Resto-mod my 1997 or give it away?

[FMSKI]

Just mulling over what to do with my 1997 boat. To sell as is, would have to go to someone who could do a refresh project. I suppose I could do that as well, but I'm super busy for the next several years, and have a 2015 coming in a few weeks.

I could ask a buddy to jump in and maybe he'd be cool with helping out...

Project list is :
Get a nice driver bucket seat. & fix up the passenger seat.
(I got rid of the side pads and rear seat)
The custom motor box is shaped to match the transom bubble back. But it needs a few days of fixing up as the FG has soft spots etc.
Sea dek or carpet the floor.
Make a new floor panel
Polish the hull, perhaps a stripe/decal kit
New top, refin the platform.
Have GPS speedo on order.
Engine and trans etc are sound. Has new helm as well.

https://www.ski-it-again.com/php/ski...t&postid=60777

[Michael Crouse]

A picture is worth a thousand wirds

[NautiqueJeff]

If you're planning all of that work just to sell it, please don't do it.

Fixing it up in stock fashion will get you LOTS more money than a restomod when you sell.

If it is just a tired old Ski Nautique, and you want to sell it as-is, I may be interested. I have fixed up a ton of them, and I need a new project.

EDIT: I just looked at the SIA link you included. Where the heck is the interior? I don't see any of it there. Do you have all of the pieces? Without at least the stock seat bases and frames, and the coaming pad frames, restoring that boat will be very difficult. As it sits, I'll be very surprised if you get anywhere near your asking price, but these days, who knows?

[FMSKI]

Price it at the base components I get something like:
Hull $4K
A good GT40 must be worth $4K complete
Trans, driveline and CNC prop $2K
Trailer/other parts $2K
Perfect pass, GPS, iSki control $1K
(in CAD) total is 13K

Sold the driver seat and rear seat
Motor box and side panels went to landfill I think
Still have the observer seat and the molded fibreglass side pad
The mods were for skiing and it did that. Great skiing, gobs of power too. Not blunted by all that baggage onboard.

What I did is actually in the latest boat, if you watch the 2020 walk through video.


https://youtu.be/pmnFbhR0kO4

I'm getting a SN200 - catalytics plus I want to have zero-off and more room would be nice too.

[wayoutthere]

In the last month or so i swear there was a thread on this boat, remember seeing pics of it floating with the spray relief out of the water, around 400 pounds in weight reduction.

[FMSKI]

Lots of inquiries on the boat. When I lay out the work list, which isn't that bad, never hear back. So not worth my time on that.
Will be hard to find a buyer at any price due to combination of:
Most people in this range, great skiing or extreme tubing/acceleration isn't a priority.
Most aren't able to work on the boat or have the technical chops.

So I'll have to "do it up" to a modern resto, mid-century motif in a turn-key proposition. I think it will be good.


The Ski Nauteak

[kylant]

i would suggest not using teak in all those spots. i would use seadek or something similar

[FMSKI]

Yes good suggestion. Teak $$$ now.There are rolls of seadek-like EVA on Amazon. Lots of color choice too.
The SN200 is in the water as of yesterday so I can start working on the 97.

Skied the SN200 this morning and wake as worse! than my TSC1 Carbon project.
Everything else on the SN200 is better of course. Except - I was using COG setting on my GPS for directional control.

[SilentSeven]

I think you'll be hard pressed to improve on the wake from a lightened TSC1 hull. A 2015 SN 200 weighs 2850 lbs and a 97' SN is 2340 lbs before weight reductions.

[FMSKI]

Head to head. We raced 3x times but it wasn't much of battle. My TSC/GT40 just dunked the 200!
I am not sure is the 2340lbs includes what I removed from the 97 - I took out the heater, shower, audio, ISO damp, panels, aluminium brackets, struts, the heavy carpet, and hoses on hoses. The bow tank reduces the fuel hosing a lot. There was a lot there. I might be aroun 2000 lbs now, but that padded keel is a sizeable dent on the lake surface. I mitigated that with my trimtabs/disruptors so it's ~ triple rooster out the back.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CTNZ2M7J..._web_copy_link

[FMSKI]

Despite pleas to the contrary , the SN1997 is going to shop for hull refin tomorrow. I have the buffing equipment/experience, but not the hours available. So am contracting it out! Plus they'll do a better job no doubt.

