Ranger 390V project

[HaulinAuss]

So i am new to the site and i have been looking around the site for about a month now and its awesome. i have had boats since i was 16, and kind of worked my way up over the last 12 years till i found the boat i have wanted since i was about 7 years old. I got my Ranger 390V about a year ago and have been fishing out of it the whole time and loving it, but there has been all kinds of things i wanted to get done on it and never bothered cause i was fishing. well about a month ago i got the bad news from my mechanic....... your Mariner is shot son.......... so....... its time to restore the boat, so here we go. here she is sitting next to my last boat(the first "real" fiberglass bass boat i ever had), it was a prowler by sunbird, before i sold it.

[HaulinAuss]

getting her cleaned out so i can start work.

[HaulinAuss]

after a ton of consideration and thinking over it and head aches and talking/dealing with my wife, i made the desision to pull the Mariner off rather than rebuild power head, and put a new motor on, however, while the motor is off the boat i am gonna go ahead and polish the boat out and try to bring the gel on the top cap back to life as the boat had sat out in the sun for a couple of years before she came to me.

[StealthRanger]

So i am new to the site and i have been looking around the site for about a month now and its awesome. i have had boats since i was 16, and kind of worked my way up over the last 12 years till i found the boat i have wanted since i was about 7 years old. I got my Ranger 390V about a year ago and have been fishing out of it the whole time and loving it, but there has been all kinds of things i wanted to get done on it and never bothered cause i was fishing. well about a month ago i got the bad news from my mechanic....... your Mariner is shot son.......... so....... its time to restore the boat, so here we go. here she is sitting next to my last boat(the first "real" fiberglass bass boat i ever had), it was a prowler by sunbird, before i sold it.

What year is your 390v? I'm in the process of restoring a 1987 393v, Black Max 200 hp. It's a lot of work but It's going to be worth it in the long run. Have a fun time & enjoy the ride.

[HaulinAuss]

looks naked...

[HaulinAuss]

Its a 1993, yes its a lot of work already, but so far so good, i am having fun.

[99'Formula]

Bummer to hear about the motor but awesome about the restoration plans. How extensive of a restoration are you planning on? I just finished up a partial restore on my 373V and it was so rewarding when I finished.

[kentuckyranger390v]

Great looking boat! I have the exact same color. Great riding and fishing boat, good luck with the restoration!

[HaulinAuss]

It is a great riding boat, very smooth. I dont plan on doing any thing to crazy as far as restoration goes. i am going to extend the deck back to the console, recarpet, bring the gel back to life and i am sure i will run into a few other things and get a few more ideas as i get into it and looking around the site. i am sure i will have questions about some things, but i am having fun so far turning my dream boat into my DREAM BOAT.

[HaulinAuss]

Started a little bit of the demo work.

[HaulinAuss]

[HaulinAuss]

i was able to get the carpet out pretty easily.

[HaulinAuss]

Got her some new shoes, good year marathons.

[HaulinAuss]

The decal on the side of the top cap was all cracked up, ( its hard to see the cracks in the picture but they are there) i know that ranger wear has the same size ranger decal, but it does not have the Flippin Arkansas and by forrest wood on it. the 390V not in terrible shape but i would like to replace the whole decal, does anyone have an idea where i could find the same decals same size?

[HaulinAuss]

I have my 2 best helpers out here patiently watching me scrape off the decals.

[HaulinAuss]

dunno why they came out upside down

[99'Formula]

At least your helpers stay by your side while you work! Mine like to go ride their bikes and leave me.... Man I really like that 390V. How big is that boat? As far as your decals go, I have read a lot of people run into that issue with Ranger not having those decals. Most people go to a 3rd party vendor and have new decals made. You might try contacting one of our board sponsors Darryl @ Iguana Graphics. His email is iguana65@bellsouth.net. He custom makes a lot of peoples registration numbers that match the colors of their boat and he does a really good job. He did mine and they turned out amazing. Also very reasonable price too! It would be worth sending him a picture of what you are wanting and see what he says. Some other people may have some other ideas but that's the only one I know. Welcome to the site BTW! Tons of knowledgeable people here so don't be afraid to ask questions!

[HaulinAuss]

thanks for the info, i will be sending him an email right away, i also saw a post that said domed numbers was good. any rate, the boat is 19 foot.

[HaulinAuss]

well i started wet sanding the boat. it felt grainy and i was worried it may be flake but the gel was just a little bit pitted, got the first round of 800 grit done. the boat is smooth and already looks better.

[HaulinAuss]