1973 222 Project started

[slippery73]

Here is my 73' 222 I just acquired last week. Have been looking for a while for a quality boat that I dont have to completely gut and it looks like I finally found it. Was a I/O, will be converted to a outboard, still working on deck layout and hatch configuration. Pulled the tank on sunday and stringers feel solid and dry, no delamination of any kind visible, only soft spot on boat is in the floor where they had the rigging cables coming up into console, will probably just patch that area then ad side side hatches in floor to each side of console. Doing an in deck livewell forward of  center console, and trying to figure out what I want to do about that rear engine cover. I think im going to keep it and convert it into storage/fish box as I really like the height it adds as a rear deck to stand on while fishing. Check out the full height transom, I love it. Here are some pics:

[JimCt]

Nice boat Silppery and welcome aboard!

Was the I/O in the boat when you got it?

One thing I found that effectively lifts dirt & grease from the bilge area is Easy-Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner.  Spray on a decent coat... maybe 2 cans worth and let it sit an hour or so and hose it off.  Bilge will look like the day the boat was built. Take care when using the cleaner since it is a strong alkali.

Look forward to seeing more pictures as the project moves along.

[RickK]

Welcome aboard!!  Looks like you live in the south like a few of us.  Got some good shade to work on her too.

[slippery73]

Thanks for all the positive feedback, I am excited about getting going on this. Anyone know of a source to get some premade fiberglass hatches. I saw Capt. Rick's gallery and he used some really nice ones but i havn't heard from him on where he got them from. Also, if there are any rebuilders on the forum that are interested in bartering out work I own a cabinetry design company and would like to trade some work out if at all possible. Let me know if anyone is interested.

[Mike Answeeney]

Hey Slippery, welcome aboard!

That's the exact same boat as I am having restored.
When I started this out, I thought it was a 72 but then learned it was a 73.

http://www.classicaquasport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1779&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

http://www.classicaquasport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2031

It started out an I/O and will end up with a bracket and outboard.
I like all the extra room with the I/O engine cover gone.

We found that the wood on top of the stringers had some dry rot. A few area of the stringers were soaked with water and a some of the keel pad was soft.

Good luck.
BTW, where are you located? I'm in Tampa.

[Capt. Rick]

Hey Slippery,
I'm still around, just the busy time of the year for me.  I have been spending most of my spare time sanding on the boat, took her down to Young Boats last week for her final make-up.  We should be ready to start rigging next week.  Young's is the same place I got the hatches, tubs and recievers.  447-447-1330  Inglis, Fl. Good luck with your project/

[slippery73]

Yea I saw you were in yankeetown so i figured you may have gotten your hatches from Young boats, they are really nice guys there. My truck broke down about a half mile norht of their shop a while back and they let me borrow a snap on wrench set so I could reattach my fuel pump to the motor block. Not many people would let a stranger off the street borrow expensive tools and trust them to actually come back with them. I'll get a hold of them and see what I can work with the hatches. Would you mind telling me how much those cost?

Thanks,
Ben

[Capt. Rick]

Think I ended up around 1900.00.  five hatches with recievers and three tubs.  I didn't need tubs for the bilge and anchor locker.  The one going across at the step up to the front deck will be divided in two to make a fish box and cooler for drinks and food, so I got six out of the deal. The hatches come with non skid and the hinge area recessed. They can tell you how to match your deck and bottom to their non-skid. Sounds fairly easy.  Not cheap but high quality and plenty of personal instruction on how to put them in.

[slippery73]

One step closer, got my new motor yesterday morning. 150 zuki 4 stroke brand new. Got an awesome deal from richie boat and motor,727-869-3443 go talk to Rich hes got a few left at bargain prices. They were thousands less than the cheapest prices I found anywhere.

[slippery73]

Gas tank removed, bilge area cleaned out, started into transom. Have almost all of the wood out except about 1/8" on the port side, the starboard side is ground down. Will update some more pics in the next few days as these were from a few weeks ago.

[JimCt]

Plywood in the transom doesn't look too bad.  Cleaned up nicely.

[slippery73]

Plywood wasn't to bad, I almost left it. Glad i decided to replace it though as it was pretty rotten around the lift rings, scupper holes and drain. The port side had a nice little ant colony living in it, they made that side a little easier to take out as they had started eating through layers of ply.

[slippery73]

Here are some pics from my latest work, finally got my fiberglass materials so I can start rebuilding. The thought of my brand new motor sitting in a crate at the dealership is giving me a lot of motivation to get crankin on it. Got the rest of the wood out and ground down into glass and the original bedding compound for the plywood. Patched the I/O hole first and then gave the whole inner transom a layer of glass. Also cut out my melamine "dam" for my Nidacore transom pour compound. The dam has 3/4 blocks on the back side that will rest against the inner transom liner, that plus the 3/4" dam will give me a 1.5" space to pour the compound. Coated the front side of the melamine with 3 coats of pva and will glass it in and reinforce with more glass then pull before nidacore goes in. Transom should be done by weeks end.

[RickK]

Maybe it's just me but I can't see the pix anymore and I just rebooted my PC so I doubt it's me.  That is one inherent danger of using a third party photo hosting site - if they shut down, wherever you had your pix posted also goes away.  Slippery, you have unlimited space here on the ClassicAquasport site if you want to upload them here, then you can post links from this site to your topics and also other sites as well.

[slippery73]

Did some more work this weekend. Got the melamine dam I made in place as well as the 3/4" spacer blocks. Then laid two layers of glass on it. From there I pulled the dam out and made two smaller forms for the ends where the dam will meet the gunwale. I couldn't extend the form board all the way to the boat sides with out pulling the top cap so I just did it in three pieces, the large center section and the two sides. I would have poured the nidacore transom compound but I didn't have my mixer for my drill, will be poured probably tomorrow with more pics to come.