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  1. #1
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    USA 1994 Stratos 285 Pro XL Project

    So, I purchased my 1994Stratos 285 Pro XL in June of 2012 and have been working on it since, so this update is long. I saw it pop up on craigslist in the evening for $2500 and couldn't pass it up. It needed a lot of work, but was more than worth it.


    The first project I tackled was the carpet. Some places were worn down to the fiberglass. It took a couple days, but wasn't too hard to do alone.






    Then I had to tackle the worst part. The rusted out trailer. The frame was sturdy, but the wheel wells were shot, the bunk board posts were rusted out and only one bunk board had one single bolt holding on. I dry docked it at my buddies house and got to work. I sand blasted the trailer, cut off the bunk board posts and wheel wells. I bolted on new bunk board posts and wheel wells, then primed and painted the trailer, followed by several clear coats. I replaced most of the lights and reflectors, replaced all rollers, bunk boards, chains, and wench. The bow roller arm was bent out of shape, so I had to pound it back.






    Next I scraped the faded and dried out decals and wet sanded the oxidation. It came out looking OK, but needs it again.


    All the instrument panels were faded and discolored, so I wrapped them in carbon fiber print wrap and made 2 panels out of ABS plastic so I could flush mount the fish finders.



    I installed 2 new fish finders (Garmin Echo 300c & Lowrance Elite-4 DSI), but I should be upgrading this fall.


    I will post more updates soon. I've done a lot of work this year for an upcoming fishing trip to Canada with my wife. Hope you all enjoy.
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    Last edited by basscast84; 01-17-2018 at 07:11 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  2. Member Nightmare's Avatar
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    #2
    Quite a job and you came a long ways. Gonna make you a fine fishing platform. Its a shame somebody abused the poor rig like that. So long as the hull and motor is sound you ended up with a good and affordable starting point. Look forward to updates.

    Where'd you get the 'fiber' wrap?

  3. Member J Risco's Avatar
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    #3
    Great stuff man, good job on bringin' this old girl back to life! The mid 90's Stratos 285's are such a great boat. Miss mine all the time
    2021 Phoenix 920 Elite / SHO 250
    Bullet 21XD / 250 XB (Gone to a great home in LA)
    "There is no such thing as a bad day fishing!"

  4. Member
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    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Nightmare View Post
    Quite a job and you came a long ways. Gonna make you a fine fishing platform. Its a shame somebody abused the poor rig like that. So long as the hull and motor is sound you ended up with a good and affordable starting point. Look forward to updates.

    Where'd you get the 'fiber' wrap?
    Hull and motor were and are in great shape. The cosmetics not so much, but I'm halfway through fixing that part of the engine. I got the wrap online somewhere, but I can't remember where. It was several years ago.
    Last edited by basscast84; 06-05-2017 at 07:50 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  5. Member
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    #5
    Update 1: Last year I pulled the boat out of storage and was prepping for the season and when I fired up the motor, fuel was pouring out everywhere. I pulled the cowling and every carb was dumping fuel out. You can see all the dead grass under the motor. So, I ended up buying rebuild kits for all 6 carbs and rebuilt them all. $128. NO MORE ETHYNOL for my boat!!! After that was fixed, I got to work with the degreaser. The hoses, steering arm, bilge, oil tank and lower cowling were all covered in oil and dirt from the previous owner. It took a lot of scrubbing, but I got it spotless.


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    Last edited by basscast84; 01-17-2018 at 07:12 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  6. Member
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    #6
    Boat looks nice. I'm in Gloucester.

  7. Member
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    #7
    Anybody have any ideas on how to label my instrument panels? After I wrapped them, I have to rely on a sketch of the switches I made. I want to convert to pre-labeled rocker switches in the future, but for now I need them labeled.
    Last edited by basscast84; 06-05-2017 at 07:51 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  8. Member
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    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Musky Mike View Post
    Boat looks nice. I'm in Gloucester.
    Where about? I'm in Guinea.
    Last edited by basscast84; 06-05-2017 at 07:51 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  9. Member
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    #9
    Update 2:
    This year I got started on the trailer again. I went to check the brake fluid and only found water in the actuator reservoir. I wasn't too happy to see that, but not surprised given the shape of the trailer when I bought it.


    I ordered a new actuator and an upgraded brake kit switching to disc brakes.




    When I tore into the brakes, I found mud, gunk, dirt, rust and who knows what else on the passenger side. The driver side didn't even have brakes or components.




    I installed the actuator and brakes after checking the brake lines for rust/corrosion. I added fluid and started the bleeding process and brake fluid started pouring out of the tongue. That's when I found where the water got in. The steel brake line was rusted out inside the tongue where there is no access. So then I had to order a new brake line kit. I installed the new lines and bled the brakes.



