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Thread: My 1971 Sidewinder Restoration
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08-22-2011, 12:22 PM #31
Great job!! Your father in law would be proud and I bet your wife it thrilled!!
J-Town Hot Boat Team
Barracuda 188CCR/Suzuki 140
Past Boats:
Checkmate 2800SX/Twin Merc 250’s
Checkmate Pulsare 2400/Verado 300
Checkmate Starflite/Merc Pro XB250
Canadian Edition Hydrostream AE-21/Merc 2.5
Checkmate Pulsare 2100/Merc 225Xri
Hydrostream Valero YT Bowrider/Merc 175
Talon T-21/Mercury Racing 2.5 Carb
Sleekcraft ModVP Bowrider/Evinrude 225 Vindicator
Velocity 230/Mercury 454 Magnum
Scout 172 Sportfish/Yamaha 130
SeaRay F16 Jet boat/Mercury SportJet
SeaRay 17' Seville/Merc I/O
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08-22-2011, 02:57 PM #32
Came out great, hope you have many good years with it.
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08-22-2011, 03:07 PM #33
Awesome job and thanks for the idea on the windshield as the one on my 1971 I/O version is also cracked . Great stuff ..enjoy !
" The Fleet of Old Boats "
'73 -14' Orlando Clipper Skiff -Yamaha 25
93- 18 ' Renegade Nomad Flats boat -Merc 150
'94 - 21 ' Allison XB - 2003 -Merc 260
'97 - 19 ' STV Euro - Merc - 260
'99 Benninton 2375 TOONER - V-6- 2 liter 150 Mariner
2001 Grady White 263 - Twin Yamaha 250 OX 66
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08-22-2011, 03:30 PM #34
Beautiful job. Very, very nice. A couple of thoughts:
1) It's great that this relatively new "hobby" (restoring 1960s-80s outboard performance boats) is still new enough and fractioned enough that it doesn't really matter if you restore it perfectly to it's original condition, do a "resto-mod", or deviate completely. Yours would have looked beautiful in original gel and original engine colors, but it also looks beautiful--very crisp and clean--the way you did it in white and black. Also, very nice job on the dash and rigging, and the fact that it's not original or even close doesn't matter. It's clean, it's beautiful and it all works well.
2) I'm very glad someone asked (and you answered) about the cost. That $10k is cheap, considering you did a lot of it yourself. Also consider that it would have cost twice that, easily, to buy a new boat with similar performance characteristics. Here's another way to look at it...for about half what it cost to buy new, you restored a historically significant (not just to you, but to performance boating) boat and engine, and (I presume) had a blast doing it, and (agan I presume) are also very proud of your accomplishment. Can $20k on a new "whatever-craft" buy that? No.
3) I hope all who make offers on restored boats realize, partially as a result of your postings, what it costs to do a nice restoration. I have well over $10k in my Allison and I've had offers of $4500 to buy it complete. It's today's crap market, true, but that's why it's borderline offensive when lowball offers like that are made. Some have literally no clue how much goes into a quality restore job. Some even compare to existing "similar" hulls on the market. For example, if you were to offer yours for $10k, you'd certainly get comments like "but I found one in the local marina with a 140 Merc for $1500!". Yes, and when you buy that rig for $1000 after haggling, it will cost another $8000 or more to get it to the level yours is now.
Enjoy!!!
John
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08-22-2011, 03:48 PM #35
John speaks the truth, there is no market to repay you if you want to bail out and not keep it forever. Make it what YOU want, not what you think someone else might want.
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08-23-2011, 07:18 AM #36
Thanks for the compliments guys!
John, your comments are dead on. I think before you even start a project that mentally you have to prepare yourself for the budget/cost. I bought most of the materials myself and when I needed help just paid for the labor, so I saved a little money doing that. I also tried to do as much myself as time and my "skills" would allow. Had I dropped this off at a boat yard and said, "have at it boys" I think you could have doubled my cost.
It's a labor of love and "therapy" for me from the rigors of work and other things.
I don't mind sharing roughly what I spent and will try and break it down below........I see so many projects for sale on boating forums from people who just got in over their head financially.
