Starting to restore a 170

[kraw2]

Hello,

I posted in another thread for new members. I just joined a couple of days ago. I purchased a 1976 170 and now have it stripped down just about ready for the painter. My friend helps me with most of the work b/c being in a wheelchair obviously I can't reach everything. I have done this before to a 19' Mako before my injury.

There will be allot of questions now and in the future. The boat is very solid all around. Even the floor. We removed the gas tank today and it looked original. The previous owner had been using a portable tank. It was very dry on top of the tank and slightly wet on the bottom. There were no holes in the tank until we made one while getting it out. The tank only had a little water in it.

I noticed that there were no straps, only foam holding the tank in. There was however a hole in the aft part of the tank coffin. I guess to let water, condensation out? Is this original? I will search and see the best way to install a new tank. In the old days we just foamed them in like this one was. Are there any links to pictures of how to do this correctly?

The green rubrail seems too old and dry to try to reuse unless there is a trick to restoring them. The end caps are trash.

I will be asking on how to install a bilge pump and how to get the discharge out. Any help on this in the search?

The floor will be repainted so I assume from past experience I will sand it smooth and paint it with non skid.

I will take some pictures tomorrow. Too tired and was too busy to go get the camera.

Thank you in advance and hope to learn allot from the vets on here.

[slvrlng]

Welcome aboard again!!!

Lets see where to begin?
The rubrail can be sanded and buffed as it is solid green all the way through. It probably won't look like new but it will make it look a lot better. Read this thread for my method of restoring it.  
http://classicaquasport.com/phpbb3/view ... a&start=45

Are you going to replace the tank? Lots of opinions on whether to foam the tank in or not. I would add straps just to make sure it won't move even if you do foam it back in. I would also think the drain hole is a good thing if the lid does leak it gives water a way to exit. Again lots of opinions on this as well.

Jessie (Marshmarlowe) has a neat way he plumbed his bilge pump out the side of his hull that works really well.

I am sure there will be many, many more responses to you in the coming days. Just don't stop asking questions!

[kraw2]

Thank you.

As soon as I download pics to Photobucket I'll start posting on what I'm doing. One of the wierdest things was a home power strip screwed to the inside of the center console with the plug end cut off. I have no idea what it could be used for..!!

[slvrlng]

Yeah when I was cleaning out the bilge there was a float switch I thought was connected to the pump. Wrong!!!! It was connected to nothing! Hey at least I got rid of 2 useless wires in the run.

Okay back to yours. Why would they have a power strip in there?        

You know when we were in Navarre last year we saw a 170 pull into the beach on the sound by Sailor's grill. Where did you get your boat?

[kraw2]

That sounds like the same boat. I bought from a person in Navarre which is just east of me. About 45 minutes away.

I was going to replace the 1980 70 hp Evinrude but it has right at 150 psi on all 3 cylinders..!! The trigger is bad and one coil is bad. No spark to the #1 cylinder. After I get it running I will strip all the elctrical off, clean and paint the block, and replace all the ignition system. I don't want any suprises later and the old wire are usually corroded inside anyway.

I still have to get these items;

Gas tank
Controls and rigging for the Evinrude
Bilge pump install (where to run the exit)
Total rewire
Repair and paint the boat

[slvrlng]

Is this the one you bought?



Edit---- Maybe not, the one we saw looks like it had a Nissan on it.  When I was there in September I did see another one parked beside Broxton's Outdoors in Navarre and it had the transom livewells on it.

[kraw2]

The one I bought was the one with the factory live wells still attached. It was a mess. None of the electrical worked. The engine didn't run. The trim motor is bad. Etc....It has a 1980 70 hp Evinrude

At least the hull is good.

[slvrlng]

Was it Broxton's or did somebody just have it parked there?

[kraw2]

The owner that lives in Navarre had it parked at Broxon's so that's the one i bought.

[kraw2]

Is it normal for a hull this old not to have rot..? Myself and 2 fiberglass repair specialist cannot find anything wrong with the hull. There are however hundreds of screw holes to be filled. The boat will be painted.

What is the best thing to use to fill all the screw holes? I am thinking about using Marine Tex.

[MarshMarlowe196]

Its not normal, but it is possible. My 73 is still solid bow to stern. An old boat can stay as solid as the day it was built if you store it properly. Keep it covered! :)

Marine Tex should work fine

[c master]

Regarding rot:

My 1975 170 has one soft floor area approximately 18" north of the transom, in between the stringers.  This is the result of an earlier owner cutting a hole in the floor and installing a "bass seat" mounting plate/socket.  Water got into the plywood core where the cutout(s) were made.  (He did the same thing to the forward, middle hatch cover...another bass seat mount, but it's not soft.)   My solution for this soft area is to cut a larger hole around it, and properly install a white rectangular floor hatch between the stringers.  It will provide better access than a pie plate to the bilge anyway.

The point is, I believe my boat would also be essentially 'rot-free' if not for this poor installation, so perhaps 170's were more impervious to rot than other models.  Like everyone says, just keep the boat under cover.  I leave my drain plug out when she's on the trailer, and open all the pie plates.  Not sure it does any good but it makes me feel better.

There has been a lot of discussion about how to install bilge pump discharge hoses on 170's.  You can probably locate that string on this site, but as far as I can tell, there isn't any way to make a 'hidden' route from the bilge to the aft quarter of these boats so unless you're replacing the floor, it seems damn near impossible to hide the hose.  The 19's and larger models were a little easier I think.  But if you do install one (and I'd love to see pictures if you do), go with at least a 1500 gph pump.  (Smaller boats have much less total "displacement", so 300 gallons of water-weight in the bilge of a 17' is a higher percentage than 300 gallons in the bilge of a 22'.)

Cliff

[JD7.62]

Any updates? I was the one that sold you the boat. I'm looking forward to see how it turns out. I knew the bones were good and I so wish I had the money and knowledge to fix her up properly like you are doing.