Here I go, 1985 Ranger 370V

[aniceguy]

Albert as much as you want a nice setup,if it was mine I'd be looking at taking care of the basics like carpet,seats,wiring, steering cable,GC seals and do the glass work myself (don't worry about it being factory perfect) while spending as little as possible (under 1k for above if do it yourself) and enjoy the boat.It's not worth putting anymore into it as your investment would far exceed it's value when done.Just use it till the bugs bites for a bigger boat cause it will lol.

 

Usually I would agree but a total restoration to a bass boat is like a car these days...take apeek at these HTHM its inspirational for sure

 

http://bbcboards.zeroforum.com/zerothread/...tera-ii-project

[CLofchik]

Apparently there is a way of checking the transom for rot with a multimeter something to do with the conductivity of water. I have taken the motor and reefed on it with no flex seen. However I was by myself and may not of had the best perspective to check as I worked it.

Does anyone here know the multimeter procedure?

 

You're confusing two different hull problems. Osmosis (water blistering) and a moisture meter is only something you need to worry about if the hull is constantly submersed for long periods, like a sailboat.

 

Aniceguy was talking about the wooden structure rotting, in your hull there's a lattice work of wood ribs. The glass itself can be fine, but if water is left in the bilge for awhile those will rot out, and if they're done so is your hull. You'd be doing body work on a car with a rotten frame.

 

 

I'll leave the hull crack for somebody else...

[ecmilley]

Hirk helped my with my 363 ranger and is worth talking to on any issues, bbc boards have some very skilled people into restorations bookmark that site!

Any help with your livewells bilges ect and electrical issues shoot me a pm have done most of these issues on my ranger already and there pretty straightfoward

[Uncle Buck]

bummer...

 

factor cost and time required to do the work. then factor in how much fishing time you'll lose and you'll see it's not worth it...

 

buy something that is water ready...

 

although no boat is ever water ready... sonar/downriggers/rodholders/etc....

 

you'll be much happier that way in the end...

 

here's what i opened up and found on my boat...

 

 

 

in 5 years it seen water once and still isn't ready...

 

it's a long/slow process and to do it right will cost you $$

 

my advice put it back together as is and get rid of it ASAP

[aplumma]

You can price out the needed material to do the jobs and then the labor you can't do yourself. Add 30% to the number and then you will have an idea if you want to proceed. Most rebuilds of a mechanical nature exceed the resale value of the original item. If this is not the perfect boat for you and does not have sentimental value and the rebuild is not enjoyable then you might decide to look for a different donor.

 

 

Art

[Gerritt]

Albert did you not just purchase this boat? did you not check it out before forking over the $$? Looks like you have ALOT of work ahead of you brother. Hope you did not put out too much for it.

 

I wish you all the best..

 

G.

[JohnF]

Sometimes these restoration jobs are about the fun, the satisfaction of resurrecting something nice. The nicest sled I ever had was also one of the slowest and took the most work. It was a '70 292 Blizzard that I reconstructed after a few years hard track years. It was my favourite of all the sleds I owned, I think mainly because of the work I put into it. And any of you who've done frame up car builds understand the feeling. I helped put a '28 Chev body on a Ford frame with a 283 driveline. It took us all winter and a lot of work but were we ever proud of it.

 

I think that if we only look at the dollars we'd just buy what we want but what fun is that?

 

JF

[HTHM]

Sometimes these restoration jobs are about the fun, the satisfaction of resurrecting something nice. The nicest sled I ever had was also one of the slowest and took the most work. It was a '70 292 Blizzard that I reconstructed after a few years hard track years. It was my favourite of all the sleds I owned, I think mainly because of the work I put into it. And any of you who've done frame up car builds understand the feeling. I helped put a '28 Chev body on a Ford frame with a 283 driveline. It took us all winter and a lot of work but were we ever proud of it.

 

I think that if we only look at the dollars we'd just buy what we want but what fun is that?

 

JF

I was waiting for someone to articulate just that sentiment.

When I took posession of my current home I was literally ankle deep in used cat food....Anyone who has been in my home would not know that fact unless I told them. This house is much more my home because "I" rebuilt it. It took a long time, I am still not done, but the sense of ownership and pride is much greater than if I had "written a cheque".

