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Well I finally ended up with a 19ft outrage project. I have gotten myself pretty deep on this one but plan to solve a fair amount of the glass work with my checkbook. I am sure some of you all saw this boat on eBay a few weeks back. I did not win the auction but another Whaler Central sraab928 member sent me a post from "the other whaler site" where the winner was having issues with the $1300 shipping fee to get the boat back to Boston. He ended up selling the boat to me and I drove to Baton Rouge this last weekend to get her. I must say it really broke my heart to see such a classic sitting in such bad shape -- I had to bring her home.

Here is my new project gallery album:
1973 Lo-Pro Conversion

Complete restoration on the way. I am really a Whaler purist but think this boat has past it's ability to be original again. I was having a hard time talking myself into cutting the transom out of a classic to put in a tunnel -- thankfully this one already needs to be worked so it will happen at the same time. The floor is never going to look right where the home made patch was put in. I plan on cutting it out and going new but will have to paint the inside with a different coating to cover the flaws. I plan on raising the bait well in the rear and building out platforms in the front and rear. I am going back with a leaning post not the RPS. I am going to make the console as close to original as possible including new teak doors, windshield, and gel-coat. The outside hull is going to need paint or gel-coat. I prefer to go gel-coat but will price both and decide from there. I can not wait to get done -- I am thinking new 115 eTec.

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Rob,

I have found a really nice freshwater 175 1980 Evinrude locally here in the detroit area. The owner want $600 for it with controls, wiring harness, and stainless prop. Email me or PM if you would like the info. I was looking into it for a friend with an 18 however the motor turned out to be an 20" shaft motor so it would not work on the 18 but it would for your hull.

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Rob, looks like you really got your work cut out for you! Enjoyed the visit the other day and hope you enjoyed the boat ride!

Duf B)

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Duf,

We all had a great time. My wife said she felt like she had known you all forever. My family ended up writing a contract on a 3 bedroom condo in Port A so I will be down a lot more. I assume you have looked at the mess I brought home. Now you and I both have a few extra boats lying around.

Rob

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That is what I call a project. Should clean up to be a nice boat.

I look forward to seeing it running around Port A.

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Sure did, and i think it will be a great project never mind saving a classic for better days. Give me a call when you have some time as my kitchen finally has running water so i'm back to cooking and you can bring your boat up for some yachting, and we can do dinner at my place.

Duf B)

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While I am not the resto pro's like you guys, I do have a suggestion regarding the floor. To cover the floor, consider laying dri-dek. I installed it on my Montauk and Outrage 17 to keep my freight from damaging the deck. Photos in the Montauk page on my photobucket.

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CBO - A friend of mine has that stuff in his Majek. I thought about that as well but am going to try a hard surface of some type. Is it hard to clean under the dri-dex or do you pull it out when washing the boat?

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While I thought it would be a pain, it actually isn't. The only challenge I have is wet leaves and the "helicopters" from oak trees.

Most times I wash it down without removing it. Sand/dirt just flows to the back. I can lift an area up to get a stubborn piece of seaweed. On both my Montauk and Outrage, when I do remove it, I take it out in two sections. From the side of the console forward is one and the remaining area is the other. Takes 10 minutes.

While some say it is a bit rough on bare feet, in warm temperatures (65 +) it softens a bit and isn't bad at all.

When I get my boat back from the shop, I will try to take some detailed photos.

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Cool I would like to see how it looks!

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Well I had the boat over at the local glass shop getting a plan of action together. The first step is to cut out all the bad and get her dried out. I weighed in at 2150 lbs with 18 gals of fuel, no console or RPS, and no motor. I think my trailer weighs about 500lbs so I am heavy at least 300 -350 lbs. I cut out the live well and started removing wet foam. It was damp in there and I need to find about 40 - 50 gal to get it down to the weight I am looking for -- it is a Whaler water only diet. I figure once the foam is out of the bait well area and I get the bad floor section cut up I can roll her out on hot days and let it dry. I also thought if I put a 30 degree lift on the bow the gravity should force the water back to the open area. I figure at least 4-6 weeks before she is good.

