---

I've owned this boat for several years and have used her to fish offshore in NC, waterski with the kids , walleye fish on Lake Erie and just cruise around with SWMBO. I'm a bit of a boat hoarder (seven total not including kayaks and jet skis) but if I had to choose one boat for the rest of my life, this would be the one.

She has had a busy life, being used for a long time as a charter boat before I owned her and it is time to give her some love. This spring, the old Yammie started to give me trouble even after rebuilding the carbs etc therefore I am going to switch motors from a Carolina Skiff 24 that I never use offshore, a sweet 2005 Suzuki 140.

Today over four hours I disconnected the dual teleflex steering cables at the outboard (1990 Yamaha 150,) removed the T-top, took out the batteries and battery boxes, removed the wood trim, began removing the bow rail and console and took out all the screws from the large deck plate.

A few months ago I sprayed new gelcoat on the sides of the hull, reupholstered the RPS, touched up the bottom paint, reinforced the trailer in some areas and restitched the T-top sunbrella.

As I proceed with the restoration I will provide pictures and commentary of what I find. The only surprise today was one of the steering cable tubes snapped right in half from corrosion in the thread area as I unscrewed the large nut on the starboard side. I guess this is one reason why motors from 150 HP up usually have dual steering cables.

---

This was the mess after four hours and two beers:

---

Nice work! Your Outrage 19 certainly appears to be in good shape and well worth the effort of a restoration.

It's always interesting to me to see the contrast between your 19 Outrage I and my 19 Outrage II. I like the way you can unbolt and remove all the furniture/compnents of your interior, as opposed to mine which is all molded in place from fiberglass.

Btw, there is a brand new fuel tank for an Outrage 18 being advertised here on WC. This might be a good time to consider tank replacement since you have everything out of the interior and are repowering.

I have a 1992 Yamaha 150 engine that looks to be the same model as yours -- I hope mine will hang in there for a whie yet. It will be interesting to hear how the performance of the Suzuki 140 compares.

---

NCWhaler,

What year is this boat?
Your profile says it is 1990 but this post says 1989.

What does your HIN tell you?
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=61

---

Sorry about the typo in the title, it is a 1990. Would you change it for me please?

---

Will do.

You appear to have an early 1990 model as you have the older standard console as opposed to the newer style console.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=21

Can you tell us if you have the older 18' decals or the newer 19' decals?

I would also guess your HIN is ends something like this:
F990 to B090
The C090 had the newer console with electronics box.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=58

---

Yes, the HIN ends in F990. I believe I had the older decal style, with "Outrage 19" near the stern instead of in the middle of the stripe.

---

Trying to add attachments of appropriate size and type, they sometimes won't attach, causing the post to duplicate. Frustrating.

Here is the RPS seat. The wooden core under the foam was pretty rotten, but served as a new plywood template and the foam was in excellent condition (the foam is the most expensive and difficult portion to replace when redoing upholstery.) 30 oz marine vinyl was inexpensive at $18 per yard locally in High Point and can be sourced even cheaper from the internet if you know what to look for.

I have three industrial sewing machines, each have a specific area of expertise. If you want to do upholstery, look for an old Singer 111-155 which has a walking foot mechanism that doesn't pull on the vinyl. They are available without reverse for $300 to $800 depending on condition and whether they have reverse and a servo or a clutch motor. The clutch motor is much harder to learn to use. Usually it isn't the vinyl that wears out first, it is the stitching especially if V92 or lighter thread is used and the thread is exposed to a high UV environment. I used V138 thread, but for really long lasting performance, PTEF thread can be used which is essentially resistant to UV. This is an aspect of restoration that anyone can become proficient in just by watching YouTube videos.

---

FWIW - Anderson Manufacturing still offers OEM quality RPS seat cushions in the colors and textures.

www.amfg.us
(321) 267-7028

---

It is great that aftermarket companies and Boston Whaler supply various parts for our aging boats! However, there is a lot of satisfaction in the process of making things yourself, which is more important to me than the cost savings. I spent my life in work that was inside and mental, and working with my hands on boats is almost therapeutic. My seat cost $30 or less for materials, and I plan to add a matching bench stern seat which would be quite costly ($1200) to purchase and wouldn't match my other upholstery.

I'd post a picture but still having a problem with appropriately sized JPEG files being called invalid. Seems to be happening when I resize pictures.

---

Another recent photo, rigged for king mackerel fishing with an aftermarket Todd leaning post/livewell seat. The two stroke 8 HP kicker is adequate for slow trolling and lake use aside from the lack of an alternator, but I now have a Yamaha T9.9 high thrust electric start kicker, which is a whole 'nother story as it was a little neglected.

