Another dinghy project

[mrdeepseafisher]

Some of you may remember last winter my son and I were bored and considering making our soft bottom dinghy a hard bottom. Well we found a Nautica 1997 dinghy and trailer for $1500.00 in March of this year and bought it. Well, work has been crazy and we didn't start working on it until after July 4th of this year.

The weather has been horrible, rained every weekend in the Raleigh NC area through August. We finally broke down and bought a 10x20 awning so we could finish. Set it up in the driveway (wife not to happy!) but we got done this past Friday. I am writing this today to keep my mind off the fact that we dropped him off for his freshman year at ECU yesterday.

The following are pics as we resurrected the boat. My son and I test drove it Friday afternoon and had a blast. I was trying not to tear up as he drove it around the lake. Wife and I used it today in Carolina Beach to cruise the intra-coastal and run out to the beach.

I am looking forward to Labor day as our son is coming to boat for a long weekend. We plan to use it to fish and run around the inlet. Seems like it was just yesterday I was teaching him how to swim and fish, now at seventeen he is in college, can drive the Hatteras better than me and fish better too.

Enjoy the pics, this has been the best summer I can remember in quite awhile working with him on this project.

Purchase day

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

Bottom was bad. Didn't even hold air.

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

spotting leaks in the floats. They kept coming.

next we started on the console. All engine controls had been removed or damaged.

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

The fun began next, We flipped it over and sanded it down. Did bottom paint. Repainted the hull above the water line with Interlux Perfection. Also had to beef up the transom.

 

[rwappleton]

If it cost 10 grand and only floats for 10 minutes it's worth every minute with your children!!!!!!

I wish I could get my boys interested.

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

beefed up transom. New 1/2" marine plywood glassed with epoxy. Took a little time to fillet it in and make it look good. Don't know why it is under a 50 HP Honda outboard.


Finally seeing something pretty with the new Perfection paint. Two coats of primer and four coats of top coat. ONLY one coat a day,ugh! The stuff sprayed wonderfully. Amazing paint.


Nice reflection in paint.

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

The fun continued with the console. It is a real center console. Not pushed to the starboard. Already working on a collapsible tower/shade for a fall project. We had very little room to work with and had to reglass all the old openings prior to laying out the new arrangement.



glassed in with two coats of primer.


cut new opening and placed in components prior to final paint

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

things started to come together with the final paint. My son always gets more into project when things start looking pretty. He hates the sanding and filling.




getting close

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

Wiring took way Toooooooo long. I think I had about 23 hours re-doing all wiring. My son got tired of holding the meter and crimping connectors.



Next came installing engine. Built a homemade engine lift. I blew mountain dew out my nose when we lifted the engine and my son commented " I like it when things we build actually work"

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

getting close now. need to repair some hypolon





Paint the deck

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

about done

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

final touch up. Ran out of white rubrail paint and will have to wait until tuesday when it arrives.

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

Let the fun begin

 

[mrdeepseafisher]

We have about 5,500.00 in the entire project. I sold a SeaDoo jet boat for 7K so we have a bit left over to get some more gear to fish with.

Now I need the Hatteras crowd to help me figure out how to store and transport on the yachtfish. We are running out of room on the boat!

With a yachfish, whats my options? swim platform? Wife says no way up on front.

 

[lumina]

Hi All,

Pate, could you make one for me ?

We have a 48 YF, I believe yours is a 58.

FWIW we usually stand ours on the swim platform or hang it off the transom on davits.

 

[gbharrington]

This will work. 1,000 lb. capacity. PM me for details.