'80 Entertainer transformation...here I go again

[huntmotorsports]

Hey everyone,

The horrable cycle in my life has started again. I have finished the 3 year build Resto-Mod of our 1947 Chevy 5 window truck. I took one weekend off to clean up the shop and started on the complete rebirth of the 1980 Entertainer O/b I picked up in August. This will be the second complete boat project for me. My wife has told me this will be the last project for a while.....So I am planning on making it a good project. I quess she is tired of me spending all my time in the shop. After 2 hot rod builds, 1 boat rebuild and a street bike rebuilt...who is to blame her.

Every peice of wood is completly gone. Including parts of the core. The transom suprisingly is solid. This boat has suffered the horrors of most old boats. Screws into areas that allow water into places that take weeks to rebuild.

I have already stripped the entire boat, cut out the rotten core, treated the wet core and replaced 10 square ft of the balsa. I have the stringers installed and glassed and the floor ready to go back in.

The plan is to restore the structural elements, create a new seating layout with a sun deck and lots of storage, new gel coat all the from top to bottom, throw alot of billet alumimum at it, and hang the '98 merc 200 that is waiting patiently in the shop for its new home.

I will get some pics posted when I get a little more time.

[175checkmate]

Ah, wives and overhaul projects. They love that. Looking forward to the pictures and the build.

[cooperider]

Like I tell mine, I could have worse hobbies, and at least you know where I am.:bigthumb:


Now,:needpics:

[JW]

Yes, we definitely need pictures of the process!! And where are you located? I sure wish I had a '98 Merc 200 hanging in the garage, I've got the perfect boat for it....................

[huntmotorsports]

My Wife has been nothing but gold to me. She has tolerated me spending all my time out in the shop, but she also knows she will get to enjoy the fruits of my labor. She already has a couple of car shows picked out that she wants to attend with the '47.

I am located in the St Louis area. The Checkmate will spend most of its time on Norfolk lake or Bull Shoals lake in Northern AR.

I decided to do another boat project about a year a ago. I started piling up the parts when I found them at a decent price. I already have the 200 Merc, CNC hydrulic jack plate, 25 Tempest prop, seat pedistalls, front seats, NFB dual cable steering system, gauges, most of the deck hardware, some misc parts to redo the trailer, and most of the planed sound system (I already had this stuff).

Between work and this project I have not had much time to read how to post the pics.

I appologize up front for the slow postings. I take a few minutes in the morning before the BS starts in the office, to look throught the forum. But After the BS starts I don't have time to do anything but damage control.

kevin

[huntmotorsports]

I have a question for you guys. Our boat is an '80 model with Red (burnt orange) and silver gel coat, with Bright Blood Red and Bright Yellow interior.

Were they color blind in the '70s? When I brought the boat home I had a strange craving for a McDonald's Burger.

The color combo certainly did not stand the test of time. It is a strange combo by todays style.

kevin

[daren34]

must have been the choice of recreation that lead to the color combos lol

daren

[merc245]

Does she have a sister?

[huntmotorsports]

Ok, I think I have this worked out.

Here is a link to Photbucket. It has the pics of the boat, our built cars, and a couple of my fathers projects.

THe need to build cool/fun/high HP stuff is in my blood. (minus the VW, it was just cool/fun)

Well, back to work on the boat now.


http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii141/huntmotorsports/

[Boston Predictor]

I have a question for you guys. Our boat is an '80 model with Red (burnt orange) and silver gel coat, with Bright Blood Red and Bright Yellow interior.

Were they color blind in the '70s? When I brought the boat home I had a strange craving for a McDonald's Burger.

The color combo certainly did not stand the test of time. It is a strange combo by todays style.

kevin

I think it was the acid everyone was doing in the 70's....? I hate thoes ugly earthtones:sick:

[huntmotorsports]

I agree with Boston Predictor and Daren34. THey must have had some good drugs then.

Sorry Merc245, no sister.

I have been a little under the weather the last couple of days, so I hope to make good progress this weekend. I will get some more pics after I get the floor glassed in.

THen I will be ready to get the small army ready at the house to flip this thing over. I don't have room in the shop to build a stand, so I plan on flipping it over manually in the yard, and putting it back in the shop on its lid.

