heath
Member
A little more than two years ago I purchased a 1983 Polar Kraft CF-1651 from a fella whose father had passed on. It was his father's boat and he wanted it to go to a good home with fishing kids where it'd be loved by another generation.
Once upon a time it had all the bells and whistles:
By the time it got to me the anchor winches were largely non-functional and the 82lb trolling motor had once fallen off while driving down the highway and been dragged for a mile or so. =D>
Last summer my son and I fished on it a half dozen times at the local electric-only lake and I replaced the trailer bunks. In late August the bow-to-stern wiring for the front trolling motor failed mid-trip and we decided to set the boat aside for the winter and continue on via canoe.
After much procrastination and fear of the project scale, on Father's Day Weekend we began the long process of restoring the boat. As soon as I ripped up the carpet and saw how rotted the plywood was underneath I knew we'd made the right decision.
I'm chronicling our work here in the hopes that some of you kind old experts will offer suggestions and advice as we go.
Boat: Polar Kraft CF-1651, 16 feet long, 51 inches wide at bottom, 72 inches wide at beam, manufactured in 1983
Motor: Johnson 9.9 electric start long shaft manufactured in 1993
Once upon a time it had all the bells and whistles:
- Johnson 9.9 circa 1993 in good working order (maybe)
- electric anchor winches at bow and stern
- MotorGuide marine battery charger
- MotorGuide 55lb trolling motor on the front
- MotorGuide 82lb trolling motor on the back
- an old Hummingbird depth finder
By the time it got to me the anchor winches were largely non-functional and the 82lb trolling motor had once fallen off while driving down the highway and been dragged for a mile or so. =D>
Last summer my son and I fished on it a half dozen times at the local electric-only lake and I replaced the trailer bunks. In late August the bow-to-stern wiring for the front trolling motor failed mid-trip and we decided to set the boat aside for the winter and continue on via canoe.
After much procrastination and fear of the project scale, on Father's Day Weekend we began the long process of restoring the boat. As soon as I ripped up the carpet and saw how rotted the plywood was underneath I knew we'd made the right decision.
I'm chronicling our work here in the hopes that some of you kind old experts will offer suggestions and advice as we go.
Boat: Polar Kraft CF-1651, 16 feet long, 51 inches wide at bottom, 72 inches wide at beam, manufactured in 1983
Motor: Johnson 9.9 electric start long shaft manufactured in 1993