Ranger 375v Restoration 2024

th365thli reply :

Click here for latest update (03/15/2019)

Early spring 2018 I purchased a 1987 Ranger 375v for 2k. It was in rough condition BUT the motor and hull were sound. Since then I've done a lot of work on the boat. When I first bought it, I was terrified at what I was getting myself into. I wondered if I threw 2k down the toilet. I'm very glad to say that it turned out nicely. This is has been an incredible learning experience for me. I definitely leveled up my DIY and mechanical skills. Looking back, I can laugh at myself for forgetting the drain plug, being nervous backing down a ramp, and worrying up things I know how to do now.

Original Post

I recently made the decision to purchase a 1987 Ranger 375v for $2000. I did as best inspection as I could and everything seems good. You can follow that here:

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/202045-trying-to-buy-a-used-ranger-375-for-incredibly-cheap/

5a939eb485e77_Wholeboatpicture.jpg.43f7a075b9c2d640b2c1bb1112690abf.jpg

There's a laundry list of things that need to get done. Here's the order:

~~Rust needs to be cleaned off. Particularly at the coupler. Steel wool and rust remover should do the trick. The coupler and the hitch ball sieze, its a pain.~~ Done
~~Winch needs to be cleaned or replace. I might just replace it.~~ Done
~~It needs to be cleaned. The compartments and bilge are filthy. Everything must be taken out and scrubbed with mold cleaner and bilge cleaner~~ Done
~~The port fuel tank might need to be cleaned. I need to see how much varnish is in there. Dunno how well adding gas and seafoam will work~~ Done
~~The fuel lines need to be switched out. I ordered ordered a pair. Fuel line connecting tanks needs to be repaired.~~ Done
~~Batteries need to replaced. Already have one for crank. The trolling motor batteries will be replaced later, not important now.~~ Done
~~Surprisingly, the important gauges seem to work. Verified tach and trim. Fuel gauge doesn'ts seem to work...need to inspect that~~ Right side works. left side doesn't but should be easy to fix
That being said the wires need to be cleaned and the terminals need to be cleaned of corrosion and rust. Done
~~Need to check the kill wire at the engine to figure out why the engine doesn't shut off. Worst case scenario is a busted power back.~~ Done, had to replace CDI
~~The trim jack seals are leaky, I need to replace those. Parts already ordered. The tool to do it is $150. You can get it for ~$70 online. Sort of ridiculous~~ Done
~~Transom screw holes and keel chips need to be plugged~~. The hook eye at the front of the keel is a little loose. Need to fix that.
~~Fiberglass restore and polish~~
~~Re-carpet with 18'x8' teal carpet~~
~~Need to test livewells and possibly replace some pumps~~
~~Need to test bilge pump~~
Seastar steering seal needs to be replaced
~~Install Ultrex~~
Install Fish Finders
Bow ring needs tightening or reinforcing plate.

My goal is to make it fishable for ~$1000. Add cosmetics and upholstery for another ~$1000. If I go over, that's fine, a tournament ready boat for $5000 is still an astounding deal for this area.

Spreadsheet detailing total cost as of 3/16/2018

th365thli reply :

So right off the bat I have a few questions. Regarding the fuel port fuel tank. It's been empty for a while. What's the best way to clean it? Should I just fill it up and put some sea foam in there?

For fuel, would car gas with sta-bil work? What's the best way to get fuel?

TOXIC reply :

Rust needs to be cleaned off. Particularly at the coupler. Steel wool and rust remover should do the trick. The coupler and the hitch ball sieze, its a pain. Easy peasy...General maintenance and can replace if needed.
Winch needs to be cleaned or replace. I might just replace it. Another easy replacement. I would at least replace the strap.
It needs to be cleaned. The compartments and bilge are filthy. Everything must be taken out and scrubbed with mold cleaner and bilge cleaner. Get after it but if you are going to replace the carpet, I wouldn't stress too much over getting it clean. I used a bucket, a scrub brush a mix of white vinegar and carpet cleaning solution that goes in the carpet machines (Bissel). Scrub rinse repeat. Purple Power from WalMart in the bilge.
The port fuel tank might need to be cleaned. I need to see how much varnish is in there. Dunno how well adding gas and seafoam will work. Inspect the tank it is important to get any particulate out of there because it will end up in you motor or clogging your filters.
The fuel lines need to be switched out. I ordered ordered a pair. Fuel line connecting tanks needs to be repaired. Good idea. Dont forget the bulb and engine lines.
Batteries need to replaced. Already have one for crank. The trolling motor batteries will be replaced later, not important now. You need good batteries as soon as it's affordable. They will strand you on the water.
Surprisingly, the important gauges seem to work. Verified tach and trim. Fuel gauge doesn'ts seem to work...need to inspect that. Check continuity at your sending units.
That being said the wires need to be cleaned and the terminals need to be cleaned of corrosion and rust. Double check ground wires. Most all electrical gremlins are ground related.
The engine won't turn off. Both key and killswitch don't work. I verified the killswitch switch is sending a "stop" signal today with a circuit checker. Little disappointed because that would've been an easy fix. Now I have to check the CDI. I found the white wire that needs to be connected to the ground. Just need to check it.....Help from anyone with experience in this would be awesome. 1987 Yamaha 150Pro V. I thought kill switches interrupted continuity to the motor. Just check all of the wiring including the ignition.
The trim jack seals are leaky, I need to replace those. Parts already ordered. The tool to do it is $150. You can get it for ~$70 online. Sort of ridiculous. I replaced the rams and seals on my Yamaha with parts from SIM Yamaha and I don't think the tool was that much. I would replace the rams AND the seals. They come in a kit.
Transom screw holes and keel chips need to be plugged. The hook eye at the front of the keel is a little loose. Need to fix that. Access through the nose, pull front panel, put locktight on the threads.
Fiberglass restore and polish This deserves it's own post. Wet sand, compound, seal, polish.
Recarpet. This will be a huge pain and I'll do this last. Anybody know if trailer bunk carpeting will work? Only on the bunks. Deck carpeting is different. Lots of suppliers.

You didn't mention anything about the motor or trailer (other than the coupler). On the trailer you do need tires and the bearings repacked/replaced as necessary. Lights all work? The important thing is the motor. New filters after you put all of the new lines in, water pump/impeller and lower unit service. I would have a leak down test done at the mechanic to see if your seals are holding. Pressure test lower unit, check prop seal. I would definitely spend some time with the motor AFTER it is deemed runable. Decarbon/filters/plugs, etc.. Let the journey begin.

webertime reply :

87 Ranger, check the transom, they were still wood then, when you pull the screws holding the transducer cables out, check for rot. Then pull the transom saver/support and bounce on the outboard to see if there's any movement/flex. If you see any please take to a repair shop before doing anything else.

Clean the insides out when you have the lids off to do the re-carpet. Easier to get in there and clean/access, also when you are pulling off old carpet all sorts of junk falls in and you have to clean out again...

Carpet from Bass Boat Seats, 16oz is basically what was in there stock. 20oz for a little plusher experience.

A jar of Marinetex to fill in transom holes and small scratches in the gelcoat/glass. Keel shield isn't a bad idea either. Get the Pro Tec refurbish kit for the gel coat.

Check the area the TM is mounted to see if the bolts are tight or if there is any cracking.

If you are going to recarpet... SERIOUSLY look at installing a Trolling Motor Tray.

Got any pictures of the deck and seats?

I redid an 88 374v and am glad I did it, just the experience of re-carpeting the boat made me realize that I never want to do it again! LOL But by this Spring for ~4500 I'll have an 18fter with Linked Garmins, new carpet, 150 Merc, no holes anywhere and an 80lb TM with Tray, and a Powerpole.

th365thli reply :

On 2/26/2018 at 7:57 PM, TOXIC said:

Rust needs to be cleaned off. Particularly at the coupler. Steel wool and rust remover should do the trick. The coupler and the hitch ball sieze, its a pain. Easy peasy...General maintenance and can replace if needed.

Winch needs to be cleaned or replace. I might just replace it. Another easy replacement. I would at least replace the strap.

