81 Sport Restoration

[h2o-ski]

Despite record heat here in Texas work continued. Deck is done and cap is placed on the hull. I'm glad I test fit the cap as it looks like I knew what I was doing. eBay Seadek went on sale and I bought 4 sheets.

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[h2o-ski]

Seems like I take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.
Went to secure the cap to the hull and either the cap shrunk or the hull grew in the bow. I ripped out the floor and stringers in the bow to give the hull some flexibility and get closer to the cap. I also realized the captain seat location was too far back and inboard. So I get to rip that out and relocate it but I knew I was taking chances by putting it in before I placed the cap.

Though as Mischief said it is only fiberglass and resin. It can be fixed.

[pktim23]

I have an 86 Sunsport, that needs to be restored.

Composite vs Wood stringers at the current price of wood ?
How many linear feet and type of wood did you use ?

Trying to decide if the cost is worth all the hassle ?
In my mind always, but the warden always has the final word! lol

I had the upholstery done in 2014

[h2o-ski]

I have an 86 Sunsport, that needs to be restored.

Composite vs Wood stringers at the current price of wood ?
How many linear feet and type of wood did you use ?

Trying to decide if the cost is worth all the hassle ?
In my mind always, but the warden always has the final word! lol

I had the upholstery done in 2014

Here is the way I broke it down:
Wood vs composites
- Do you want the boat to last more than your lifetime guaranteed?
Yes - composite
No - Wood, though when done properly wood can last a lifetime or more. Cobalt used wood until the mid 90's and you don't hear much about stringer jobs on those
- Budget
None - Composite: a rough estimate for my boat was around $2000 for the material itself
Yes - Wood: bought mine when wood was on the way up. Total cost $332.78

With that out of the way, Mischief IV went composite and there were some structural changes that had to be made on the rebuild because Coosa does not have the strength of wood in the stringers. He has pics and other details in his thread. I went with wood and made structural changes to reduce the amount of wood exposure to outside areas, ie using bulkheads. Additionally any hole drilled into wood is drilled slightly oversized and filled with structural resin and then redrilled to the correct size.

Here is the breakdown of the wood I have purchased
3/4" 4x8 (1) - transom - pressure treated and age dried
2x10x16 (2) - main stringers - I bought oversized since my floor was not level may be able to get away with 2x8x14
1x6x12 (2) - side stringers
3/4" 4'x8' (3) - deck

If all you have to do is the stringers and deck, with some smart buying you could use wood and polyester resin for around $2500.

As a side note on composite, I looked into fiberglass reinforced HDPE boards (slightly more than wood but just as strong, although my catch was that the epoxy required to bond to HDPE was almost $2000

[h2o-ski]

To commemorate the 41st anniversary of my boat, we took it for a float test at the neighborhood boat ramp. All I need to do is tighten the shaft packing just a little more.

As a note the factory trailer is garbage when it comes to loading. I had to back the boat in twice and then guide it out of the water to get it back on the trailer correctly. I’m already drawing up plans to make the trailer guide the boat on. Guess I got spoiled by my Magnum trailer I had previously.

[Mischief IV]

Good job! Looks like helluva steep ramp. Hope the kids are still patient with the build time. Nice to see it back on the water. This gives me inspiration.

[h2o-ski]

The ramp is definitely the steepest one on the lake minus the sailboat specific ramp. The kids understand that it takes time fortunately and fall sports keep their mind off of it. Post like ours of the restores should keep us going.

I have not taken many pictures lately but the 350 Chevy is in the process of being reassembled. Hoping to get it test fired in the next 2 weeks and then installed.

[h2o-ski]

Well I haven’t got it test fired. But I have got the engine assembled and dressed. Due to the backyard rebuild, I threw whatever oil I had laying around and hooked up the distributor to a corded drill. This way I could prime the engine and help flush all the contaminants out. I have run the oil pump almost 2 hours.

I wired the starter to my mower battery and got the engine spinning. Engine turns over nice and even!! Big sigh of relief.

Though while PCM was nice enough to label the wires. They did not necessarily say were those labeled wires go. Does anyone have pictures or a wiring schematic of an ‘80s PCM 350?

[MySupra]

h20-ski:

The attached is the wiring diagram from 1990, in case it can be useful. (It is the Supra diagram, not the PCM diagram, and it might be too new for you.)

MySupra

[h2o-ski]

h20-ski:

The attached is the wiring diagram from 1990, in case it can be useful. (It is the Supra diagram, not the PCM diagram, and it might be too new for you.)

MySupra

Hey MySupra,

Looks like the forum downsized the image and is too blurry to read. Going to PM you my email to see if email is any better.