5 Tips for Restoring Boats
If you love the open sea and love spending time on the water in a boat but you don’t have millions to spend on a brand new pontoon boat, you can get an old one and restore it. It’s not an easy project to take on and it will take a lot of time but if you really enjoy the ocean, the entire boat restoration process will be fun for you. If you are not a boat owner already and you don’t have friends who are boat owners, the restoration process can be daunting because you don’t know exactly what you will need. Here are a few tips that will surely help you on your boat restoration journey.
Related: 7 Best Boats Under $20,000
The place you are going to work on your boat is extremely important for your restoration project to go smoothly. If it’s too far away or too crowded you will not be able to work on your boat restoration anytime you want. You need to set up a workplace that will be closer to you so you don’t waste too much time driving to and from that place. An indoor workplace would be much better because you will have easy access to power outlets. You will also have a place where you can keep all the equipment you need for your projects instead of hauling it back and forth. Setting up a proper workplace will allow you to work at any hour of the day you want. If you’re outdoors in a boatyard you may have to coordinate your working hours with everyone around you. An indoor workplace would also allow you to easily put on paintwork because you won’t have to worry about humidity and rain. You will also need some equipment and gear to start your project. A few items that you just can’t start without include a ladder, flexible hose, respirator, throw-away gloves, and safety goggles.
Related: The Best 7 RV Ladders
The first thing you need to do is talk to the owners and find out how they took care of the boat before you consider buying it. Learn about where they stored the boat, how they treated it, if there were any accidents or damage, how often they used it if they repaired it before, and learn if they did any kind of maintenance. When you have this information you will have enough to make an educated assessment about the boat and figure out if it is going to be worth your time. After talking to the owner you should inspect the entire boat for any damage. Checking for damage will allow you to decide whether buying a boat in this condition is worth your time and money because some damage is just too expensive or too hard to repair. For example, if you find rot in a wooden boat it would be very hard and very expensive to repair so it may not be worth the effort. If you are not sure about the boat's condition, get a second opinion from someone you know that has some knowledge about boats.
Prioritizing the work that needs to be done on your boat will get you on the water much faster and you will be able to enjoy your restored boat sooner. Make a list of your tasks in order of priority and importance. Dedicate more of your time to fixing the tasks that will help your boat run safely and keep it floating. Once you’ve made sure you fixed the crucial parts and your boat is safe to be on the water, you can spend some time taking care of the gel coat and making your boat look amazing. You should also deprioritize tasks that need specific conditions to execute because waiting on them may take a lot of your valuable time.
Once you have your list of tasks set by order of priority, make sure to set up reasonable deadlines to finish each one. Having deadlines for each task will keep you motivated because boat restoration is a long process that takes a lot of time. Each task you finish will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you feel less overwhelmed by how big of a project you took on.
Once you are done with all the planning it’s time to start working on your boat restoration. It is a big project so you will need to put in a lot of effort to meet your deadlines and enjoy spending time on your boat sooner rather than later. Try to spend any time you can spare working on your boat and bring your friends to help you out so the restoration goes much faster.
These are just a few tips you can apply to make sure your boat restoration project does not overwhelm you. They are also great guidelines that you can follow to make sure you don’t get a boat that is far beyond restoring. Keep in mind that boat restoration is a complicated project that takes time and a lot of effort but if you stay on the path and work on your boat in your spare time you’ll be out on the water having fun with your entire family in no time.
Related: 7 Best Boats Under $20,000
Set Up A Workplace
The place you are going to work on your boat is extremely important for your restoration project to go smoothly. If it’s too far away or too crowded you will not be able to work on your boat restoration anytime you want. You need to set up a workplace that will be closer to you so you don’t waste too much time driving to and from that place. An indoor workplace would be much better because you will have easy access to power outlets. You will also have a place where you can keep all the equipment you need for your projects instead of hauling it back and forth. Setting up a proper workplace will allow you to work at any hour of the day you want. If you’re outdoors in a boatyard you may have to coordinate your working hours with everyone around you. An indoor workplace would also allow you to easily put on paintwork because you won’t have to worry about humidity and rain. You will also need some equipment and gear to start your project. A few items that you just can’t start without include a ladder, flexible hose, respirator, throw-away gloves, and safety goggles.
Related: The Best 7 RV Ladders
Inspect The Boat
The first thing you need to do is talk to the owners and find out how they took care of the boat before you consider buying it. Learn about where they stored the boat, how they treated it, if there were any accidents or damage, how often they used it if they repaired it before, and learn if they did any kind of maintenance. When you have this information you will have enough to make an educated assessment about the boat and figure out if it is going to be worth your time. After talking to the owner you should inspect the entire boat for any damage. Checking for damage will allow you to decide whether buying a boat in this condition is worth your time and money because some damage is just too expensive or too hard to repair. For example, if you find rot in a wooden boat it would be very hard and very expensive to repair so it may not be worth the effort. If you are not sure about the boat's condition, get a second opinion from someone you know that has some knowledge about boats.
Prioritize Your Tasks
Prioritizing the work that needs to be done on your boat will get you on the water much faster and you will be able to enjoy your restored boat sooner. Make a list of your tasks in order of priority and importance. Dedicate more of your time to fixing the tasks that will help your boat run safely and keep it floating. Once you’ve made sure you fixed the crucial parts and your boat is safe to be on the water, you can spend some time taking care of the gel coat and making your boat look amazing. You should also deprioritize tasks that need specific conditions to execute because waiting on them may take a lot of your valuable time.
Set Up Deadlines
Once you have your list of tasks set by order of priority, make sure to set up reasonable deadlines to finish each one. Having deadlines for each task will keep you motivated because boat restoration is a long process that takes a lot of time. Each task you finish will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you feel less overwhelmed by how big of a project you took on.
Start Working
Once you are done with all the planning it’s time to start working on your boat restoration. It is a big project so you will need to put in a lot of effort to meet your deadlines and enjoy spending time on your boat sooner rather than later. Try to spend any time you can spare working on your boat and bring your friends to help you out so the restoration goes much faster.
These are just a few tips you can apply to make sure your boat restoration project does not overwhelm you. They are also great guidelines that you can follow to make sure you don’t get a boat that is far beyond restoring. Keep in mind that boat restoration is a complicated project that takes time and a lot of effort but if you stay on the path and work on your boat in your spare time you’ll be out on the water having fun with your entire family in no time.
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