It needs to be cleaned. The compartments and bilge are filthy. Everything must be taken out and scrubbed with mold cleaner and bilge cleaner. Get after it but if you are going to replace the carpet, I wouldn't stress too much over getting it clean. I used a bucket, a scrub brush a mix of white vinegar and carpet cleaning solution that goes in the carpet machines (Bissel). Scrub rinse repeat. Purple Power from WalMart in the bilge.

The port fuel tank might need to be cleaned. I need to see how much varnish is in there. Dunno how well adding gas and seafoam will work. Inspect the tank it is important to get any particulate out of there because it will end up in you motor or clogging your filters.

The fuel lines need to be switched out. I ordered ordered a pair. Fuel line connecting tanks needs to be repaired. Good idea. Dont forget the bulb and engine lines.

Batteries need to replaced. Already have one for crank. The trolling motor batteries will be replaced later, not important now. You need good batteries as soon as it's affordable. They will strand you on the water.

Surprisingly, the important gauges seem to work. Verified tach and trim. Fuel gauge doesn'ts seem to work...need to inspect that. Check continuity at your sending units.

That being said the wires need to be cleaned and the terminals need to be cleaned of corrosion and rust. Double check ground wires. Most all electrical gremlins are ground related.

The engine won't turn off. Both key and killswitch don't work. I verified the killswitch switch is sending a "stop" signal today with a circuit checker. Little disappointed because that would've been an easy fix. Now I have to check the CDI. I found the white wire that needs to be connected to the ground. Just need to check it.....Help from anyone with experience in this would be awesome. 1987 Yamaha 150Pro V.  I thought kill switches interrupted continuity to the motor. Just check all of the wiring including the ignition.

The trim jack seals are leaky, I need to replace those. Parts already ordered. The tool to do it is $150. You can get it for ~$70 online. Sort of ridiculous. I replaced the rams and seals on my Yamaha with parts from SIM Yamaha and I don't think the tool was that much. I would replace the rams AND the seals. They come in a kit.

Transom screw holes and keel chips need to be plugged. The hook eye at the front of the keel is a little loose. Need to fix that. Access through the nose, pull front panel, put locktight on the threads.

Fiberglass restore and polish This deserves it's own post. Wet sand, compound, seal, polish.

Recarpet. This will be a huge pain and I'll do this last. Anybody know if trailer bunk carpeting will work? Only on the bunks. Deck carpeting is different. Lots of suppliers.

You didn't mention anything about the motor or trailer (other than the coupler). On the trailer you do need tires and the bearings repacked/replaced as necessary. Lights all work? The important thing is the motor. New filters after you put all of the new lines in, water pump/impeller and lower unit service. I would have a leak down test done at the mechanic to see if your seals are holding. Pressure test lower unit, check prop seal. I would definitely spend some time with the motor AFTER it is deemed runable. Decarbon/filters/plugs, etc.. Let the journey begin.

The killswitch does interrupt continuity to the motor by grounding it. Inside the killswitch for Yamaha motors there's a white wire (For other brands it's usually black with yellow stripe) and a black ground wire. When the lanyard is in the white wire and black wire are disconnected. When you pull the lanyard there's a conducting metal plate on a spring that is pushed onto the white wire and black wire end. This grounds the engine and shuts it off. The white wire leads to a terminal on the CDI, as does the black ground wire. I verified that the switch works by checking the wires and the conducting plate. I'll probably have to double check. So now I have to check the CDI on the engine. It's as simple as running the engine and then connecting the white CDI terminal to the groud CDI terminal. If that doesn't work I need to take it to the mechanic.

The motor runs fine, it's just turning it off is a problem lol. The trailer is fine too, before I bought it we greased the bearing buddies and I replaced the trailer tires. Brake lights and turn lights work. I just need to replace the clearance lights but those should be easy. We also replaced the fuel separating filter. I'm definitely taking it to the mechanic as soon as I can, the problem is the mechanic I want to take it to is on vacation until the 27th.
I just remembered the steering cables probably need to be replaced. There's play at the steering and I can move the motor side to side a little bit before hitting resistance.

th365thli reply :

On 2/26/2018 at 11:36 PM, webertime said:

87 Ranger, check the transom, they were still wood then, when you pull the screws holding the transducer cables out, check for rot. Then pull the transom saver/support and bounce on the outboard to see if there's any movement/flex. If you see any please take to a repair shop before doing anything else.

Clean the insides out when you have the lids off to do the re-carpet. Easier to get in there and clean/access, also when you are pulling off old carpet all sorts of junk falls in and you have to clean out again...

Carpet from Bass Boat Seats, 16oz is basically what was in there stock. 20oz for a little plusher experience.

A jar of Marinetex to fill in transom holes and small scratches in the gelcoat/glass. Keel shield isn't a bad idea either. Get the Pro Tec refurbish kit for the gel coat.

Check the area the TM is mounted to see if the bolts are tight or if there is any cracking.

If you are going to recarpet... SERIOUSLY look at installing a Trolling Motor Tray.

Got any pictures of the deck and seats?

I redid an 88 374v and am glad I did it, just the experience of re-carpeting the boat made me realize that I never want to do it again! LOL But by this Spring for ~4500 I'll have an 18fter with Linked Garmins, new carpet, 150 Merc, no holes anywhere and an 80lb TM with Tray, and a Powerpole.

Yep, the transom checks out, I did that first when I was inspecting the boat before purchase.

I'll take a picture of the deck and seats when there's better weather. Out of all the times San Jose decides to rain (never) it decides the entirety of this week

Trolling motor tray is a good idea, I'll consider that seriously when it's time to do the carpet.

Nice, is that ~4500 including the price of the boat? Like I said, ~1000 to get it fishable, and ~1000 to make it look pretty but not too stressed if it goes over by a bit. I'm including the cost of tools like jacks, orbital buffer, etc. which is inflating the cost.

iabass8 reply :

I agree /w adding a recessed trolling motor tray when you re-do the carpet. It's such a cheap upgrade that is worth it's weight in gold.

You can use the marine grade carpet from Lowes on your deck if you want to save some money but I would suggest just getting the good stuff from Cabelas or bassboatseats.com. Just order a little extra for the bunks.

Replace the bulb /w the fuel lines and make sure it's OEM. Don't get the cheap walmart bulb/lines.

Cleaning the inside of the tank can be tricky. You can throw some Startron tank cleaner, seafoam, stabil and gas in the tank(after you drain the old gas out) and just let it sit in there for a while then run it. It will eventually loosen all the junk and clean itself.

Use marinetex for the hull patching. Definitely recommend a Keel Guard. I think they retail for 160 ish but I found mine on amazon for 70-80$. Definitely worth it..especially for beaching.

Don't try to fix the winch. Just get a new one. I recommend the Fulton if you can swing it. OEM is fine, too.

Definitely check out the trailer bearings.

Locktight the threads for the hook eye after you patch/secure it.

For the motor problem, check all your connections and grounds on switch and motor harness, make sure nothing is touch each other or wires touch posts, etc. Bad/loose wire will do that.

Further North reply :

This is going to be fun to watch, thanks!

slonezp reply :

On 2/27/2018 at 10:23 AM, Further North said:

This is going to be fun to watch, thanks!

Always fun for the onlookers. Not so much for the participants.

Further North reply :

On 2/27/2018 at 10:28 AM, slonezp said:

Always fun for the onlookers. Not so much for the participants.

I dunno. in 1980 a friend and I built a VW kit car...Aztec 7. Had a buncha fun.

slonezp reply :

On 2/27/2018 at 10:33 AM, Further North said:

I dunno. in 1980 a friend and I built a VW kit car...Aztec 7. Had a buncha fun.

As a journeyman tradesman I can appreciate fixing and/or creating things with ones own hands. As a guy who'd rather be fishing on the weekends than "fixing" on the weekends, my appreciation goes out the window.

th365thli reply :

On 2/27/2018 at 10:46 AM, slonezp said:

As a journeyman tradesman I can appreciate fixing and/or creating things with ones own hands. As a guy who'd rather be fishing on the weekends than "fixing" on the weekends, my appreciation goes out the window.

