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For what it's worth I used VC Performance Epoxy on my ZIP, albeit professionally sprayed, too many chemicals even for me! My ZIP spent several summers in the water for over a month at a time. I believe the product is rated for up to 60 days of immersion. Other than cleaning up the pollen line the bo...

For what it"s worth. My ZIP had a 1959 Mercury Mark35A with 35 HP that was rated at 35 HP. It spec'd out at 135 lb. Others will likely chime in that used more HP and heavier engines. As my old engine was rated at C/S HP and NOT Prop HP like newer engines it was probably equivalent to a newer 30-32 H...

Hi and Welcome, Among vintage outboard folks thosethat work on Old Mercs are often referred to as 'Going to the Dark Side'. I have only worked on old 4 cylinder Mecs so cannot speak to the other brands. They are different, and there is quite a learning curve. My first was a 1959 Mark35A and I restor...

Hi Michael,

I added bottom batten stiffeners. As I recall they were 5/8" thick and varied in height between about 1" - 1 1/2".
I simply epoxied them in place.

Prop on is fine as long as you are in neutral.
Make sure oil mix is on the rich side for test run.

Sometimes there is confusion whether one is trimming up or down. If you are timing down (bringing prop closer to bottom of transom) that tends to bring the bow more. If you are trimming up (moving prop further away from bottom of transom) that tends to lift the bow. Usually you trim up for takeoff, ...

Would the engine mounting holes being below the water line necessarily be a deal breaker?
Seems there should be a viable way to waterproof the through bolts.
Oversize SS 'Fender Washers' siliconed to the transom on either end?

Hi and welcome. When you say power planer I think of that as a 'thickness planer', which will make the thickness constant, but will not 'straighten' a board. What I refer to as a 'Jointer' is used to straighten one edge of a board, the longer the board the longer the bed of the jointer needs to be. ...

First and foremost you will need a starter with the correct number of teeth to mesh with your flywheel, then a stater solenoid, and the ancillary heavy gauge wiring to connect them, and run to a battery. If you have a tiller currently I suspect your lower cowl may not have the hole for the wiring ha...

For what it's worth I used VC Performance Epoxy on the bottom of my ZIP, and as you can see in the photo it came up to the sheer line at the transom, so lots of UV exposure. Six years later, when I sold the boat, it was still like new, so UV on VC not an issue. In my books it's fantastic stuff, and ...

For what it's worth I used a standard Teleflex steering system and opted for the NFB ( No Feedback System).

Think I finally discovered what type of hardwood I scrounged at a tear down. Seems it's Peroba Rosa from South America. I found it in a garage we were tearing down that was built in 1942. They were just elevated slats for dry storage. Experts on 'Lumberjocks' provided the help, Lord knows I had neve...

Have now completed 3 full frames. Not counting the frame screwed to the inside of the transom, I have done frames 2, 4, & 6. Leveled going forward to notch on stem for keel. Frames 1, 3, & 5 are only bottom frames with no side frames. The are supported by the longitudinals and fastened to the thick ...

So my first main frame rebuilt. A previous owner must have sufferedd an at sea event or trailer mishap. On one side the chine plank and the bottom plank next to it are rather severely fiberglass patched. The event must have also damaged the chine. To 'fix' it they cut the bottom of the side frame an...

Been scratching my poor brain trying to figure out how to begin the reconstruction. Boat leveled side to side and front to back keeping imaginary keel line level running from transom to stem. But where to start? Dealing with the fact that I intend on reusing most all the bottom planks. Ergo I laid o...