New Stringer, Floor, Transom, Knee Braces, Glass the Splashwell back in ,etc.... $3,500
New Seats and Carpet, etc... $700
New Fuel Tank and Rigging - $200
New Steering Wheel and Cables, New Throttle Cables - $375
New Battery, Tray, Fuse Panel, Wiring, Connections, Cable Boot, etc.... (this part will eat your lunch if you are not careful....I have no idea what I spent but I'll bet I made 50 trips to and from West Marine) - $1,200??
Gauges, Switches, Bildge Pump, Through Hulls, etc. - $450.00
Amp, Speakers, Wiring - $1000
New Gel Coat, Fill in all old holes, patching, sanding, New Stainless Rub Rail, Painted Cowling - $3,500
Motor - Ended up buying two new carbs, new fuel lines, water pump, gear oil, grease, plugs, etc. $750
New Trim Pump Motor - $250
Trailer - New Rollers, New Bunks, LED Lights, Wiring, Winch, Hardware - $350
So, now that I add it up it's around 12k....but not bad. Anyway, if you're on the fence about restoring a boat......go for it!!1971 Sidewinder SS - 1979 Chrylser 140
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08-23-2011, 07:33 AM #375000 RPM
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Boat looks incredible!
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08-23-2011, 07:48 AM #38
Great Job!
I have some N.O.S. Chrysler decals for your motor. Got them in Blue and Orange. Nice way to finish off the project.Bruster's Mercury solid motor mounts, details here:
http://www.powercatboat.com/Bruster/Bruster.htmlI'm been living in fast forward, now I need to rewind real slow....
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08-23-2011, 12:07 PM #39
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08-24-2011, 08:43 PM #40
I agree with everything John says here, having done a couple restos myself, one was a complete rebuild, but not necessarily resto (I didn't touch the gelcoat on mine as it was "servicable"). As to point #2 that he makes, I would also add that you/we/I discover in the dismantling of these boats what went into the manufacture of them, and the corners they cut to get boats out the door to market quickly. These corners shorten the life of the original boat, and when we get our hands on them, we make improvements to them. E.g., my boat had one of the stringers not completely covered w/ cloth and resin, none of the stringers were filleted in, and the urethane foam was just puddles in the false bottom leaving most of the false bottom as void. The boat would have sunk if it got totally swamped. There are other examples also from my experience, but these will suffice. My boat is more seaworthy and a more solidly built vessel than it was the day it rolled out of the factory. Here's a link to the resto of this boat if you care to take a look:
http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n103/tadpoleig/
Peace.
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08-24-2011, 09:45 PM #41
I agree. I'm seeing the same kind of stuff on my Carlson restoration. I've even come to suspect his use of metalflake was to hide sloppy work or weakness of the mold or deck, not to be an "innovator"
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08-25-2011, 05:15 AM #42Scream And Fly VIP
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Your boat is nothing short of spectacular. The Sidewinder is one of the few boats with a timeless design. They look as good now as they did 40 years ago.
I am always amused by the posts that show up here sometime where someone asks if an old boat is worth buying for cheap to restore. The answer is the same always and usually applies to old cars and airplanes too. (and sometimes women) Restore what you like for yourself and do it to your own standards because if you try to do it for profit or to try and suit somebody else you will probably not have the expected outcome. It is obvious that you understand the concept and did it for all the right reasons. Great job. For the next years project maybe an inline 6 Merc to go with it.bama hama
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08-25-2011, 07:09 PM #43
Old boats, Cars, Harley's and what not have way too many people putting out way too much money to make them nice. Your boat has a lot of sentential valve and now it is done the way you want.....Enjoy it for what it is and what you have done to make it yours.
Nothing like paying way to much for a one owner 98 FB in pristine condition....then sending it to the dealership and dumping another $4000.00 into it.But what the heck, it's paid for, it's mine and there isn't another like it.
I probably couldn't get what I paid but like a lot of people (yourself included) you did it for you, your family and not to make money on.
Congrates again on an awesome boat.
Karsten