Haha, yeah I'll be giving up a lot of weekends for this. But I've wanted a bass boat all my life. And I think doing this will be a valuable education for me. Already in the past 5 days I've learned so much. And I haven't even really started in earnest.

ObeeZee reply :

Following along.

th365thli reply :

Question regarding the steering. There's a little bit of play at the wheel. There's also side to side play at the motor. I can turn the motor a little bit before it stops. Anyone have this issue before? I'm not sure it's an issue at the helm. I can feel the steering cable as soon as I turn the wheel. It's just takes some time before the motor starts turning.

Further North reply :

On 2/27/2018 at 10:46 AM, slonezp said:

As a journeyman tradesman I can appreciate fixing and/or creating things with ones own hands. As a guy who'd rather be fishing on the weekends than "fixing" on the weekends, my appreciation goes out the window.

I couldn't be more aligned with that statement if I spent a week trying to write it myself.

I've been on the classic English sports car journey...bottom line, I want to drive, not fix the thing...
I've been on the classic SxS Shotgun journey: bottom line, I want to shoot, not pay for a gunsmith's kids to go to college.
I've been on the "buy an old boat and fix it up" journey...bottom line, I want to fish, not work on the boat.

What I learned from all of those journeys was that while I love the classics, and genuinely admire the time, dedication, hard work and raw talent it takes to get them up to a usable state and maintain them...they are not for me. For example, both the SxS shotguns I own and shoot these days were made less than 15 years ago...

I really like other people's classic cars, other people's classic shotguns and other people's old boats...

Tim Kelly reply :

On 2/28/2018 at 12:23 AM, Further North said:

I couldn't be more aligned with that statement if I spent a week trying to write it myself.

I've been on the classic English sports car journey...bottom line, I want to drive, not fix the thing...

I've been on the classic SxS Shotgun journey: bottom line, I want to shoot, not pay for a gunsmith's kids to go to college.

I've been on the "buy an old boat and fix it up" journey...bottom line, I want to fish, not work on the boat.

What I learned from all of those journeys was that while I love the classics, and genuinely admire the time, dedication, hard work and raw talent it takes to get them up to a usable state and maintain them...they are not for me. For example, both the SxS shotguns I own and shoot these days were made less than 15 years ago...

I really like other people's classic cars, other people's classic shotguns and other people's old boats...

If it floats, flies or f***s, rent it.

Further North reply :

On 2/28/2018 at 12:47 AM, Tim Kelly said:

If it floats, flies or f***s, rent it.

That always makes me laugh...but I gotta go on record as disagreeing with two outta three.

I want my boat, set up my way. I dislike the idea of fishing out of "rental" boats so much it has kept me from doing a fly-in trip in Canada...

I'll let you guess which of the other two I disagree with, but I'll tell you that I've been exceptionally happy being married to the same woman for 27 years...

slonezp reply :

On 2/28/2018 at 5:49 AM, Further North said:

That always makes me laugh...but I gotta go on record as disagreeing with two outta three.

I want my boat, set up my way. I dislike the idea of fishing out of "rental" boats so much it has kept me from doing a fly-in trip in Canada...

I'll let you guess which of the other two I disagree with, but I'll tell you that I've been exceptionally happy being married to the same woman for 27 years...

But did you take her for a test ride before making the final purchase? j/k

Further North reply :

On 2/28/2018 at 8:43 AM, slonezp said:

But did you take her for a test ride before making the final purchase? j/k

Upon reflection, I believe the opposite is where the truth lies...

...and I'm delighted to have passed whatever the test was.

TOXIC reply :

I fall square in the middle. Yes, I want to be fishing but I am cheap so if it is within my skill level and a shop manual, I'll give it a whirl. You can save stupid amounts of $$ performing your own maintenance or you can spend stupid amounts of $$ taking the boat to your trusted mechanic for everything. Knock on wood, I haven't had anything I couldn't handle myself with the help of a good friend who is also a bass boat owner and was at one time a helo mechanic.

Further North reply :

On 2/28/2018 at 7:35 PM, TOXIC said:

I fall square in the middle. Yes, I want to be fishing but I am cheap so if it is within my skill level and a shop manual, I'll give it a whirl. You can save stupid amounts of $$ performing your own maintenance or you can spend stupid amounts of $$ taking the boat to your trusted mechanic for everything. Knock on wood, I haven't had anything I couldn't handle myself with the help of a good friend who is also a bass boat owner and was at one time a helo mechanic.

I agree, and do most of my own maintenance...but to me, there's a step up between maintenance, fixing broken things (see above references to English sports cars, classic SxS shotguns and old boats) and another (huge, IMO) in taking on a restoration project (which is what this cool project looks like to me).

lo n slo reply :

good luck brother. i hope everything works out for you.

th365thli reply :

UPDATE #1

02/28/2018

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I have the first update.

Well I solved the issue temporarily of draining the bilge. I bought a farm hi jack and jacked it up and put it on a saw horse rated for 1000lbs. The problem is, getting it down was dicey. The trailer kind of dropped a little bit when I tried to winch it down. Crappy farm jack was supposed to take it down notch by notch but that didn't go right near the bottom. Good thing I gave the bilge a decent cleaning. I'll be looking at paying for storage. I think this is the right move regardless because our driveway is pretty crowded. And I don't want to jack it up again.

Cleaning

When I got the boat, it was pretty freaking dirty. So the first thing I did was clean. The bilge was filthy. Oil residue everywhere. I tooked out all the batteries and I scrubbed the battery tray and the tanks the best I could. I dumped bilge cleaner in the bilge and just scrubbed and scrubbed. The result is a lot better.

After cleaning:

Fuel Tank Issues

So one issue I had right out the bat was replacing fuel lines. To do so I wanted to take out the fuel tanks. I started with the port side one (right in the picture). I could not get the SOB out. I disconnected all the hoses (had to cut them, were pretty much sealed on the fittings and I'm replacing all those hoses anyway) and I tried to pry out the tanks but no dice. Without prying out the tanks, it makes it super hard to access the fuel tank select valve.

Another question I had was, why do the fuel tanks have 3 fittings? One is fuel output to valve then to engine. One is the gas cap filling input. What's the third one for??

With these issues, I'm going to take it to a mechanic on Saturday and get a quote. I could try and brute force the tanks, but I'm afraid of possibly breaking something. I want to get the mechanic's opinion on how much a fuel refitting would be. The only parts really would be fuel lines, maybe some cleaning, and adding fuel. I bought two yamaha fuel line assemblies. I'll also ask the mechanic what I need to do for the livewell pumps and possibly bilge pumps. Any idea what that cost will be? Yes maybe I can do this myself, but if there's one thing I don't want to screw up, it's fuel lines in the boat. At the very least I can try and figure out the livewells, but getting fuel operational is #1 for sure.

Trim Seals

The next thing I tried to address were the leaky trim seals. I noticed that they were very loose. I bought an adjustable pin wrench because the yamaha tool is $67-140 dollars depending on where you get it from. Yeah screw that. I inspected the outer o-ring and it seemed fine. Dumped more jack fluid in there and tightened it up. I didn't see jack fluid leaking but I could hear air. So maybe the inner o rings are damaged. Regardless I bought some caps and o rings and will be trying to fix that.

Cost So Far

With the coming California rain I won't have an update until after the mechanic visit on Saturday. I am currently $3,333 dollars into this project, including the cost of the boat. I have $611 dollars in actual boat parts (trailer wheels, battery, fuel lines end caps), $347 dollars in tools (Building up a nice tool collection lol), and $374 dollars in accessories (boat cover, tarp, adjustable hitch ball etc.).

th365thli reply :

I just want to thank people again for their encouragement and very detailed advice. It's a herculean task to restore a boat, but the journey will be educational and memorable.

Sometimes I think of the daunting task of doing all the things I listed and I laugh at myself, "What are you getting yourself into", but again, life's about challenges. I'm only 26, I'm not married and don't have kids, and I have some free time available. If there's a time to restore a boat it's now.

TOXIC reply :

I will say your bilge is looking good!! Keep the updates coming!!

