New-to-us pontoon restoration

[Marathon]

My girlfriend and I spent a weekend at Deep Creek Lake, MD, last month, and rented a pontoon, and fell in love with it. We considered a new one, but didn't want to get in that deep. So we kept our eyes on eBay and Craigslist for a couple weeks, and last week bought a 1999 Lowe Suncruiser Trinidad 22', with a 90 HP Evinrude (the dreaded FICHT). The decor is what could best be described as "dated" (who the hell thought that pink and bright blue were good colors for furniture?), so our plan was to run the boat as-is for the rest of the season, and work on updating it over the winter. Well, the day we brought it home I found a guy on eBay selling full railing sets with fence for $650. And the fence was black, which was what we wanted, so it was like it was meant to be, right? Plus, neither one of us has any patience at all, so, once I bought the fence, that was all she wrote. So, we're doing the full restoration now.

So here is the boat as purchased:







Tear down pics next!

[Marathon]

Today I started the tear-down. We ordered carpet and vinyl samples from Veada, but I wanted to wait until I could put the new playpen on the deck before I ordered furniture - no desire to end up with 86" of seating for a space that ended up being 82" long.

This morning we pulled off the old playpen and furniture.







Once it was off, we put the new playpen on the deck, to see how everything looked.







So far, so good.

[jlbutl]

Sweet deal! Good luck on the resto, and pink and blue rule! Don't you remember Miami Vice?

[Marathon]

After measuring for furniture, it was time to tear off the old carpet.





Some of it is being stubborn. Anyone have ideas for getting off stubborn carpet remnants? The deck is actually in darn good shape.

Here is the scrap pile. Will probably put it on Craigslist and see if we can unload for a few bucks.





And here is the old furniture; already have a buyer for that!





Now it's time to get out of the sun and consult with my friend Mr. Miller, and order some carpet and furniture!





More pictures to come, as we progress. Comments and suggestions always welcome.

[Marathon]

Sweet deal! Good luck on the resto, and pink and blue rule! Don't you remember Miami Vice?

Excellent point! I just need a linen jacket and a couple flamingos. And a Lamborghini, of course.

[jlbutl]

And a cockatiel?

http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers ... vice_2.jpg

[Marathon]

And, apparently, about four more inches of hair than I currently have. And some "product".

[ezrollin]

I would be interested in that railing if I didn't way down here in Florida !

[smlranger]

Looks like good bones. Hope the Ficht holds up....they were a disaster for OMC.

When I redid an old pontoon years ago, I used a grinder to remove the carpet remnants that could not be scraped off. Also some MEK (hold your breath and use good gloves) will help.

Finally, strongly suggest you consider using marine vinyl instead of carpet. It cleans up easily and you never have to worry about mold/mildew in carpet. My fairly new toon has vinyl floor and I would never have carpet again.

[GregF]

Ficht holds up....they were a disaster for OMC.

I have never seen that spelled with an "I" before

It is usually the next letter over on the keyboard.

[Ron Burgundy]

Ficht holds up....they were a disaster for OMC.

I have never seen that spelled with an "I" before

It is usually the next letter over on the keyboard.

Focht

[shadow-13x]

are the seats really gone?

[Marathon]

Not yet. The interested party came to look at them last night, but aren't sure if they'll work for them. They took some measurements and said they'd get back to us.

[OLEDAVE]

I agree with SMLRANGER about the vinyl. We did the same as you this year and restored a 1999 28' Lowe Classic. If there is one thing I would do different it is to go with vinyl instead of carpet. It is always matted down when it drys, retains dirt and generally looks like crap most of the time. We vacuum it every time before starting out, but it looks bad after just a few minutes of the grandkids playing in the water and tracking mud on. Live and learn-I would definately choose vinyl!

[Marathon]

I have to admit, I am about 50-50 in terms of vinyl/carpet. I like the looks of the carpet much better, I like the sound dampening, I like the reduced temperature. But I really appreciate the ease of maintenance with vinyl.

But when it all comes down to it, the deciding factor was the person that has the 51% vote. And that's not me. If she's happy, I'm happy.