Marinette Boat Forum

Think it depends on how much time and money you want to invest. For some, boats are their hobby, so it makes sense to enjoy the sense of accomplishment you feel from taking on such a project. My M never sunk, and I feel like there is plenty of projects to keep me busy! Best of luck!

I started working on a 1980 28' sedan it was partially gutted, after refinishing the outside I started in the inside. While refinishing the outside I cut hand holes in the walls to loosen the deck cleats and light fixtures. Cutting the hand holes I found that the plywood they covered with vinyl had separated laminates due to heat and moisture over the years. So it has been a complete redo other than the cabinetry which is structurally in good shape. Now for my advise, gut the whole thing, scrape, sand and kill all corrosion in the hall interior you will find some along the keel mostly fore and mid ship near the sumps and near the batteries. Keep as many of the interior panels as possible for templates . Cutting, re cutting and fitting before covering takes forever. Most importantly do the work near your home otherwise you spend a lot of time on the road getting little done. Rent an area inside with heat if possible where you can set up a wood shop. Get ready to spend a lot of money and enjoy the process and look forward to sunny days on the water.
PM me if you have any questions.
Good luck,
Bill Melke

well, good to see this old thread got resurrected! Let me see if I can figure out how to get pictures on here. The boat is doing fantastic. We got all the original interior wood out and cleaned up/oiled/reinstalled. She has anew AC unit, which is great. I had to clean up and re-terminate alot of the wiring. To much to really list, but it has been an unbelievable amount of fun. I am fortunate to have a father and brother who are both hard workers and extremely smart. I wouldn't recommend this type of project to everyone, but if your on this forum you propably (sorry for the pun) have the drive to love this work.

This photo is when we were considering the purchase of the boat. The man in the photo is my father, who advised me to run like hell!!! He now loves the boat and has been great with the resurrection. You can clearly see the water line on the mirror in the picture.

This is us starting to strip the boat for cleaning.

After pulling the fridge and associated electronics AND cleaning them they sprung to life. Can't kill a Norcold I guess

Another shot of HUBBA. She was a freakin mess, lots of cleaning in her future.

My younger brother displaying his 110V wiring cleaning skills after returning from his second tour with the United States Marine Corps. God bless the Corps.

After an extensive plumbing refit (thru hulls and hoses) Hubba made a splash.......well not much of one, since it was on a travel lift.