1997 1700 Overhaul Project

[pelagic2530]

Side project: New fuel vent

Short, easy one here, but a good upgrade. The boat as purchased had the typical cheap pot metal fuel vent with the chrome-over-whatever "hood" that always corrodes and bubbles up. They stick out from the side, they look like crap, they usually only last a couple seasons, and I hate them. You know the kind. Mine came pre-broken with the hood missing, so it needed to be replaced anyway.

For the replacement, I went with a Gemlux 5/8" 90-degree flush mount vent Vent Gas Flush 5/8
These units are all stainless steel and not only look better, but function better than the cheapo vents. The only trick to the installation is that since they are flush mounted, the hole from the original vent needs to be enlarged. Using a hole saw or a spade bit can be tricky when a hole already exists; but by using a 1-3/8" step bit (available for cheap at Harbor Freight or Northern Tool if you don't feel like spending the $70 for a good one) the hole can be opened up to the correct size.

I installed the vent with the 90-degree fitting facing up to prevent water intrusion through the vent. This also means that the vent opening faces down, so that any water that enters will drain back out.



All in all, a quick, simple install that looks and functions much better, and removes something that bugs me about most boats I see.

 

[tomc585]

Great look!
Nice light strips...until I priced them out, ouch!

 

[pelagic2530]

Great look!
Nice light strips...until I priced them out, ouch!

Yeah... a little north of $1k for all the lighting. Like I said... there was some splurging involved. If I had to do it again, I'd probably go a different route. But, I wanted the best. And, although I was pretty ticked off when the first one failed, they did replace it with no questions asked. So that's tough to beat.

 

[pelagic2530]

Part 7.3: Navigation light replacement

The boat as purchased had the standard incandescent Perko combination red/green sidelight. Maybe it functioned; I never hooked it up to try after the electrical rip out. I knew it wasn't sticking around.

One of the long-range plans for the boat is to convert all the deck hardware to flush-mount or pull-up fittings. The two cleats in the picture will eventually get replaced with one large pull-up cleat in the middle of the foredeck. Therefore, I wanted a flush mount bow light so that an anchor line could swing freely around the bow without hanging up on anything. I chose a pop-up LED fixture from Accon Marine Accon Marine. 210 LED Bow Light.

Installation called for a 3" hole to be cut into the deck to fit the cup. The cup is optional, but I figured it would help divert any water the fitting collected and provide some protection against anything that might end up bouncing around the anchor locker.

I traced the fitting and the cup onto the bow before cutting. I was able to use the front screw hole for the new fitting, and the others would get cut away.

Cutting the hole was straightforward. I was surprised that the cap in this area is not cored. It's about 1/4" of solid glass. Therefore, no core sealing was necessary. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the completed hole.

After that, I dry fitted the fixture, marked the screw holes, drilled, added sealant, and installed:



Frankly, I'm undecided on this fixture. It's very bright and folds away nice and compactly when it's stowed, and the construction feels very solid. However, the gap between the pop-up light and the base is larger than expected, with no gasket or sealing surface of any kind. So, it has the potential to collect rainwater or spray and drain from the cup into the anchor locker, which in turn drains to the bilge. I've been mulling over closing off the anchor locker and installing a drain through the side, if I can come up with a way to do it that doesn't look cheesy. For now, I'll just have to see how much water it really collects before I ultimately make my decision.

I also replaced the stern "pole" light at the same time. I chose an extendable LED light from Innovative Lighting.
https://www.anchorexpress.com/innov...teel Round Base & Wedge - 512-1220-7 | $66.99It extends from 2-6', and my thought was to have it extended and up out of my face when fishing at night. The round base had a different screw pattern than the one that was installed, so it required a bit of filling holes and making new ones, but nothing out of the ordinary at this point.

Again, I'm undecided on this light. After it arrived, I noticed that while the light itself is made of stainless steel, many of the parts in the base are made of cheap-feeling plastic. The base itself is small and doesn't provide a lot of bracing. I just get the feeling that if you were ever to have the light fully extended in any sort of chop, that the motion of the light rocking back and forth might break the plastic of the base. We'll have to see, but for now it is very bright, and it does extend very high up. One caveat to this particular light is that the base itself is a lot "deeper" so to speak than other lights, so it requires more clearance beneath the mounting surface.

