My 1700XR restoration

[JoeTheWelder]

I recently bought myself a project boat, a 1995 Maxum 1700 XR with a good trailer to be specific. The Force 120 outboard motor is seized but, not beyond my skill level to repair. For $250, it is not a bad deal for me as I will be doing all of the work.
Here follows a few pictures of my progress so far:

[JoeTheWelder]

This is how she looked the day that I brought her home. My buddy helped with the first cleaning that she's had in several years. There was so much moss, piles of leaves, natural compost, and even a few sapling trees to get rid of. The pressure washer helped with much of the hard work.

[JoeTheWelder]

The soft spots in the floor told me much about the underlying rot that I had to look forward to. With a portion of the floor removed, exposing the fuel tank that is 3/4 full of 2 cycle gasoline that is who knows how old, the stringers and bulkheads immediately showed me the extent of the rot and the work that I would need to do to bring her back to life.

[JoeTheWelder]

As you can see above, at least the upholstery in the bow is in decent shape... all things considered. The rest of the upholstery did not survive the ravages of time and the elements quite as well.

[JoeTheWelder]

Time to buckle down and start mining for foam so I can get at the rotten wood. I was shocked at how waterlogged the foam was.

[JoeTheWelder]

More rotten wood and some damaged fiberglass.

[JoeTheWelder]

As she sits now after todays clean up.

[mmwjr]

Pretty common wear for a boat that sits uncovered for years. You’ve made good progress so far. Do you really want to put money into an obsolete outboard that’s locked up? If it were me I would look for a used 4 stroke.

[JoeTheWelder]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

Pretty common wear for a boat that sits uncovered for years. You’ve made good progress so far. Do you really want to put money into an obsolete outboard that’s locked up? If it were me I would look for a used 4 stroke.

If I can find one for the same or less than what it will cost me to rebuild this one, I just may. I'm currently soaking the cylinders and hoping that minor surface rust is the only cause and that it'll free up.

[JoeTheWelder]

I made a little more progress this weekend. All of the stringers and bulkheads are now gone, and the fuel tank is removed. There must have been leaking from the fuel lines over the years as evidenced by the abundance of jellified fuel and oil under the tank. There are also a few rather large areas of what appears to be either delamination or a dry layup that I will have to grind out when I begin to grind smooth where the stringers and bulkheads were. There are also some small areas at the stern, under the swim deck, that still need to come out.

[Fkn.MAXUM]

Any update one the progress. I just picked up a similar damaged boat I want to restore maybe. Looking to se your. Thank you

[JoeTheWelder]

No updates as of now. I've been busy working and trying to finish a large steel porch project on my house. I'm also waiting for cooler temps in the fall before I get suited up for grinding a lot of fiberglass.
I've also been kicking around an idea to rebuild it as a center console. I think that it would be more suitable as a fishing boat that way. Fishing boats are more popular than small bow riders here in central Virginia.

[flyingmaniac]

It’s Fall now. Any update?

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by flyingmaniac

It’s Fall now. Any update?

Heck it’s almost Winter.