1986 Ranger 373V Complete Restoration

[KCLOST]

Nice pics, But I have a question... I had a 1988 371V that was an awesome boat, very solid with no problems at all. I finally sold it last year.. Anyway, it had a Kevlar transom, no wood... Did this boat not have the kevlar on that year? And if so, would it be possible to replace the transom with kevlar or an even more updated material?

This is not a criticism in any way. Just that this boat has the exact trasom as my old 371 except for the two stuctural supports, and I would think that would be an easy upgrade even if it was wood origionally...

Again, just asking... And great pics....

[North Texas Fiberglass]

What most boats had when they said "Kevlar" was reinforcements in the corners of the splash well. They would lay up kevlar in that area and under the trolling motor mounts.

Your boat more than likely had a wooden transom as well. Kevlar is still so expensive, I couldn't imagine buying enough material to do enough layups to get it to an inch and a half thick. It would literally take several hundred dollars worth of kevlar to do it.

Remember the Stratos and Javelin Boats that actually said "Kevlar Hulls?" Once again, the actual hull was polyester fiberglass with just reinforcements with Kevlar. But, there was Kelvar in the hull and so they could put that sticker on the boat.

You can get the same results with regular fiberglass, but once again, the time and money required to build a one off transom wouldn't be worth it. Unless you constructed a mold, it would be difficult to keep it uniform and get all the air pockets out of it.

Plus there is another issue. Composite transoms will not rot, but they shatter if you hit a stump extremely hard. I've replaced composite transoms in boats that are less than a month old because they bust on impact. Wood will not if not maintained properly,but it will not shatter upon impact. A wood transom should have a service life of 15-20 years minimum if it is taken care of and the bolts and mount holes are resealed every 3-5 years.




Modified by North Texas Fiberglass at 7:33 AM 1/12/2007

[perfect-storm]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KCLOST &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Nice pics, But I have a question... I had a 1988 371V that was an awesome boat, very solid with no problems at all. I finally sold it last year.. Anyway, it had a Kevlar transom, no wood... Did this boat not have the kevlar on that year? And if so, would it be possible to replace the transom with kevlar or an even more updated material?

This is not a criticism in any way. Just that this boat has the exact trasom as my old 371 except for the two stuctural supports, and I would think that would be an easy upgrade even if it was wood origionally...

Again, just asking... And great pics....</TD></TR></TABLE>

You had a polltruded fiberglass transom. Ranger started using this polltruded fiberglass board in transoms in a few of the the latest 1987 and early 1988 boats. They still use it today.

Wood transoms, if built properly, are every bit as good as composite transoms. The only reason a wood transom would rot is either poor build and material quality or lack of maintenance. If a wood transom is built well from the start, and the owner re-seals all bolts, through hulls and screws periodically with a good sealant like 5200 (NOT SILICONE), it will never rot.

[KCLOST]

That makes sense. I know it had "no" wood in the transom... The owners manual went into pretty good detail to outline the make-up of it. I thought for sure the meat of the transom was Kevlar though, but my manual is gone now so I have no way to check. I also drilled holes in it for a transducer and it was all composite stuff...

[dgamblin]

bump back to the top i really want to see how this turns out as it goes!!!!!!!

[Carlos H]

another bump to bring it back to the top. Any updates????

[North Texas Fiberglass]

We have got the transom cap re-installed on the boat, and glass back on. We have extra reinforced the areas we cut on the underside very heavily to insure there isn't an issue with it. We ground out the cuts on the top side and beveled the area back 3-4 inches on each side. This allowed us to fill in the areas of the cuts with a solid 1/4 inch or more of solid glass.

We are in the final shaping process and once that is complete, start the initial resurfacing and refinishing processs. We are about 50% done with this boat at this time and have aproximately 80-100 labor hours in it at this time.

[DilliWilliSays]

Good Work Best Aunt N' Uncle ever!!

-Dylan

[896J]

I love looking at stuff like this. Keep us posted. I can't wait to see the finished product.

[scotty34]

What is your thoughts on the sea cast system?
Nice job so far! Keep us posted.
Scott

[North Texas Fiberglass]

Scotty,

PM sent.

[SHAFT]

What did you spray the battery/fuel compartment with , gel and webbing solution ? I want to do mine and thinking a one part urethane .


Modified by SHAFT at 12:13 AM 2/1/2007

[Carlos H]

wowo thats a boatlaod of work!!! Looks good

[North Texas Fiberglass]

Shaft,

That is one part gelcote, one part webbing solution, a few drops of wax solution, and 3-4% mek.

[SHAFT]

Do you stay pretty consistent with the 3-4% MEK or will that very with weather , temperature , moisture conditions ?

[North Texas Fiberglass]

Shaft,


Right now due to the cold weather, we have switched to high point 90 MEKP - twice as strong as your normal 45% solution, and even with my shop heated to 65 degrees, we have to add 5-7 % at times to get it curable with 3-4 hrs. If we are going to leave it overnight, we will drop it back down.

[Neveredge]

What all is being done to the boat to command such a high price?

I'm not saying it isn't worth it, I'm just wondering what all is included.

Also, is there any water in the foam?

[A Fn Noob]

Was wondering the same thing

[alexus]

me too

[Will I Am]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by North Texas Fiberglass &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ok guys,

We've been working on a 1986 Ranger 373v. Here's what this boat is going to have done.


Complete Topcap Refinish, with color changes
It will be White, silver pinstripes, and red (or Burgandy) Ranger arrows.
New Transom
New Carpet
New Dash Panel
Sides of the hull and stern of the boat will be completely refinished and color changed
Complete trailer restoration, paint, bunks, fenders, ect.
New Power Steering System


</TD></TR></TABLE>

Gonna be a re born 1986 373v........