January 11, 2012 - Flipping the Boat Back Over

The paint on the hull is dry and it is time to put the GT back on the trailer so I can work on rest of the boat
.

 Bow Eye Hooked to the Come Along

 View From the Front

 Almost There! Thanks, Don

You Can See the Difference, Top to Bottom

January 6, 2012 - Lower Unit, Decals and Another Coat

Today was a busy day on the GT-150. I removed the lower unit from the Mercury 1150 and attached it to the 90HP. This motor is in better condition but didn't come with a lower unit (see earlier posts). With that done, I removed the decals from the 90 to prepare it for cleaning and a fresh paint job. I used a heat gun, scraper and mineral spirits to get all of the gunk off. I will order decals at a later date to make it look brand new. Then I applied another coat of paint to the hull.

 Lower Unit on the 90

 The 90 on the Stand and the 1150 on the floor(moving dolly, actually)

 Part of the Decal Removed

 Using the Heat Gun

 Goo

 More Goo

 2nd Coat

Looking Better

January 5, 2012 - The First Coat on the Hull

I finished prepping the hull and taping it off today. After all the dust settled that night, I applied the first coat of paint to the hull. I am using Rust-o-Leum Topside boat paint, applied with a foam roller and tipped with a foam brush. It gives a smooth and shiny finish.

Paint (quart)

 Paint Booth

Looks Good for One Coat

December 29, 2011 - Sanding the Hull

I rolled the hull outside and sanded the hull with a 5" orbital sander with 150 grit paper. A good washing was in order after that. (Both me and the boat!)

December 27, 2011 - Flipping the GT-150 Over to Paint the Hull

Today I had my friend Doug come over and help me remove the boat from the trailer. Most everything has been removed from the inside so it was as light as it was going to get. We attached a come-a-long to a support above the garage door and the other end to the bow tie down. We lifted the front and jacked up the back until the boat was well above the trailer, then we removed the trailer. With that, we raised the front a little higher and pivoted the hull on the front tie down. It was quite easy. We put furniture dollies under the three high points and made it very moveable. After that, I needed the Mercury 1150 to come off of the motor stand and replace it with the Mercury 90 so it could be worked on.

 View From The Front

 Motorcycle Jack

 A Little Hull Damage (will be fixed next)

 The Front Attachment and Some Damaged Areas

 Flying

 Again

 Upside Down on Dollies

 Overall in Good Shape

 The Mercury 90 on the Stand, No Lower Unit. 1150 on the Floor

 Many Extra Parts

Starting to Remove the Stripes

November 18, 2011 - The Ebko with the Mercury 90

We picked up this 17' Ekbo Tri-hull today. The reason we bought it was on the back. There is a running 1979 Mercury 90 HP motor with power trim/tilt. It is missing the lower unit, but that is OK because I will pull the one off of the non-running 115 HP that is in the garage. The previous owner colored and pasted over the HP numbers, making it appear to be a 70HP, but that was so he could use it on motor size restricted lakes. It is a 90 HP, which is what I wanted on the GT-150 all along. After a clean-up and paint job, followed by new decals, this motor will look, and hopefully run, like new!

The Ebko

 Mercury 90(70) HP

 The Real Motor Size

Nice Controls

 Excellent Looking Motor

November 17, 2011 - The Floor

I tore out some fore of the flooring and used the nice new tool that vibrates and cuts. Wow, what a time saver. I cut out well up into the front area and am planning on replacing a lot of floor. I will have to replace or build up the keel stringer as well. I would go all the way up to the front but the top and bottom halves of the boat are so well connected that I do not want to split them apart.

Under the Ski Locker

 Up Front, Starboard Side

 Transom Area