 

[pelagic2530]

Part 8: Ball scupper replacement

The boat was equipped with the "ping pong ball" style scuppers when I bought it. When at rest, the boat would take on water through the scuppers if they weren't plugged. Not having any experience with them, I assumed this was simply because the ball scuppers didn't work all that well. The solution was to have plugs in the scuppers all the time. This became a bit of a pain, as if there was any water in the boat it would pool in the back, so I wound up doing the dance of leaving the helm underway to pull out a plug so the water could drain while the boat was moving, and scrambling to replace it after I stopped so the boat wouldn't flood through the scupper. Very irritating, to say the least.

Closely examining the scuppers one day, I noticed that they were both cracked, old and degrading. On top of that, they were one piece of plastic that screwed to the hull, which made them hard to clean any accumulated "gunk" out of them. Plus, like everything else the previous owner did, I had my doubts as to how well they were sealed. So, I figured it couldn't hurt to replace them.

When I removed the original fittings, I found about what I expected: the old holes had some silicone sealant hastily thrown in, same for the ones that were drilled to install the new ones. On top of that, the brass tubes coming through the transom were both cracked at the outside edge, posing the risk of water intrusion into the core. Given the condition, I elected to not only replace the scuppers but also the tubes.

First step was removing the old brass tubes. This took some work with a hammer and a screwdriver, but eventually I managed to pry the tubes away from the holes, and punch the tubes out through the front of the transom. Thankfully, the wood beneath them was dry.

To replace the tubes, I elected to use PVC pipe rather than brass, as per Warthog's suggestion. This means that I had to drill the hole in the transom larger than the existing hole to fit the outside diameter of the PVC. The required diameter was too large for a step bit, so a hole saw was required. To guide the hole saw, the existing hole would need to be plugged. I did this by cutting sections of wooden dowel, and sanding them down so that they would fit snugly in the exiting holes. I then hammered it into the holes, creating a solid surface through which to bore the new hole.

Here's where things got tricky. I did not have a handheld drill guide (I have since purchased one), so boring a pilot hole through the exact center of the dowel was tricky. I went slow, and got close enough by hand to make it work. It would have been much easier with the guide, but I didn't want to wait a week for the tool to arrive.

Using the guide hole, I bored a new hole slightly larger than the OD of the 1-1/4" ID PVC pipe I chose. After that, I drilled out the 8 screw holes around each scupper to prepare them for filling. The new ones would be re-drilled for the fasteners.

All the holes were then wetted out with epoxy. While it was kicking, I cut the PVC pipe to length, and then rough sanded the outside of the pipe sections to provide a better adherent surface for the epoxy.

While the initial epoxy was still tacky, I mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy and injected it into all the holes with a syringe. The holes were then covered with tape to prevent the epoxy from running out. I like to use Gorilla tape, as it sticks very securely but separates easily from the epoxy once cured. Using the same batch, I brushed a layer of the thickened epoxy onto the inside of the hole and onto the surface of the PVC, bedded the pipe in the transom, and taped over the outside edge to prevent the epoxy from running.

Once the epoxy cured, I applied two layers of blue painters tape around each scupper. I then sanded down any protrusions until the first layer of tape was showing, to ensure that the epoxy work was flush to the hull.

For the replacement scuppers, I chose the TH Marine Flow-Max ball scuppers. Flow-Max Ball Scupper - Clear I chose this model because unlike the existing scuppers, they're a two-piece unit. The base screws into the hull, but the cup that holds the scupper can be easily removed to clean out any obstructions.

After sanding, I re-drilled the filled holes for the new fasteners, applied 4200 to the holes, and installed. I applied a small amount of 4200 around the inside edge of the new scupper tubes, both to provide extra insurance against water intrusion and to smooth the transition from the glass to the PVC pipe.

The new scuppers are much larger than the original ones, with larger drain holes and a more robust gasket surface for the ball to seal against. Hopefully, these will perform better at keeping the deck dry. As you can see, removal for cleaning is just a set screw and a counterclockwise twist away.


All in all, I'm now much more confident in my scupper installation and the protection of my transom core.