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Let the fun begin!!! When you are done you can come up to NJ and work on mine!:D:D:D

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Keep the pictures coming I have a low pro project over here in ga. and can use the inspiration. I am raising the transom to 25 inches and have run the rigging tunnel back to the rear gunnel. Also have older console but with newer starboard type doors from newer whalers check out my pics here if you like.

http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l11...=slideshow

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That's some work but, the end result will be well worth it for such a "COOL" Hull, can't wait to see her when done, Good Luck !
mw

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Scott - I do not think you want to wait that long to get started on yours. I figure it will take me 9 months to a year to get her back to shape.

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Bake - We are almost on the same exact page with our boats. I am planning on flat across in the rear as well as a platform in the bow. I am also going to put a platform across the rear 3-4 feet level with the sides of the boat. My father is going over to measure the tunnel in the 20 foot gulf coast which is a copy of the 70's whaler hull. I am going to add a pocket tunnel in the bottom so I can get skinny. It is good to see someone putting work into another old classic. You will have to keep in touch and PM me more photos. I will send you more of mine as I get further along -- I still have a lot of drying out to do before the glass work starts.

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Yes please keep photos comeing. I do not know if I can keep up with your progress, but I do hope to have mine in the water next spring. I to am thinking of a rear deck but I have an old removable deck made for a 17 with a little fish box in it that I am thinking of wideing out for my rear platform.

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Bake - Check out the rear platform in this Lo-Pro conversion I saw in Houston.

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He had a tunnel in his and raised the transom -- I hope to end up with something like this when I am done. Minus the T-Top.... Really my perfect look alike boat belongs to Stevendstock on Whaler Central.

Check out his Personal Page.

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thats a pretty mean looking motor hight...:o

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It is amazing how similar the Gulf Coast boats (gulfcoastboats.net) are to the old Outrage. I understand they used an old mold or created one from an old hull to build their boats.

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pretty nice looking low's. I have ideas about a rear deck but I am not sure it is that much of a bennifit on a boat with only about of foot of gunnel. I am intrested in the tunnel you speak of shoot me pics of that if you get some. I guess the tunnel is more to get clean water to the motor than to reduce the actual draft of the hull.

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Bake - I sent you a couple tunnel photos at your bell south address.

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Finally got all the foam out of the live well area and the hull clean this weekend. I am getting about a cup of water seeping out every day. I have raised the bow of the boat so I have a good angle on the hull to drain. It seems like creating the void at the stern has really allowed a release point for water in the hull to escape. Now on to getting the fuel tank dug out. I have seen others on this site use a flat hoe on a stick. Any good suggestions are welcome as I know how much labor went into the live well removal.

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I finally got the gas tank out last night. That is really a pretty tough and nasty job -- good thing the wife has bad allergies right now. She walked in the garage and did not smell a thing. It stunk bad! On to cutting the bad section of floor patch out. Follow that up with more dry out time.

I got in the new Ritchie F83 Compass and cut the hole in the console top. Got in the new BRP single controls with tilt and key. I ordered the teak for the console doors from Buck in Florida -- I would guess that I will have it this week. Bought the new leaning post it should be here this week. I refinished the little strip of teak across the top of the console.

Coming up I need to order new windshield from UPD Plastics. I need to send a few small parts of the console railing to get them chromed. Work on my new teak doors. Cut the old wood from the back side of the console and laminate new wood. Glass over all the holes in the dash and gelcoat. I have no idea how long the boat will take to dry out but I am 1 month into it. When done I am going to get the hull soda blasted and assess the glass work that needs to be done.

Day by Day!

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Rob,

I know that smell well.

Little by little the boat is making it's way to being a great vessel again. Look forward to seeing more images.

