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  1. #1
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    ‘90 Bumble Bee V160 Complete Restore

    Greetings! I’m very pleased to have found this resource

    A father/son project



    first of 2017..... we wanted a project

    A 1990 Bumble bee V160 on original trailer with Johnson 150. At the time we had to assume the Engine age as it was covered in black spray paint. It was a ‘79!



    Would you believe this boat was newly registered ?



    We tore into the boat to find saturation starting from the stringer tops....
    Most sensible people would cut their losses at this stage but we pushed on with a vision. It’s pretty simple, the boat would be rebuilt in such a fashion that it would last a lifetime.

    Here we go

    Demo’d Entire vessel. We began immediately by removing floor patch and all foam that was accessible with floor removed...




    This boat had some silly previous owners!

    Automotive clears sprayed on top cap
    pinstripe
    framing nails in front deck (poked through hull)!


    Mystery coats of differing spray paints/clears and an auto pinstripe



    Multi-day process of Revealing gel coat/wet sand.



    Console~ covered in various mystery paints



    Console Revealed gel coat/Wet sand



    Stern De-rigged and ready to pull fuel tank


    All physical evidence of previous owners now removed. The boat is ready at this stage for major surgery.




    -Marine Pro/Falcon boats will be handling:

    New stringers.
    New flotation.
    New floor.
    New Transom.



    Estimated Seven weeks til pick up.

    Thanks for checking out our project. I didn’t want to bring it here without having earned the story so far!

    Stay tuned...
    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 03-14-2019 at 08:17 PM.

  2. Member
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    #2
    Very impressive I can't wait to see the finished product and I must say a 16' boat with a 150 that sounds like a rocket ship. What size motor are you planning to put back on it since it's rated for a 135 hp. ?

  3. Member
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    #3
    Hey Javelin

    Yes, the hull is rated at 135 hp maximum.

    I couldn’t wait to remove the old 150! Although I have noticed that 150s did make their way onto lots of these boats. I’m assuming
    The older motors were close enough to that 350# range.

    According to the figures I’ve researched, the 135-140 hp outboards of the era maxed out around 370 #.

    -Etec 90 320#
    -Etec 115 390#
    -Yamaha Vmax 115 SHO 377#

    I’m all over the place on motor selection.....

    if Evinrude would release a gen 2 for the under 150 hp motors I’d heavily consider it.

    Love the Yamaha too, I believe Yamaha’s were fitted to loads of new Bumble Bees

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    #4
    My Javelin is rated for a 135 also but I have a 125 Mercury on it but I'm considering buying a new 4 stroke for it and I'm leaning toward a Mercury 115 Pro XS mainly because I wouldn't have to swap nothing but the motor and I already have a 4 blade prop plus they are suppose to be a great motor.

  5. Member
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    #5
    Javelin , yeah Dude that is a pretty sweet engine to consider.

    I find it interesting how these “high performance” offerings really are just slightly adjusted stock motors. They bump up the maximum rpm to gain a few more mph and call it a “sho” or “xs”. Still, very impressive technology these days

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    #6
    Im pleased to report the following... the Bumble Bee surgery is complete.

    The professionals over at Marine Pro/Falcon boats have given us an clean slate to work with!
    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 01-23-2019 at 10:42 PM.

  7. Member
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    #7
    I’ve emersed myself into the available resources related to marine wiring and fiberglass basics, respectively.
    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 03-05-2018 at 11:27 PM.

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    #8
    it's looking good you need to hurry spring time is coming.

  9. Member Jim Dunn's Avatar
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    #9
    I'm no boat restorer, at all. But wouldn't it be easier to wire from the bow to stern? That way if you need an additional wire all the others wouldn't be in the way?
    I got nothin

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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Javelin 180 View Post
    it's looking good you need to hurry spring time is coming.
    Haha thanks for the kind words man but she won’t be ready for spring! I will be knocking out large chunks of build though

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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Dunn View Post
    I'm no boat restorer, at all. But wouldn't it be easier to wire from the bow to stern? That way if you need an additional wire all the others wouldn't be in the way?
    I see what you’re saying and that does make sense. Keeping in mind that removing the old harness was tough..
    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 03-05-2018 at 08:18 PM.

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    #12
    I’ve begun laying out my rigging plan.


    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 03-05-2018 at 08:19 PM.

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    #13
    These old bees are some really nice layouts and can be flat out rockets when setup right.

  14. Member
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    #14
    -here’s my deck extension design!
    *the highlighter marks where the current deck terminates*


    Thanks for checking it out!

    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 04-23-2018 at 11:34 PM.

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    #15
    That looks like a great plan.

    Nice Work.

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    #16
    Looking great thanks for keeping us posted

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    #17
    I just bought my 1987 Bumble Bee restoration project and I'm running into the same problem with the automotive-type clear coat over the gel coat. If I understand what you're saying, you ended up scraping all of it off, right? Any more details about how you did that? My entire boat is covered with it, so it'll be a royal pain in the arse.

  18. Member
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    #18
    Dude, if it’s stuck on like the clear that was sprayed on my boat.

    There’s literally only one TINY little “perfect” angle which you can use. I got good with a 2” plastic drywall mud spreader. You have to work in small increments. Too aggressive with the angle and you will get into the gel coat. Not enough angle and there’s not enough force to remove the clear, so it’s a balancing act. Hope this helps!

  19. Member
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    #19
    Quote Originally Posted by 90bumblebee View Post
    Dude, if it’s stuck on like the clear that was sprayed on my boat.

    There’s literally only one TINY little “perfect” angle which you can use. I got good with a 2” plastic drywall mud spreader. You have to work in small increments. Too aggressive with the angle and you will get into the gel coat. Not enough angle and there’s not enough force to remove the clear, so it’s a balancing act. Hope this helps!
    I found out today that I need to totally gut my boat (foam and boards are saturated and rotted out), so I'm in for the long haul. I'm seriously considering a complete re-paint. I'm a fan of red, but my boat is blue. So, maybe I'll just sand it all down and repaint the color I want. Good to know about the clear coat. Sounds like were are both working on the same problems.

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    #20
    Yesterday we spent re-organizing the garage. There’s something to be said for a clean/organized workspace.

    We were able to make some nice progress on the boat today. The temps are pretty low so the deck extension will be post trailer restoration which begins in full force tomorrow

    -sealed the cap/hull with black 3m 4200

    -Another Angle


    -3/16” aluminum rivets mating cap to hull, she lined back up perfectly


    -pre-drilled for #8 ss screws to hold the cap in place while applying the sealant. This system worked super well.


    Thanks for checking it out the process !
    Last edited by 90bumblebee; 05-19-2018 at 01:13 AM.

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