 

[pelagic2530]

Part 9: Thru-hull discharge replacement and addition

As was probably predictable, the bilge pump discharge thru-hull was the typical cheap plastic fitting, probably original to the boat. Per the usual, this one was heavily degraded with time and UV exposure. It did me the favor of breaking off in my hand, which saved me the trouble of undoing the hose clamp to remove it. It's been said many times before, but I'll say it again: CHECK YOUR THRU-HULLS.

To replace it, I went with a Gemlux 1-1/8" 90 degree polished stainless thru-hull. I've been super impressed with Gemlux fittings in the past, much like the fuel vent I installed. The quality of their stainless is top notch, and their customer service and shipping times are likewise excellent.

Since I upgraded the bilge pump, the discharge hose size increased from 1" to 1-1/8", meaning the hole for the thru-hull needed to be enlarged as well. Again, this was too big for my trusty step bit, but not enough to justify the plug-and-hole saw method I used for the scuppers. A little bit of detailed work with a Dremel sanding drum got the job done.

In case anyone was wondering, the hull at that point is about 1/2" thick solid fiberglass.

At the same time, I needed to install a second thru-hull discharge, this time for the livewell overflow. Due to the position and construction of the livewell (more to come on that), I elected to discharge the water directly over the side, rather than plumbing it back down into the bilge and out below the waterline. It's simpler, I don't have to install another seacock, and I don't really mind the sound of the water draining over the side. In fact, I maintain that it serves as confirmation that the pump is still running. For this one, I chose a Gemlux 1-1/2" straight short polished stainless thru-hull with a rubber flap. The thought behind the flap is that, since the livewell is removable, the flap may help keep water and spray from coming back through the thru-hull when the livewell isn't installed. If it causes a problem, the flap can always be removed. Since this one was a new install, it was as simple as measuring, drilling the pilot hole, and cutting with the right size hole saw.

Both thru-hulls were sealed with Lifecalk, and tightened down to cure.


As you can see from the inside, the 90 degree bilge pump fitting was installed at an upward angle. Given the space available in the area, this is as close to a loop in the bilge pump plumbing as I was able to get. As previously installed, any water that came in the fitting would have flowed right down into the bilge. As it is now, the covering boards would have to be nearly underwater for that to happen, and at that point I've probably got other issues.

 

[pelagic2530]

Part 10: Livewell and Washdown fitting installation

These are two that I probably didn't document as well as I should have. However, most of the work was done at night, so pictures were tricky to get.

I enjoy live bait fishing, so a livewell on this boat was a must have. After looking at the available options that would fit in the space I had, I chose a 13 gallon oval tank from West Marine (manufactured by Kodiak). However, I wanted it to be removable. The size of the boat means that there's not that much space to begin with, so I only wanted a livewell taking up space on deck when I needed it. Also, when I removed it, I wanted there to be as few deck protrusions as possible that might turn into trip hazards or toe-stubbers. So the L-brackets that came with the livewell were going to be a no-go.

After some research, I came upon the deck plate tiedown kit from Kennedy Products. Strap - Deck Plate Cooler Kit — Cooler Tie Downs | Low-Profile Systems by Kennedy Products This kit uses a small, nearly flush stainless steel plate that screws down to the deck. The plate has a small gap in the middle between the plate and the deck, through which a 1" nylon strap with a cam buckle passes. It's designed as a cooler tie down, so I had to come up with a way to attach a mounting point to the livewell. Enter my trusty Weld Mount kit, which came with two "Footman's Strap Brackets" that made perfect anchor points for the straps. The plates were positioned and marked; holes were over-drilled and filled with epoxy, then re-drilled, and the plates were fastened down to the deck. To attach the Weld Mount pieces to the livewell, I first made sure to rough sand the surface of the livewell, in order to ensure a rough surface for the adhesive to bond to.

Here's the final result:


The way the straps are positioned, they not only hold the livewell to the deck, but also keep it from tipping inboard. The overflow tube also helps keep it in place. When it's time to remove the livewell, everything gets disconnected and the only things left are the plates, the thru-hull, and the fill hose, which gets coiled up under the gunnel. The wires at the edge of the livewell are power to the livewell light, which is mounted in a pocket at the bottom of the light. For the livewell light I chose a Lumitec Blue LED Anywhere Utility light. Rather than fabricating a bracket to install it in the pocket... I just laid down a bead of 4200 and glued it in there. It seems secure enough; if it falls out, I'll come up with a better plan. The wires have quick disconnect fittings tucked up under the covering boards as well, so they can be disconnected when the livewell needs to be removed.


