Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by egerrity on 04/29/08 - 7:25 AM

I was surprised to realize my Z legs are Painted "white" or some variation of an off white. Was this the standard color for that year? Is it deset tan? I would like to repaint them. Any info for this project would be great.
Its almost MAY!!!!!!

Posted by Phil T on 04/29/08 - 7:43 AM

Ed -

My 1991 z legs are white as well. I believe they changed from brown to white around 1990. I don't think paint will stick very well to the plastic.

I have read a wiping a coat of Penetrol (paint conditioner) will do wonders to bringing the color back. Apply once a year.

Posted by egerrity on 04/29/08 - 7:52 AM

Ill have to try that.. I was under the impression the penetrol was used on the older finish and not the painted ones?? Can anyone confirm this?

Posted by Phil T on 04/29/08 - 8:26 AM

opps.

You are saying someone painted your white legs, white? If so, not sure Penetrol will work. If you want to remove the paint, try a citrus based product. Once clean, try the Penetrol. It helps with the fading.

Posted by egerrity on 05/07/08 - 9:52 AM

Nope mine are not painted. Got a good look at them last night. They are discolored and have some mildew. I tried many cleaning products. And suggestions for what I can use to clean them up before I apply the penetrol.

Posted by Tom W Clark on 05/07/08 - 5:41 PM

For cleaning the white Z-legs, experiment with what you have. What have you tried so far? Ammoniated cleaner? Goof-Off? Scrubbing with Comet cleanser?

I would also try Toluene. Just a hunch, I've never tried it myself on the Z-legs but I think it might work well with a little elbow grease.

Posted by Grady95 on 05/08/08 - 3:45 AM

Here's what Z legs look like when Penetrol is applied. Mine looked chalky white also as you can see.
Best of Luck,
Grady
[IMG]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd283/Grady952007/ZPostwPenetrol.jpg[/IMG]

Posted by egerrity on 05/08/08 - 5:15 AM

#10

mine donw look anything like that.. they are more white pigment... not just oxidized. Hmmm.... my boat is a 1991... they wont be that "brownish" color that yours are after I use penetrol. Joe any ideas???

Posted by Tom W Clark on 05/08/08 - 8:02 AM

#11

We are talking about the WHITE Z-legs which were an oddity of Whaler production as they were only seen on the Outrage 17 introduced in 1989 as a 1990 model.

I have seen them on some other models over the years like the Montauk and Outrage 22 but assumed they were replacements from Whaler inventory in the early 1990s. During this time Whaler also transitioned from the traditional brown Z-legs to the black Z-legs used on the all-white Montauks starting around 1993.

Posted by Jeff on 05/08/08 - 9:11 AM

#13

Guys,

Dan's 1990 Montauk has the white legs as well. I have never seen an OEM RPS with brown legs if it had a fiberglass RPS seat back.

Posted by egerrity on 05/08/08 - 9:28 AM

#14

Wow... I have the teak seatback... with white legs. 1991... interesting.... Maybe it was built on a friday?;)

Posted by egerrity on 05/08/08 - 9:38 AM

#15

Was the fiberglass seatback an option? I also noticed he has teak trim at the bottom of the sides of the console.. where mine are white plastic. I guess what I am realizing here isn thats there are alot of variations from even 1990 to 1991.
Dans whaler is awesome... great model for me

Posted by Grady95 on 05/08/08 - 9:05 PM

#19

Do you just want to paint them Ed? Clearly, there is a difference between ours. I see that yours are not just bleached out as I thought. Penetrol is a paint conditioner. I wonder if going ahead with it anyway would clean those up enough for you to like them? If not, you could probably wipe them down and paint right over the stuff, being that it is a paint additive anyway.
Wish I could suggest a perfect solution for this, but I admit not having any experience with this white material.
Grady

Posted by egerrity on 05/09/08 - 5:26 AM

#20

I'm going to try and give them a good cleaning and see how they shape up. That picture was taken last july after the boat had been sitting for 5 years and the boat is much cleaner now. I would rather not paint them unless its a last resort. I should have some time to work on it this weekend I'll report the progress. Thanks for all the help.

Posted by Blue_Northern on 05/09/08 - 8:41 AM

#21

Eric,

I also have the white Z-legs on my 1991 Montauk. If you have mold/mildew issues try bleach or power wash. Mine tend to get scuffs and marks on the every time I go out. When cleaning the boat at the coin wash I just give them a good spray and they tend to clean right up.

Posted by egerrity on 05/12/08 - 8:20 AM

#22

Well I spent half the day working on the boat yesterday and got great results. The RPS legs cleaned up like new with some simple green and a brown scotch bright. I was very surprised. I installed the new Cushion from halls Nautical and the refinished teak seatback and its looks amazing. Pics to follow If I can figure out how to post them.
Thank you for eveyone's input. This was a very rewarding project.
I'm still looking to add the spacers to lift the seat 2 inches.