I did fix up my custom motor box so it's really solid and will be finished by the shop as well. It might go to upholstery if they can't paint it.

Sourcing a driver's helm seat.
Seadek style flooring is ordered.

Talked to the upholstery contractor today and he's down to give it a go.

Got my motorbox fixed up and dropped it off today for finishing, hull polishing (some screw holes repaired etc)
Boat is fully stripped interior-wise.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CT4-4TMB..._web_copy_link

[FMSKI]

Update - Hull refinish is done. It was a shop favourite so they went to the 9's and refinished it all, except below the masters green paint. The hull is being buffed there. I gave them new decals and stripe etc to put on.

The motorbox I spent time to repair that and then the body guys went at it, so the box looks rad. We are going to upholster. On the seating - I got a Tige helm seat which has the carbon white, creamy white and tan accent. I found an exact match for each to do the love seat and side cushion (carbon white, cream white and tan), and for the motor box. What a cool design that motorbox is. Far superior to any stock box, way more style and room in the boat.

OK so the carpet I was searching high and low to match the tan but NOTHING. The original sand might work but where do you get it? In any case I can go with a master's forest dark green carpet and why not, with all the oily/rubber belt & debris things that go on in a boat, why have a tan carpet :O?. I will do my signature teak/seadek back floor panel and use that seadek in some other places for fun.

[FMSKI]

Working through the "2023 CarbonTSC 196" project

Front seating is done, and looks great!
Carpet installed in luxurious forest green to match the hull stripe. Also did the trailer boards etc.
The upholstery guy didn't want to take on the motor box (worried about staples into the carbon exoshell). But they did such a great job on the seating and carpet I brought it back and said give it a go, eg use adhesives and staples. I bolstered the mounting zones with fg fillers.

Current build specs:
Modern helm seat with flip-up
Anti-gravity Lithium Ion battery - ultra light and high performance (12.8V)
Lightweight, small footprint carbon motor box, mirrors hull styling
GPS speed with force-based speed control (like zero off but more stable)
BT 4 speaker audio
Lightweight full cell, rear mounted w/option for additional bow cell
LED Lighting throughout
Seadek floor panel
Stereo Hydro-gate wake tuners, manually adjust
2x magnetic iPhone mounts
USB charging ports
Wiper hand activated
Hull fully refinished
New decal package
Unbeatable performance for fuel consumption, interior space. skiing, power, handling and acceleration

[FMSKI]

Rear mounted fuel tank base fabbed up, new hoses, fittings, and tank installed. This is an 40L tank which, on this boat, is good for a couple of days skiing. 20L is like 8 sets skiing it's so efficient.

Also the seadek floor panel is done. Feature it can be flipped over for a carpeted floor. The panel was constructed with marine ply and coated in epoxy grey, exact same color as the bilge area.

The rear has some nice & convenient storage cubbies each side of the tank. The rear panel will cover the tank, and have side access for the store areas. The rear panel will also have a "sight glass" for a quick visual on fuel level vs having to power on and look at a bouncy gauge.

I had to remove the lifting eye for tank clearance. And I'm thinking to run same Seadek over the bow as well for walking. So I am going to remove the front lifting eye-sore too. Who uses the lifting eyes? Maybe like 1 in 1000 owners?? Never seen anyone use them in my lifetime. Plus they are like 20lbs of weight. My goodness. There are no lifting eyes on the new (2022+) SN.

[FMSKI]

Doing the interior panels now. Cooler box floor panel is way cooler.

Back panels and speaker mounts underway. Mock-up speaker shown is styled to reflect the transom, motor box sloped back. That curve also appears on the upholstery, which is the stock stripe.