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Keep up the great work Rob... you are giving me inspiration. I took my Outrage off the market. I had a few people who wanted it but I just couldn't part with it... My motor cowlings are out for paint now... Im sealing up the holes from misc transducers over the years and I ordered the drain tube tool from Twin Cities as I will replace all the drain tubes next week. Keep it up and keep us posted. I guess I should start my own page on the Outrage progress.

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Hey Rob,
It was great visiting with you and your dad.You're doing one hell of a job on that lo-pro.

Best,
Richard

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Rob

just wondering if you plan on refinishing your floor. I am grinding the nonskid off mine and find the floor to have a lot of uneven spots. Do you see the same thing on yours?

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Jeff -- I get a faint relapse of the smell every time I see the picture.

Sraab928 -- Scott that is great news. I was trying to figure out how you could let that boat get away. By the way RLWhaler picked up the free Whaler I had emailed you about a few months back. If you think you and I have a project you should see this thing. It was wrapped around a telephone pole!

RLWhaler -- Richard I am bringing the boat to you when it gets dry. I want to get the floor cut out and bake it on the driveway till I get the hull down around 1300 pounds. You can count on doing some business together. Your boat looks great!

Bake -- I am having a real issue with the floor in my boat. I went down to Houston and saw RLWhalers LoPro. He has a very nice process for creating Non-Skid. The inside (and outside) of his boat is going to look great. Here is the issue I am having.

1 - Outside no question I am going to have Adrian and Richard do some magic. I need the transom repaired and raised. I need a tunnel put in and all the scuffs/scratches taken out. I also have a bad section on the starboard side that will most likely need to be addressed. Get all the glass work done and NEW gelcoat.

2 - RLWhalers boat is very nice. I am a purist at heart but really feel I need to think about how I plan to use the boat. On the inside I plan to deck in the bow and put about a 3 foot deck in the stern. I would love to go back gelcoat like Richards boat but do not know if I would ever get the true value out. Once I raise the transom and put a tunnel in it will be hard to restore to factory. All these changes make it functional but not original.

3 - I also have a very poor patch from the previous owner that will require about 60% of the floor to be cut out on the starboard side of the tank cavity.

Those things considered, I plan to cut out the bad patch. If it looks wet in there I will most likely cut all the floor out of the cockpit area to dry the boat out Thus removing the Non-Skid in the floor. From here my initial instinct is to build my decks, lay a new flat floor, fill any voids with foam, and paint it with a roll on paint followed with a light spider web spray.

I really have not made up my mind but this seems to be the most practical solution to my problem. I bought this project that is in BAD shape and I am really doing a ton to get it back in the condition I think it deserves. However, there is a point that it just does not make sense anymore. It will be beautiful when I am done! It just cost money.......

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I completely understand that oem is nice but once a hull is so far gone it cost way too much to go oem. My first whaler project was a 15 footer the floor was smooth so I had to put down sprinkle on non skid. After that there was no need to be concerned with oem. A nice coat of awl grip, fighting lady yellow and oyster white ,and I had one of the best looking little whalers around. My current project is kind of the same. An old navy boat with grey gel coat, covered by a coat of white paint. I plan to paint the hull in and out with awl grip and though purest will hate it; she will be a thing of beauty. I want to post some pics of my project as well but I have not got that figured out yet.

I was out today and placed materal in the dished out part on the top of the gunnel's foward of the center console. I am going to fill that area, I see no need to leave it cuped out like that.

I would like to hear more about the nonskid method you mentioned If you get a little time could you let me know some of the details

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Rob, you keep mentioning a tunnel... how do you plan to do this? Are you going to cut into the bottom?

If you had to do it over again would you get less of a project and spend more money up front? Or the fact that you want to deviate so far from stock necessitates such a project?

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Scott -- I am in fact going to cut a hole in the bottom. It will be 20" wide X 5 1/2 deep at the transom and run 40" towards the stern tapering to nothing. I posted a clear picture of a similar tunnel below.

