85 2001 Renovation

akabulla is right. I noticed right away that the battery box is too far aft. Someone's been in there ahead of you

The 1993 boat has a different steering shaft. It has 19 splines rather than the tapered key. Anyone know what this shaft type is called? I think I might buy the adapter for it and put this new steering wheel on there anyway. It's a Momo marine wheel that appears to be mahogany. It didn't look right on the 85, but it looked great on the 93 with the contoured dash and everything.

Also, do you think one of these generic Grant wheels will fit on the hub that comes with the 85 Nautique without needing an adapter? Something like this is what I was thinking: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GRT-415/ After looking at some of their products I'm pretty sure the wheel that was on the boat when I bought it is a Grant, but it is done...Rust on the spokes and the handle is wrapped with electrical tape. Looks like junk.

I didn't see the key, but is it something I need to remove first or do I just pull it off?

Thx Kapla.



Is this chrome piece a steering wheel adapter? Did it come from the factory or is this an aftermarket piece? Is it just pressed on? I want to make sure I won't mess anything up before I put a steering wheel puller on it and start cranking.

I picked up a nice Momo Marine wooden wheel from eBay with what looks like the correct adapter. I hope it fits, but for the price I got it I can buy a new adapter.

^ Still interested in an answer to that question if anyone has one.

Also, the boat came with an extra used prop shaft that I'd like to sell in the classifieds. Any idea what it's worth?

The previous owner had some vibration so he sent the prop for balancing/repair. That didn't fix it so he replaced the prop shaft, coupling, supports, and bushings. Still didn't fix it, so he just lived with it. Then he nailed something that destroyed the prop. He put on a new prop and the vibration was gone. Presumably, this spare prop shaft is fine, but I'd give the new owner 30 days to install it, test it, and return it if it's no good. Not trying to burn anybody.

akabulla wrote: Ha kapla! We are spending to much time on this site together next we will be finishing each others .....

ccf its addictive

LKG, I have interior out of a 92ski if you are interested. Drivers Seat, Seat Base, Observes Seat, Seat Base, Swing arm assembley for observers base, Corner bolster, and side combing pads. Motor Box also.

Make Me a respectable offer and Its all yours.

Pgaboeing

BTW you might rebuild the floor and strings for 2K but it would probably take about a month to do it.   I worked on mine every night and weekend (sometime during the weekday) and it took me about 1.5 months.

Yeah, you're probably right. I was just thinking a week of working full time on it, but even that is probably being a little too optimistic.

Send me a message if you're coming to Lake Gaston this summer. I'm usually tied up at an island near Eaton Ferry with a handful of other wake boats during the day. I'll put my e-mail address in my profile.

I'll probably take it for a spin at Falls Lake in about a month when I get it all back together if you want to check it out.

you are watching too much "my name is earl" LOL...
One full week for a full stringer job? I'd say at least one month in the minimun...

Alright guys...Made some progress this past weekend.

Cut out the bad section with an angle grinder...


Made a two layer brace for the floor. Bottom layer is made of two 2" wide 3/8" thick steel bars. Stacked on top are two more 1.5" wide 1/4" thick steel plates. Since there is no lateral pressure I used liquid nails to hold it together rather than welding. This combo was almost exactly the same height as the ski boom cradle. Painted them with industrial red enamel to keep the rust to a minimum. It slid right under the floor and rests on top of the stringers.


Cut a piece of plywood to shape. Went with one piece to cover the floor section and the cradle. It had a separate piece of wood over the cradle from the factory. Made a cardboard template first and then transferred it onto the board.


Fiberglassed over it bringing the edge of the fiberglass over the battery box. This made the battery box cover a super tight fit, but it should keep water from penetrating that edge again anytime soon.


Grinded down the high spots in the fiberglass. Sealed the rest of the battery box/fiberglass edges with 3M marine sealant.



Lessons learned...
The stringers in the small section that I could see were in good shape. They were a little slimy from staying wet for a while, but I was pleased that they did not seem to have any rot.

The floor has zero spongy spots now. I can walk the whole boat bouncing up and down and the whole thing feels great.

I re-carpeted the gunwales and floor using "Midnight Marine" carpet from Lowes. Bought 31', but found out after the fact that I could have gotten away with about 27'.

The whole job took a weekend, but I ran out of light on Sunday and have a few things to finish later. At least half of Saturday was wasted on trips to Lowes and Home Depot after I had trouble finding a store that had enough carpet on hand. I also still have to put in the rubber trim piece for the carpet and re-carpet the transmission cover and wood piece behind the back seat. I expect it to take one more full day to complete (including putting the interior back in.)


I'll have to figure up the total cost later, but it will look something like this:
- Steel plate bars - Lowes...$45.
- Fiberglass mat + resin - Home Depot...$20
- 3M marine sealant - Home Depot...$7
- 31' of carpet - Lowes...$156
- 4 Gallons of outdoor carpet glue - Home Depot...$34
- Trowel - $8
- Replacement SS screws, nuts, bolts, etc - Lowes...$14

This is not a permanent solution by any means, but I suspect it will add quite a few years to the service life of the current floor/stringers. I'm pretty happy with this considering the fact that new fir stringers and a new floor made of marine plywood would set me back at least $2k and a full week of work.

It looks like I have enough carpet and glue left over to do my buddy's bass boat, so hopefully I'll get some good karma out of the deal for helping out a friend.

By the way, what's the best tool you guys have found for putting the rubber strip back on the carpet where it joins the floor and the gunwales? Last time I used a metal spatula, but I'd probably buy the right tool if there is a better way.

Sorry man didn't mean to sound to harsh! It is just the reality of these older boats. Almost all of them will have rotten stringers and floors at this point unless the boat was only used a handful of times and keep in a dry warm place.

If you want cheap carpet go to Lowe's. They have really nice grey outdoor / marine carpet. I used it in mine and it came out looking really good.



It is a little thinner than standard marine carpet but it still works pretty well and the best part about it is if you need to get more you just drive down to lowes!

Good luck man and take some pictures if you do tear out that section!

HA, that is funny. Didn't see your response till after my post Tim. LOL!

LKG_ wrote: I assure you guys I'm not naive to what I'm going to find under the floor. You wouldn't replace your whole dock just because one deck board pulled out would you? Sure, it's a sign of things to come, but there is no reason to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Im willing to bet that its not a sign of things to come, but rather a sign of things that have already come! Dig in a little if you want, but dont expect the rot to be very localized. That mole hill isnt so much a mountain- more like the tip of a glacier.

Personally, I think it foolish to spend a few hundred in carpet to cover over a rotten structure- but thats just me! If you dont want to tackle the project, then band-aiding it back together as best you can is an option for sure. It will likely not lead to more damage for some time... but dont expect us to call it a proper repair.

FYI, there is no paint on the exterior of your boat- the stripe is gelcoat.

That hull looks good! Much better than our '85. Makes me want to do the wetsanding soon as well!