Partial Restoration

[MichaelMartin]

I inherited a 77 TriMate several ago. Solid Blue/white stripe/black decals, but really needs paint. Decent overall condition. Soft spot in center of floor, just after barrel seats. Requires complete interior replacement. (wood and fabric) of open bow, barrel chairs and bench across the rear. Most, if not all aluminum trim hardware is in place. Mirror is missing. Windshield is somewhat clouded. Transom SEEMS to be in good shape. Still supporting an old '79 Evinrude (rebuilt). Steering is in good shape. Still runs flat out like a scared rabbit. Somewhere approaching 60 is my guess. We use the boat to run the FL panhandle bay areas. Beach area, water toys, etc. Can you venture a guestimate of the cost and time required to bring the baot up to current standards? How would you go about the process and in what order? I am not completely boat ignorant, but my gut tells me to at least inquire, before we unload the Checkmate for a replacement rig. I know the cost of a replacement. Any information as to total projected cost is appreciated. thanks, mm//

[175checkmate]

I am currently feeling the pain of what you ask. If the transom is soild (make sure) then the wood on the seat backs and floor are not a major job. Its whats under there that may get scarry. Here is the resto in progress on my tri-mate http://www.checkmate-boats.com/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=8626072361&f=7106095561&m=5856084761

As you can see I had my hands full.
As far as the seat backs go, if the cover is good and just the backs are rotted then just pull the staples, remove the wood, cut out new peice, coat with resin to seal it and reattach the cover. The floor will be alittle harder but not much. There will be some foam under there that may be wet. I would remove this. The last thing you want under there is something to hold water. If all you have is a area that is sof and the rest is good, you could just cut out that one area and repair. This stuff is labor intensive but in the end its worth it.