Hydraulic Steering

One of the things I discovered after launching the boat is that the 40-year-old cable based Steermaster Mark II steering was very tight. This original steering was interesting in that there were separate systems for the interior helm and the flybridge. A selector lever in the interior helm connected by a third cable (the red…

In the water

I finally got the boat in the water. Luckily, the marina is a short drive to where I was restoring the boat so I was able to trailer it to the ramp. Lake Michigan water levels are very high this year so that made launching the boat a breeze.

Flybridge and electrical

The boat is painted and the remaining work is to install and test all of the electrical wiring. To keep things simple, I added a BlueSea power switch in conjunction with 2 ACRs so that my three-battery system will never leave me hanging. I sized the cables based on current and the calculator suggested 2/0…

Some Marinette Literature

Marinette owners manual Marinette brochure Marinette article in Boating Industry Magazine August 1990

Starting to trim out the electrical

This is the first step in roughing-in the wiring. All wires will be nicely routed when we get further along.

Engines installed. Finally.

Flybridge reassembly, front hatch

I am installing the instruments and windscreen on the flybridge. I picked white opaque acrylic instead of smoked acrylic because I wanted a more modern monochromatic look. On the port side I have kill switches so I’ll have to go in the cabin to restart the motors. On the starboard side, I have the switches…

Painting finished. Finally

Finally finished with the painting. We painted the topsides with a cheap Harbor Freight sprayer and it worked fine. First we rolled Awlcraft 2000 mixed with AwlGrit fine sand for the non slid, then sprayed another 3-4 coats of paint on the shiny parts with a 30 minute span in between. All in, we used…

Final priming- ready for paint

I puled the boat out of the enclosure for a final wipe-down and pre paint inspection. I have a friend painting the flybridge at his shop to gauge the difference between a pro job and a what I can do. We’ll see how much difference there is…

Priming the hull and topsides is complete

Using Awlgrip HiBuild as our epoxy primer, the manufacturer recommended against rolling on. I ignored. Who’s smarter I asked. The sanding of the stippled primer was monumental. Finished, finally with 320 and a quick wet sand. It is smooth and beautiful. Next time: RTFM For the top sides, I again ignored the manufacturers recommendation and…

Change of plans—Get the Sawzall, grinder and welder

I never liked the sliding door on the back of the boat, so when I took it out I was left with the sliding door frame and the two flanking window openings. I was going to put the side windows back in but I changed my mind so I cut everything out. The vertical post…