To be honest I would not be putting a tunnel in if I did not get the boat I did. Mine needs transom work already so why not go for it. I really do not think I would have gone a different route buying my boat. If there were one thing I would change it would have to be a dry hull. Every early 70's model outrage I have ever looked at was crazing -- this should be expecting seeing they are 30+ years old. So unless you spent a fortune on a boat that has been re-gelcoated you are going to have cosmetic issues. I looked at 1500 - 10000 dollar boats and this was the case no matter how great of shape they were in. It would be rare to find a mint single owner boat.

That being said I went for the cheapest I could find and decided on a full restoration. Should be fun! :D

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Wow now that is going to be cool! Do you think its going to interfere with your transom fish locker? I assume you are going to put a hydraulic or electric jackplate on as well. I cant wait to see how this turns out.

I hear you on the classic Outrages. Most of them are showing there 30+ years of use. I still think its a great testament that they are still around and in my opinion worth putting some money into.

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Scott -- I have already removed the rear live well. I am going to put a fishing platform in the front and rear that is level with the gunnels of the boat. I plan to use the space under for storage etc....

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I missed that part Rob.... I saw the bottom cut out - I thought it was just for drainage etc.... I am following your post closely with regards to the foam and fuel tank as I am sure I will be heading in the same direction.

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I would assume that mean looking motor height is because its on an adjustable jack plate raised to the trailering position.

rich

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After looking at the picture you posted of the tunnel, have you been on that boat yourself, to see how it handled. Not trying to be critical, but many tunnels do not work out especially at high speed. They have irreversible cavitation problems. I remember Shamrock Boats built a R&D inboard tunnel sport fisherman a few years ago, and after many modifications it still was not right. They built a few, and because of owner complaints finally gave up on it. Of course an inboard tunnel may be more critical that an outboard tunnel. Still a cool project though, and if you copy a successful tunnel boat, you should be OK.

rich

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After looking at the picture you posted of the tunnel, have you been on that boat yourself, to see how it handled. Not trying to be critical, but many tunnels do not work out especially at high speed. They have irreversible cavitation problems. I remember Shamrock Boats built a R&D inboard tunnel sport fisherman a few years ago, and after many modifications it still was not right. They built a few, and because of owner complaints finally gave up on it. Of course an inboard tunnel may be more critical that an outboard tunnel. Still a cool project though, and if you copy a successful tunnel boat, you should be OK.

rich

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I have actually ridden on the boat I pictured. The boat is a whaler copy made by GulfCoast Boats in Texas. The original design for this boat was a 1977 LoPro. This is the second tunnel design on the model since it's introduction. The only negative is a little less speed -- other than that the hull tracks nice and clean.

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Well it has been slow on the project the last few weeks because I have been fishing every weekend. This weekend I am going to get the rest of the floor cut up and work on the console some more.

I am in shock from the trash I found under the bad patch I cut out of the floor. Take a look at the picture I posted -- the previous owner did not even attempt to pour new foam he just filled it with old pieces that he took out. I even found foam that looked like those cheap coolers you buy at the mini mart. :@

More bad news -- I had the fuel tank on the driveway and during the heat of the day noticed pin hole leaks where the tank was pretty badly pitted. Looks like a new tank is in my future. They say to every dark cloud there is a silver lining. Having a new tank built means I can go ahead with a longer tunnel and not worry about trying to fit under the existing cavity.

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Wow Rob.... That is one heck of a project you got going there. I certainly hope I do not have to deal with those kind of issues. Its hard to tell but is that black stuff mold from moisture?

Keep on truckin.... she will be a sweet ride when you are done!

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You know Scott I never even looked at it that close. It went from that position straight into the dumpster. I am not discouraged about anything I see on my boat -- it's just work. It will be fine when I am done. I really almost laugh when I find things like this now. I am keeping up with your project as well so keep posting. I will put some more pics up next week of my work this weekend.

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Glad your keeping the right attitude about it Rob. My project has taken a back seat this week - my garage at work is being modified so she is covered outside right now - Hoping to get back to full swing next week.