The washdown fitting I installed in the side of the stern rigging box. I picked a Seadog stainless fitting after almost mistakenly purchasing a chrome-over-brass one at West Marine. Sea-Dog Washdown Water Outlet - 316 Stainless Steel Nothing on this boat needs to be plated; if I can get it in 316SS I want the good stuff. However, I also needed a valve, and finding a compact, stainless steel valve with garden hose thread proved difficult. I eventually located one on Ebay, and it looked good when it showed up. However, in mocking up the install, the handle (which of course faces towards the washdown fitting) was too long, and would not allow the valve to open all the way. Of course, it also couldn't be reversed due to the design of the handle. Out came the grinding wheel, and I managed to take off enough of the handle (along with some skin on my left hand) to allow the valve handle to open all the way. This allows me to shut off the washdown flow, so that water is not forced up and out the fitting or into the hose when the boat is running with the seacock open.

One of the issues I came across during install was that inside the rigging chase, there is not enough room to use a straight barbed fitting and have the hose make a natural 90 degree bend; but there's also no way to get a screwdriver onto a hose clamp on a 90 degree barbed fitting. So, feeling VERY smart, I mocked up the hose on the 90 degree barb, and cut a hole big enough to fit the entire fitting through the hole, so that the entire assembly could be pulled through the hole for rigging and maintenance. Upon going to install, however, I realized that I had made this measurement WITHOUT the hose clamp on the fitting, and therefore the hole was too small. DUUUHHHH. Since the hole was already cut and the core was sealed with epoxy, I didn't want to re-cut it. So with some tight maneuvering and a generous portion of profanity, I made it work and completed the install. Hopefully, anyone trying to mimic this can learn from my mistake: use the FINAL ASSEMBLY to determine the size of the hole you're going to need.

However, with this installation comes the end of the plumbing portion of this project. I'm sure there will be tweaking to do after sea trial, but overall I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

 

[pelagic2530]

Here's an additional picture of the livewell light at night. It's actually brighter than it looks; should have no issue clearly seeing baits at night.

 

[pelagic2530]

Side project: 12V/USB plug panel

I don't think I showed this as part of my electrical system install. This is a small Blue Sea panel with one 12V socket and 2 2.1A USB ports that I mounted inside the glovebox. It has its own on/off switch, since the panel has a power light and I didn't want the power draw every time the battery switch was on. Install was as easy as a couple holes drilled close together, which was easy to do while the glovebox was removed during the console rigging project. This will allow me to charge phones and other accessories, as well as use 12V plug devices like spotlights, air pumps, whatever. It's kept dry and out of the weather in the glovebox. They also make one with a battery voltage monitor, but that model would not fit in the space I had available.

 

[tomc585]

Some non-skid padding for the devices being charged?
Are the lights you've been installing dimmable?

 

[pelagic2530]

Some non-skid padding for the devices being charged?
Are the lights you've been installing dimmable?

Hey Tom, the cockpit lights have selectable brightness in all colors. The underwater lights and the livewell lights are not dimmable, but the livewell will probably only be intermittent and the underwater ones don't really need that function.

The glovebox is going to get a nonskid mat on the inside, just haven't gotten to it yet.

 

[MickeyB]

Very impressive work and outstanding detail.
thanks for sharing all this great information about your project.

 

[GoodChance]

I'm just now seeing this rebuild/refresh.

Great work. Very professional.

 

[pelagic2530]

I'm just now seeing this rebuild/refresh.

Great work. Very professional.

Thanks GC! I appreciate the feedback. Trying to take my time and do things right!

 

[pelagic2530]

Part 11: New 1700 Windshield

So, I messed up the other day:

When reinstalling the windshield after compounding and waxing the console, I managed to let it fall off the console while reaching for the screw that I dropped. As you can see, it was pretty cracked up and sun damaged to begin with, so naturally it snapped right in half. It was on the list to replace anyway, but this clearly accelerated that decision!

I looked up UPD in Florida for a replacement. According to their website, it would cost between $250-400 for a replacement, and the lead time would be 6-8 weeks. I didn't really consider that to be a realistic or reasonable option.