Tim Kelly reply :

Great start. Good luck with it.

Way north bass guy reply :

I’m following this thread with great interest!

I have a new boat, have had three different ones bought brand new over the years but have owned older ones in the past as well, and I did enjoy working on the older ones ( from time to time, not always????).

It’s going to be fun riding along with you on this adventure, so to speak, and maybe we’ll all learn a thing or two about something for our own rigs that we may have to deal with in the future.

By the way, nice job on the bilge cleanup. You’re off to a good start, keep up the posts, they’re fun to watch ????????

th365thli reply :

After talking to the mechanic, he said it'll be a little over $500 parts and labor to clean and refit the fuel system. I also asked him to look at the venting too, since the exhaust hose was completely torn up. Because he's so backed up, it'll be about a week before I have any news.

th365thli reply :

Update #2

I finally have a mini update. The boat has been the mechanic for two weeks. I received a call from the mechanic and....

-The fuel system has been refitted with new hoses. Apparently the mechanic couldn't get the tank out himself but he managed to fit everything.

-He ran the motor and says it sounds great. Apparently there was something blocking the water flow, he unblocked and the tell-tale pees like it should. This is great news, because for now I don't have to change out the impeller. I bought a new one and a new gasket just in case

-He thinks the motor not being able to shutoff is a wiring issue. He suspects a wire near the motor has been broken. I'll check again when I pick up the boat tomorrow.

-The left side fuel gauge is not working. This is easily remedied as a fuel indicator system is not that complex.

-So before I sent off the boat to the mechanic I managed to tighten the existing trim cap seals. The mechanic said it just needs more fluid, so I ordered more fluid and will be topping that off.

All in all, some welcome and relieving news. The most pressing issue now is the motor stop issue. The best case is that it's a broken wire. The worst case is I need to replace the power pack, which of course I would need to send it back again.

I'm super stoked to be getting the boat back tomorrow, and I'll be working on it all day weather permitting. I have some exciting things coming in (or already received):

-2 group 30 Cabela's deep cycle batteries for the trolling motor

-18' x 8' teal colored carpet from boatcarpetbuys.com

-Seastar hydraulic fluid (unfortunately the stupid proprietary hose fitting is taking a while to ship). Does anyone know how to fill/bleed without using their proprietary overpriced kit?

-Meguiars Fiberglass restoration kit

I updated the 1st post with things already finished and more things to be done.

Further North reply :

Cool...and fun to read!

th365thli reply :

Sometimes I astound myself with how stupid I can be.

Today I checked the live well and bilge system. I undid most of the hoses and took out two bilge pumps and the rear aerator pump. All but one of the bilge pumps worked and seemed to run robust. It must be a wiring issue that they didn’t run when hooked up to the boat wiring system.

However, while checking and rechecking the wires I accidentally reversed polarity on my battery. Now everything is dead.

I panicked and called another local mechanic, he told me to relax and not worry, older two strokes are simple and there’s probably a blown fuse in the motor somewhere. If the motor was newer and had a computer I might be screwed. I asked him about the boat wiring and gauges and he told me he would check for me. The fuse blocks were okay for the accessories. I wonder if fixing the motor fuse would fix the gauges or if there are two separate circuit breakers.

At any rate....yay for carelessness and stupidity.

iabass8 reply :

Ha, you're fine. There's (usually) a main fuse under the cowling next to or behind the wiring harness. You probably blew it. Just get a few extra and replace it.

th365thli reply :

On 3/19/2018 at 6:33 AM, iabass8 said:

Ha, you're fine. There's (usually) a main fuse under the cowling next to or behind the wiring harness. You probably blew it. Just get a few extra and replace it.

Thanks, are the gauges and motor hooked up such that replacing that fuse will fix the gauges? I’ll be calling ranger tmrw to ask their opinion.

iabass8 reply :

On 3/19/2018 at 7:04 AM, th365thli said:

Thanks, are the gauges and motor hooked up such that replacing that fuse will fix the gauges? I’ll be calling ranger tmrw to ask their opinion.

Yea. They all share (or should) the same wiring harness. Ive swapped out gagues and put the ground on the wrong post...shorted the whole boat. Blew the main fuse on the motor. It happens.

Further North reply :

On 3/19/2018 at 7:19 AM, iabass8 said:

Yea. They all share (or should) the same wiring harness. Ive swapped out gagues and put the ground on the wrong post...shorted the whole boat. Blew the main fuse on the motor. It happens.

Yep. Stuff happens. That's how we learn. PDCA.

th365thli reply :

Yep, found the fuse, checked it, and it's busted.

Will be ordering a bunch of these.

Hopefully the gauges will work as well. Thanks y'all.

TheRodFather reply :

That wire feeds 12v to the outboard controller, and possibly some other functions at the console. I wouldn't think fixing the blown fuse would make something work that wasn't working before the fuse blew.

If you have a DVOM it should be easy enough to check continuity in different places to isolate the break that is keeping your controller from grounding out the CDI box. If you ground the CDI out with a jumper to a good ground, and the motor shuts off, you can rule out the CDI box like you already mentioned. If the problem is on the black wire side of the circuit that might explain some random things not working. Dielectric grease does a great job of keeping moisture out once you get the terminals/plugs cleaned up. If you haven't already, maybe have a peek in the outboard controller at the ignition switch itself to see if there is evidence of heat damage or arcing.

How many wires are coming off the cranking battery? Just the wires going to the outboard, or are there others? The majority of "house" power to the boat, pumps, lights etc, should be getting 12v from the battery, and not getting their power from that wire, the stator/alternator isn't really designed for that much load, that wire is mainly for 12v power to the controller for starting/ignition signal, and possibly the gauges/gauge back lighting or other minor current draws. A lot of times, over the years, people add things and use the easiest 12v they can find, but that wire isn't meant to handle much, and every load that gets added to it has the potential to steal amps that should be used to charge the cranking battery when the outboard is running.

th365thli reply :

On 3/20/2018 at 10:15 AM, TheRodFather said:

That wire feeds 12v to the outboard controller, and possibly some other functions at the console. I wouldn't think fixing the blown fuse would make something work that wasn't working before the fuse blew.

If you have a DVOM it should be easy enough to check continuity in different places to isolate the break that is keeping your controller from grounding out the CDI box. If you ground the CDI out with a jumper to a good ground, and the motor shuts off, you can rule out the CDI box like you already mentioned. If the problem is on the black wire side of the circuit that might explain some random things not working. Dielectric grease does a great job of keeping moisture out once you get the terminals/plugs cleaned up. If you haven't already, maybe have a peek in the outboard controller at the ignition switch itself to see if there is evidence of heat damage or arcing.

How many wires are coming off the cranking battery? Just the wires going to the outboard, or are there others? The majority of "house" power to the boat, pumps, lights etc, should be getting 12v from the battery, and not getting their power from that wire, the stator/alternator isn't really designed for that much load, that wire is mainly for 12v power to the controller for starting/ignition signal, and possibly the gauges/gauge back lighting or other minor current draws. A lot of times, over the years, people add things and use the easiest 12v they can find, but that wire isn't meant to handle much, and every load that gets added to it has the potential to steal amps that should be used to charge the cranking battery when the outboard is running.

Thanks for the detailed reply, everything you said is true or at least fits with what happened.

I only connected the motor battery leads wrong, which is why only the motor blew a fuse. The accessories cable also connects to the cranking battery but since I didn't connect them wrong (or at all) everything was intact. What a relief! For some reason I thought only one wire fed power to all the accessories, gauges, and motor, but thankfully that's not the case.

I definitely agree, I wouldn't want to add accessories directly on the main motor wire. Even in these older rangers there's ways to safely add additional accessories should you need it.

As far as the shut off issue, turns out my power pack was busted. Makes sense, since I was getting continuity on the white stop motor wire and ground. More details in the update below.

th365thli reply :

Update #3

Some great news today. After blowing out the motor fuse yesterday I was able to meet with the mechanic today. It doesn't take a mechanic to change the fuse but I also wanted him to look at the motor shutoff issue. I checked continuity of the motor kill wire (on Yamahas it's white) with ground and there was a connection. I had sneakily suspected there was an issue with the CDI but held on to hope that it was something much cheaper. Shelling out 300-900 for a CDI assembly, depending on how used it is, really really sucks.

