Here begins my labor of love.... I'm a new member to the forum though I have lurked for years. In April my dad lost his battle with cancer and died at the relatively young age of 71. Around 1994 or 1995 he bought a 1988 Ranger 360V with a Merc 150 and fished out of it until early 2018, when the powerhead finally gave up. Motor shopping brought him a 2013 Merc 150 four stroke, sitting on a 1991 Procraft. The Procraft transom was a little soft but otherwise the boat was immaculate, he basically bought the motor and it was less to keep it on the Procraft than to pay for moving it. Late 2018 he was diagnosed and any plans to repower the Ranger pushed to the side, while the Ranger got pushed into the weeds behind my house, under a cover. Dad died on April 1, and I have spent every weekend on the water since. My attachment to the Ranger is sentimental I know, but I believe it's a solid candidate for restoration. We were lucky to have 18 months notice of terminal cancer and I took a bunch of days off throughout his treatment to fish together, but I suppose part of my grieving process is fishing every weekend since. About three weeks ago, the bilge pump suddenly puked water out of the Procraft and I discovered that one of the lower motor mount bolts was leaking. Not a drip, but a trickle, and not a good feeling. So knowing the transom was soft I have elected to do a restoration on, and then repower, the Ranger instead of working on the Procraft. In March of this year a spring storm split the cover on the Ranger and luckily I noticed it the next day. She was half-full of water and leaves but I got it cleared and drained. It has been sun exposed since, but Dad always kept the boat covered so I hope the oxidation is easily fixed. I plan to take the boat to guy a couple hours away who comes highly recommended and is very reasonable on pricing to have it buffed/wet sanded, a couple of extra seat bases added up front, the carpet redone, and the trailer refreshed. I may as well rewire and replumb the boat now, so I know what I am starting with. Any tips along the way are appreciated, as I know many here have done this before. I will try to post pictures along the journey and apologize in advance for my rambling train of thought (as evidenced in this paragraph). First, a list of each boat and what is on it (pics coming soon):
1988 Ranger 360V
1988 Mercury 150 with blown powerhead
Manual jackplate
Motorguide "Brute" 24 Volt 41 ft/lbs trolling motor with foot control
Tempress Fishon seats w/ Ranger covers - 4 matching, buckets at console and two on pedestals
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1991 Procraft 180 Pro
2013 Mercury 150 four stroke
No jack plate, motor mounted to transom
Hydraulic steering (Seastar)
MinnKota Maxxum 24 Volt, 70 ft/lbs trolling motor with foot control
Humminbird Helix 5 on bow
Lowrance Elite 7 on console, secondary Lowrance on floor for depth at speed
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