We are entering our second season as boaters and some of you may remember the problems I had in year #1 with boat repairs. I am glad to say that when we pulled the boat, it was running perfect.
Now, to off-season repairs... Here is a list of the things I would like to do to the boat off-season and soon.
1. New Four Winns decal for the sides. I see them on ebay for around $20 or so. I should have no problem removing the old decal.
2. Dual Battery system. Presently, I only have 1 battery and would like to put in a second with a switch. I am sure I can do the work myself but if anyone has a link to the proper way to do this, I would appreciate.
3. Gelcoat rejuvinator... I have heard mixed reviews about the gelcoat products but have decided to give it an unbiased review. The boat is not bad, however it is slightly oxidized and I want to my best to make it look nice. Not gonna wet sand or anything like that...
4. New ship to shore radio... any suggestions.
5. A new dual trumpet horn. Mine seems to be dead or dying... very little sound. Any suggestions?
All the fluids were changed and a complete winterization was done so what is needed to get her water ready?
Again, thanks to everyone for helping us out... what a great community!
sounds like all you have to do is put the drain plug back in, gas her up and launch away.... oh, charge battery?
Originally Posted by DJMM
We are entering our second season as boaters and some of you may remember the problems I had in year #1 with boat repairs. I am glad to say that when we pulled the boat, it was running perfect.
Now, to off-season repairs... Here is a list of the things I would like to do to the boat off-season and soon.
1. New Four Winns decal for the sides. I see them on ebay for around $20 or so. I should have no problem removing the old decal.
2. Dual Battery system. Presently, I only have 1 battery and would like to put in a second with a switch. I am sure I can do the work myself but if anyone has a link to the proper way to do this, I would appreciate.
3. Gelcoat rejuvinator... I have heard mixed reviews about the gelcoat products but have decided to give it an unbiased review. The boat is not bad, however it is slightly oxidized and I want to my best to make it look nice. Not gonna wet sand or anything like that...
4. New ship to shore radio... any suggestions.
5. A new dual trumpet horn. Mine seems to be dead or dying... very little sound. Any suggestions?
All the fluids were changed and a complete winterization was done so what is needed to get her water ready?
Again, thanks to everyone for helping us out... what a great community!
On my old boat, I used and was very happy with the Meguiar's Line of products. I used their rubbing compound, followed by a polish, followed by a wax.. shinned like new..
the oxidation should be gone before you apply the polish and wax:
Right side ready for polish.. left side keep buffing:
looks like this might be what you want although I used rubbing compound and not the oxidation remover:
For getting ready to launch, I will start it up in the driveway with 2 five gallon buckets to catch the antifreeze being flushed out from winterizing.
Run it till it reaches temp (15-20 mins) and verify it isn't going to overheat. Check oil level. Etc.
Dual battery, I just bought a Perko 1-2-All-off switch and flipped between them each run out so each battery was re-charged. I took a piece of rope and ran from switch to each battery to get length of new cables needed and then had them made and installed. Very easy set up.
There are other more complicated options out there like combiners, etc. Since we trailer, it isn't a big issue if I have a battery go bad as long as the other one works.
1. New Four Winns decal for the sides. I see them on ebay for around $20 or so. I should have no problem removing the old decal.
Easy as pie. Heat up the old one, peel it off. Clean and prep the area, apply the new one. I like to put them on wet.
2. Dual Battery system. Presently, I only have 1 battery and would like to put in a second with a switch. I am sure I can do the work myself but if anyone has a link to the proper way to do this, I would appreciate.
Also easy. I don't feel like typing it all out. (I'm tired) But I'd be happy to take detailed pictured of my dual battery set up for you to follow.
3. Gelcoat rejuvinator... I have heard mixed reviews about the gelcoat products but have decided to give it an unbiased review. The boat is not bad, however it is slightly oxidized and I want to my best to make it look nice. Not gonna wet sand or anything like that...
That depends on your gel coat. There is no magic in a bottle. If it's pretty dull, you'll need to buff it, or have it buffed. It's not that hard to do, it just needs to be done right or you can burn through the gelcoat on the corners. But you could learn the processes in an afternoon. If the oxidation is minor, then you can just use a good cleaner wax followed by a good marine wax.
4. New ship to shore radio... any suggestions.
Can't help you there, I need one too, so I'll just sit back and see what answers you get.
All the fluids were changed and a complete winterization was done so what is needed to get her water ready?
Depends on what all was done to winterize. If the cooling system was drained and left empty, you're golden. Charge the battery and go. If they filled it with anti freeze, do what JZelt said.
Easy as pie. Heat up the old one, peel it off. Clean and prep the area, apply the new one. I like to put them on wet.
Also easy. I don't feel like typing it all out. (I'm tired) But I'd be happy to take detailed pictured of my dual battery set up for you to follow.
That depends on your gel coat. There is no magic in a bottle. If it's pretty dull, you'll need to buff it, or have it buffed. It's not that hard to do, it just needs to be done right or you can burn through the gelcoat on the corners. But you could learn the processes in an afternoon. If the oxidation is minor, then you can just use a good cleaner wax followed by a good marine wax.
Can't help you there, I need one too, so I'll just sit back and see what answers you get.
Depends on what all was done to winterize. If the cooling system was drained and left empty, you're golden. Charge the battery and go. If they filled it with anti freeze, do what JZelt said.
Good luck!
I have a mounted radio that came with the boat, seems to work fine, but friend of mine bought a hand held, works just as good for the rivers and no need for antenna or mounting. Not sure how it would do in the middle of Lake Erie, but for around here it is fine.
As far as oxidation is concerned, and I should preface, that this is only for severe oxidation... anyway, I've had good experience progressive wetsanding of highly oxidized areas, starting with 400 grit, and progressively working up to 1500 or 2000 grit, followed by a good cutting polish and wax.
I entirely wetsanded both 16' and 19' Century Arabians, which were oxidized beyond the point where most people would buy these boats, and had amazing results. Keep in mind that this can only be done once or twice in the life of the gelcoat, but if it's the difference between an ugly and beautiful boat... I choose the former. Also, the key to the longevity of a wetsand, is proper protective barrier application (wax).
Off Season Boat Prep...
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Originally Posted by DJMM
