Bass Boat Restoration Project - 1990 Gemini 200 DCX

[Mike S.]

Bring it to Kelly at Fiberglass Products in Grandville.  He's an old timer who's forgotten more about painting and gelcoating boats than any of us could ever learn.  He's done some work for me, my friends, and several of my customers and I highly recommend him.

Can he fix the scratches in the side of my boat? 

[Waterfoul]

Bring it to Kelly at Fiberglass Products in Grandville.  He's an old timer who's forgotten more about painting and gelcoating boats than any of us could ever learn.  He's done some work for me, my friends, and several of my customers and I highly recommend him.

Can he fix the scratches in the side of my boat? 

Yup.

[Mike S.]

I called them today. I just have to find a nice window , after bass season is closed, to drag the boat down to him for an estimte and possibly to get it done right away. I got an estimate from a guy here in Muskegon, but I'm not real confident in him for some reason.

[Waterfoul]

Did you tell him I sent you?  He might charge you more if you do!  LOL!!!

Bet he tried to talk your ear off... he likes to talk.

[Mike S.]

I will tell him who sent me when I meet him. He's a customer of yours, right? That's good husiness. And yes, he likes to talk. If he can fix my scratches, I will listen to whatever he has to say.

[Waterfoul]

I will tell him who sent me when I meet him. He's a customer of yours, right? That's good husiness. And yes, he likes to talk. If he can fix my scratches, I will listen to whatever he has to say.

He's a "sometimes" customer of mine... buys epoxy from time to time.  He should come in more... I can save him money in the long run.  I probably send him more business than he does with me at my store, which is fine with me.  Anyway... he's a good guy and I'm sure he can fix you up.

[Bad Poncho]

So we do have an update! The shop now all of a sudden said they will fix the paint free of charge after they received word of what the project was for. Also, removing the rub rail and over the next week or so I will be sanding her down myself to make sure things are right before it goes back to paint.

_____

Removing a rub rail on a bass boat is relevantly quick and easy, though it can quickly become a nightmare if you aren't careful and strip out a screw head or two like we did. If that happens though there is nothing like a drill and a pair of pliers to get out of a bind!

Step 1: Remove End Caps
Step 2: Remove Inserts (Rope or Rigid inset)
Step 3: Remove Screws
Step 4: Remove Rub Rail

Step 4 should come along with step 3, the rub rail should fall off as you remove the screws.

Have questions? Comment below or visit http://badponchooutdoors.com

[BadPoncho]

FINALLY, with the warmer temps I'm able to get back at it and making very quick progress which is very frustrating in some way. Sanded the entire top of the hull in around 4 hours by hand, the paint adheared great to most of the "wings" but the channels of the lockers had some issues with peeling.



Look for a few videos over the coming weeks!

[Bad Poncho]

Hello boys and girls!

It's been quite a while since we've worked on the project but with the changes here at home we can finally get back to knocking things out day-after-day until the snow flies. Back in 2013 we had begun a project to resurrect to boat my father had purchased back in 1990 from a now-closed boat sales location.

From 1990-1999 my father had fished professionally out of the boat as his sole income, in late 1999 he had come to the decision of being with the family more often and getting a "real job." This job along with family life had taken over and the boat had been neglected. Finally in 2002 the original motor blew which resulted in a fresh rebuild along with porting, polishing, upgraded carbs, and new exhaust routing. These modifications were for naught because the rebuild took longer than expected which meant the boat would sit over the winter unused, becoming a great home for mice which found their way into the motor and eventually somehow the new block had lost compression during this time.

In 2013 we had picked up the project with zeal, after making very rapid progress we had sent the boat off for paint. Sending the boat off into someone else's hands which ended in a major relations debacle causing the project to come to a halt. Now in 2016 we have our own space again and the progress is once again very rapidly happening. Follow along while we make the magic happen!

[Bad Poncho]

Well, I got my steering cables broken free thanks to some Hoppes 9 gun solvent and a pair of vice-grips. The biggest breakthrough was getting the cable out of the tilt-tube which had been rusted together previously. Now that the steering is known to work we can move onto removing any of the current corrosion with white vinegar from the hardware store and get moving to winterization and planning of the switch planels, gauge cluster, and other more detailed type stuff!

[djkimmel]

Thanks for sharing.