Hawaiibassfishing Forum

Ok I bought this Old Bass Boat about a month ago and I am attempting to restore it back into a nice bass boat. Here is my progress so far.

The beginning


Built an extra casting deck


Taking the old compartment and getting them some fresh carpet!









Time to sand the boat




Getting the carpet for flooring ready. (can't glue it down until I paint though)


Time to primer the boat and get ready for painting





Alright thats it for now.. Still have to paint it, buy a trolling motor, and find out what I am going to do about my boat motor...So far so good I think..

Its good to see you making good progress. Looks like you'll be ready for the Tuc bite this summer. Judging from the royal palms, looks like we're almost neighbors!

That is coming along nicely! Did you ever find out what type of boat it was?

Good idea extenting the casting deck! Those older bass boats really wasted a lot of space there.

Can't wait to see it finished.

Yup, living in Wahiawa and working on a boat is tough! Hard to find a nice sunny day to work on it. Things are looking good now, so I should have some paint on it this weekend!

Hope to be ready by Mid-April and ready for some good fishing!

I think this boat is from the 80's and I've found a few different models that it looks like, so I'm not sure exactly what type of boat it is yet. I will try to run the VIN # and see if that helps.

Anyone know what size motor would work best? I was thinking of a 30hp or 40hp 4 stroke? Any input would help. Thanks

If you can look up the vin you may be able to track down what it was rated for. How long is it?
If you're gonna use it in the ocean at all i'd put as big a motor as it's rated for and you can afford. If its just gonna be used at wilson I bet a 40hp would be more than enough. Could you tell what was on there previously?

I'm a fan of two strokes. Mainly because they're lighter.

But with some of the new ethanol crazyness being thrown around a 4 stoke may be a better choice. Not sure hoe ethanol effects a 4 stroke outboard I would imagine it doesn't but something to consider.

Many 2 stroke outboards use a direct inject for the oil so you don't have to mix it yourself. My 60hp 2stroke merc on my old tracker had a reservoir and with "self mix" and I think that was a 2001.

Saw a boat today that was very similar called a bumble bee.

I miss the fuel economy with fishing at wilson, if I run up the lake in my z8 and back here I can burn 20gal!!! Plus about 1/4 tank of oil! But it's fun going 70mph!

Thanks for the info. The boat is 16ft and it came with a 90hp 2 stroke yamaha (motor was old so maybe it was the original motor). I won't be going in the ocean, just lake wilson.

I'm looking at new 4stroke motors and they are around $4K just for the motor.. Add $2k to that for everything else! 2 stokes are a bit cheaper. Keeping my eye open for a used one though..

If I had one wish, it would be for a LARGE space to store rods.

Storage space was a must when I was choosing my new bass boat. Super nice having 2 7.5ft rod locker, plus I can hold another 6 rods on the passenger side.

Stan,
Here's something you may be interested in:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Bac_Rac_ ... CRACK.html

Alright here's a quick update on my bass boat project. Taking a bit longer than expected (busy at work!)..

Got most of the painting done. Still need to do a final clear coat.




Got all my carpeting ready to glue down. Just need to wait until I put my final clear coat on


Got all my electronics. Trolling Motor, Depth/Fish Finder, Livewell Pump, Bilge Pump, and all the switches needed. Haven't hooked anything up yet.


Almost there!

My final thing to buy is a MOTOR!! Still looking for a good deal...If not, then I guess it's time to buy a new one! I'm looking for about a 40hp...Hope to be fishing soon

I got my Evinrude E-Tec in Kaneohe... 40 HP and it goes a lot faster than I want to go.
Bayside Marine Service 247-1202

Check out the E-Tec, "Tug of War"... it's amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7I00cZUE0

The boat looks amazing!

I'm put my vote in for a mercury two stoke!

Had my 20ft bass boat going 70mph (gps reading) today! 225 Mercury Pro XS!

In actuality a 4 stroke probably makes more sense for lake wilson/hawaii. Hard to find ethanol free gas there.

That looks tight. It's obvious that you put a lot of time and hard work into it. Congrats!

Got a name for her yet?

Don't let a DLNR Nazis catch ya going over 5 mph!

http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/regulated_areas_oahu.html
Wahiawa Public Fishing Area
HAR 13-62
Prohibited
To operate a boat exceeding 18 feet in length, or for purposes other than fishing, or at speeds in excess of five miles per hour, or constructed of material other than wood unless provided with flotation to render the boat unsinkable.

Another 2 weeks gone by and been working on the boat slowly. Almost done!!! Here are some pictures of the progress over the past two weeks.

Spraying in some flakes and clear coat (Nice job Jesse!)



Putting the final touches on the carpet



Getting everything setup







The Name!






I swear I'm almost done...Finishing up the electronics tomorrow and going to get a motor over the weekend.

When your pau... could I get you to work on my boat?