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Well this weekend I finished cutting out the floor on the port side and the inside wall of the starboard side where the bad patch from the previous owner was located. It was a lot wetter than I expected in there -- notice the rotten wood on th floor port side front. I am really glad I went this route. I will end up much drier and with a better floor in the boat. Just getting out all the decay and trash makes it look so much better. I pulled out the mess of foam that was pilled in there to assess the patch that was done on the side. Looks like there is some work to be done there. I also worked a bit more on the console removing old paint and wet sanding. Next step is to keep pulling her out on hot dry days and get the soda blasting done. I am going to weigh her again in the next few weeks and see how I am doing. I also plan to pull her off the trailer and get an accurate weight on it as well. Little by little I can see it coming back. ;)

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That is looking great Rob - us the yellow foam on the port side dry or wet? I assume the wet wood you are referring to is outlining the tank cavity? I have never seen one torn up like this and its good information for me..... thanks for being the guinea pig...lol

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The foam on the port side is wet. I assume from the process of wicking. I have read and played around with the foam quite a bit. I thin Jeff said it is like hanging the end of a paper towel in water. Over a period of time the water will climb to the top. After what I have seen in my hull I am quite sure this process also applies to Whaler foam. Scott notice the blocks of glass in the foam. I think these are used during production to keep from crushing the hulls when they inject the foam under pressure. A am planning to use a very light foam/glass injected board that comes in 4X8 sheets and only weighs 20 lbs to build out the floor. Am going to install the material and inject foam under pressure similar to the original process. If have have calculated correctly I should be able to achieve a foam density almost equal to the original pour. Once the foam is in I can glass right over the top to get a strong, smooth, and level floor. I plan to create texture during the painting process in the original pattern.

Fun Fun!

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Rob- I appreciate the detail on your project. Keep it coming.

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Well - I visited West Marine when I was in Houston today and picked up all the glass goodies I need to get the console finished. I have been sanding on it and have gotten to the point where glass work is around the corner. I have also put together my order for awlgrip supplies and should have that on the way this week. I will post some pictures of the console as it sits so you guys can follow the transformation. B)

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Rob -

If you are buying supplies in advance, you might want to consider obtaining them via the internet. West's prices are just obscene.

I know Hamilton Marine carries everything you bought today with good prices. They are a local store for me and are geared toward the serious boat builder/commercial fisherman.

Just a thought.

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CBO - I plan to buy all the other stuff online. I found out real quick how high West Marine can be. The Epoxies are not to bad and I wanted to look through everything they offer. I have done my shopping on the internet but got the want it now syndrome going today :)

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Rob, I always take the price from the internet(print it out) to West Marine and they mach it. BG

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Barryg - I thought about doing that after I found the gallon 105 on sale online through Jamestown Distributors. I came really close to going back over there but it was 50 miles out of the way. Doohh!

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Hello Rob,

For my glass repairs I have used SMC resin by Pro Form. It contains Styrene,Methil methacrylate and amophous silica and is readily available at Lordco .
It came with cream hardener but I found that I preferred using the liquid MEK as I could precisely count the drops.
Anyway, I am following your progress with interest.
I also have my console out and have seen paint applied to the unit.I think that after removing everything I will attempt to wet sand the surfaces and see if I can restore.
Great work Rob!:)

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Wow! Rob,
Looks like you've been at it!
She's Lookin' GREAT!

Best,
Richard

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Richard - I have not done anything on her in 2 months. All I have done is keep buying parts - that is easy. I guess the good news is she is really getting dried out. I need to go get it weighed soon to see how things are progressing.

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No one asked, but the best prices by far I have found on Awlgrip is from Finishmasters Automotive and Industrial Paint Supply. They are a national company and have a store probably near you, unless you live out in the boonies. Just Google their name for info.

rich

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Hey Rob,

Hope that your shopping cart is full and loaded with a lot of great refit materials..
So what's it gonna be Gel coat or Awlgrip?

