1988 OUTRAGE 18: Eight Questions

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
hwturner
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 19, 2025 4:18 pm

1988 OUTRAGE 18: Eight Questions

Postby hwturner » Tue Jun 10, 2025 2:07 pm

Q1: can the fiberglass gunwales on my 1988 OUTRAGE 18 be converted to the optional teak gunwales?

Q2: how can loose railing bases be repaired?

Q3: among adhesives, is MarineRX epoxy preferred (over all other epoxy brands and all other adhesives)?

Q4: is 3M5200 a better adhesive than all epoxy resins?

Q5: where can replacement black aluminum instrument panels for a 1988 OUTRAGE 18 be purchased?

Q6: can black aluminum instrument panels on a 1988 OUTRAGE 18 be replaced by wooden panels?

Q7: how many people think of the products [of a certain aftermarket vendor] in a [certain way]?

Q8: where can I find more information about a 1988 OUTRAGE 18?

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: 1988 OUTRAGE 18: Eight Questions

Postby jimh » Mon Jun 16, 2025 3:04 pm

hwturner wrote:Q1: can the fiberglass gunwales on my 1988 OUTRAGE 18 be converted to the optional teak gunwales?
Perhaps laminated gunwales could be replaced by wooden gunwales, but it would be a significant project and not particularly easy. The initial step will be acquiring the teak lumber in the necessary thickness and length. After you discover the difficulty in sourcing that wood and the cost involved, your enthusiasm for the project may be reduced.

hwturner wrote:Q2: how can loose railing bases be repaired?
This is a frequently asked question. Advice is given in the FAQ. See https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q7

hwturner wrote:Q3: among adhesives, is MarineRX epoxy preferred (over all other epoxy brands)?
In my case, I cannot offer any advice because I have never heard of MarineRX epoxy. I have used WEST Systems epoxy for many projects. WEST System epoxy has been a preferred epoxy for decades in professional boat building. Any cost difference is probably insignificant unless you are planning to order enormous amounts of epoxy, such as 55-gallon drums of resin and 55-gallon drums of hardener. Recently another supplier, TotalBoat, has been aggressively promoted by amateur enthusiasts who often are getting discounts or free products.

hwturner wrote:Q4: is 3M5200 a better adhesive than all epoxy resins?
The two products are not used for the same purposes. 3M5200 is a very strong adhesive sealant that is usually applied to below-water-line permanent fittings--emphasis on permanent. Epoxy resin is used in creating lamination with fiberglass cloth and for bonding together materials that are not particularly non-polar. Epoxy resin with high-density fillers is often used to create embedded pockets in Unibond hulls that can be tapped to hold a machine screw. For advice about epoxy listen to my interview with Jim Watson of West Systems at https://continuouswave.com/whaler/radio/

hwturner wrote:Q5: where can replacement black aluminum instrument panels for a 1988 OUTRAGE 18 be purchased?
I don't know of any fabricators that have replacement aluminum panels for a 1988 Boston Whaler boat in stock. Unless there is some un-repairable damage to the existing panels, the best approach to restoring them would be to remove the panels, disconnect all the indicators, fuses, switches, etc., mounted on the panels, then refurbish the panels. To refurbish a panel, clean the existing paint; sand or otherwise abrade the surface, removing decals and stropd paint lines; apply primer paint; let the primer thoroughly dry; apply the black top coat paint. After the top black coat paint is completely dry, add decals or transfers for lettering. Add surrounding lines with automotive pinstripe material. Spray with clear coat. Re-install the panel. Decals or transfers for marine electrical functions can be found from various vendors. For example;

https://www.amazon.com/Instrument-Sticker-Description-Boating-Fishing/dp/B075H114GC/

hwturner wrote:Q6: can black aluminum instrument panels on a 1988 OUTRAGE 18 be replaced by wooden panels?
Sure, but when you change to wood, those panels will need to be thicker to have the proper strength, and most existing components will not fit the thicker panel and will have to replaced. You are creating a lot of work with your project to replace with wood. The reason Boston Whaler used aluminum for their panels was good engineering and choice of a proper product for the particular application.

hwturner wrote:Q7: how many people think of the products [of a certain aftermarket vendor] in a [certain way]?
I have zero data that gives the number of people who hold a certain opinion of a certain vendor nor do I plan to analyze all the existing opinions on all the suppliers ever mentioned. Many prior threads contain expressions of opinion about various vendors. I do not see any value in adding this topic to your thread which already has multiple topics. Read the existing threads for opinions about the supplier you are interested in using.

hwturner wrote:Q8: where can I find more information about a 1988 OUTRAGE 18?
The archives of this website include articles written as far back as 1994. For example, read about the OUTRAGE 18 at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/18Outrage/

You can search for additional information using the search method shown at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/search.html

Using the above search with the argument OUTRAGE 18 produces more than 20-pages of results just for continousWave resources.

In general, you should start a new thread for each topic you wish to discuss or to solicit information about. Threads like this one become very complicated as with EIGHT topics, there is potential for much thread topic drift. That no one has responded to your thread in several weeks is probably an indication that you have raised too many topics.

In general, it is better to ask a specific question than to request "more information about" a particular model of Boston Whaler boat.