Hi Lin,
It's so much fun to see your 68 Sportsman. Thanks for posting pictures! We have the same boat but with a much deeper gauge in the "V" and forward-facing buckets with a bench back seat. Your boat has excellent integrity. Like you, our drivers' seat was ripped. We covered the original with matching upholstery right over the old, in case someday someone wants to do a true restoration. We were a bit over-enthusiastic about a starboard list, and over the winter we ripped out the floor and flotation, refilling with closed cell insulation and marine plywood. We couldn't find the perfect match for carpeting, but it's close. We've replaced the engine with a rebuilt--twice! The 1st mechanic left an oil absorption rag that caused havoc a couple years later. When we replaced again, we moved up to a six cylinder. The boat now easily pulls its aging water-skier owners and our grandchildren. She runs beautifully and is the curiosity of the shipyard. We're a 1-family owner; this was my childhood boat (dating me).
Our next project will be the exterior. At one time, there was a post about replacement rub rail and we expressed interest in putting in an order, but nothing came of it. We're still looking for a match. We're also looking for a trailer to fit the V-hull.
I hope you have just as much fun as we've had!
Ann Cousins
Received on Saturday, 15 June 2013
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.2.0 : Tuesday, 29 July 2014 EDT