Update on the 73 v Repairs

[steplift20]

who cares what they think, I think it looks great,cant wait to see the finished product, If you get bored i have a 78 that i would like to restore, you cant get a boat like ours anymore, oh and i llike the color, Is that paint ?

[Macrenovations]

Thanks steplift20. Yea I really don't care to much about what other people think well within reason. I painted the boat with brightside Sunbuff down. Wanted to strip down and re gel-coat the whole boat but then reality sunk in. By all rights for what I wanted to do with and how I wanted the boat to look I should have started with a better looking boat or at least one that was not treated like a bumper-boat and test dummy. Trying to rebuild the V on a set budget so far so good. Have spent many hours sanding and buffing out the bow rails and rub rails for the most part they look like new again except for the few pitted areas on the rub rails but it beats the 1500.00 new ones. Working on the top cap this weekend installing all the new hardware and almost new....

[cmclean]

Great work! How was it topside painting the hull with the bottom paint being on there? Did you use any primers to seal the gel? For the seats, have you looked at some of the new Wise chair packages? IMO, they are greatly priced and come with all new pedistals. Starting as low as $150 online! If you are looking to do a back to back seat on the port side, check out some that are already pre-fabbed. Wise, Todd and other seat names are a start! Wish you luck

[Macrenovations]

Painting was fairly easy it's all the prep work to get their that takes the time. I did prime everything even in areas that they say you don't have to. The primer is more unforgiving then the paint just make sure you sand between coats. As far as the seats go I'm building them now wanted to have extra storage as well as drawers. The port side was thinking of building one kind of like a large lounge seat with full storage underneath that wraps around don't sure yet.Ones their built going to glass everything and paint. Thanks for luck going to need it...

[cmclean]

Good deal. Let me know how the seats turn out!

[Macrenovations]

Just a little update and will post pic later tonight. Was re-cutting a hole the PO put in floor for another pump wanted to install a real hatch. When cutting could feel the inside stringers moving around was able to pull back the great looking glass work and it was just that looked like new to find what little wood was their. Pulled four feet out all the way to the transom. Good news well kind of the wood going forward is fine but you can move it left to right and yet the floor has no soft spots at all.I can not see any foam at all is this normal.

Now trying to decide to pull the top cap off again and then pull the whole floor cap off as well or just cut the floor out where needed and reinstall but again I did drill a 8in hole forward and had the same moment in the stringers the outer stringers are great 100%. And why are the center most stringers not glassed over top...Well fun Fun going to cut the floor out now just to see which way to go..

The wife's saying sell it and that maybe an option but more the likely not..

[Destroyer]

Wives tend to have tunnel vision. (Don't get me wrong, I love mine dearly) but usually they only see the start and the finish of a project... everything in between is "sell it, are we there yet, why did you do that" sorta stuff. Make up your own mind. Then give them a hammer and saw and involve them. They can surprise you with the work they can do. And once they are involved the complaints usually stop and the "what should I do next?" starts.

Truthfully, with the amount of labor you have in that boat already.... if it were me I'd just bite the bullet and fix what was wrong. In the end it will be "lets take it for a ride again next weekend honey".. it will be worth it.