As to selling it off to some unsuspecting buyer, you guys don't know me. I could not do that and sleep at night.

 

Not to promote another board, here is a link to the same thread.

http://bbcboards.zeroforum.com/zerothread/...985-ranger-370v

Edited February 18, 2010 by HTHM

[DRIFTER_016]

I was waiting for someone to articulate just that sentiment.

When I took posession of my current home I was literally ankle deep in used cat food....Anyone who has been in my home would not know that fact unless I told them. This house is much more my home because "I" rebuilt it. It took a long time, I am still not done, but the sense of ownership and pride is much greater than if I had "written a cheque".

As to selling it off to some unsuspecting buyer, you guys don't know me. I could not do that and sleep at night.

 

Not to promote another board, here is a link to the same thread.

http://bbcboards.zeroforum.com/zerothread/...985-ranger-370v

 

 

Here's another great resource for you.

 

IBOAT's Resto Forum

 

FYI, if I was doing the resto on this boat I would strip it and do a complete job.

When I look at the condition of this boat I would swear it had been sunk.

I would spend the time and do it properly.

Remember to take lots of pictures as you're stripping it so you know what goes where when you go to reassemble it.

Also label all the parts you take off, again to make it easier when you go to put it all back together.

It's going to take a lot of time and effort to bring it back to it's former glory, but at least it will keep you out of trouble!!!

[Sinker]

As long as your not expecting to launch this boat in the spring, I say have fun. I wouldn't count on launching it for a couple of springs to be honest. You've got a big job on your hands. An old aluminum would be so much less work. Glass sucks.

 

S.

[HTHM]

My brother and I fired up the motor and found out that it runs really well on 5 out of the 6 cylinders.... 0 pounds compression in the #5 cylinder. So I decided to pull the head to find out what was going on. Well I pulled the head and here are the results.....

 

 

The piston in question This one looks different than the others.

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2010 by HTHM

[danbouck]

 

3 beers/hour

[Sinker]

Man, you must REALLY like that boat!! Either that, or someone is paying you to fix it up for them?

 

IMO, its a great anchor!! I hope ya didn't pay anything for that??

 

S.

[vinnimon]

PM me HTHM,If you decide to pull the piston head and repalce the rings etc etc etc.Ive got the tools that you will need to do the job.Also there is a good engine guy intown that I use to have the head done at a really good price.Probably even get you a discount for gaskets too.let me know.

[hirk]

It looks like it broke a reed or has a broken ring Albert,1 new piston and a head minimum,likely a sleeve and re-ring em all.Your looking at a few $'s bud.

Edited February 21, 2010 by hirk

[HTHM]

Update coming soon.......

Here is a tease:

Edited September 28, 2010 by HTHM

[danbouck]

ALBERT - Take this down now!!!

[HTHM]

OOPS< You're right.

[danbouck]

lol - I said 2 beers an hour, I need a raise

[HTHM]

You need a raise??? Let me get my foot wound up.

[danbouck]

lol

[HTHM]

Back on January 1 2010, I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream. To get a go-fast fishing boat.

As I did not have a passport, my wife went over the border to pick it up, I waited by Sarnia customs office for her to arrive and when she did, I said to myself, Oh feces. It was too late, the deal was done, and as my mother would say, sometimes you just have to row with the oars you've got.

We pulled it home, and here is where the fun started, I went to back it into the shop, and it turned out that my door measured 89" and the boat measures 93". That delayed the work until I installed another roll-up door in the shop. A month passed before I found a door at a price I could afford, (free), and installed it.

First job, thorough inspection of the hull, I found this:

And this:

And this:

And when that was not enough, I found this:

Ok, so I have some fibreglass work to do. On to the engine, which the seller assured me was fine. I expected to do some work to the hull, but the motor was OK. My brother came over and we fired it up, started no problem, and ran great, on FIVE out of the SIX cylinders. Pulled the heads and this is what I found:

The inside of the head:

The cylinder and piston:

This was starting to turn into a big job. Well, the way to get big jobs done is the same way a small job gets done, one step at a time.

The first step, strip the interior and carpet. Then de-rig the hull. That was done by others, as I had made a deal for another motor, much newer, much nicer. More on that later.