I dropped off the boat in the morning and was very pleasantly surprised when I got a call this afternoon saying it was ready. Turns out it was an issue with the CDI. I was very fortunate this mechanic was honest and helpful. He replaced the CDI assembly and pretty much only charged me for labor (He says he had a spare powerpack lying around). He also fixed my electronic choke. Finally, he helped me fill up my trim fluid on the spot when I asked him for it. All this was $500. That's not that much more than the cost of a used CDI assembly by itself! New ones run for around $900. So for $500 I got some important issues taken care of and a ton of wisdom from a reputable mechanic.

Now I get to move on to other things. Right now I'm checking the pumps. I'm again surprised that all the accesory wiring seems to be sound. Also, all pumps work except for the automatic bilge pump. A replacement is already on the way. I'm also replacing the rear aerator pump with a 800gph as opposed to the 500gph unit it came with. The flowrite valve control cable system seems really janky to me but it is what it is I guess. If I can't get those cables to cooperate I'm just going to manually flip the valve as opposed to the slider. I'm going to use the front livewell as an ice chest. It's tiny anyway, won't be that effective holding the massive 10lbers I'll catch (just kidding).

You can see in the background the manual bilge pump that came with the boat. It still runs strong. The automatic bilge pump I will install as soon as it gets here. One thing that's annoying is this ranger uses a two pin connector that I can't find anywhere. I have to cut the wire and solder the new pump wires onto the connector. If pumps fail on me I can only change them out so many times before I run out of wire to solder.

The livewell pump sliders were stuck. Most boats have a circle switch for the flowrite valves but I guess this boat is old-school. The front valve had a lot of gunk, cleaning that off I was able to use the slider. The other was just seized or something. Popped the panel open and sprayed WD40 into the cable sleeve. Though a little stiff, both work now. Not too concerned since I'm using the front livewell as an icebox. The rear one I'm going to keep on fill until I'm done for the day.

Replaced the fuses

Did some other things that I didn't take pictures of. Changed the trailer winch. I cleaned the compartments and the livewells. They were beyond filthy. Took out the middle seat in the bench. I need to get rid of the wood backrest in the middle, does anyone know how to do that? The screw heads are inside the boat if that makes in sense.

The laundry list is slowly but surely getting smaller. As far as strictly getting it ready to fish, I need to finish replacing the pumps. I have two deep cycle batteries and a circuit breaker along the way for the trolling motor. I have a Minn Kota Ultrex on the way (insanely excited about this). And I need to add steering fluid. If I wanted to fish ASAP, that's it. Of course I also want to replace the carpet, give the fiberglass a good treatment and cleaning, wipe down the vinyl seats, get a new power pedestal, and maybe recess the trolling motor foot pedal. But the end is in sight, just need to not screw anything up.

The total cost now is around $5500. This includes the price of the boat (but does not include the price of the Ultrex haha). However, I had to buy a lot of tools, some of which I should have had already. If you subtract the cost of tools and the cost of accessories like a boat cover and a hitch ball, the cost of restoration is around $4600. Most importantly, I've reached a point where I don't think I need to get anything else. The new carpet is sitting in the garage. I have the steering fluid and fiberglass treatment compounds. The Ultrex is on the way. Again, the price does not include the Ultrex. That's a luxury item so to speak, not a necessity. It's also near half the cost of this restoration project by itself :p.

Shout out to Leland's Marine and Voyager Marine for helping me with my troubles. I never got the sense I was being shafted by either one. Leland doesn't really work on outboards, but Voyager Marine has 30 years experience working on motors.

TOXIC reply :

Awesome progress. Just an FYI, I have made many a run to Radio Shack to get oddball connectors. Last time was replacing my old style Water Pressure Gauge with the new style. Ranger sent the wrong wiring pigtail and we headed out and made one ourselves. Depending on the level of oxidation in the gel, it will be well worth you time to wet sand. Some products will make it look new only to have the dull finish return in a month. Been there done that.

TheRodFather reply :

When I restored my boat, I used these connectors I found on ebay, now granted, I rewired the whole boat so at that point, the hassle of building the connectors was minor:

https://www.delcity.net/store/Deutsch-DT-Series-Plugs/p_821870.h_821871.r_IF1003?mkwid=s8Myre8ik&crid=38094426869&mp_kw=&mp_mt=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5vK28In72QIVClqGCh3lDwQqEAQYAiABEgKHsfD_BwE

They are waterproof, and I soldered them in, since I used the same pump manufacturer for bilge and livewell, and kept the pumps the "male" end of the connectors, I can switch pumps around quickly in case the bilge pump fails. I used the same type of pump that you have in your picture for bilge and livewell, so the motor/impeller cartridge can come out of either housing and go right into the other housing.

Here is the thread for my resto:

th365thli reply :

On 3/20/2018 at 10:14 PM, TheRodFather said:

When I restored my boat, I used these connectors I found on ebay, now granted, I rewired the whole boat so at that point, the hassle of building the connectors was minor:

https://www.delcity.net/store/Deutsch-DT-Series-Plugs/p_821870.h_821871.r_IF1003?mkwid=s8Myre8ik&crid=38094426869&mp_kw=&mp_mt=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5vK28In72QIVClqGCh3lDwQqEAQYAiABEgKHsfD_BwE

They are waterproof, and I soldered them in, since I used the same pump manufacturer for bilge and livewell, and kept the pumps the "male" end of the connectors, I can switch pumps around quickly in case the bilge pump fails. I used the same type of pump that you have in your picture for bilge and livewell, so the motor/impeller cartridge can come out of either housing and go right into the other housing.

Here is the thread for my resto:

My goodness, I thought my boat needed TLC. That looked like an adventure to say the least. Love the finished product though and I hope I get mine looking like yours.

Just curious, how difficult was it to feed the wires through the hull? That's my biggest fear. Luckily the wiring in this one is pretty good so far and I haven't had to run any wires through anything yet.

TheRodFather reply :

On 3/21/2018 at 2:21 AM, th365thli said:

My goodness, I thought my boat needed TLC. That looked like an adventure to say the least. Love the finished product though and I hope I get mine looking like yours.

Just curious, how difficult was it to feed the wires through the hull? That's my biggest fear. Luckily the wiring in this one is pretty good so far and I haven't had to run any wires through anything yet.

Well, I guess that all depends on where the wires go through. I will say that all of my wires were either behind aluminum panels that needed rivets drilled out and removed to get to, or encapsulated in the two part expanding foam that the manufacturer used when the boat was first built. I had to rip out most of the foam so rigging new wiring was as easy as laying it in there then pouring new foam. If I was keeping the old foam, I imagine I could have put a slice in the foam to lay the wire in, like putting in one of those invisible dog fences, or using a long drill bit and drilling a channel.

But I am unfamiliar with fiberglass construction, so I don't really know if your boat has the foam in the cavities.

th365thli reply :

Update #4

Good day, got a lot of stuff done but first the bad news. The new 800 gph pump I got just died. I connected it and everything but then it wouldn't turn on. Checked voltage and I was feeding it power. Took it out and confirmed it died. Kind of annoying. I put the 500 gph one back in there and did a rough test of the fill feature.

I filled up the livewell then put the valve to "empty". This allows the water to drain out from the livewell drain hole. The drain hole is also the intake hole, so while the livewell was draining I turned the pump on. This isn't a perfect system because the pump sucks in water faster than the livewell can drain it. I'm not really sure exactly what's happening but I think the pump starts sucking in more air than water and eventually stops pumping in water. Regardless, I'm still able to verify nothing is plugged up and water is coming in. I'm confident when the boat is in water I'll have no issues:

The flowrite valve cables are a lost cause. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the design, it seems very prone to failure. I'm leaving it on "fill" most of the day anyway. So now I'll manually flip it to "empty" at the end of the day. I'll revisit this in the future, maybe next year, but for now, I'm able to put in water. I'l have a poor man's recirculate by filling it up and using the overflow to drain old water. In the future, I might overhaul the system with an auto and recirculate, but since I'm not tournament fishing (yet) it's not a huge concern.