Instead, I talked to my local plastic fabricator, which was Norva Plastics in Norfolk VA. They were very familiar with making boat windshields, and since they were local, I was able to take my broken one in as a template. I ordered a new one in 1/4" light tinted plexiglass. They estimated 2 weeks to complete.

About a week later, I get the phone call to come pick it up. Less than $200, I'm out the door with a new windshield.

These guys knocked it out of the park. Fit is perfect, finish is great. I couldn't be more pleased. Moral of the story, check out your local options before assuming OEM is your best route. And if you need a windshield near Norfolk, Norva Plastics is the place to go!

 

[pelagic2530]

Float test complete!

So after completing the many upgrades in this post, I finally managed to get the boat out of my driveway and underway a few weeks ago (this post is a bit out of order). Overall, I'm thrilled with her. Everything worked the way I wanted it to, or at least failed in the way that I expected it to. Here are my impressions:

-The livewell tends to like to fill with the seacock open. It's a scoop pickup, so that was anticipated. Plans are in place for an inline ball valve to eliminate this, so that the seacock can be open to feed the washdown pump without filling the livewell.

-The livewell being full on the port side tends to make the boat want to list to port. Not a ton, and not really noticeable at rest, but a little bit. However, it's not so drastic that I feel the need to counter it, which is a relief.

-She likes to porpoise a little bit. She did this before, but I had hoped that moving the batteries forward would alleviate this to some degree. It did not, so I'm going to explore other options. I'm contemplating a Permatrim, but I'm open to other ideas.

-The new scuppers are AMAZING. With the old ones, water would flood onto the deck if there wasn't a plug in the tubes. The new ones keep the deck bone dry. Launching the boat with the scuppers way underwater, there might be a half inch of water in the well. But it drains out as soon as the boat is floating normally. Couldn't be happier with how that upgrade turned out.

The day that I first tested the boat was pretty snotty. I ran her around in Willoughby Bay to test everything out, and then ventured out towards Thimble Shoal Light to see how she did in a chop. It was blowing 15, gusts to 25, and the bay was stacked up with a quick 2' chop. I have to say that I don't know of many other 17' boats that can take the type of beating I put this one through. It was wet, and it was cold, but under the circumstances I couldn't believe how well this boat ate up that chop.

A picture from that day, and a nice view after all the work that's gone into this so far:

 

[tomc585]

Looks freakin awsome! How about some electric tabs with the JoyStick? I've mocked mine up and the 18x12's will fit with the OEM ladder, Just trying to justify the exspense. I had a Permatrim on my other 18', It helped but needed more. I cant decide if I want new holes in the lower unit or transom
.
Edit: Wait, I see you have the underwater light and transducer in the way for tabs.

 

[Andy]

Part 11: New 1700 Windshield

So, I messed up the other day:
View attachment 28188
When reinstalling the windshield after compounding and waxing the console, I managed to let it fall off the console while reaching for the screw that I dropped. As you can see, it was pretty cracked up and sun damaged to begin with, so naturally it snapped right in half. It was on the list to replace anyway, but this clearly accelerated that decision!

I looked up UPD in Florida for a replacement. According to their website, it would cost between $250-400 for a replacement, and the lead time would be 6-8 weeks. I didn't really consider that to be a realistic or reasonable option.

Instead, I talked to my local plastic fabricator, which was Norva Plastics in Norfolk VA. They were very familiar with making boat windshields, and since they were local, I was able to take my broken one in as a template. I ordered a new one in 1/4" light tinted plexiglass. They estimated 2 weeks to complete.

About a week later, I get the phone call to come pick it up. Less than $200, I'm out the door with a new windshield.

These guys knocked it out of the park. Fit is perfect, finish is great. I couldn't be more pleased. Moral of the story, check out your local options before assuming OEM is your best route. And if you need a windshield near Norfolk, Norva Plastics is the place to go!
View attachment 28189
View attachment 28190
View attachment 28191

New windshield looks fantastic!... that is one advantage to living in a large metro-area with available resources; Norva Plastics did a great job, and you did great job installing it!

 

[tomc585]

What boat and engine cover is that?

 

[Puck-n-Fish]

Congrats on the finished product! Your work has been an inspiration. She looks awesome! That custom switch panel is a nice touch!
Therein lies the one thing I enjoy about all the doers on here... you all take pride in your work and it shows up in the finished product. Alot to be said for that.