CONTINUOUSWAVE

Looking for advice from anyone who has [restored a 1986 Boston Whaler 15 CENTER CONSOLE].

I have yet to find a picture of [a 1986 Boston Whaler 15 CENTER CONSOLE] that has a rear deck [identical to the rear deck] that came with the [1986 15 CENTER CONSOLE] I just purchased.

The fiberglass deck looks original. [The rear deck] has a livewell built into it. I think that it pretty nice option.

Anyone own one like it?

I am stripping down [the 1986 15 CENTER CONSOLE] to repair and re-paint.

Please advise

Thanks

JC

The boat was never painted in its original construction. Thus you cannot re-paint it. I would avoid painting it at all costs unless the gel coat is hopelessly beyond salvation.

The boat has several small cracks on the edges of the non skid towards the bow and stern.

Take a photo and upload it.

Very fine cracks are common in boats with gelcoat. Most owners leave it alone. It's like the boats patina.
Large cracks can be lightly ground out and filled.

Painting is a one way street, lowers value, less durable. Resale will be much tougher.

I can't seem to drink the photos small enough

Here are John's photos:

For the gelcoat crazing in your console, follow jimh's and Phil_T's advice. Do not paint. If the crazing is too fine to fill with gelcoat, try lightly sanding with wet / dry 600 and higher grit sandpaper using soapy water or a mild cleaner like Simple Green to reduce the sanding action. That will reduce the depth of the crazing slightly and make the gel coat more even to the touch. Then compound with 3M Heavy Duty Rubbing Compound followed by 3M Finesse-It to bring back the shine. Clean it, and then wax. It will look great.
The stern deck is a nice feature. I have one for my 1985 Newport with both a live well and a ski pylon. The live well empties via a through-the-hull drain in the transom. The ski pylon fits through a reinforced hole in the stern deck and fastens into a support which itself is fastened to the boat deck. Cleats attached to the gunwales provide side support for the stern deck, and metal supports between the boat deck and the stern deck provide support to the center.