Verified bilge pump is working:

I'm finally able to put in the battery tray and the oil tank in it's right place. It feels great to be pretty much done with the bilge area.

It's not the cleanest, but it's a billion times better than what it was before:

A funny issue. Both my trolling motor batteries came today. They're a little too wide. Ehh whatever. At this point I'm too tired to care. They're not going anywhere. (I only have one put in the picture)

Man, looking at these pictures I forgot to clean the lid. It's pretty moldy. Will do that as soon as the rain stops.

Also topped off the hydraulic steering fluid. Mechanic told me he doesn't think I need to bleed it. After topping it off the looseness definitely drastically decreased. I counted about 4-5 complete helm revolutions to make the motor go end to end. I think that's pretty standard. I tried moving the motor by hand and it felt decently stiff. I'll be keeping an eye on the seastar valve seals, but so far so good.

Whew, what a day. The benefits of getting to "work from home".

So let's go over what was done: Motor shut off issue fixed. Bilge area restored. Batteries replaced. Steering fluid added.

What still needs to be done: 3 bank charger coming in and needs to be installed. Install trolling motor circuit breaker. Install fish finder. Install trim tab anode. Marine-tex coming in and then I plug up some screw holes. And finally, installing the Ultrex. Supposedly the Ultrex can line up with the motorguide holes. Crossing my fingers this will work. That's for getting it on the water. I want to re-carpet it and restore the fiberglass too.

Seems like a lot, but a lot of these are straightforward tasks. Hopefully I'll be able to take it on the water next week. Just in time for the rains to end and the fish to move to the beds.

Oops I almost forgot. The port side fuel gauge doesn't work. Fuel gauges are not complicated, hope I can easily fix this one.

th365thli reply :

UPDATE #5

Started re-carpeting today. Stripped everything and vacuumed and cleaned. And boy did I clean. Lots of dirt and gunk that got accumulated over the years.....

Almost have the back finished. Need to replace all the latches. Also the carpeting job is a little messy, my first time doing. Don't really care that much as long as I get coverage. Plus I'm just going to redo it again in a few years anyway.

Installed the Ultrex. The most fun part of the day. Can't wait to use it.

Before I install the foot pedal, I want to re-carpet the front area. Pretty much spent an hour scraping, and it can still use some more. Putting on carpet is easy. Scraping it off sucks.

Almost finished with the critical stuff. Hoping to take her out this weekend....

iabass8 reply :

Do yourself a favor and before you re-carpet the front, install a recessed TM tray. Looks good so far...aside from your choice in carpet color.

WRB reply :

I know you are tired of working on the batteries, make sure they are setting on a flat surface, not on the tray edges as that can crack the battery case.

Did you find out how the gasoline fuel switch works?

Looks like you are enjoying your Ranger 375 restoration project, very comfortable and stable hull to fish from, good luck.

Tom

th365thli reply :

On 3/29/2018 at 2:11 AM, iabass8 said:

Do yourself a favor and before you re-carpet the front, install a recessed TM tray. Looks good so far...aside from your choice in carpet color.

Lmaoooo my girlfriend said the same thing. Reaffirms the fact all design choices must go through her. In my defense, it looked darker online.

I really want to do a recessed tray but I'm almost budgeted out this month. No worries, I'll do it when I can. Plus I would need to get a jigsaw. I have a reciprocating saw but i'm not comfortable using it to make straight cuts.

On 3/29/2018 at 3:26 AM, WRB said:

I know you are tired of working on the batteries, make sure they are setting on a flat surface, not on the tray edges as that can crack the battery case.

Did you find out how the gasoline fuel switch works?

Looks like you are enjoying your Ranger 375 restoration project, very comfortable and stable hull to fish from, good luck.

Tom

Hmm, i'll by some wood and make a platform for the batteries. If you're talking about the switch that determines which tank (right or left) the gauge measures, i'm not sure. As in I'm not sure if the selector switch is faulty or the fuel sensor at the tank is faulty. The tank selector valve for feeding fuel works.

-------------------

Cleaning this boat is turning out to be a bigger task than I thought. It's a shame that it was allowed to sit in this condition for so long. Removed the front bench seat backing (kept the seat/lid). The port side bench seat was such a hassle. Long story short I had to bust out the reciprocating saw and cut away the wood to access the screw that wasn't turning like it should've been. And dirt. So much dirt and grime. But it's starting to come together and looking like a proper boat. Full update on Friday.

The driver and passenger seats seem to be in good enough condition for now. I'm certain the wood backing is weak and rotting, but they work and are stable. I spent a lot of money the past two months, so I'll ride these seats out for as long as I can and then install new ones.

------------------------------

Checklist of things I need to do for my personal tracking:

-Finish carpeting the back

-Finish Ultrex installation

-Carpet the front deck

-Plug up screw holes

-Install latches and struts for the back compartments

-Clean. Clean. And more cleaning.

-Install fish finder

-Fill her up with gas.

-Test fire motor before taking it on the water

longer term:

-Casting deck extension (fairly large project)

-Drill holes in rod lockers so I can fit my rods

-Recess foot pedal

Sort of a silly question, how do you guys fill her up without being close to a marine dock. Do you just go to a gas station and pump fuel like a car?

TOXIC reply :

Awesome!!

boostr reply :

On 3/29/2018 at 4:40 AM, th365thli said:

Sort of a silly question, how do you guys fill her up without being close to a marine dock. Do you just go to a gas station and pump fuel like a car?

Yup, but in my case here in NJ somebody at the station has to do it. It's also handy when your tow vehicle and boat have the filler on the same side.

TOXIC reply :

There is usually an art to filling. Every boat is different. Some can take the nozzle straight in and full blast. Others need the fill nozzle upside down and a lot won't take full blast withought belching fuel. When I fill, it's upside down and about 1/2 speed. I keep my ear close to the nozzle because as it gets close to full, it will gurgle to tell me it's getting ready to spew like a baby eating peas. I always try to fill at high traffic stations (manuvering can be a problem) because marina gas is usually a lot more expensive. When we go to Michigan and are on the island with no stations, I use this:

Further North reply :

On 3/29/2018 at 4:40 AM, th365thli said:

I have a reciprocating saw but i'm not comfortable using it to make straight cuts.

On 3/29/2018 at 3:26 AM, WRB said:

That's a good call.

th365thli reply :

UPDATE #6

Well boys, it's finally time. I finished all the critical areas. All these were done over the course of past couple days.

Cleaned the compartments the best I could.

Put in a new minn kota 3 bank charger (10 amps per bank)

Put in new locking latches for the bilge and the two compartments. Also gas struts. It felt good being able to put my tackle and other doo-dads in there. When I had the kayak I had to load and unload constantly.

The back area is done. Yeah it's messy, the bilge compartment I screwed up, it's not completely flat. I got some careless glue spots and rough edges. But whatever, it's carpeted. I've been busting butt over the past two weeks on this boat and I'm okay with it not being perfect or spotless.

The area between the two seats I purposely left especially rough. Those two seats are pretty beat, but I'm budgeted out and don't want to drop another $400 on bench seats. I'm going to ride these seats out as long as I can before I get new seats.

Have not carpeted the middle deck yet. I'm all carpeted out lol. But I did vacuum and install my Garmin 73sv

Finally, the best part. The area where I'll be fishing off of. Carpeting flat deck is so much easier than carpeting compartments. Hinges are such a PITA. I used builder paper and a sharpie to make a template of the front area. Then it's as simple as tracing the template on the carpet, cutting, and gluing. I also completely finished installing the Ultrex. Screwed the pedal down, and found a spot for the heading sensor. I'm sorry iabass8, no recessed tray this time, but this boat isn't done and I've got big plans down the line.

Some other things/notes:

Put marintex on screw holes

Installed transducer on a stern saver. Love these things, hope they hold up.

The Garmin power cable was too short to reach the battery. I used the power to the cigarette lighter. I don't smoke, so the power is being better used. Freaked out a little when my fish finder didn't turn on. No worries, just blew a fuse. Fish finders use more amps than lighting cigarettes lol. Switched to a 30amp fuse per Garmin spec.

