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I have recently been given a 1975 Montauk 17'. I would like to restore this boat with my son. The boat is in good condition for being 40 years old, but does need some patch work and two small delamination spots on the deck. I have been told by many that it is a great boat to restore and by others to walk away and buy a boat ready to go. My goal is to fix it up so that my nine year old son and I can fish off the coast of Southern California. Also to have a boat that he can learn how to drive, Maintain, and eventually give him for him and his buddies when he is a bit older. I am not sure how much time and money to invest in a boat this old. Does anyone have any advice. Thanks
Beninga: I have never restored a Momtauk but I am currently restoring and using a 1974 Outrage. From my own experience and the information I have acquired on this site I have a couple thoughts. Knowledge of the boat's history can be very telling as to what is in front of you. Is it salt,fresh, kept in the water or out, covered? How many hours on the current power? One concern on most older boats is how sound is the hull relative to moisture content. Is there evidence of water penetration through glass fractures, drain failure and ultimately the weight of the boat. If you have a boat that seems fairly sound and not abused, the most likely necessary expense will be bring the motor (s) up a safe level of reliability. If the power is old, it can be difficult and expensive to fine high quality talent to bring them to that level. You will likely need to replace all fuel related tubing as original lined were not compatible with today's fuels. One thing for sure, if there is a project you want to tackle, you will get tons of help from lots of experience right her on this site. Good luck and enjoy your new ride.
Thank you. At this point I have stripped all wiring fuel lines steering cable. It is down to the hull. I have sanded and am ready to patch and paint. While sanding I found a couple of delams in the floor. I have researched a fix for them, and it seems like I should be able to handle it. I plan on rewiring and putting a new/used motor on it (four stroke). That is where im stumped. Is it worth the new wiring motor etc on an old hull. The boat was given to me from a friend so I guess it wont hurt to open the delams and see how bad it is. Im currently $0.00 into this project just a couple of days time and labor. The hull is not waterlogged it was kept in the water and the water line was well below the brass drain plug ( I read that that is a good indication of water logged hulls) I guess the time with my son on the project is worth more than $.
