New to me 1998 Aquasport 175

[RickK]

Nice  

[Mikerodrig27]

Well got her out on a seatrial, she ran great! It was blowing 25-30mph at the ramp so loading and unloading the boat on the trailer was a complete pain. I had a low compression issue in one cylinder that seems to be working itself out. I got 98% of the wiring done but there is still a laundry list of things to do...

bilge pump
Replumb livewell and clean motor up.
courtesey lights
wetsand/compound/polish whole boat
clean bilge
buy boat plugs
install trim tab on outboard
figure out problem with Fishbox pump
Replace through hull fittings
remove bottom coat!!... :(
repaint motor
paint boat bottom





















This is what I have been battling!! Non tinned wire..

[seabob4]

Yes, unfortunately, for a long period of time, WC/AS did not use tinned wire.  But then, so did a lot of builders...

[dburr]

   What a huge difference time, elbow grease and attention to detail in the console makes... Top notch!!!!!

[Mikerodrig27]

Thanks Dburr!

Seabob, I've noticed a lot of quirky things with this boat. There are boxed in areas in the back of the boat inside the hatches (I assume they are filled with foam) and they are made out of wood. they were not fiberglassed at all... Just straight wood with bilge paint on it. The connectors that were used on the switch panel are those insulated, non shrinkwrap, connectors, the bilge pump didn't even have shrinkwrap insulated connectors in the bilge. There is a piece of wood that is completely waterlogged and laying on the gas tank inside the hull and I have no idea where it came from... There is no 5200 or sealant in most of the holes that are drilled in the boat. on the livewell, there is a cut on the outside where someone almost put a holesaw through when they cut out the insulation. I may end up pulling the cap off someday way down the road to check up on everything and make sure everything was done right.

outside of the things that Aquasport cheaped out on when they built the boat, the boat rides through the chop great and I am still unbelievably happy with it.  

The more things that I notice, the more things get added to my list. So far I am going to drill out 90% of the holes on the boat, fill them with cabosil/resin, and throughbolt whatever I can.

[Mikerodrig27]

About two weeks ago, I got an Engel 80 Qt cooler to use as a cooler seat for the boat. Engel builds a really good cooler and I highly recommend them. It also seems to hold ice really well. I got their turnbuckle kit to hold it down in place. The cooler needs a good cushion so I'll likely end up ordering Engels cushion that they sell for this cooler.

Polished the boat today. The wife did a lot of the work too :) The oxidation came off great! I used 3M's super duty compound, sanded it with 2000 grit, then used Meguires Ultimate Compound. While I was at it, I hit the windshield and now it looks like new!!

Here are the results:


Before



After















I'm going to hit it again and then do the inside. We will see how that comes out.

[RickK]

Nice change  

[Capt. Bob]

Excellent.

Give the wife a hug.

[Mikerodrig27]

Went out spearfising with 4 people on the boat. It was a beautiful day in Key West! Water was like you see in the first picture 6 miles out!!


 
todays catch.


What a cooler should look like!


He gets his own cooler...

[Capt. Bob]

They tell me you can eat those Lion fish.
Never tried one. Seems like a lot of work (and possible injury) for little return.

[gran398]

Nice ride

Any way you slice it...you removed the vermin from the aquarium

[Circle Hooked]

The boat is looking good and one less Lion fish out there is a plus  

[Mikerodrig27]

Thanks for the compliments guys! I'm glad there is still some support for the Aquasport community even though Aquasport is no longer in business. Everyone on this forum seems to be pretty happy with their boats and also very informative. I'm glad to be a part of it.

Lionfish are great eating! Lionfish and hogfish meat are my favorite meats . I cut the fins and barbs off of the lionfish with a pair of scissors before I fillet them. my wife shot him. There was a larger one that was further under a rock but she had a hard time getting to him.

[Capt. Bob]

Lionfish are great eating! Lionfish and hogfish meat are my favorite meats .

I'll be damned. I spotted two when I was diving off Lignumvitae Key for Lobster last year and reported them. They acted as dumb as hogs too. Great shooting confidence builder I would think.

[kraw2]

You have done a great job with lots of hard work. It's good to see that you are using the right materials the fist time and not just throwing it together to get on the water and break down. I think you will have a great time enjoying the old boat in the future.

Up here in the Panhandle the Lionfish are everywhere and people do eat them. It's really bad to see so many of them taking over the entire Gulf and Pacific waters. Kill them all..!!