Marinette Boat Forum

Just beginning restoration on 1985 Sportsman, Twin 318's with a Flybridge.
Began this weekend with removing the main cabin. Lots of soft spots in floor and walls. So naturally the questions will be coming for many months... Thank You in advance to all of you for your assistance and patience.

1st Question read somewhere not to use stainless steel screws when attaching anything to hull due to issues with metal reactions?
2nd question - I am measuring 1/2 plywood for all flooring and 1/4 luanish material for sidewalls....of course all covered with vinyl...was considering going the same route but epoxy sealing all before applying vinyl.
3rd question for today - currently had a noncooperation portapotty style, thinking of electric flush marine toilet with holding tank...wife really wants this ...any suggestions or experience

Overall plan is to replace complete interior, v-berth, main cabin this year, doing as much wiring and pre-wiring as possible, then replace rear deck, have engines tuned etc...put in water by juneish to enjoy,
Next year completely strip and paint hull and topside...
thanks again for any assistance

My reply to question #1. Stainless screws are about the only kind of screw to use on our boats.

5/8" for flooring will fit better. Use stainless steel screws.
Get some Tef Gel for anti-sieze and to keep aluminum from reacting.

From experience questions 1 and 2 are totally unimportant. Skip first to question 3 and do what wife says. Always.
(and yes, it's stainless steel hardware)

When I did the interior on my 28, I used luan, back-primed it and covered the front with a vinyl-like material. Doing an entire panel at at time can be tough because even though I rolled out the material throughly (using a floor roller designed for vinyl floors) and only got a few air bubbles that arose after installation, I got some big ones over the following winter. If I had it to do over again, I'd either epoxy coat the luan (most likely, though I'd probably paint it to keep the interior light) or use plastic panels like I did in the cockpit sides and headliner for the hardtop. However, the plastic panels are rigid and can be tough to install. (Though they look nice.) SS screws are the only way to go and I drove lots of them. It felt like I drove every screw that was in the boat--several more than once. You need an extractor, many, many screws (I had so many left over, I could start a hardware store), lots of spare drills (my shop teacher says if they're for metal, they are drills and bits are for wood) and keep a spare battery for your drill/driver handy. I burned up an old saber saw cutting the panels and bought a new one--thank goodness the don't make them like they used to. The new one is easy to handle, vibrates less and changing blades is a snap. (Oh, yeah, you need lots of those too.) On top of seconding the tef-gel, you will need to fish out all those screws you will drop. I used one of those extendable wands with a magnet on the end--they make them with lights on the end too and that would have been very helpful.

You want good plywood for the floor and at a minimum I'd prime both sides. Do not repeat my mistake and lay cork over it! It looks great until the next season when you'll wish you used nautolex, or wood (seal all six sides) or fake teak. With my allergies, I'm not a fan of carpet but you could certainly use that.

I assume the head in the sportsman is under the v-bunk and most people would use a porta-potti or marine head with holding tank. It probably wouldn't fit but everyone who installed a composting head seems to like it. (You need to run a vent though and I'm not sure how I'd install that in the v-berth area.) Hmmm, anything but a porta-potti would require some engineering but all that's up to you.

Yes, replace the wiring while you're at it and the plumbing too. (Don't forget the discharge line for the bilge pump!) I didn't do either and regretted it. (Particularly when I was crawling around afterward to replace the discharge line.)

It was fun for me--I spent the summer of 09 doing it and was the talk of the dock. (It is a lot easier to do when the boat's in the water so you're not carrying everything down and up a ladder.) One day someone stopped me saying rumor had it I was seen walking out with the kitchen sink and I confirmed the rumor. Most everyone else will be flummoxed by your activity, but will appreciate the finished product. People would compliment me all the time (after all, you're not on one of those clorox bottles) and admire the boat.

Good luck,

Joe

My 85 Sportsman was refit by someone in 1998. The floors were replaced with 3/4 inch marine/waterproof (Not treated) plywood and I recently replaced a few pieces of that flooring in the cockpit. I am experimenting with using Olympic Rescue IT as it has a non skid built in.

Stainless is really your only choice for mounting. As for the deck, use as few screws as possible. I have planned to use a small (note small) amount of double sided tape as well on decks that do not come out often. The decks I replaced recently had it on all seams and it was a bear to get the floor out!

Admiral is always correct, so get a good toilet !!! While mine had been removed, you may find a holding tank under the front berth behind the toilet. I am currently re-installing one on my boat that had been removed, probably in the 98 refit. You may also find that you will need to assemble a holding tank as finding complete unit that will fit the space and have any size will be difficult (I have looked), vertical clearance being the biggest issue.

Talk to Dependo (Wayne) on this forum about the walls. You should consider FRP for your walls if yours are shot. Never rot and never replace again. I am doing FRP in the forward cabin now as I replace the holding tank and fix the head (mine is electric flush) since I had a lot of that compartment out anyway. https://www.lowes.com/pd/48-in-x-8-ft-E ... 1000174771 - Smells at first, so buy it soon and let it air out, but it does stop smelling (Fiberglass Epoxy) quickly.

I had my cockpit deck pieces sprayed light grey at a Rhinoliner dealer overlapping the backside 6". Then I painted the underside with white porch paint. No need for expensive 5/8" marine plywood. I stained and varnished luan with a nice figure to replace the delaminated salon panels on an earlier project. Again porch paint on the backside. The best advice I can give is not to tear up the whole boat. Get it running first and put it in the water. Then do one project at a time keeping the boat running. I see too many project boats that have been taken apart and never put back together. If you are going to have a holding tank for waste make it plastic. Acid in the waste will eventually eat up the original aluminum tanks.

For my wall panels, I used 1/4" plywood and Weldwood contact cement to secure the vinyl. I would do that outdoors as the fumes are brutal, and don't get the environmentally friendly variety, as it does not work as well. My head just has a mechanical valve flush that I wired a micro switch to a macerator pump going back to a holding tank. They make toilet systems really complex. You just want water to go into the bowl, then a pump to send it back to a holding tank. Can actually use an RV toilet with the added switch, pump and holding tank and you will be good to go. Good advice above, get it on the water, enjoy it, and work on it as you go!

Metal Head - what do you use that metal box for that looks like it is welded into the rear deck storage hatch? That is a good idea. That space on mine does not get used for much right now.

Metal storage box - Rope locker, aka junk box