Marinette Boat Forum

Hello All,

Thanks for all of the replies. I did purchase the boat for much less than the asking price. I wanted a twin screw 28' express and I looked for months at everything I could find within 400 miles (think I looked at 11 boats) of Erie, pa and this was far and away the best. It came with about 4K in new electronics and an owner that knew every question I could ask. We will be motoring back to Erie this weekend. I will be asking lots of questions after that.

Thank you,
Bill.

Welcome to the club!

Be careful buying oak plywood! They're selling stuff labeled 'hard wood plywood' with a PAPER inner ply that falls apart in the presence of moisture. Yet it 'looks' like normal plywood, cuts and sands like normal plywood...

I used this garbage when I built my wooden cockpit roof and had to replace--in place, and in the slip--every panel! Yeah; it was a b*tch of a job!

Jeff

I redid one M with cheap 1/4" ply and used foam insulation, the stuff that comes in sheets, by cutting it into rectangles to wedge between the ribs. My current boat I am using better ply, and Reflectix insulation, which is like aluminized bubble-wrap and can be tacked to the back of the panels before installation. Much easier, and quite effective.

Usually mold/mildew smell comes from either rotted panels or from the cushions. When you get the boat stripped, hit it with a pressure washer -- easy and fast. Some of the mahogany and a few of the overhead panels will not come out, you will need to work around them.

I loved my 28' express, and only moved to the 32' flybridge to accommodate kids. The 28' was a perfect boat otherwise. $20K sounds like a lot.

Thank you guys for all of the information. I didn't end up paying 20K for the boat but I did pay more than most 28' expresses sell for. But I looked at and tested a lot of boats. I settled on a Marinette, then an express, then a 28 and a twin. I bought it because it is the boat I wanted. This boat was used weekly for fishing and it is fully functional. I also saw the $13.900 receipt for the paint job in 2013 and the boat has great electronics, All new deck.....bump rails. If the boat was any better I would be afraid to use it. The seller and I motored the boat back to Erie, last weekend. About a 145 mile trip. Boat ran fine from what I could tell. 2500-2600 rpms 22.8 - 23.7 mph according to gps. we had 1.5' rising to 2.5' waves. No oil usage. The trip was a blast. We went out about 7 -10 miles and headed east north east and ran until fuel was low. Stopped at Pickle Bills then back out and over to Presque Isle. Been out every day since. Yesterday I got to practice docking in high wind about 15-20 mph. Glad I got a twin screw. this week I had time to look over the interior. I cant find any sign of water damage rot or any softness in anything. I also found out that the seller removed the interior ceiling above the V berth and the kitchen dinette area. removed the insulation and replaced it with ridge foam...One year ago.

I am going to clean it,
get the tea tree oil,
replace all of the cushions
And see where that leaves me.

this being the case I do have questions

1. What is the best material to cover the interior cushions with in an effort to prevent mold. I am thinking vinyl but I would like advise.
2. I need to clean everything the wood and the interior wall panels (1985 express) I am not sure what the wall surface is so I am not sure how to clean it. The walls are in prefect condition I just want to clean and remove any mold..... Cleaning advise would be most helpful. I really like the look of the walls (kind if a speckled light brown) I don't want to damage them. Also, I want to clean the wood but I don't want to use any cleaner that would leave a residue that would cause problems with re-finishing the wood this winter. All of the deck area and most of the cabin area wood has been re-finished with a high gloss finish material. I want to finish this work this winter...I want to make sure I don't use anything while cleaning on the un re-finished wood that would cause re-finishing problems.

Thank you again,
Bill.

"... What is the best material to cover the interior cushions with in an effort to prevent mold. I am thinking vinyl but I would like advise..."

I have been a big fan of Sunbrella. Pricier but worth the difference. Comes in lots of color/pattern choices. Highly water resistant (almost waterproof), breathable and easy to clean. I would vote against vinyl for interior cushions because it will trap moisture inside the cushions if it gets wet and you'll encourage the mold you are aiming to prevent. I personally don't like the feel of vinyl. Its main benefit is cost and ease of cleaning with a cloth. Limited color choices.

Wood panel cleaning: I made a solution of a few drops of liquid detergent, mild bleach - about a 1/4 cup to a gal of water. With that dilution, I could go over the surface with a little plain water afterward. An occasional Lysol spray (before we left the boat after a weekend's use) would help control mildew.

Do one side vinyl and one side sunbrella. Flip to vinyl side for fishing and sunbrella side for comfort.