    Anyone looking to do this, it is very easy. The actuator replacement only takes 15 min, the brake lines took about 30 min and the brakes took about 2 hrs. All of it was very easy to access with very few components. Much easier than working on a car or truck.
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    Last edited by basscast84; 01-17-2018 at 07:15 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  10. Member
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    #10
    What brand is your tongue actuator? I'm on Short Lane down past the high school.

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    #11
    Pm sent looks great

  12. Member
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    #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Musky Mike View Post
    What brand is your tongue actuator? I'm on Short Lane down past the high school.
    UFP A60. I got it from trailerandtruckparts.com. Make sure you read the details and get the appropriate one. UFP A60 is the make and model, but it has options for disc brakes, drum brakes, and I believe single or tandem axle. If you have disc or are converting to disc brakes that is the cheapest I found. $164 free shipping.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  13. Member
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    #13
    The tongue looks the same as mine. I'm missing rubber plug that covers the hole in the tongue where you put in the brake fliuld. So I'm going to see if I can find a replacement plug.

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    #14
    Looking good. Currently doing a resto on '95 Stratos 278. Have you bought new decals for yours?

  15. Member
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    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Musky Mike View Post
    The tongue looks the same as mine. I'm missing rubber plug that covers the hole in the tongue where you put in the brake fliuld. So I'm going to see if I can find a replacement plug.
    Part #32286
    http://www.easternmarine.com/ufp-mas...oir-plug-32286
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  16. Member
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    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Hunter1234 View Post
    Looking good. Currently doing a resto on '95 Stratos 278. Have you bought new decals for yours?
    Not yet. I think I'm just gonna replace the motor decals, fuel tank labels, the "Stratos" decals and all the interior information decals. I like the look with less decals. If you need it, here is the best price and selection I've found.
    https://www.garzonstudio.com/boat/st...ts-decals.html
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  17. Member
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    #17
    Update 3:
    After I finished fixing the trailer, I was able to start working on upgrades and customizations. Don't mind the dirt in the pics. I hadn't vacuumed yet. I started with custom rod holders for my rod locker. I got the plans from someone else online with a slight modification. (2) plastic cutting boards, (9) golf club tubes, and (9) plastic desk grommets. I used cardboard to make a template for the shape of the rod locker, then transferred it to the cutting boards. I drilled the holes and inserted the tubes and glued in the desk grommets. I learned the hard way that the cutting board has to get placed into the locker before you insert the tubes. (they were a very tight fit and hard to take in and out). My wife thinks I should paint the cutting boards. I thought it would be easier to see when its darker if the boards stay white. Opinion???







    I removed the old rod tie downs on the front deck that had dry-rotted and installed retractable rod tie downs. I put one on each side of the front deck and one on the back deck for the rod ramp. I was nervous cutting into the gunwale, but it was actually pretty easy and quick. They came with a template that gives you a perfect fit and positioning. My rod ramp didn't have any way to secure the handle end of the rods and they would fall when running the boat. I googled pictures of rod ramps on the newer boats for ideas and came up with this. I bought another cutting board(black with black/silver glitter) and a pack of 4 rod holder grommets. Again I used cardboard for the template and drilled the holes and screwed in the grommets. I didn't want to drill into the boat, because it goes directly into the rod locker, so I bought plastic non-threaded spacers and screw caps to conceal the screw heads.





    I spent a little time here and there and finished the pin striping on the trailer. I went with metallic silver pin stripes. I also used my heat gun to remove the faded motor decals. I'm going to paint the motor, but may not get the decals done this year. I installed all new tires and added bearing buddies to protect the new bearings.



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    Last edited by basscast84; 01-17-2018 at 07:20 PM.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  18. Member
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    #18
    I have a light grey Stratos pedestal full seat if you want it. I have never used it. I can send you pics this weekend if your interested.

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    #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Musky Mike View Post
    I have a light grey Stratos pedestal full seat if you want it. I have never used it. I can send you pics this weekend if your interested.
    I have 2 folding pedestal seats and 1 casting/lean pedestal seat. I'm not sure I could find a use for it. Can you send a pic anyhow. One of my folding seat is missing the snap to hold the back down. If it's the same style seat, I could use the cover to the backrest.
    Matthew 4:19 - "Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

  20. Member J Risco's Avatar
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    #20
    Nice work man! I would leave the cutting board white, not like anyone is going to see it but you and it will make getting the rods into the holes easier.

    I put a rod strap in the same place on mine for the co-angler, or when I was solo sometimes id stick a spinning rod or two back there. Nice work on the holder for the co's rod butts too, I like that!


    Get that motor shined up, maybe even a coat of paint, then sticker her up and it's going to look like a new boat!!! Very nice work man!!!
    2021 Phoenix 920 Elite / SHO 250
    Bullet 21XD / 250 XB (Gone to a great home in LA)
    "There is no such thing as a bad day fishing!"

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