Teachers_Pet 1983 Polar Craft 24 foot rebuild

The weather here in Oklahoma has been warm enough to start my rebuild. Got two days in and alot acomplished. Still having trouble getting the baked on graphics of my railings, but other than that everything is going smooth as can be. I am restoring a 1983 Polar Craft 24' pontoon boat. This boat was my grandfather's and has been a source of enjoyment for the whole family for years. That being said, it is really showing it's age. I plan to strip the boat down to the deck and build it back up. I have purchased all of my seats and parts from pontoonstuff.com and they have been a great company to work with.

 

The boat has been used primarily for jug fishing and trolling, but I am turning it in to a touring boat to give rides to my parents, grandparents, and extended family. The idea is to create the ultimate party cruiser on a teacher's budget. So far I am right on schedule...

 

 

 

 

Edited by Wildcat Dude - 05/25/2012 at 12:20pm

Thanks for adding the info Jeff. Sounds like a labor of love that should bring great times in the future. And at 34', it should have plenty of room for family and friends..

Have you tried one of those rubber wheel decal removers that you put in your drill? Kinda like a big eraser. Others swear by them. I'm gonna change the topic of you rebuild to show what you're rebuilding..

I've use this adhesive remover before and it works great. Worth a shot..

I got some goof off in the garage. I am going to try that and see what happens. Today's progress...

Edited by Teachers_Pet - 03/03/2012 at 8:39pm

Looking good. As a builder I can't help but keep my eyes on your fence Looks like its beefed up with more runners than normal but the pickets are narrower. Looks like a great job there

We get some big storms here in LA but we are more joiners than fighters. We tend to build back quickly

Teachers_Pet wrote: As for the fence in the background... It is 10 feet tall and steel reinforced. I designed it with two sixteen foot gates for easy access. The fencing contractor was hesitant to take on the project, but I assured him that good fences make for good neighbors. Ha Ha

I like the looks of that fence too. I just put up a 6ft high PVC fence around my entire yard. 486ft worth of fence but it gives me the privacy we wanted & sure beats the old split rail/dog wire fence that was getting too old.

You also got a nice looking project going on there too. You will enjoy every minute of it like the rest of us have done. Keep the pictures & progress coming. We LOVE pictures.  Plenty of folks to help out with free advice & I'm sure if the BBQ & something to wash it down with are offered there might be some physical help offered as well.


Edited by Wildcat Dude - 03/04/2012 at 10:16am

Great! Teachers should hang with other teachers. This is my 4th year teaching and I cannot wait to get on some of these lakes around here. We should see if other members want to get together in the Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri area and meet up. We went to lok at the launch ramps at Beaver Lake two weeks ago and it was crystal clear beauty with clean camprounds and docks. Around here we go to Keystone (a muddy lake), Skiatook Lake (clear water), and Ten Killer Lake (clear also).

Was going to ditch this wheel for a new modern looking one, but I decided to clean her up, sand her, stain her, then spar varnish the wheel. Cool little side project for the boat rebuid.

Glad I decided to keep this wheel. It turned out really neat!

Edited by Teachers_Pet - 03/15/2012 at 1:22am

Awhile back I was asking for advice about some sun baked vinal stripes on my side rails. After many attempts nothing seemed to work. Rubber wheel, goof-off, gasoline, acetone. Then I remembered an epoxy and pain remover I used on another boat project. After I brushed this stuff on, the decals immediately came off. I finished all of my rails in 45 minutes. Applied remover, brushed off with drill like it was never there. Washed up with soap and water after. Let dry. then applied acetone to remove the left over paint. Quick and easy. Here are some pics of the process.

Edited by Teachers_Pet - 03/15/2012 at 1:19am

Lookin good.  Good documentation of the decal removal.  That will be helpful to others.  

Sweet, I knew another 34' pontoon existed.  What stinks is everything (like covers) normally stop at 28 feet.

rednek yot club wrote: Lookin Good! Let me know how the wiring harness works out!

Edited by Teachers_Pet - 03/21/2012 at 4:42pm

First off, It looks like you have a great project going.  Good Luck with it!