I will never own a boat without gas struts. For the price, ease of install, and convenience, they are a no-brainer.

Filled her up. 10 gallons each side. Hey, turns out the port fuel gauge was working after all. I just screwed the leads back on the gas tank. I had the screws this whole time, which maybe explains why the mechanic couldn't get a read. Fueling was interesting. Definitely gotta ease up on the flow and find the right angle.

Actually, speaking of gauges and wiring, nearly everything still works. I'm very very impressed. Even the light on the bow panel (where you plug the trolling motor in) works. I re-purposed the light's switch for the Ultrex heading sensor (the sensor doesn't have a power off, weird choice minn kota). But yeah, every place where I checked for voltage, I got a healthy reading. Very impressed with this Ranger build quality (knock on wood). I can't believe the wiring survived with the boat in the state I got it. I swear if the speedo works....

The big day is tmrw (Saturday). I fired up the motor for a final check, looks good. I probably need to put more gear oil in. I put an entire quart in with some spillage, so maybe 25 ounces or slightly above? Nothing came out of the vent hole. I'm not going to be running her hard tmrw, just making sure everything works. It's a small reservoir. But before I take it out on the delta I want to be extra sure........I will say, I hate this step, it's so messy, filling the lower unit from the bottom.

*Edit* just read the manual and says capacity is 33 ounces. So I'm a little under. I feel like for a short run tmrw this shouldn't be an issue. Someone please correct me if I'm completely off

The screw for the trim anode is missing. Gotta order it. One trip without it should be fine.

Tim Kelly reply :

Well done. I would double check on that fuse for the Garmin. 3amp would be more usual. 30 amps is a lot of draw! Hope the first launch goes well and you get to slime the boat.

slonezp reply :

You picked that carpet color on purpose? Looks like it's coming along well

iabass8 reply :

30a seems crazy for a garmin but then again I've never used them. I have 3 Lowrances on mine and they all have as 3-5a fuse. My Ultrex uses a 60a breaker. If you have power issues with your Garmin, do yourself a favor and extend the power cord /w 10-12a marine grade wire back to the starter battery and put the required fuse on the + wire of the unit right at the battery. I use all my electronics be it from the bow or the console on their own wiring straight back to the battery and fuse them there. That or use a dedicated blueseas fuse box for your electronics down the road.

LU fill is generally 33oz which is annoying because most bottles come as 32oz. Completely drain yours and fill it up /w fresh oil. Don't mix and match.

20g fuel capacity sounds low. I'm thinking you should have 24-28.

My heading sensor for my Ultrex is behind me on the back deck. It's almost useless for me. I can count on 1 hand how many time's I've used the remote. I always use the foot pedal.

Your seats actually look pretty good for how old they are. Good thing they are the same color as duct tape. Seats are indeed expensive. Only change them when you change out the carpet which will hopefully be next year.

Your boat looks to be coming along great....except for that carpet. Good god that is awful. BUT...if she floats and runs that's all that matters at the end of the day.

th365thli reply :

The only thing I can say is I hope I got all the mistakes out today. Because I made a huge one.

Remember when everyone and their grandma was telling me to not forget the drain plug? Will I forgot to plug it up. I knew something was wrong when the aft was sitting really low. I frantically turned on the bilge pump and I brought it up. Crisis solved right?

That's what I thought. But turns out water got into the starboard gas tank. (it must have come in from the vent hole on the side). I knew something was screwed when I tried starting the motor and it sputtered. So I switched to the port tank. Same thing but eventually it got some fuel in. Crisis solved right?

Well I guess some water got into the port tank too because the engine started sputtering. I managed to make it to the dock and head home.

So I need to drain the fuel tanks and dump the water separator filter. I hope I didn't do any lasting damage to the engine but my mechanic said I should be okay. I definitely need to get the water out asap.

Is there anything else I should do? Will seafoam help flush the remaining water in the engine? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

iabass8 reply :

Ha you must have really left that thing in the water if it got to the vents. As long as you didn’t run it for more than a few minutes, you’re probably fine. You can disconnect the fuel line and just pump the bulb or do it through the intake. Water will be on the bottom. Shops will do it for you quicker than you can unless you have a battery powered pump.

Drain the tanks, dry them, change the separator and fuel filter, fill with fresh gas and put a full can if seafoam in each tank and mix in some startron in each tank too and go run it easy for a 1/4 tank on each tank.

make sure you jack that boat up as high as it goes when you get home. Theres more water stuck in there than you think.

Leaving the plug out is a right of passage.

th365thli reply :

I definitely ran if for more than a few minutes. What happened was the port side was running well until it didn’t. I had to get back to the ramp so I idled all the way back. If I tried to open it up it started backfiring and making undesirable noises.

mechanic pretty much told me the same, run clean fuel through it with some additives for a little bit to flush out the water. I also found this thing called mechanic in a bottle that claims to help get rid of water.

Hez reply :

frosty reply :

On 4/1/2018 at 11:43 AM, iabass8 said:

Leaving the plug out is a right of passage.

First time me and dad put the boat in when I was a kid, dad why is there water up here???

WRB reply :

Your new bilge pump should have started automatically when a few inches of water enter the bilge! Better revisit the installation procedure.

Tom

th365thli reply :

Well I drained out all the gas. They say you only have to drain the bottom where the water sits, but I drained everything out to be safe. What a waste of gas, 20 gallons and ~70-80 bucks down the drain (not literally, I have an appointment with San Jose Hazardous Waste Disposal).

I refilled and put some mechanic in a bottle inside. I idled for a bit, then put some seafoam in, and idled again. Finally, I put some startron in. In the end the engine started up robustly and the backfires stopped.

I might take it out again tmrw and see if it's problem free. One of my biggest flaws is lack of patience. When an issue takes my mind I hate waiting.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Hopefully I'll have a much better update next time.

I started having an issue with spotlock on the water. The motor would turn all the way and then spotlock would shutoff. Anyone have this issue?

Hez reply :

On 4/2/2018 at 12:26 PM, th365thli said:

One of my biggest flaws is lack of patience. When an issue takes my mind I hate waiting.

Mine too...

I always say I am proactive to a fault at times....better than being lazy, I suppose.

Enjoying your restoration bud...I have a 374v, so if you have any questions I might be able to help you out...unless it is related to your passenger console...I don't have one of those.

th365thli reply :

On 4/11/2018 at 6:32 PM, Hez said:

Mine too...

I always say I am proactive to a fault at times....better than being lazy, I suppose.

Enjoying your restoration bud...I have a 374v, so if you have any questions I might be able to help you out...unless it is related to your passenger console...I don't have one of those.

Thank you!

The bulk of it's done. There was one last expensive issue and it was a spun prop. I've got some carpeting I've been putting off but it's more than fishable. Very impressed with it. Already "broke it in".

The next thing on the list is extending the casting deck. Have you done it for your 373? People online have done it, been trying to research how they do it.

Also, people have drilled holes at the front of the rod lockers for modern rods. Right now they only fit 6 foot rods. I think i'll do that when I recess my foot pedal.

Been putting these things off. Gotta get the fishing in!

Hez reply :

I do have a deck extension. It was already installed on my boat when I got it. It extends all of the way back to the drivers console. I could not imagine not having it.

I have not drilled holes in my rod locker. I put my rods longer than 7' on the deck and leave them there. But...I don't have a passenger console so they just barely fit.

TheRodFather reply :

As far as drilling the holes for the longer rods, my plan was to drill the holes and install those tubes that you see in golf bags, that way the guides are not getting beat up on the way in and out. They are black plastic, maybe 1 1/4in diameter, and have a rolled lip on them so they would sit flush with the surface you drilled the hole in.

frosty reply :

On 4/13/2018 at 6:44 AM, TheRodFather said:

As far as drilling the holes for the longer rods, my plan was to drill the holes and install those tubes that you see in golf bags, that way the guides are not getting beat up on the way in and out. They are black plastic, maybe 1 1/4in diameter, and have a rolled lip on them so they would sit flush with the surface you drilled the hole in.