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I am planning to gel-coat the bottom side and see from there. If it goes down nice I will probably shoot the top and console as well. If I end up sanding for weeks I will probably Awlgrip the inside. I would loike the whole thing to be gel-coat I am just worried about all the little curves and bends on the inside creating a ton of finish work.

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So, I finally got some work done on the boat this weekend. I spent all my time working on the console and related parts. My first objective was to finish the glass job inside where I was replacing the wood that the floor rests on -- done. I then built the new teak door frames for the front and side of the console and cut out the holes to fit the new larger doors. While those set up I sanded on the outside some more and dremmeled out a ton of spider cracks which I will come back and fair later. I pulled all the fittings for the console rails off to have them chromed. Once the door frames were dry I back cut the panels to fit the new holes -- they still need to be rounded over on the front to be done. Feels good to be moving along and we had great weather for working on the boat this weekend.

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Looks good Rob.... you should see my console - man she has some holes in there - makes you wonder who cuts these things out. I will probably do the same as you and start a new thread.

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I am going to cut the old plywood out of the back of the console. My plan is then to laminate a new board in with some glass mat in between for strength. The remaining shallow holes in the front will get filled with a filler and covered in one layer of glass. I already went inside the console and replaced all the rotten wood. When I finish the console it will look new! I have been sanding and cutting out crazing/spider cracks like crazy. I order some Awlfair and primer yesterday so I can start putting it back together. I still have some misc screw holes I am going to fill with MarineTex and cover with Awlfair but I am getting closer.

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Rob,

That is one heck of a project you got there. You've done a fantastic job so far. When do you think you'll be finished? Have you decided what engine you will be mounting or did I miss that. I have never seen a Low Profile for real before. I imagine it must be a very stable boat. It's projects like this one that also inspires me to take on projects as well. I don't know if I'm ready for something like this yet. Good luck with her.

Erik

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Erik,

I am really in no hurry to finish her up -- I have a really nice 17 that I use right now. Well, I would like to have it finished I am just not under any deadlines to do so. The way I see it every day the hull stays open it is just getting drier and lighter. I would guess I have about another year to get her done all the way.

I am planning to power her up with a new 150hp Evinrude e-Tec. I am going to order a jack plate from Bob's Machine Shop. They are fast and the best I have found. With the tunnel put in I should be able to fly through shallow water.

Mine was originally a 19 foot outrage. The previous owner removed the cap (I want to use that lightly) to convert it to a lo-pro. The original lo-pro hulls are rare and hard to find seeing they were built in such limited numbers. I have seen a few in real life and they are really sexy boats.

Thanks for the words of encouragement -- keep checking in on my gallery to see her come together.

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The project looks great Rob.
Looking forward to seeing photos with the engine installed and back on the water.

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So I shipped all the console rail fittings to sraab928 today to drop them at his plating company. Thanks again Scott I really do appreciate it -- they are on the way to your office via USPS priority mail. One disadvantage of living in a small town is that you have very few services in close proximity. I love boat projects that all you have to do is write a check -- I am so excited to get these done even though they are just a small part of the project. :D

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The pleasure is all mine.... The plater really does nice work.

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So I have been working on my console like a crazy person. Last night i got the old wood cut out from behind the dash and ground everything flat. You can see a picture of it HERE on my project Gallery. My plan is now to laminate a new piece of plywood in and fill the shallow holes in the front with a good epoxy filler. I am going to seal the front up with a solid piece of fiberglass and fair it out nice and smooth. I have also finished grinding out all the crazing and spider cracks. It is almost time to start putting it all together.

