View Full Version : 95 Pontoon Rebuild
Alright here is the project. Not hard or complex for you master builders out there but it will be fun for me. 1995 Sundancer Tri Toon 30 foot. Originally half was seating and Bimini and the remaining 15 front feet was open decking. No railings etc - just a billet bque and jetski lift boom. It was great but the life time warranty decking (non transferable to new owners) was dry rotted in thru half of the boat. So anyway I took some pics of it broken down and ripped apart. Have some pics of the boat before and will post.
Things I am doing.
* new deck and green carpet
* Stereo (trying to figure this out)
* new console
* seating rebuild and add additional
* possibly an upper deck (seems like it will add liability and drama)
* exterior paint
* cleanup and a bunch of other things I have not listed
I really wanted to start a boating related thread since hotboat went down.
:D
http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1037&stc=1&d=1198098489
http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1038&stc=1&d=1198098489
http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1039&stc=1&d=1198098489
http://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1040&stc=1&d=1198098489
Zaairman
12-20-2007, 01:33 PM
Looks good... Keep the pics coming!
:junk
Shopped around and mulled over different material options. Called a bunch of lumber yards looking for marine grade pressure treated 4 x 8.5 ft. Hard to find. Overton's has a pretty good pontoon materials section but I ended up working out a deal with the manufacturer. Sundancer was shipping materials to Arizona Watersports in Havasu so I saved some on shipping. So I endend up getting 8.5 cut sheets with a router bevel so they easily slip into place. Yes I could have cut 10 ft sheets down and routed them myself but it actually would have cost more. When down at picking up the materials in LHC they were re decking 3 boats so I hit them up on some tips. Picked up a console they had left over with all new gauges. I also had Clyde from Sundancer Pontoons send out the carpet. It is a diamond pattern green. I am hauling everything back to my shop in OC tomorrow and will start the electrical. As for lighting I am thinking of putting some HID's on it for docking. Any thoughts on this. I think it is an overkill but hey it will be pretty sweet if I every need them. Will take some more pics. Merry Christmas everyone.
Sam
Riverbottom
12-25-2007, 07:04 AM
I redecked my Gregor Pontoon a few years ago and found a single sheet of plywood 8' 6" wide and 26' long at a truck body company. It was fiberglass covered on both sides. It is what you see on the siding of some of the big semi truck, trailers. It saved a lot of weight, is water pruf, and is one single sheer panel. It really made the boat much stiffer than using individual sheets of plywood.
I redecked my Gregor Pontoon a few years ago and found a single sheet of plywood 8' 6" wide and 26' long at a truck body company. It was fiberglass covered on both sides. It is what you see on the siding of some of the big semi truck, trailers. It saved a lot of weight, is water pruf, and is one single sheer panel. It really made the boat much stiffer than using individual sheets of plywood.
Never thought to go that route. I know exactly what you are talking about and that must of worked great. A little to late for this project :) but I will file it away for my next pontoon rebuild. The price some of these Playcraft boats are going for I am surprised more people are not refurbing there own.
RiverDave
12-26-2007, 11:06 AM
Looking forward to seeing more pics of the build! :)
(Good idea on the truck siding thing BTW)
RD
Riverbottom
12-28-2007, 06:26 PM
Another thing to remember is that most pontoon boats are symetrical, and the right and left pontoons are interchangeable. If you have an ugly or dented pontoon, and you are changing the deck, you can also put the right on the left and hide the damage. Usually the insides look just like new, so if you reverse them you get the look of new pontoons. Great if you are going to resell the boat.
Baja Big Dog
12-29-2007, 12:01 PM
The trailer siding is available from Fleet Pride truck supply, Call the Fontana store, they have other stores around (Anaheim, Carson, Gardena, LA etc,) but Fontana guys know more!!!
rightytighty
12-29-2007, 02:09 PM
I have this siding (FRP) on my Hboat. It's bitchen. Launched 10/96 and still great shape. I've been wondering where to get new siding when the time comes. I got it from Penske in Washington but it was a lucky deal.
Now-- How do I save this post so I can find Fleet Pride Supply when the time comes????
Sorry for the thread jack... Back to your thread. Am enjoying.
The trailer siding is available from Fleet Pride truck supply, Call the Fontana store, they have other stores around (Anaheim, Carson, Gardena, LA etc,) but Fontana guys know more!!!
Can't wait to see more pics.
I figure before I started staging the deck and electrical I would like to get the pontoons cleaned up. I am not going for the mirror polished look but they can look better. I have seen a bunch of threads dealing with this and some say they have the magic solution / process and other detailers say 3 people and 10 hours. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty, but if I can work smarter instead of harder I am all for it.
I have heard people taking their boats to get dipped but I think that is pretty pricey. You all had some good ideas on the decking - what are your thoughts on shining up the toons??
Sam
Zaairman
01-02-2008, 02:58 PM
Go to Walmart and buy every friggin can of Meguiars NXT Metal Polish that you can find. Buy lots of beer, polishing pads and rags and invite a bunch of friends over for a bbq/beer drinking polish-a-thon.
Loony Toon
01-04-2008, 01:07 PM
I've used Toon Brite works great. Then use either Toon Brite polish or Mothers Mag Wheel polish. Cleans them up with out too much work. I keep mine in the water 6-7 months a year and pull it twice a year, power wash and polish. Good as new.
Alright - Holidays are over and have done a little work and managed to borrow a camera to take a few more pics (any electronic gadget is demo'd by my wife in 7 months tops :) ).
Removed all of the old vinyl graphics from tins, I also tried out a couple of products on a small section of the toons before I have an all out work party. I need to have the right media and products before I have a bunch of grunt help. The mothers mag polish did not put a dent in it. I applied it with a buffer and took off the same way. Nothing. I did have this bottle of Wicked Metal Polish. It is made in Corona, CA and I got it from a detail shop. That worked wonders. It is still a lot of work though because of the amount of time that has passed and the amount of neglect. I may give that toon bright a try as well. Next weekend is the beer and buff (the pontoons) party.
