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.