Then I had to flip the hull, I took it off the trailer using the tried and true, tie 'er to a tree and pull the trailer out from under method. To flip it I was stumped, until we finally just flipped it over with 6 men and a lot of care.

Then came the fibreglass repair, grind out the poor work, lay resin and roving, lay mat and resin, grind to shape, apply fairing compound, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and when that is done, more sanding. I was using a 5" random orbit sander that is meant for finishing wood.

 

There is not one square inch of that hull that has not been rubbed by my hands at least four times.

I have to say that at this point I was getting a bit overwhelmed, and Dan Bouck came over to help for a night. We did not get a lot done, but we established a friendship, and I was encouraged to carry on.

The next week, I bought a large compressor off of Kijiji, and an air sander that is meant for bodywork. What a difference!

Well all of the sanding on the bottom of the hull was finally done, and I called my older brother to come by and spray it. He came by, and we had to sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, until it was up to his standards. I glad we did. However, twenty minutes after the paint flashed over, it rained! This caused a series of craters in the paint that was applied, so after it dried, I had to sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, in order to get the hull ready again. Once again, he came over and sprayed the hull.

 

 

 

 

 

Finished:

 

 

The weather cooperated, the paint cured for four days, six guys came over and we flipped the hull right side up. With incredible care! Now, to get it in the trailer…..The bow eye having been reinstalled, and tightened very well……OH THE TRAILER!

While I was working on the bottom of the boat, I also redid the trailer. The fibreglass fenders had been shredded by a blowout, and the lights did not work very well. Also, the paint looked like crap, the carpet needed to be replaced on the bunks, the tongue jack was on the side rail causing the rail to twist, and the bearings were shot. I took the fenders off and had them re-done at a local fibreglass shop, faired the repairs, and then I had to sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, them until they were ready for paint. They were painted at the same time as the hull. Then the frame was wire brushed with a wire wheel on a grinder, (note to self – remove lighting wire before wire brushing or you may get your grinder caught up in the wire and ruin your grinder…), sprayed with tremclad, and the bunks wrapped with carpet and re-installed.

The bearings, I had to have help with, Vinnimon came over and helped me with that. I was not sure what I needed and he took one look, ran to the parts store and had them done in a jiffy. Thanks again!

Now back to the narrative….

Being nervous about ruining the paint and having to sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand again, I decided to pull the trailer under the boat rather than pull the boat on the trailer. Dry carpet??????not with our happy lube, dish soap. It slid under lickety split!

Well, now I have a nice hull, but a unpleasant top cap, so guess what needs to be done to the top cap? You guessed it I had to sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and the sand some more! There was more sanding and fairing involved with the top cap than with the hull.

Off to the paint shop, (no rain on this one), three coats of primer, HAND sanded between coats, and it was ready for paint. I gave my brother complete freedom in the paint and striping details so I was not around to tell that story, however I heard it involved a 3 am finish time…..

Then it was time to build the deck extension, pics will speak for me:

 

 

 

 

Now for re-assembly, make a new dash panel, install the mechanicals, and look at the wiring. I looked at the wiring, threw up my hands in holy horror and took the TV route.

 

 

 

I phoned a friend.

Dan Bouck, saddled up his white stallion, and came riding to the rescue. He took a full Saturday to help me out with the wiring, and when he left, everything was working fine. That day would be another post on its' own.

Time for the carpet, it went in a lot easier than I though it would. A lot like doing sod, but your cutting errors do not grow in, they stay and you only lay one roll to prevent seams.

 

 

Finally ready for the motor. I had made a deal for a 2004 Optimax, 150 HP where I paid $ X for the motor and traded the blown Yamaha for rigging.

The motor portion of this [project is still being worked out so I will remain silent on that for now.

So it has gone from this:

 

To this:

[SRT8 smoker craft]

nice rig good job on the resto I'm sure that Dan guy drank lots of your beer and didn't help much at all

[danbouck]

nice rig good job on the resto I'm sure that Dan guy drank lots of your beer and didn't help much at all

 

Trust me I should have drank a lot more while wiring lol

 

Albert - Your craftsmanship is amazing and the boat turned out amazing. Can't wait to get on the water in it!

[Crazy Ivan]

So, how does it run?