[cooperider]

That's an cool color combo campared to some I've see. That thing would look good all shined up. :thumb:

[hotdaddy27]

I agree with Coop...I kinda like it.

I am not disagreeing that the drugs didn't have something to do with the color combos though:D.

Huntmotorsports....VW' s "cool/fun"??????

Maybe fun, I never had one, but never cool!:shakehead:

J/K. LOL

[huntmotorsports]

hotdaddy27.....your probably right on the VW. It was fun but definetly not cool, especially with my 6ft 250lb but sitting in the seat. MY head had to stick up in the rag top. Fat guy in a little car.

The color combo on the boat would have looked good new, but after 28years of abuse it looked like hell, and smelled worse.

We got the floor layed in over the weekend. My wife found out that she does not like to do any glass work. She did a better job that I did. I still need to foam and build the front step. I will get some pictures posted tonight.

[hotdaddy27]

hotdaddy27.....your probably right on the VW. It was fun but definetly not cool, especially with my 6ft 250lb but sitting in the seat. MY head had to stick up in the rag top. Fat guy in a little car.


Mental Picture.....LMAO:rof:

Keep up the good work!

[huntmotorsports]

I finally got back to work on this thing. The floor is completed. I have been working on the front seats. I have them all roughed in. I need to do a little more fitting but you will get the idea. I did tackle some previous dock damage. It was hit pretty hard in the nose. I had to grind out quite a bit of damaged glass. I have posted severally more pics on Photobucket. WE are still discussing the color choices. Right now we are looking at white with blue flames on the front and rear. Like the boat that is on the front page. I plan on doing it in all gel coat, not paint. So, I will be asking some questions from the professionals in the near future. I painted the last boat. It looks fantastic but just does not hold up. It was PPG base clear, auto paint. THat was my first mistake. I was planing on flipping the boat this weekend, but they are calling for snow and high teens for temps. THat is cold in STL.

http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/i...ntmotorsports/ (http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii141/huntmotorsports/)

[175checkmate]

The front seat section look great. Will you install that as a type of insert?

[huntmotorsports]

I plan on glassing the lower section to the floor. This should make it dry storage. I plan on bolting/screwing the other sections to the hull and the base. I have similar plans for the rear bench and sun deck.

[175checkmate]

Whats your plan for bolting the side pieces on? When I bolted mine on I drilled to the hole in the panel to match the mounting hole on the hull. Then used SS cap bolts. Inserted them thru the wood, then glassed over the head to keep them from turning. Works well.

[huntmotorsports]

175checkmate, that is exactly what I have done for bolting in the side panels. Sorry, guys it has been a while. THat work thing is getting in the way of the important stuff. All the lower part of the seats are glassed in and the splash well is complete. I am ready to turn it over.

[huntmotorsports]

I finaly have time to get an update posted. The bottem is gelcoated and ready for sanding and buffing. I should have the cap coated by sat morning. I will get some pics posted when I get a chance.

Kevin

[huntmotorsports]

sorry for the delay on getting you guys an update. It is early june and the gel coat work is complete, it is 90% rigged, I just need to hang the O/B and mount the control box, 50% of the interior is complete and the trailer is complete except for tires. The gel coat work was a pain, but looks great. The interior is coming along nicely. I only have a few more panels to get covered then I can get to the seats. I hope to be fully complete by the July 4th weekend. As we are planning a couple of trips to Bull Shoals, Norfork, and table rock in July and August. I have posted severaly more pics in at Photo bucket. Let me know what you think.

http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii141/huntmotorsports/

[Turbot-bird]

looking good!

[MERC 225]

We have a 1979 Entertainer OB that we purchased new and we have restored the boat and put 2003 Merc 200 on it. We have vacationed the past 18 years at Bull Shoals last two weeks in July. We stay in the Sister Creek area. If you are down in that time frame looks us up.

Larry Hendren
Avon, IN

[huntmotorsports]

I have seen your pics from bull. We plan on being on the lake july 15th-18th. we are normally in the Oakland area. We will definatly need to get together. I will be wanting to make a long run up the lake by then.

[huntmotorsports]

correction, july 18th-21st. My wife moved the dates.

Kevin