When to run wiring?

[curtiscapk]

Craig, it is uncanny how we can place a deck screw precisely where the fence bolts will go. .

4 times on my rebuild!

[captainjohn]

OK, a question on mounting the stern swim ladder. I can mount it in the more typical spot but it is going to potentially cause problems with tube tow ropes. There are two rear cleats on each side. The outer one is for dock lines and is only going through the decking with a back plate. The second one is on the stern and goes through the aluminum frame below and was the one used for tubes. The ladder will also fit nicely on the side of the swim step but will overhang about 8". I am aware of concerns about hitting a piling and not being able to raft up on that side but am I being over cautions. The side mount takes away the concern about ropes and also gets swimmers away from the prop. What say you pontoon people?

[ToonGuy]

If it was my toon I would mount it in the back and use the lifting eyes on the tubes to pull a tube. They're stronger, and the difference in height isn't going to make a difference when you're tow point is that low any way. Either way you're going to want to use a booster ball.

[curtiscapk]

Put it in the rear in my opinion. They work great! Booster ball from the toon ring or how about a tow bar?

[captainjohn]

Thanks Craig and Toonguy. The pontoon ring is about the same height. I also thought about bolting on those round ring things on each side of the stern. Would bolt into the rear portion of the frame. I am looking for a ski tow bar to go above and around the outboard. And I love the sturdiness of the ladder. Should hold my generous body fine.

[Discovery]

Discovery, already looking for the "cool stuff"

Lets get this right. I said a 'raft' of cool stuff.

Storage over the pedestal seating. Now me and the Wife are transient boaters so we are biased.

As a transient I have to deal with less than ideal dockage or slips. In my humble opinion don't put the ladder anywhere other than the stern. That prop is less dangerous than the water you are playing in.

[captainjohn]

Weill, got a few things done plus a lot of engineering on the rear sun deck. Not sure what to use for the platform so I did a dissection of one of the old ones. It has a black plastic board 1/2" thick. It is rather sturdy and reminds me of cutting board material. there is no significant flex. Any ideas what it might be...would be slick to find the same to mount the new cushions for the sun deck on.

Also finished up little things like spacers for the gate hardware.

And most importantly a new piece of hardware that makes the project go a little smoother.

Craig, since we have the same rear ladder I was wondering if you put any type of a spacer under the front pads to level it up? Or perhaps that was not an issue for your installation.

[curtiscapk]

Looking good! Is that kegorator going on????????

I did not use a spacer. The difference with the rub rail was minimal and I think it kicks the angle out a little.

[captainjohn]

Thanks Craig. I think no spacer will work. The Kegerator is not going to be installed. The extension cord logistics was too complicated.

[captainjohn]

Hi all,
Here is the latest on the pontoon. Took what seemed like forever to sand the toons from 120 to 2000 grit. I then acid washed them and got some areas that I likes (the hazy aluminum look) but others are still shiny. Think I will go with stronger acid. Attached the rear swim ladder and have the front under the deck ladder located but not attached. The furniture arrived and is on the deck. Just need to screw it down. Also blocked out the sun deck area using 1/2 PVC sheeting. The outboard lower end is ready for painting and the last few trims pieces and rails for sun deck have been sandblasted and power coated. Now can start thinking about a stereo, connecting all those things hanging from the outboard, and getting the trailer power coated. :

[captainjohn]

I love sanding the lower end....twice. I had it nice and smooth and then sprayed it with the green chromate primer. I noticed the surfaced looked a little fuzzy...because it was a little fuzzy. Just on the right side of the middle section. The right side and bottom looked OK. So I re sanded, washed, cleaned with solvent, and used a tack cloth and resprayed with a different can of primer. Got the same results. I agitated the cans for several minutes, made sure they were at a good temperature, was careful with the distance from the unit, and got the same results. WTF. After sanding the second time the surface looked and felt smooth so applied a color coat. That came out reasonable well and after sanding with 600 will give it another coat. I also finally got the pontoons where I want them. Sanded them all the way up to 2000 grit and then used a cleaning product for wheels. This stuff is great. Leaves behind a bright hazy look.

[curtiscapk]

Coming along fine!

[captainjohn]

Well, have been spending time on finishing the painting on the lower end. Also putting paint on the hood and fairings. Did the upholstery over the PVC sheet I used as the platform for the sun deck and attacked the pads and railings. I took the boat to the shop where they pulled it off to work on an electrical issue and reconnect the oil injection system (wanted to make sure that was done right). Took the trailer to get sandblasted and power coated. Also had a new left fender welded onto the trailer. Also had a ski pole fabricated to haul around the wake boarders. Now just need to get the boat and trailer back together, install the stereo, wire up the trailer lights, and test it out.

[captainjohn]

Well, it has been awhile since my last post. Here are some photos of the rest of the story.

[captainjohn]

Initially very happy with the performance. Got 5500 WOT and 20 mph per the speedo (forgot to take GPS). Started having fuel issues and stalling at idle. Still had a great time. Will pull a wake boarder, two tubes, or one gigantic three person tube. Having the stalling issue looked at now. Should be good to go for next weekend camping trip.

A big thanks to Craig, Toonguy, and everyone else that help out with this restoration. This forum is a wealth of knowledge and was indispensable to this project.