white vinyl seating and clean yet matted
carpet. The hull stripe was a rich navy blue
that looked like it could be brought back
with relative ease. The cabin was clean
and free of odours and the pristine
chrome gauges were set in a rich faux
cherry wood panelling.
Best of all, the bilge was free of water
and there was no discernible rot. The
engine was in pristine cosmetic condition
and, as per my friend’s report, ran well anddisplayed no red flags such as knocking,
rattling, excessive smoke, or oil burn.
The Bravo 3 outdrive had a fair bit of
surface corrosion, but otherwise checked
out to my friend’s (admittedly untrained)
eyes and ears. The story with this drive
unit was that it had been rebuilt after a
collision some years back, but we were
optimistic that it would be trouble-free- which it proved to be.
The first law of boat ownership, I believe,
is that you can expect to spend weeks or
months making the new craft seaworthy!
Cheaper than Kids was no different. We
soon realised the amount of work was too
great to leave her at the marina so we
moved her to my in-laws’ farm. The first
task was to service the mechanical and
electrical systems, replacing any suspect
parts. Again we overhauled the engine,
and since the transom assembly was
disassembled, we primed and painted it
after removing the surface corrosion.
Next, we greased the gimbal bearing
and universal joints after ensuring that
both freely articulated without any binding
or rough spots.
Now it was time for some much-needed
improvements. First to go was the old
matted carpet, beneath which was a fully
fibreglassed wooden floor with nodeterioration – a testament to the longevity
of XL wood.
After our last boat, we swore that we’d
never have a carpeted deck again, so we
installed faux teak vinyl flooring to the deck
and swim platform. I must say that this was
our favourite upgrade as it transformed
our dated floor into something modern,
practical, and stunning.
Next we added a new bluetooth stereo
and speakers, so we could enjoy our
reggae tunes without the clutter of cables,
and upgraded our electronics. We
ordered a canvas enclosure for
overnighting, connected to a 4ft bimini top
that came with the boat. We added a large
8ft bimini to provide plenty of shade and
protection from the tempestuous Florida
elements, and to top off our weekend
retreat, a small TV/DVD combination.Once all of these upgrades were
completed, I buffed my arms away to
restore the gelcoat to its former glory.Our greatest adventure
We made many day trips and a few
overnight trips: one to Peck’s Lake and
another some 60 miles south to Peanut
Island. While these trips were enjoyable,
the novelty wore off and we grew tired of
traversing the same waterways. We
decided to head to the Keys again, only
this time as liveaboards. Not wanting to
cook in the unrelenting summer heat, we
installed a basic shore power system to
run a portable air conditioner, which made
our tiny cabin as frigid as a meat locker.
My friend dropped us off at a boat ramp in
North Miami, where we embarked on the
greatest adventure of our lives.
We’d planned to motor from Miami to
Key West and back, stopping at many
reefs along the way. It was an ambitious
plan and we fell short of our goal, making
it only about 150 miles to Big Pine Key,
before heading back to Miami.‘The first law of boat ownership is that you can
expect to spend weeks making it seaworthy’
The gimbal bearing is best tested
with an engine alignment tool, but
if you don’t have one, can be
rotated by hand. To assure proper
rotation in the U-joints, they must
be manipulated and bent every
which way by hand. All of the
driveshaft components must be
clean of rust: an indicator of water
intrusion. If neglected, the gimbal
or U-joints may explode inside the
rubber U-joint bellows, potentially
destroying the transom assembly
in the process. I know of at least
one instance where a boat began
to sink due to a catastrophic failure
of a U-joint.RESTORING MOTORBOATS
Top tip
RIGHTCheaper
than Kids
docked at John
Pennekamp State
Park.
BELOW Faux teak
vinyl transformed
the deck.
BELOW RIGHT
Engine was
overhauled and
repainted