Capt Duck's 1988 Aquasport 170

[CaptDuck]

Well i acquired this 170 a few weeks ago and she is in need of some TLC. My intention is to work on it for the next 3.5-4 months that i am off from work. My intentions are to do as much as i can before it is time to go back to work and before spring rolls around and time to take the misses fishing. Here are a list of some of the things that i have noticed and want to get take care of. I am sure there will be more issues as i start digging in.
1. Replace binnacle, it sticks.
2. remove and inspect fuel tank.
3. Remove console and repair all the holes.
4. Stiffen up the sole behind the helm seat.
5. Replace all existing wiring. It is a spiders web of wires!!!!
6. Winterize the 1989 Johnson 70hp
7. Get it in my garage to do the work before the cold weather and snow come around.
8. work on the trailer. Replace lights and springs

Here are a few pictures of the boat and a few things i have done to start the TLC process!!



Well i took the cover off the channel for the siring from the engine to the console. And boy was it soaked with mud and leaves. And some real long wire that was double maybe triple the length it needs to be. also notice that is has speaker wire that powers up the bow navigation lights!!! Going to dig around and see how those lies should be running instead of the current way it is.





Well by the end of today i have the boat in my garage and tomorrow i can really start to dig in!

[RickK]

Looks like she has been sitting for a while based on the debris in the cable trough.  She'll clean up quickly.  For the floor you can stiffen it up by injecting resin into the floor in the affected area.  There are a few examples of this in the rebuild forums.

[CaptDuck]

Well i got up early and did quite a bit today. It helps to have a wife that loves to fish as well. So she is being understanding. I got the center console out of the way and proceeded to remove the fuel tank. It wasn't to bad of a task. took all of maybe and hour and a half. Hardest part was figuring out that 2 screws that hold the base down to the cooler seat have nuts on the underside of the coffin cover. Once that was figured out i went to town. My mission was to get it out today and look it over real good.







Once i figured that out i took out the seat base and took out the coffin cover. It wasn't heavy like a lot of people have said when their coffin cover is all water logged. I can see where it is starting to get all water logged. What do you all think from these pictures. Rebuild or get another season out of it? It wasn't soft anywhere. Sounds hard as a rock.







Now here is what my tank looked like when i took the cover off!!!!

What is that clear tubing for?






She was nasty under the tank and the hoses are definitely getting replaced!!


It wasn't that hard to take the tank out. I loosened the straps and used a 2x6 to wiggle it loose and then she popped right out.  The dimesnions are 56" long x 20" wide x 6" deep.






Well BAD news...she has some holes in it!!!! i talked to a local shop and for a new tank and there response was that it would be around $1000!!!!!! i said no thank you... Any recommendations of where to get a tank?

[RickK]

Looks pretty typical of what you'd find when you dig into an older boat. The sole and hatch seem to look ok.

[Brendanpd28]

Hey There Captain Duck,

   I am close to placing the order for my 170 tank.  I have been dealing with Phil from Alloy Metal Works in NY. You can put in a request for a quote right online.  He is very easy to deal with and gets back to you quickly.  There are other fabricators used by classic members as well. I was going to go with a poly tank but I couldn't find one that fits my coffin.

- Brendan

[CaptDuck]

 What kind of price are you being quoted for a tank Brendan?

[CaptDuck]

Looks pretty typical of what you'd find when you dig into an older boat. The sole and hatch seem to look ok.

Yeah I would say 95% of the sole is solid. Maybe a 2x2 area behind the seat is soft. Right where the bilge access plate is. Took the plate out and she is not looking good. Debating on what I want to with it. Inject it or cut the sole up and take the non skid surface off pull out old wood and replace and then glass it back up!

[Brendanpd28]

$300 plus shipping for a 29 gallon aluminum tank.  Includes the sending unit as well. As far as your sole goes...for a small section like that I would give the injection a go.  I had many soft spots and ended up injecting the entire deck with good results. If I new I would end up doing the entire deck I probably would have cut and out and redone the entire deck.  But then I probably would of test drilled the stringers, re-foamed, reglassed the hull, etc. and I was not going for a FULL rebuild. I used 3:1 EPOXY mixed with 1/32" milled glass fibers and a little cabosil to thicken it up a little bit.  I didnt thicken it as much in areas where the deck wasnt as soft and I needed a lower viscosity to inject it well. Using painters tape before drilling and injecting will make cleanup a lot easier as well.  I then sanded the entire deck with 80 grit, filled any low spots with epoxy, re-sanded flush, then went over the entire deck with Kiwi-grip.  I am very happy with how it turned out.  Hope this helps!

[CaptDuck]

Thats not a bad price at all. I sent in a request earlier today. So hopefully i will hear back soon. If same price i will order right away!!!! I like what you are saying about your sole. I think i might go ahead and do that to mine. Just need to pick up some syringes and go to work!!! How do you like the Kiwi-Grip?

Well today i got the coffin cleaned out and the wire trough cleaned out. My plan here is to drill the screw holes out a little bigger and inject some epoxy resin and 404 filler. What do you all think about using 404 filler with the epoxy to inject my screw holes and deck? I got a gallon of west system epoxy/resin and a lot of 404 and 403 filler from work today for free!!! We used to fiberglass our old wooden boat cabins. But no longer own wood boats all steel now!! So i got all this plus a whole roll of fiberglass for free..... I also got the console out and started to clean it up and get it ready to patch all the holes in also using epoxy and 404.... Let me know if should use something else??? First time working with fiberglass, so i will be asking a lot of questions!!

[Brendanpd28]

I really like the kiwi grip.  Super easy application (do a practice piece first for texture). Touch ups can be done simply by scrubbing with soap and water, drying, and re-applying. No sanding! The only issue I had was a small gas spill that i didnt notice and it sat a week like that on the mooring. It is water based so it started peeling up but again...super easy repair. For the injection I used re-fillable caulking tubes....you might end up needing to inject more than you think (like I did) and syringes will be as loooong process.  As far as fillers go, I havent used 404 or 403 for quite some time so I dont remember how it sanded. I will say cabosil thickened epoxy is a nightmare to sand. I HIGHLY recommend microballoons for NON structural things like filling and fairing. I got most of my epoxy products from uscomposites.com. Great pricing and decent shipping. This is all advice I got from other members on here that saved me a lot of time and money.  Unfortunately some of it I didnt learn till after using incorrect products but hey you live and you learn. 

[Brendanpd28]

I have a question for you.  What did you use to get the tank coffin so clean??

[CaptDuck]

I have a question for you.  What did you use to get the tank coffin so clean??

I just used a product called Spray Nine and some elbow grease!!!! i will give it another cleaning tomorrow to get the last of it cleaned up

[CaptDuck]

Brendan what did you use to paint your console? Gelcoat or Awlgrip?   details man details!!!!!!!

[Brendanpd28]

neither. I rolled and tipped Pettit EasyPoxy.  I didnt have spraying capabilities.

[CaptDuck]

neither. I rolled and tipped Pettit EasyPoxy.  I didnt have spraying capabilities.

It looks really really good!!! I love the Mahogany wood on there. I never thought about that, but i like it!!!