1977 11-footer: Future Plans

[77Whaler11]

Here are my future plans for restoration of my recently purchased 1977 11-footer:

1. sand and paint the interior;
2. replace the rub rail;
3. install new hardware;
4. install new wood interior kit;
5. apply epoxy barrier coat to hull;
6. apply bottom paint;
7. apply new decals;
8. buff and wax the hull gel coat; and,
9. install new white Suzuki 20-HP tiller-steering engine.

I purchased all the components for the restoration from Specialty Marine.

Fig. 1. Hull of 1971 11-footer.

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Fig. 2. Cockpit of 1971 11-footer.

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This hull seems to have the correct dry weight, doesn’t have any visible signs of major cracks or repairs. A decent trailer was included. The price was $2,900 in the Maine. This hull was the only 11 footer I could find.

Q1: was $2,900 a decent price for the hull and trailer?

BACKGROUND
This 1977 11-footer is my first Boston Whaler boat. I am excited to share the restoration project with my 11-year-old son, and excited to become a member of the classic Boston Whaler community.

[jimh]

Welcome to the forum. The 11-footer makes a nice tender or small boat. It is certainly a suitable boat for your young son to grow with and be able to use, potentially by himself once he shows the necessary skills. The 20-HP engine should push the hull onto plane, but with tiller steering you may be exceeding the 10-HP maximum power limit. Typically a 20-HP rating would imply remote steering and throttle controls.

Cf: https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... tions.html

Be sure to get a short-shaft engine. I am assuming the SUZUKI 20-HP engine will be a pull-start model.

Q2: can the SUZUKI 20-HP engine run without needing a battery?

Also, the hull looks like it needs to be moved forward on the trailer so the aft part of the hull is not left hanging beyond the trailer frame. Once an engine is mounted, you can then assess the balance on the axle, looking for proper tongue weight.

I am concerned about your plan to paint the interior. There appears to be some non-skid sections in the cockpit that are molded into the gel coat. When painting the gel coat you will probably have a tendency for the paint to fill in the low spots in the non-skid pattern, which will reduce the traction they will provide. Also, with use of the boat, the paint will tend to wear off on the high spots of the gel coat.

You might consider the alternative: leave the gel coat in the cockpit as is, but just clean it, remove oxidation, polish to a lustre, and apply wax (which will prevent dirt from attaching), but don't wax the non-skid areas.

[77Whaler11]

jimh--thank you for all of your information.

The SUZUKI 20-HP I bought is a 15-inch shaft length engine. Also, it is only a pull-start so it can run without a battery.

I agree with you regarding the boat position on the trailer, and I plan to address that. I should be able to move the bow-rest enough forward so the bunk will be close to the transom.

The non-skid areas are some DIY non-skid work by the previous owner. My plan is to sand off all of that, as it is definitely not factor. I will add non-skid texture to the whole interior.

[77Whaler11]

Fig. 3. An AI-generated mock-up of my plans for the 11-footer.

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The AI-generated image got a few things wrong, like the extra hatch in the bow, but the general aesthetic will give you an idea of what I’m going for.

[jimh]

From Figure 3 I see you are planning to revert the color scheme to the much older look of the light blue interior. That will be an interesting change.

Here is a link to a presentation on the TotalBoat youTube channel that shows their "Boston Whaler blue" paint color being used:

Boston Whaler Crazing Repairs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tZDBOYqdfA

I like the idea of the pull-start and able-to-run without a battery. Having enough strength to pull-start the outboard engine is a good benchmark for when your son will be ready to run the boat solo.