We worked on it some more tonight. We're getting the deck ready to bond the rear section back in place...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps7505148f.jpg

Before putting the rear section of the deck back in place we're having to repair the rot around the rear cleats. This rot traveled pretty far forward, especially on the left side...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps2ea3b7f8.jpg

I like the way the s-type windshield looks on the boat. I don't know if I've seen a raised deck 30 foot scarab with this windshield on it. I still haven't decided on colors. I'm thinking white copper and gold now. I'm open to suggestions though..

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...psc997ca4a.jpg

coming along fast!

great tread to follow!

Got the back of the deck set in place and the joints glassed in with a few layers. I'm going to go back tomorrow and glass the inside of the joints and glass in some wood on the backside to strengthen the joints. Also glassed in the old thru hull exhaust holes. We're going to have to move them up to clear the power steering.

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Nice re-install of the rear deck section...........where you able to glass in portions of the rest of the deck to the hull?........that would make the whole boat bullet proof!

Wow! Looking great!!

looks awesome im definitely ready to see the end result

Thanks guys, no Scippy I haven't bonded any of the deck to the hull. I thought about doing it then decided not to. If I or anyone else had to pull the deck back off it'd take an act of congress.
I hope to get some primer on all this stuff this coming week.

Got some more done, not far from priming...

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Trying to figure out what I want to do with the swim deck and the thru hull exhaust. I was thinking about ditching the swim deck then remembered my wife and daughter will need the swim deck:D. I think I'm keeping the teak swim deck. It'll all be cleaned up and I'm thinking of painting the braces and kinda updating it a little. The problem comesin with the thru hull exhaust. The guy who installed them put them in with inner starboard exhaust about 1.5 inches too low, the power steering ram strikes it. The swim deck is now in the way for the exhaust to be moved up. Looks like we're gonna have to move it down below the power steering, this will put it just a few inches above the water line. The last boat I had had the tips submerged and it did ok. This boat has flaps inside the tips and flaps on the outside of the tips. I think I'll be ok. What do you guys think?
The tape line represents the water line...

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Here's the water line, with nobody in the boat..

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps004ec3f1.jpg

Very nice re-do. Have you thought about Side Hull exhaust and keep the swim platform? My son just picked up a '88 Excell

Dam good job!!

not a bad idea really either just one big pipe on each side out the transom or one big one on each side out the side would get you where ya wana be swim platform wise

From the pics, you could notch the about 6 inches in the exhaust area.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I did some more measuring and it looks like we're gonna go with the thru hull exhaust just a little lower. We've been doing some more prep work. Upon sanding the middle of the deck I noticed where this boat early on had a scarab beetle decal, then later had that removed and a "screaming chicken" (like a 70's trans am) put on. The gel thickness around where the decals were was so different I had to feather them out with 80 grit paper (the gel is so tough 80 grit is a fine grit)

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps36f20f50.jpg

Most of the deck is primed and being block sanded now..

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps64159347.jpg

The skegs on the drives were kinda beat up, so I did some grinding on them to clean the edges up somewhat. Also doing some filler work around the edges of the nose cones somebody put on them. The left upper unit had some electolysis going on, we media balsted it before we took the boat apart and have filled those rough areas. The units seem to be in great shape. Fluids couldn't look any better. The tiller arms had a little play but that tightened up..

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps81dfb90f.jpg

I'm gonna have to reprime some of the deck. I was hoping to be closer to paint now, but that's how it goes. We are shooting for having the boat in the water the weekend before memorial day. That's about two months. I'm "cautiously optimistic".;)

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Awesome awesome awesome!! :)

Working on the engine hatches, some cracking had to be repaired..

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps3e68923f.jpg

We're gonna paint the windshield frame either hull color or the accent color. Ether way it's gonna be painted already assembled so as not to scratch it putting it back together...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps6a50c2e7.jpg

Some recent developments, I decided to leave off the swim deck, for now anyway. Might add it later. Here's where my thru hulls exit...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...psbd33bafa.jpg

And they clear the power steering nicely with room to spare...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps31b5b141.jpg

Two part epoxy on all wood surfaces in the transom openings. The stud holes I guess will get gooped up with urethane when I do final install on the gimbals...

