The Fruits of my Labor (215 Explorer Cleanup)

[Unclebob]

Long story short..

Sold my 21' Cobia 210 Walkaround at the beginning of the year to an Aussie. Had sellers remorse.
Looked all over to try and find a replacement with no luck. Remembered a ratty old Pro-Line in a neighbors yard rotting away, that had been there for 6 years. Ended up being a low hour one owner boat. Made the neighbor a deal and brought it home. After a few months of work it went from

This:









To this:








The thread over here on The Hull Truth details it all. It cleaned up real good.

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-for ... -boat.html

The Family didnt really care for the Pro-Line. We really missed the old Walkaround, since we used the Cuddy so much. Not to mention the deck space..So I flipped the Pro-Line and made a few grand..

I made just enough cash to find a project boat for the winter. After looking at a few dozen rotten old boats, I lucked out and found a 1999 Aquasport 215 Explorer that was right up my alley. It's been sitting a year or two and needs tank pumped, carbs cleaned, and a TON of TLC.



I love the way this boat is laid out. It has a ton of storage for a 21' Walkaround. The cabin is well thought out as well. Looking forward to making this one look good again. Engine is a Johnson 200 with low hours. Trailer is a Tandem Axle Torsion, with all stainless hardware..

I've only had a chance to do some pressure washing so far. There had been a foot or so of standing water in the cabin, for a LONG time, so needless to say the headliner was brown. 3 hours worth of pressure washing later and it's good again. I wish I would have gotten a before pic..




Anyhoo, that's where I'm at. I'll try and document making this old girl nice again.

[seabob4]

UncleBob!

That is awesome!  That 23 Sport looks brand new, I KNOW there was some hard work put into her!

The 215, I love that the original cabin bolsters are still there.  I remember that upholstery pattern, and it's been a few years...

The 200 will do you fine.  IIRC, 225 was the max O/B, and the I/O version got the 5.0 Merc or Volvo, right around 220 HP...

Welcome sir!  A far cry from THT over here!    

[Unclebob]

Thanks Bob.

Yea, that Pro-Line was a fun project. Lots of elbow grease making it purdy again. But the Mold and Mildew seemed to preserve the Gel-Coat. It didnt even need a wet sanding. Just a bunch of compound and polish..

For the AS, all of the original cushions are all there as well, and suprisingly, are pretty clean, considering the sewage that was just underneath them for who knows how long. My 6 year old thought that pattern was really cool. Said he didnt know boats came with 'Camoflage'.  :)

Mechanically she doesnt need much other than fuel system refurb.

Oh, I did want to ask you if you knew the length/size of the lines for the steering? Apparently it came from the factory with the plastic lines...  

I dig this boat. I cant wait to get her ready.

[seabob4]

Wow, you still have the extruded hard lines that WC tried to get away with for years (can't be used where exposed to UV).  They paid a ton in warranty claims trying to save some bucks...

Think about the lengths, IIRC.  About 4' from the helm pump down to the rigging tube, another 15' aft, then another 6' to allow for proper bends and routing.  I'm betting 24 footers would be right...

[Unclebob]

Thanks! I cant imagine why someone would think plastic steering lines was a good idea.

[seabob4]

Thanks! I cant imagine why someone would think plastic steering lines was a good idea.

Bob, the Teleflex extruded lines are perfectly acceptable in closed environs, i.e. I/Os and I/Bs, or where a builder will use them to the transom, then connect through b/head fittings to the reinforced flexable hoses we all know and love.  I just did a Simrad auto pilot using that same extruded line, all the lines are inside the console, away from UV.  The extruded lines are rated to 1000 PSI, just like the hoses, but they can't take UV...

[gran398]

Thanks! I cant imagine why someone would think plastic steering lines was a good idea.

Bob, the Teleflex extruded lines are perfectly acceptable in closed environs, i.e. I/Os and I/Bs, or where a builder will use them to the transom, then connect through b/head fittings to the reinforced flexable hoses we all know and love.  I just did a Simrad auto pilot using that same extruded line, all the lines are inside the console, away from UV.  The extruded lines are rated to 1000 PSI, just like the hoses, but they can't take UV...

Unclebob, welcome!

Lewis (Slvring) brought your THT thread to our attention the other night...it was excellent. You got a terrific job, hat's off to you!

Looking forward to your continued membership here

[Unclebob]

Happy to be here! I've lurked for years, this is my second Aquasport, the first one didnt work out too good. Always been a fan of Aquasport boats, especially the vintage 'glass.

What some of you guys go through bringing the old ones back is awe inspiring.  

[Capt. Bob]

Welcome back aboard Bob.
I read your thread on THT and it's good to see you over here.

I too have wondered about the plastic lines but it appears the one's Aqua used on my 91 are still holding up after twenty years.
Go figure.

[pete]

welcome aboard Bob!look forward to your input

[seabob4]

Kinda neat, Bob's been on here since '05...one of the originals!  Happy to have you aboard?  Hell, he should be saying that to me!

[wingtime]

Uncle Bob I read your thread over on THT.  The links for the finished 23 were not working so I didn't get to see the fished pics.  Looks great!  I'm working on a little Sea Rayder jet boat that has been sitting so I know what you went thru.  Welcome back to the Aquasport family!

[Unclebob]

Uncle Bob I read your thread over on THT.  The links for the finished 23 were not working so I didn't get to see the fished pics.  Looks great!  I'm working on a little Sea Rayder jet boat that has been sitting so I know what you went thru.  Welcome back to the Aquasport family!

I fixed all those picture links just now, sorry. I had apparently messed a bunch of them up when I listed the thing for sale. I didnt want the potential buyer to see what a piece of crap it used to be :)

But the pictures above pretty much show how nasty it was and the condition it was in when I sold it. It looked nearly new, and ran the same. Looked as good or better than any 2 year old boat out there. I had probably as many hours cleaning and polishing as I did getting the mechanicals back up to snuff.

Crazy that someone can just park a boat under a tree, with cushions and all gear still in it, and forget about it. You really dont realize what things can go bad just from sitting for 6 years uncovered. A lot more than I figured.

[Aswaff400]

welcome back!

 i have some of that teleflex hose in my garage, i know its more than 50 ft in length... its yours if you want it, let me know if your interested, ill be up in N FL all this week...

[Unclebob]

Thanks for the offer Aswaff400!

But I plan on replacing the extruded line with the reinforced rubber stuff. My Admiral isn't getting any thinner, and is still pretty clumsy, so the plastic lines are an accident waiting to happen. I have two boys (6 and 8  ) , so there will be lots of foot traffic right there.