---

How did you end up with aluminum legs on the RPS?

---

Not sure why you are asking that question? The base legs are made of a PVC-like material. They bolt onto a piece of plywood with T nuts.

---

The RPS Z legs were produced it two colors, a brown and a white.

Given the age of the legs, lighting, photographic rendering on the monitor, they could appear to be aluminum color.

---

I've never seen them in white, so I assumed they must be aluminum-Not easy getting old-

---

I was surprised too and learned this when I bought my 1991 Outrage 17. Legs were white.

---

Today (four hours) I finished removing the bow rail and moved the T-top off the boat, removed additional hardware such as cleats and rod holders, disassembled and tagged the wiring harness in the console, disconnected the steering cables from the helm and removed a black vinyl stripe from the console. Just need to remove the throttle quadrant and I can take the console off the boat. It is starting to look like a "boat in a box." Total thus far: 8 hours labor, 4 beers.

---

Bits and pieces removed, I tossed them into the Carolina Skiff motor donor boat:

---

This is a picture of the Yammie T9.9 kicker I reconditioned. It isn't going to match the Suzuki so that is a problem... I had been looking for one on CL for many months when someone asked me to give them an estimate to fix up their sailboat to sell it, as one of the bow cleats had fallen off etc. It needed a lot of work but had this nice kicker on the back, which I coveted. He had paid $4500 for the boat, but I ended up trading $1500 worth of tile work to buy the boat, then took the kicker off the boat and traded the boat for a nice Catalina 22 sailboat that needed very little work. Sometimes bartering can be a wonderful thing.

The motor had just had nearly $600 of work done on it by a Yamaha dealer's mechanic. Despite this, it didn't run when the owner got it back. They are fussy, and like to have the autochoke defeated by holding your hand over the intake when they are cranked. Also they do better starting if the throttle is goosed 3 to 5 times before engaging the starter.

No water was coming out of the tell-tale and tlhe impeller was trashed. When I took the lower unit off to change it one of the bolts was seized and broke in half, which took oodles of PB Blaster, heat, cussing etc to get out. The bits of the impeller were lying in the water intake. I also had to re-clean the carburetor that was cleaned by the mechanic. Yikes.

---

The aforementioned "sweet" 2005 Suzuki df140. It only has 270 hours, and a few weeks ago I updated all the maintenance items. This boat was stolen from me about six years ago and I recently recovered it. Yay!

---

Fortunately I have found almost no rot thus far, here is a small area under one of the rod holders. I'm anxious to see what the condition of the large deck plate is, and to check out the fuel tank. I've seen some nasty gas tanks with leaks into the surrounding foam. Don't want to be running a large Molotov cocktail.

---

This is a close up of the steering tube that cracked when I put a wrench on the large nut, salt water is not your friend:

---

Yucky vinyl stripe on the console, I used to take these off with a heat gun (1200 degrees) and a blunt chisel. Tedious and if the chisel gets to hot it can damage the gelcoat. Using a razor blade just about guarantees damage to the gelcoat.

---

A 'Smart Eraser' wheel (knock off of the much more expensive Whizzie Wheel) took the stripe off in six minutes when mounted on a 1/2 inch drill. I was going for speed and got it a little too hot and melted some of the stripe, but it will come off easily when I start sanding.

---

Whew, getting below the inspection plate makes me feel like an archeologist! Yuk. The large fuel line going into the tank from the filler is a little dry rotted, but nice to see BW double clamped the hose. Dang ethanol fuel has made farmers wealthier but cost boaters billions in repairs. I can say this as I own a farm ha. Not long ago I found the ventilation line on a boat had corroded and broken right off releasing the fumes into the hull. Mine looks pretty good.

---

When I use a razor blade on gelcoat I burnish it first.
I use a solid handle for the blade, either a screwdriver type or typical blade holder. I then drag the blade backwards across the gel coat (inconspicuous area) a few times to take the really sharp edge off. I will also tweak the blade a bit a few times on each corner as I drag it backwards.

This really minimizes any gel coat gouging, and of course, technique is key.

---

Did a little more work today, got the binnacle off which was a real PITA due to stainless screws seizing to the crappy metal Yamaha used for the mount under the plastic housing. Anyone taking a Yamaha 704 binnacle remote control off would be well advised to watch a video to see how to do it, especially the nearly invisible little detents on the side. It took an hour or more and I had to drill several of the screws out but I saved the two cables and I think the binnacle is still usable. One of of the two mounts to the console was trashed however.

