Project boat

[FSH 210 Sport]

My friends uncle gave him his 1984 Wellcraft 228 Sportsman (coastal). She has a ton of potential and will be awesome in the shoulder seasons when weather is not apropos for swim suits, and longer adventures where a small cabin will be really nice. Unfortunately her transom will have to be rebuilt (my friend has done several) and the addition of a 28” bracket, Her wiring will be pulled out and updated along with electronics. Power for now will be the 175 Black Max outboard with future plans of either a single Suzuki 250 with a sharrow prop (up to 5mpg), or possibly twin 100 Hondas or twin Suzuki 140’s (Mid 3 poss low 4 mpg ) Trolling power will be a 10-15 hp kicker with the single 250, and MinnKota cavitation plate mounted 80# thrust trolling motors on the twins. Current project time estimate is 3-5 years for full completion, budget is $50K.

We should have her on the water by late spring / early summer running her 175 Hp Black Max who’s power head was replaced two years ago.

 

[Dave burke]

Nice project. That will keep you busy for a while.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Nice project. That will keep you busy for a while.

Indeed it will!

Shes 23’ with an eight foot beam, 80 gallon fuel tank which should give a range of 265-360 mile range depending on repower options. The 100 Honda engines have the largest alternators and are the least expensive option. Upgrade to hydraulic steering with power assist can be tied into the MFD for auto pilot control. Low speed trolling is a factor in repower options. Spot lock will be via the windlass system. The front pulpit is slated for a revamp with a shorter and wider one with a bow boarding ladder for shore excursions.

This will not be a replacement for my awesome 210 FSH… just a way for us to be more comfortable for those early season tournaments and fishing trips. And my friend will have a great rig for him and his wife.

 

[Weeb]

He might want to step up to a 112 trolling motor. That’s a heavy boat and is going to catch some wind.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

It was going to be twin 80# thrust trollers but minnkota doesn’t make those anymore. So it’s looking like a gas powered kicker motor that will be tied to the main engine which will have auto pilot so the kicker will be steered by the auto pilot, just won’t have the cruise control of the minnkota

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EQW5L2?tag=trollingmotorshop.com-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

First day of the rebuild work… got the motor disconnected yesterday and rigged to remove today. Once the motor is off we will start cutting into the deck for better access to the bilge where a couple of the stringers in the stern need some attention, then the transom will be coming off.

The big news is that we now have a place to use on the weekends that is a heated shop with an overhead crane.

The repower equation has been changed to, at the current moment, a single Yamaha 250 digital with a helm master. This is the Gen 2 of the helm master and it is nothing short of amazing in its operational capabilities. There will be no need for an electric trolling motor. But that is a ways off yet as the Black Max will be the primary propulsion for a while.

In addition to repairing the transom, the stern area is going to be re done to house a pair of on board refrigerator / freezers in the splash well area which will be awesome.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Got the motor off first thing this morning…





My friend picked up an outboard motor shipping pallet from a local boat shop that we put the motor on.



Next was removing part of the upper half of the mold to allow greater access to the bilge. There is some repair work that needs to be done to the stringers, as well as getting the hydraulic pump for the motor tilt out of the bilge. My friend used a vibratory cutter to plunge cut through the area all along the stern just ahead of the splash well.















As you could imagine there was a fair amount of crud down in this area that was not very accessible after 40 years of life. We got most of the mess cleaned out. Tomorrow we may pull the center hatch that covers the fuel tank then pressure wash that entire section.

 

[Judge]

Very cool project! I will be following this one!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Yesterday started by removing the center line hatch over the fuel cell….






40 years of accumulated crud down there.






After some quality time with a pressure washer with heated water….and some elbow grease.








From this angle you can see where the storage cubbies drop in, the plan is to remove the molded in storage cubbies to make better use of these spaces. The aft space will become the battery compartment with a start battery and two house batteries. We will be removing the 80 gallon fuel tank next to make sure it’s integrity is sound, if it is then the tank will go back in after cleaning, and the space of the tank will be used for storage, new hatches will be sourced for the front and aft storage spaces. If the tank is not good a 120 gallon replacement tank will be installed using the space ahead of the fuel tank.




The bilge pipes will probably be removed so the bilge water can be managed better so that no standing water will be left in there once the boat is on the trailer with the nose up. When the boat is on the water, the forward and aft bilge pumps will remain with the addition of a couple of zero water style bilge pumps to keep all but a few cups of water out of the bilge while the boat is on the water.




The rear bulkhead for the fuel tank will need replacing…



The bulkhead just under the overhang will need replacing as well. The stringers all seem to be in good shape. All of the fiberglass is in good shape with a little delaminating here and there that will probably be fixed using injected epoxy resin. All of the fiberglass clips or tie ins are also in good shape.

We removed the radar Arch, this Arch will be cut down and mounted to the cabin structure so that it will not be in the walk around area. New canvas with copious iseinglass and bimini poles will be made to provide plenty of protection from the elements.



All in all, a lot of progress made in the first weekend of work on the boat. There were a couple of small surprises but nothing major. One of the things not evident in the pictures is the sharp bow entry and wide flare which makes her capable of tackling some big water with a dry ride which will be great on windy days with decent sized wind waves with short frequency.

My friends Uncle used this boat a lot with a lot of great fishing and boating memories over four decades! Now it’s time she got some TLC and some upgrading.