprisingly good shape, so i'll keep those. With your deck build, did you glass in a couple more supports where the old bunks sat in the boat? What did you use to bond your transom wood to the outer glass? I plan on tabbing and "peanut buttering" everything. Sounds like our projects are extremely similar and would love to pick your brain further on this if possible?
Edited by beerforthemuskygods 7/11/2017 7:04 PM
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Posts: 320
| Beer,
I mixed the raka epoxy with a mixture of wood & fiberglass fillers to bond the transom to the outer hull. I clamped it and screwed in some temporary braces to suck it tight and let it set for a couple days until it was all cured. Then the inside of the transom was glassed with several layers of cloth. The corners were tabbed with several layers of cloth tape.
I tabbed the deck into the sides with glass cloth then built the side walls for the bunks on top of that and tabbed it as well. My lids are glassed over plywood & I got all full length SS hinges for all of them. I also rebuilt the livewell and bonded & glassed it all together as one piece instead of the two piece riveted & siliconed original.
I'll take some more pics & get them posted later in the week when I'm back home. |
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Posts: 18
| Keep the info coming guys, pics and info would be helpful. I just started gutting my 89 marauder and any info will help. |
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Posts: 320
| WBM,
I took some more pics tonite. Just finishing my interior up now. Hooking electrical to switch box, installing lids & such. I'll get some pics posted soon I promise. I'm no expert but I've spend countless hours working on my project & I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. She will be a good fishing machine for many years to come. Take care! TC |
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Posts: 320
| Hey Beer & WBM,
I don't think Tuffy has the "Marauder" decals any longer. I took pics & measured my existing decal and my son has created a graphic image of it. I was going to have have him make a pair of black ones for my boat. Do you want a pair for yours as well? Let me know. I'm gonna start cleaning the hull up pretty soon. But I'm gonna do that in between fishing trips. I wanna get her slimed soon. Take care..,.. TC |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | ToddC - 7/17/2017 9:46 PM
Hey Beer & WBM,
I don't think Tuffy has the "Marauder" decals any longer. I took pics & measured my existing decal and my son has created a graphic image of it. I was going to have have him make a pair of black ones for my boat. Do you want a pair for yours as well? Let me know. I'm gonna start cleaning the hull up pretty soon. But I'm gonna do that in between fishing trips. I wanna get her slimed soon. Take care..,.. TC
Extremely tempting, however, i haven't decided what color i'm going with. If i end up with a dark blue then the black lettering probably wouldn't show up. If it ends up being a lighter color, i'll let you know asap. Thank you very much! |
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Posts: 410
Location: one foot over the line | White Bear Musky - 7/17/2017 10:56 AM
Keep the info coming guys, pics and info would be helpful. I just started gutting my 89 marauder and any info will help.
WBM, Todd has been a ton of help and has offered up some great ideas. I have mine gutted and 95% of the grinding has been done. I hope to start the building phase this weekend. PM me with your cell number if you would like me to send any pics. |
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Posts: 320
| Beer & WBM,
Wanda at Tuffy just emailed me and said they no longer have the old style Tuffy decals in stock. Looks like I'll have to get them made along with the Marauder ones. I'll do some surfing on the net to see what I can find. I'll keep you posted.
Keep cool.......TC |
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Posts: 320
| Beer & WBM,
Wanda at Tuffy just emailed me and said they no longer have the old style Tuffy decals in stock. Looks like I'll have to get them made along with the Marauder ones. I'll do some surfing on the net to see what I can find. I'll keep you posted.
Keep cool.......TC |
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