I removed all of the parts stacked on the deck and had a few friends help me grind all of the glue and wood out of the channels. The wood should just slip in. The marine treated pieces I got were pre routed so this should be a no brainer. :beer
My next step is to get the old seats to upholstery, rip out gauges and salvage amps and such from the legacy audio system. I am going to look for LED nav lights and some HID docking lights. I plan on rewiring everything and get the Jet Ski boom operational before I start throwing the wood down.
Here are some pics:
:swear --- pics are not uploading will try later :)
Cool stuff - was able to get the materials and now just buffing and cleaning. Was looking to do LED nav lights but they are really pricey. Going to start electrical and test out winch. Have amps and things I want to get tested - anybody have any recommendations. I am looking to do something simple. I need to hear the music - along with the passengers. Not one to push it on a 20 boat radius. ;)
Zaairman
01-29-2008, 08:19 PM
A Tohatsu?? And is that an old school Missouri plate I see on the trailer?
What are you looking to do for the audio? Subs? How many speakers and where? What equipment do you have available right now? :kewl
The boat is originally a Sundancer and they are manufactured in Missouri. The plate is actually an old AZ plate. The boat has been on Lake Havasu since it was new and originally was used for a Jet Ski rental company. Hence the winch - which I am looking forward to using for my stand up ski's. It will be pretty cool being able to easily take them without having to rely on bunch of people helping lifting on and off the deck.
As for audio - my main concern is - something simple that is not too flashy. The boat does not fit in my garage so I am always a little concerned with someone helping themselves. I have two amps from the old system - I will strip and take some pictures and post models. A buddy has another amp he is putting toward the cause. I was thinking maybe 6X9s and maybe a 10 inch sub. Like I said I am really not in to drowning people out. There are plenty on the lake and in the channel that run that program.
I am painting the panels and am trying to figure out what will go best with the green carpet. Thinking maybe rat rod style - but I am thinking the flat black will be way to hot in the desert if someone touches it for any reason. Anyway my old man is coming out from NY and we will be working on in the upcoming weeks. Nice having another pair of hands and ideas on these type of projects. Need to have her operational by Spring Break. Oh - that tohatsu has been pretty bullet proof. She aint a merc or a new four stroke honda but I bought this boat right and if something goes awry - that is the beauty of the outboard.
Stay tuned and I will take any and all suggestions into consideration.
Zaairman
01-29-2008, 08:52 PM
Hmm... Well as for audio, my Tahiti has a JBL MR-17 headunit, 2 6.5" JBL speakers, 2 6x9 JBL speakers, and a cheap ass 10" Walmart sub which is being powered by my 600 watt amp that I pulled out of my F-150 when I sold it. It'll get pretty damn loud. I can hear it at WOT in my boat. For your Pontooner, I'd say 4 6x9s up front in the lounge chairs, then at least 2 6x9s in the rear, maybe add some 6.5"s if you have the room. Oh, and as for subs? With that big of a boat you will probably want 2 12"s. Or a Jackhammer. :D
Alright - had to call in the reinforcements to start this back up. Currently have the deck in, screwed down, and staged the bolts / reinforcement plate for the bque and boom. Planning on doing the carpet this weekend. Went to the boat show on Wednesday and it resonates "you are doing the right thing with this project" when looking at the prices of everything there. :D
Moving the ball ahead a little bit. Carpet went down pretty easy with two people. Starting to put things back together using and as much original hardware as I can and add new items around it. Have a lot more work ahead of me but it is nice to see the boat starting to look a little more sea worthy.
SJP
justfloatn
02-18-2008, 11:44 AM
Looking good!:beer I agree with you on the restore Vs. new. Looks like if the motor and pontoons are in good shape the rest is fairly basic.
Are you putting in new interior or is the interior that came with the boat still good?
Looking good!:beer I agree with you on the restore Vs. new. Looks like if the motor and pontoons are in good shape the rest is fairly basic.
Are you putting in new interior or is the interior that came with the boat still good?
I am more than likely going to put in new interior. The stuff that came out the boat is usable (maybe could be re upholstered) but I want to go with plastic bases rather than wood. I am now just kind of trying to get things put back together and then may add some additional seating and siding moving forward in the boat. My idea for the new interior is to have some friends who ride regularly subsidize and sponsor their own seat. I am putting a new captains chair in - they can always sit on the floor. :D
We ripped apart the old console today and grabbed the steering wheel / assembly, horn, stereo, amps etc etc (not sure what we can reuse but I am trying to pull her all together). Will have more pics tomorrow with the que on.
justfloatn
02-19-2008, 10:04 AM
My idea for the new interior is to have some friends who ride regularly subsidize and sponsor their own seat. I am putting a new captains chair in - they can always sit on the floor. :D
:beer:lmao I like your thinking!!
justfloatn
02-22-2008, 02:42 PM
Is that hoist to get the 162 quart ice chest full of beer on board? :drool:beer:D
Is that hoist to get the 162 quart ice chest full of beer on board? :drool:beer:D
Yeah - that could be one ancillary use, but sometimes my buddies need it to lift the drunk broads they meet at the sandbar into the boat. :eek:
Yeah - that could be one ancillary use, but sometimes my buddies need it to lift the drunk broads they meet at the sandbar into the boat. :eek:
LOL.....:D
Your project is looking nice. Thirty feet long?!?!? That's a lotta 'toon.
I really like boat resto projects, it's a great feeling to be out in a boat you rebuilt.
I like the PSL (permanent seat license) idea. :D :D
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