Fahi_Pond
New member
WOW – am I glad I found this site!! A lot of good information.
I just bought a 1978 Sylvan 14’ center console aluminum boat a couple of weeks ago and am just starting to go through a rebuild – I’ve been searching like crazy on the internet trying to find some information from someone that knows what they’re talking about – this site seems to have really good information and feedback from people that have “been-there/done that”.
The boat I purchased was in overall good structural condition and the motor (1977 15hp Evenrude) started and seems to run great. Several modifications had already been done to it a number of years ago – most of which were decent but “wore-out”. I decided to gut everything and start over since the plywood deck was starting to get bad and the paint that had been applied over the original factory coating was starting to look bad (wasn’t peeling, just wore-out).
I’ve got the tear-down about complete and am getting ready to paint. I’ve smoothed out the paint with a random orbit sander but still have some hand-sanding to do. After a lot of internet searches I finally decided to go ahead and purchase Rustoleum Marine Primer for Metal and the Marine Topside Paint. Anyone have any luck with these products? I was originally thinking about spraying the finish on since I have the spray equipment, however after doing a test piece I think I might apply it with a roller and brush since the paint seemed to self-level really nice on the test piece I did. I have a little apprehension on spraying the paint on (I’ve sprayed a lot of smaller pieces of wood but nothing this size or metal).
I do need to replace the transom board – which I’m dreading. Maybe it’s not as bad as I think – however several pieces of trim are connected and riveted to or around the board. I get a little nervous thinking about trying to remove these pieces. Any input and/or warnings or words of advice would be appreciated.
I'm attaching a few photos of the boat as I purchased it - I’ll attempt to post additional photos as work progresses. Any feedback or words of wisdom would be appreciated.
I just bought a 1978 Sylvan 14’ center console aluminum boat a couple of weeks ago and am just starting to go through a rebuild – I’ve been searching like crazy on the internet trying to find some information from someone that knows what they’re talking about – this site seems to have really good information and feedback from people that have “been-there/done that”.
The boat I purchased was in overall good structural condition and the motor (1977 15hp Evenrude) started and seems to run great. Several modifications had already been done to it a number of years ago – most of which were decent but “wore-out”. I decided to gut everything and start over since the plywood deck was starting to get bad and the paint that had been applied over the original factory coating was starting to look bad (wasn’t peeling, just wore-out).
I’ve got the tear-down about complete and am getting ready to paint. I’ve smoothed out the paint with a random orbit sander but still have some hand-sanding to do. After a lot of internet searches I finally decided to go ahead and purchase Rustoleum Marine Primer for Metal and the Marine Topside Paint. Anyone have any luck with these products? I was originally thinking about spraying the finish on since I have the spray equipment, however after doing a test piece I think I might apply it with a roller and brush since the paint seemed to self-level really nice on the test piece I did. I have a little apprehension on spraying the paint on (I’ve sprayed a lot of smaller pieces of wood but nothing this size or metal).
I do need to replace the transom board – which I’m dreading. Maybe it’s not as bad as I think – however several pieces of trim are connected and riveted to or around the board. I get a little nervous thinking about trying to remove these pieces. Any input and/or warnings or words of advice would be appreciated.
I'm attaching a few photos of the boat as I purchased it - I’ll attempt to post additional photos as work progresses. Any feedback or words of wisdom would be appreciated.