With the binnacle off I removed the console and found a half dozen more huge screws holding the deck down. They were removed and a razor knife cut through the thick silicone sealant between the deck seams. The deck came up pretty easily with one person after that (make sure you get all the screws out!) and was as solid as a granite slab with almost no rot except in the area around the tunnel hole which was reinforced with two layers of plywood and three layers of thick fiberglass!

OK, the gas tank is huge! It runs the entire length of the floor and seems to be in good condition. I'm going to do some research into how to tell for sure, and maybe cut some inspection/cleaning holes into the tank. If anyone has done this let me know!

---

Three hours today, 11 total. Deck off to expose the gas tank, which looks dirty but the foam seems dry and there is not a lot of corrosion, I will try to remember to get a few more pictures of the layout below the deck once I get the granite slab off the boat:

---

This is the console presently on the CS 24 with the Suzuki. Compare to the console in post #23, I think this rounded one is a little sexier and has the advantage of being somewhat narrower along with having a built in seat.

---

This project is coming along slowly as I am working on other projects at the same time. I am ready to take the motor off, and plan to do this by throwing a come-along over a huge beam in the boat shed, the Yamaha has a lifting bolt already installed. Once I get it off it will be put on a stand made on top of a strong pallet I can move around with a fork lift.

I'm still thinking about the fuel tank situation, and how to deal with the non-skid. I think I will just mask the non-skid off and gelcoat the rest of the boat and keep the original non-skid which is not very toothy at this point. I guess I am going to keep the original console instead of going custom, the boxy lines go well with my new acquisition below.

One of the projects slowing me down is due to SWMBO requesting me to get another tow vehicle instead of using the family SUV (and getting it dirty.) So I've been looking for a cargo van to turn into a weekend camper/toy hauler and finally found one a few days ago that will make a good project and it was also cheap.

1987 Ford Econoline e250 in running condition with 184K miles. $900. With a little TLC it will be perfect for dragging the Whaler up and down the east coast on fishing and boating adventures. By a little TLC I mean dent and rust removal, upgraded seats, complete redo of the interior with beds along the side that fold up allowing a motorcycle to be carried in the cargo area, tuneup, solar panel/inverter, 12V fridge, new tires, new paint etc. The paint will match the Whaler of course. When I get done I will have $4000 without labor in a van still worth only $1500 ha.

With this van, maybe I should name the boat "Free Candy."

---

The next step was to take the 19 off its trailer and block it up. This will give me a chance to work on the trailer without the boat in the way and to work on the boat without the trailer in the way or getting covered in gelcoat etc. Blocking up a boat is dangerous business. Do not trust your blocking unless you have at least 5 blocking points for a 19 foot boat. A level concrete pad is excellent for stability and to keep dirt out of your work. My pad is somewhat elevated which is a PITA, as when the trailer is pulled away it kicks the rear end of the trailer up requiring the boat to be relatively high in the air until the trailer is completely removed. Thankfully I have a fork lift to aid in the process, and don't mind touching up the nicks the forks put in the gelcoat as the boat shifts. A full inversion gantry is in the planning stages when I have time to weld one up. Piling "cut offs" are great for blocking if you live near the beach, and are strong and stable if cut off squarely. Cement blocks are terrible, do not trust them for anything larger than a BW13 as they will suddenly fail, especially if placed on their sides as they are stronger with the holes pointing vertically. Solid wood is best.

If you use a bottle jack, make sure you put a wooden plate between the ram and the hull to avoid holing or cracking your hull. Lower the trailer tongue, then block up the stern of the boat first, and gradually pull the trailer out as you build more block piles to elevate the bow, allowing the trailer to "catch" the boat if your blocking falls over when you move the trailer past each obstacle. It will happen eventually, usually due to the boat rubbing on a bunk and pulling a block forward. If a block pile is tilted, jack up the boat and get it straight before proceeding. Do not use the bow or stern eyes to lift the boat, they are not made for that. As a side note, Boston Whalers are designed to have most of their weight on the keel of the boat when they are stored or on a trailer, so a couple of piles of blocks under the keel is a good idea. Therefore if you have a trailer with only bunks or wobble rollers, consider adding central keel rollers to support most of the weight.

Blocking in progress below: the middle blocks will be shifted forward and a midline stern block added. I am trying to decide if I am going to remove the bottom paint and replace it with new gelcoat. I don't live at the beach anymore, and the last time I left my BW13 in the water for a few weeks it got so dirty and covered in salt I regretted not pulling it out of the water. Plus, it looked SO much prettier without the bottom paint. There are several coats of bottom paint on the boat, and it will take a good 10 days to sand the paint off and put new matching gelcoat on.

