14' Mirrocraft Deep Fisherman Restoration

[thill]

Thanks for the details. My boat has many, many layers of paint from the last 56 years of use. The top layers are peeling, and who knows how far down the original coat is?

Removing this much paint is daunting. I actually don't want to remove it all, just the loose, peeling stuff. Don't want to mess up any sealing the paint may be performing.

-TH

 

[Rattle can]

Absolutely beautiful your paint work is amazing

 

[Bigwrench]

That was an amazing read and a ton of information to learn from. That boat looks sweet ! Thanks a bunch , gonna have to use several of your techniques in my rebuilds.

 

[DOBSONFLY]

Thank you again for the kind remarks on my build and best of luck with your own! :mrgreen:

I was able to pickup a nearly two decades newer motor,that has seen little to no time on the water, at an auction this past weekend.

1975 Mercury 200 - 20 HP
Under the hood literally looks showroom condition, no gunk, no soot, nothing. Few minor scuffs on the outside.

 

[DOBSONFLY]

I was able to get the new motor tuned up. Plugs, ignition box, water pump impeller, gaskets and a good cleaning. Made a trip out yesterday but had to leave early due to a storm that blew in.

 

[80mirrocraft]

Killer work Dobsonfly, the transom and seats turned out great. If you can stand it, I would not cover the seats.
Bright work shows up beautifully on a restored boat and it's easier to clean too. Great job! =D>

Despite how good the seats look from a distance in the photo, I didn't really treat the seats with as much care as I did the transom. I said to myself, as I was putting down the varnish "I am covering it up anyway" and so any bug that flew its way in is now preserved by a nice few heavy coat of gloss, not to mention the imperfections I didn't bother sanding out and marks left from measuring and layout. So I covered the seats still. I was still pleased with the results.

Carpet is from Home Depot, it is outdoor for deck porches and pool areas, has a UV protectant. I spent around $40 to do this carpet job (carpet $20, SS Staples $11, glue $10). Used water proof glue and stainless steel staples to secure it with. All hardware bolting the seats in is stainless steel button head cap screws with stainless steel nylock nuts (again use antiseze).

I saved the old transom cut out to use as a template to bend the new transom trim piece. I did cheat a little vs the original design. I cut and welded the other straight pcs on mine, because I started at one side to start bending this piece DON'T DO THAT! I would recommend marking center on your old transom cut out piece as well as the aluminum trim piece. Align the two center marks, clamp like I did in the photo and then bend the piece. Basically I ended up too long on one of the legs, so I cut it and welded each side on instead. Anyway that's just my 2 cents for those ordering the section I did from Mirrocraft for the transom. Also you will need some tin snips to relieve like the original for the sharp bends.

what did you use to make the transom trim? and where did you get it?!!!! looks awsome!

 

[DOBSONFLY]

80mirrocraft » 22 May 2014, 06:45[/url]"]

Killer work Dobsonfly, the transom and seats turned out great. If you can stand it, I would not cover the seats.
Bright work shows up beautifully on a restored boat and it's easier to clean too. Great job! =D>

Despite how good the seats look from a distance in the photo, I didn't really treat the seats with as much care as I did the transom. I said to myself, as I was putting down the varnish "I am covering it up anyway" and so any bug that flew its way in is now preserved by a nice few heavy coat of gloss, not to mention the imperfections I didn't bother sanding out and marks left from measuring and layout. So I covered the seats still. I was still pleased with the results.

Carpet is from Home Depot, it is outdoor for deck porches and pool areas, has a UV protectant. I spent around $40 to do this carpet job (carpet $20, SS Staples $11, glue $10). Used water proof glue and stainless steel staples to secure it with. All hardware bolting the seats in is stainless steel button head cap screws with stainless steel nylock nuts (again use antiseze).

I saved the old transom cut out to use as a template to bend the new transom trim piece. I did cheat a little vs the original design. I cut and welded the other straight pcs on mine, because I started at one side to start bending this piece DON'T DO THAT! I would recommend marking center on your old transom cut out piece as well as the aluminum trim piece. Align the two center marks, clamp like I did in the photo and then bend the piece. Basically I ended up too long on one of the legs, so I cut it and welded each side on instead. Anyway that's just my 2 cents for those ordering the section I did from Mirrocraft for the transom. Also you will need some tin snips to relieve like the original for the sharp bends.

what did you use to make the transom trim? and where did you get it?!!!! looks awsome!

It is from Mirrocraft directly, again I was a bit dissappointed for the price considering they only will send you a piece that is a channel which will require bending to get the proper shape. In my opinion, if I had to do it again I would go to a local fabrication shop and get a piece of aluminum bent in the needed channel shape then bend it just like I did with the Mirrocraft part (which is all it was anyway) and saved myself a few dollars.

 

[thill]

A little heat from a torch makes aluminum channel bend a lot easier and much more precisely.

-TH