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Leaning the hull over to sand on the bottom. My son Dylan helped on the boat tonight..

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Looking awesome man.

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Looking Good

A ton of work going on there

Take a cutoff wheel and section about 3 inches out of that windshield frame for ascetics. you will thank me later when you get it back on

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Tommymonza, thanks for the input. I'm not doing anything to the windshield, not now anyway.
The off white/cream color is growing on me...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps28e03144.jpg

Thanks for keeping us updated on the resto. If memory serves, on the last old scarab we restored, the brackets set the swim platform almost flush with the rubrail on the transom corners, providing clearance for the thru- hull exhaust. That was a 34 though. Hopefully this helps. Nick

We've got the engines just about put together...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps5eff329a.jpg

The drives are primed now. They will be hull color with the lowers prolly silver...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...psa46ed303.jpg

The hull is laid over on the starboard side now. I dislike bottom paint. I know you have to use it if you leave a boat in the water. But boy it sure does ugly a boat up. Especially one of these. My son and myself just about got it all sanded off the port side tonight. There are a few chips, gouges and divets to be repaired. Looks like this boat was pulled onto a lot of islands in its lifetime as the front of the keel is pretty rough. I'll be repairing that with epoxy and we won't be nosing it into the gravel anymore, not intentionally anyway...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps7f214c99.jpg

Thanks Nick, yeah we spent a lot of time trying to make it work the way I wanted to but I just couldn't get myself satisfied with it. Thanks for the info.

A better photo of the transom..

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...psebb5edb4.jpg

Matching the drives to the color of the transom (hull) works very well............very impressed with the off white/cream as it all blends in perfectly rather than the Mercury black.

Wow! Just Wow! I am about two months away from embarking on a similar (but not as involved) restoration on a Scarab II with Kaama Surface drives. You are an inspiration!!! LOL!

great project -- don't let the train run outa steam!!

Thanks guys, we finished sanding the left side this evening. My son Dylan's been a big help on this part. Have I mentioned how I dislike bottom paint?

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I need to get to painting the bottom on mine I hate the black bottom plus they did a trap job in the first plCe. What brand/type of paint you using on your project?

We use Sherwin Williams. All the exterior of the boat (sides & up) is being sprayed with Sherwin Williams base/clear urethane paint. The bottom I'm not sure about yet. It'll prolly be single stage urethane (no clear). I know people frown on using "car paint" on boat bottoms but 24 yrs. ago we painted the bottom of a sanger v-drive flat bottom with urethane base/clear. That boat ran 70mph and the basecoat never peeled on it.

The sides have been sanded with 320 grit (which is more like a 400-500 grit scratch on this hard gel coat) The bottom we had to step all the way up to 80 grit in order to get the bottom paint to come off at some kind of reasonable speed. I think the scratch is more like 200+ grit in the hard gel, plus the rougher scratch will help promote adhesion. And this being a white (very close to white) the scratches won't show up much. So looks like we're painting the bottom with urethane single stage auto paint.

Finally got the deck ready to paint. The area around the forward hatches was kinda cobbled up. Someone put some roofing tar around them which created a monster mess to clean up. Just have to mask the cockpit and it'll be ready to paint...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...psf08d79a9.jpg

Looking good man

I WANT IT !!!! :drool1: awesome job man I love seeing people restore these boats I have seen too many destined to be parted out and cut up. Im hoping to do this to a panther once I find one close to me that actually includes a trailer lol

Finally got the deck painted. Feels good to say that...

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Got some of the teak refinished...

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Nice

Thanks. We got the windshield frame painted and installed today...

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps696d3091.jpg


We hope to paint the port side friday, starboard next week. Meanwhile we're getting the motors ready to run. We're gonna break the cams and lifters in while out of the boat.

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It seems everything rarely goes according to plans with a boat, we test fired the starboard engine over the weekend to break in the cam and lifters. The break in didnt work out. The cam and several of the lifters are shot. We're hoping the cam company will warranty the cam and lifters. Meanwhile we finally got the port side painted tonight.

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What an incredible job!!! The color combo is beautiful!!