---

Yesterday I decided to take the bottom paint off the boat. This is one of my least favorite jobs, mainly due to the dust it generates- dust that gets under your fingernails and every other nook and cranny within 50 feet. It is possible to cut out the dust problem by damp sanding but then you are covered in wet muddy dust splatters and usually end up lying in dampness under the boat. A full face respirator and tyvek suit is almost mandatory for this reason and to protect your health. Hearing protection isn't a bad idea either, and helps to keep dust out of your ears despite wearing a hood.

This and the following post shows what you can get done in one hour on a flat surface. Of course, the bottom is not a flat surface and one has to be very careful around chines and even rounded areas to keep from zipping right through the full thickness of gelcoat.

Start photo: (maybe someone can PM as to how to put two photos in a single post)

---

After 30 minutes per side using 40 grit on a Dynabrade DA "air hog" sander (I use a 33 gallon compressor which has a hard time keeping up with the air demand) I got one side done, both sides without the transom took one hour. There were two coats of bottom paint on the boat (black over brick red) and both coats of paint were fairly thin and soft. The job is worse if there is more buildup of coats or if rock hard non-ablative paint has been applied. If the paint has a "smooth" feel it is likely ablative, where coarse textured dried-out looking paint may be much harder. Ablative paint gets smoother with use, non-ablative does not.

---

This is a medium action Dynabrade DA sander. The action refers to the size of the orbital motion, in this case 3/8 of an inch. They cost about $150 vs $50 for a cheaper model at Harbor Freight, which will choke on its own dust after a short time. I've done about five bottoms this year with this tool and it has a lifetime guarantee, well worth the money. It is imperative to oil the tool with each use when sanding gelcoat and bottom paint. Compared to using a regular orbital sander, there is no comparison in the end result- it causes almost no divoting when held flat and is easy to feather an edge. I would estimate that it cuts the time and effort to do a job vs hand sanding by a factor of six. Around chines or other sharp transitions I recommend placing protective tape as gelcoat is thin in these areas and any tool- even a hand block can sand the gel completely off down to the laminate in short order.

---

Taking the helm apart: first pop off the center trim piece from the destroyer wheel

---

Next remove the large nut holding the wheel on which forces it down onto the tapered shaft. A cheap gear puller from Amazon will help to get the wheel off the shaft if it has been jammed hard onto the shaft or suffers from salt water corrosion.

---

There is a Woodruff key that needs to be tapped out, this is what actually makes the wheel turn the shaft without slipping, not the nut. It is usually corroded from dissimilar metals galvanic corrosion.

---

Then the bracket bolts are removed and the helm can be taken out. If your helm feels wobbly, these brackets may have rusted through, or the wood core holding the bolts may have gotten some rot from water penetration. The wood core on my BW had sealed edges and the general construction is quite robust, very solid compared to many consoles. The vinyl trim is tacky though and will be replaced with something else.

---

Stripped console. It has upwards of thirty extra unsightly holes that have been drilled into it over the years that will be repaired.

---

After sanding with the Dynabrade DA, 120 grit first pass. Note the edges are not sanded, they will be done by hand with a soft sponge.

---

Front view, notice the beefy 3/4 inch marine plywood core:

---

Compare the above to this 2003 middle tier quality boat helm area I recently worked on. The wheel was "wobbly" due to the brackets being rusted through. The core was rotten back one inch from the edge and had to be filled with thickened epoxy and I had to angle grind the corroded bolts out. The screwdriver is seen to be scraping out completely soft core.

---

In the belly of the beast: based on the five hours of sanding thus far, I would estimate it will take 20 hours to get all the bottom paint off with 40 grit followed by 80 grit and then 120 to prepare for gelcoat, about 100 square feet by estimation. Note in the picture there is a round area of retained brick red bottom paint. This is a "low spot" caused by the hull sitting on a wobble roller from the PO's trailer setup, others are similar and one shows evidence of prior bodywork. The area is not delaminated from the foam as evidenced by a normal percussion test, but it will be faired level with glazing putty and definitely proves that it is a bad idea to not use keel rollers on a classic Whaler. One caveat, if you place a keel roller on your axle, stiffen the axle by sistering it to a piece of extruded aluminum or other support or the axle may sag and unevenly wear the trailer tires (don't ask me how I know this.)

Additionally the photo illustrates leaving paint on the edges of the chines when using aggressive sandpaper on a sander. These edges are best treated with 120 grit by hand.

---

I have said before that removing bottom paint is a difficult, dirty, tedious job- this is after three hours of sanding today: a full face respirator is about $200 but it makes the job oh-so-much more pleasant.