PVC pipe and a 1/8” round over bit in a router... on second thought that might be a little dangerous...

th365thli reply :

Or I can just keep them in the rod sleeves, people say that works.

I'll have to look into the golf tube thing.

TheRodFather reply :

Last year I made a rod carrier out of PVC and some wood, the concept was functional but I never really ended up using it. Picture a golf bag with those retractable legs so you can set it down without laying it down. The idea was to make a carrier that could transport 3 or 4 rods in an orderly fashion for walking the bank.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/ROD-RUNNER/2194874.uts?productVariantId=4500688&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04365222&rid=20&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqsHWBRDsARIsALPWMEMoCZvcWvegK10T_s2MkyLNLcoktTnngPigu2twkC3uCKE2PWfDQSwaAgOHEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Anywho, to get the chamfer on the pipe, I glued them flush with the top board, then the router had a flat surface to reference when shaping the inside of the pipe.

webertime reply :

I have a 374v. Definitely put a recessed TM tray in then you can easily access the foam you need to dig out in order to extend your rod locker.

Once that is dug out, go in rod locker, remove the carpet at the front of the bulkhead.

Use a drill bit that you use to drive a hole for a doorknob with and drill one hole on the upper right corner of the bulkhead.

Use a hacksaw blade with a clothe around the blade as a handle to expand that hole as needed and not accidentally hurt the hull or anything.

th365thli reply :

On 4/13/2018 at 10:01 PM, webertime said:

I have a 374v. Definitely put a recessed TM tray in then you can easily access the foam you need to dig out in order to extend your rod locker.

Once that is dug out, go in rod locker, remove the carpet at the front of the bulkhead.

Use a drill bit that you use to drive a hole for a doorknob with and drill one hole on the upper right corner of the bulkhead.

Use a hacksaw blade with a clothe around the blade as a handle to expand that hole as needed and not accidentally hurt the hull or anything.

This doesn’t sound too bad! Would it be too much trouble for a picture of the holes in the rod locker?

Redlinerobert reply :

Wow. Great job!

th365thli reply :

Well it's been a little while. I believe the last step I did was re-carpeting the boat. Since then I've fished several times.

I mean, I'm not some bass boat expert but the boat rides very well. People have told me the 300 series have stable hulls and I believe them. This helps in dealing with the ******* wakeboarders and jet skiers on my lake. I've also been on the Delta a few times and it's rock solid.

Theoretically, the motor can push this boat to around 55 mph depending on weight at WOT (5500-5800rpm). To be quite honest with you I've maybe opened it all the way once, and that was to test the motor. I simply just don't need or want to go that fast, and I usually cruise around 30-35mph.

Livewell works great. The timer still works too, to my pleasant surprise. d**n this boat has held up. I haven't found the need for recirculate. I just hit auto, let the livewell periodically fill and overflow. I suspect recirculate is for those tourney guys that are on plane for 30 minutes or more.

I had a spun prop that I re-proped to a lower pitch. I don't really care about the top speed and I do believe hole shot is quicker.

Building an extended casting deck. Right now applying spar urethane for water resistance. Got some hinges. Just need to get some latches.

Ordered a recessed foot pedal tray. When installing that I'm going to be drilling holes for the rod locker. This makes me nervous as hell, drilling 2 inch holes in the boat. I took a screenshot of the area that needs to be drilled.

The project is almost done. Boats man. I've stopped updating my cost spreadsheet. I can throw money at this thing my entire life. However, I do believe the spreadsheet is still valuable because I've always said, it was to document cost to get it "fishable".

Extended casting deck. Recessed tray. Extend rod lockers. Finish line.

Just some random thoughts, coming from a kayak to a boat. The freedom it allows me is insane. I sort of equate it to getting your drivers license and/or your first car. I just feel...unbound. It would take me 15 minutes to paddle from one end of the reservoir to the other. I can traverse that in an absurd fraction of that time now. Planning my fishing "route" isn't a thing anymore. I can jump spots until I run out of gas. I remember fishing the Delta, I was restricted to a small radius, not anymore. I ran from Discovery bay, to Frank's Tract, to the Mildred Island area one day. I mean, I burned so much gas and money, but the point still stands.

This isn't a total pro though. I've realized that I was turning into an impatient angler. If I didn't catch a fish within an x amount of time, I would jump spots. On a kayak I didn't do that because it's impossible. I would really really break down spots. I used to think kayakers claiming they caught more fish on a kayak were exaggerating, but I can really see it now. If you're not disciplined you can spend all day running and not fishing. I think kayak fishing and bass boats teach you different disciplines.

Nothing beats fishing off a trolling motor. Not having to constantly pedal/paddle against wind is just so....nice. Course corrections with my foot while casting is just intuitive. The Ultrex is a game changer, spot lock is just so useful. That being said, there is value in catching a fish on a kayak, where you're right at the water. It's more intimate, I understand that. Do I regret selling my kayaks and getting the boat? Well of course not, but kayaking still has a lot of value.

th365thli reply :

Casting deck finished. Recessed tray finished. Removed oxidation and polished. Can't get the original color shine because of sun damage, but I got close.

It's not perfect. But it works.

Extend rod lockers. Got a hole saw bit stuck in there when trying to do it. Need to get it out. Add some latches. Replace rub rail rope. Get a bow fish finder. Seastar steering seal leaks, need to fix that. Capped off drain and overflow in front livewell, but water still gets in there. It must be coming from the inflow pump. Need to cap it off.

And on it goes. Love the boat.

volzfan59 reply :

You are doing a great job! Thanks for sharing your progress.

crypt reply :

d**n nice job.........

DillonT reply :

Hey man! Looking great so far!

Also in the process of restoring my ‘87 375v, too!

Ordered my carpet material and now I’m just waiting on that, before I get my Marine board and build a new deck and recarpet everything!

Central CA native here as well!

Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

th365thli reply :

On 5/31/2018 at 1:32 AM, DillonT said:

Hey man! Looking great so far!

Also in the process of restoring my ‘87 375v, too!

Ordered my carpet material and now I’m just waiting on that, before I get my Marine board and build a new deck and recarpet everything!

Central CA native here as well!

Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

That's a slick looking boat, looks pretty good already, good luck.

Hit me up if you ever go to the Delta.

th365thli reply :

Pictures below

It's been a while since the last update. However, new season brings new things:

List of addition/changes:
-Changed carpet color and density. Didn't like the color before, plus I didn't like the job I did. This time it's much cleaner.
-The old seats were on their last legs. Bought new seats.
-Rebuilt the casting deck. Last year, I just wanted something functional. This year, I wanted to make something that operated and looked better

-Added keel guard

-fixed electric choke switch, had to bypass a wire

-Rivet nutted the holes where control box attached to hull. I had used a bolt and some gorilla glue for attachment. Definitely not ideal. Rivet nuts are great.

-rebuilt carbs, changed impeller, some various gaskets

-replaced glove box lock

-wrapped wires and cables with nylon cable sleeves

-Added a hot foot

-Fixed some minor wiring issues. Fuses that needed replacing, incorrect connections etc.

-Replaced trailer suspension. this was a pain in the rear. Conceptually, not hard. Physically, a pain in the ass.

-Finally bought a pedestal for the rear. Help a fishing partner out.

-Bought a flush bag. Can I say these things are so freaking overpriced. $215 for some plastic canvas material and pvc pipe. Utterly ridiculous. I had to do it because my motor won't flush on muffs, and it's not possible for me to drive to a body of water on demand. It needs water to be above the impeller. And it is nice to be able to properly adjust the motor as you need proper back pressure. Still though....way overpriced.

I can say that this boat is close to 100% as anybody can make it. So naturally, me being a restless m fer, I had to find something to do. And that would be console dash. I bought a switch panel and new gauges and a sheet of abs plastic. Want to modernize it a little. Some of the switches are finicky anyways. Might as well go 100. I would LOVE to have a digital tachometer. I know how many pulses my motor shoots out. With a potentiometer and some resistors I should be able to make any tach work. I'll save this for sometime later. It's time to fish.