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This weekend I got the new dash laminated in back. I cut my piece out to fit and rounded over the edges to make glassing easier. Once I was ready to go I wet out the board side that was going onto the console, I added a layer of 6oz glass and wet it out. Then I mixed up some more West Systems with 406 Silica to a mayo consistency and coated the console dash inside. I used a slotted trowel device to thin the epoxy like you would tile mortar. Once I had a solid coat I wiggled the board into place and weighted it down with 2 five gallon buckets full of rock to set up. One special note is that I rested the dash surface on two 4x6 boards to make sure the pressure was applied to the dash panel for a good seal. Take a look at how it was set up:


Now have a look from the front side once it set up:


Now I need to grind of the gel-coat on the front -- it is cracked so bad it is not worth saving. Once that is done I am going to use Evercoat Kitty Hair Filler to fair out the shallow holes in the glass. Follow this up with a solid sheet of new glass and a finish hot coat of epoxy and I should have a new dash with no holes. ready for primer and gel-coat. :D

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Looks good, but have you thought about using a piece of mahogany for the dash, instead of going back to fiberglass? to me Whalers and mahogany just seem to go together, and you`ll even save yourself some work.

rich

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Rich - I thought about that and opted for fiberglass. I am going back with all teak on the console so the mahogany would not be the first choice anyway. I really like the look of gauges and everything flush mounted into a new gel-coated dash. I assure you I will have plenty of classic wood on there screaming Whaler. The console has been kind of my pet project. I already have the new BRP binnacle w/key, Ritchie compass, Teak side/front doors, and In-Dash Uniden Oceanus VHF. I sent my rail fittings off to be re-chromed and shopping today for a Seastar Teleflex HK6400 hydraulic helm kit. I am also pricing out new Teleflex gauges -- I just have not decided on color and types yet. I will also have a new Lowrance LMS unit up there and brand new windshield. When I finish this thing it is going to look absolutely top notch.

Part of my deal to is to get some additional glass and gel-coat experience before hitting the hull projects.

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I stayed up way to late last night getting these holes filled in with the kitty hair filler. I ran out of supplies at 2AM so called it quites. I got almost everything flush and level to the surface with the exception of the upper right rectangle. I will have to make a stop for for supplies and finish it up this evening.


With the front done I am going to go back to the inside and glass the back of the dash. While I am in there I plan to put some glass backer patches on the holes I need to fill. Getting closer to primer. :D

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So it seems my console parts are back from the plater. Props go out to Scott (aka - sraab928) for hooking me up with his guy in PA. THANKS SCOTT - you the man! I can not wait to see how they look. Project has been moving slow since I have been fishing every weekend.


I met Rhett Holloway down in Matagorda last weekend. He has a 1973 lo-pro conversion with a Suzki 175hp -- says he can get 58mph out of her. You can check out pics of his rig HERE. It really made me want to get back on mine when I got home.

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My pleasure Rob. That 175 looks great on that lo-pro! I plan on putting twin 90's on mine. She goes in the shop December 1st for her new gelcoat. I'm very excited.

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Rob
I just went through your entire photo account and it is absolutely fantastic. The detail that you are showing on the rebuild is priceless................please keep it going til the end

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Well I bought a boat that has everything I need to finish the 19 low-pro. I have no need for the hull so will be selling it some time next year when the 19 is complete. In the mean time I have no useful purpose for the Montauk -- look for it up for sale soon. :( The boat I bought has the following items which I will be using on the 19 footer:

1 - 2006 Yamaha 150 4-stroke
2 - Bob's Marine Jack Plate
3 - Seastar Hydraulic Steering Kit
4 - Lowrance 520C with coastal and lake chips
5 - Magictilt Aluminum Tandem Trailer
6 - Motorguide 82lb Thrust Trolling Motor
7 - Leaning Post that I may like better than the one I bought already.
8 - Misc Hardware and Hatches

I figure by getting this entire boat and stripping it I will save over $6k in parts. The only thing I have left to purchase is a new windshield.

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Rob,

I have a friend in Midlothian, Texas looking for a nice Montauk. Shoot me an email when you are going to sell the 17.

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Rob,
I thought of you and your project lately.
I have read that you sold your other Whaler.
How Have things been?