Just acquired a '85 184

[TheKodiakWay]

A back injury forced me into a new to me boat, upgrading from a '75 aluminum Starcraft. Just too difficult to fish from it with the kids, and climbing around hurt the back. Hearing about the ride of these guys, hopefully it's easier on me! I hear they're tippy when fishing, but coming from that light little Starcraft this thing is a barge!

Picked it up Thursday, spent Friday cleaning & re-arranging the garage so it'd fit. Saturday with the wife's help we got the gas tanks out, pulled all that carpet,and cleaned everything up. Sunday we tracked down the leaks from livewell plumbing, then ripped the plumbing out and pulled all the fittings at the back of the boat.

Now starts the questions...

I'm replacing the fittings at the back and looking at using 3m 4200, the old ones had silicone, anything special I need to do to prep it?

The livewell drain is a smaller (1/2") diameter thruhull, with a giant (2") cut out through the wood to the fiberglass hull. Last guy just stuffed it full of silicone, but I'm hoping there's a better way to seal it up.

The bilge area was, as expected, a 30+ year mess. 3 different transducers, wires everywhere- lots just clipped and hanging, some just twisted together... How in the world do I go about tracing them, and clearing this clutter out? Any chance there was an original wiring diagram, or do I just start from scratch?

[ChampioNman]

Welcome to the family. I have an owners manual for the older champs I can send you if you give me you email address.

[Lea]

Welcome! ChampioNman will get you set with the owner's manual...and our great gang will have answers for any questions!

[Fidgetcranker]

Congrats! Best wishes on you project. Seems you're off to a good start.
Someone else posted today that they too just got an '85, 184.
Maybe the 2 of you can work together as you fix em up.

[TheKodiakWay]

A couple pics of the old girl...

[rboren]

Not bad for an 85 model. You can clean the area where your fittings go, after getting all the silicone off you can,you can clean the immediate area with Acetone for a good bond. blow it clean with air and install. Water sand that baby with 800,1000,1200 and 1500 wet sand paper. rub lightly with the 800. Work it down with each grit untill it shows no light scratches and buff out. should look new when done. then keep it sealed,especially on the top cap. I like the 184's. i plan on finding one someday to clean up and restore.

[TheKodiakWay]

Thanks. I'm ready to get her water worthy asap, then spend the winter on a restore.

Here's a pic of the lower thru hulls. Dirty from oil and grease, but still solid. The enlarged one is on the far right.. not sure of a proper way to seal it...

[TheKodiakWay]

Starting to order more parts... Dug around some more today, and found out it isn't the advertised 150, it's stamped 175 on the block. Spinning a 25 pitch generic stainless prop, hopefully she can run well at my 3500 ft elevation. The test ride was under 1000ft elevation, anything I should do, or just try it and see?

[pmgoffjr]

If it'd had a 200 block on it it could have been my '85.

[tdt91]

Is it possible to fill that hole up with fiberglass?

[TheKodiakWay]

I think when I pull it this winter I'll glass it back up. Just hoping to get it on the water a bit, then REALLY tear into it this winter.

[tj]

.