Hey fellas...New to the site...name's Will. Live in NW FL. Thought I would share my recent restoration project on a GT Boat I found for sale on Craigslist. Been looking for a while and was thinking of getting a smaller rig but when I found this one on craigs I decided to pull the trigger on it. 2003 GT 16x44 Guide Ed. with a 35 SD GD.
The boat and motor were solid but I got the itch to get it looking new/newer and season it to my taste. Let me tell you, making the decision to pull the carpet wasn't taken lightly. I knew removing the glue from the aluminum was going to be a real PIA but it was worn and looked pretty bad so I decided to give it a go. If you ever find yourself in this predicament get yourself a few cans of the Kleen Strip, a respirator, a good scraper and a few cases of beer. The Kleen Strip stuff works. Not to say you don't have a lot of sweat and misery ahead but it helps grease the wheels and the beers will help too. Also, get yourself an angle grinder with a cup brush. Makes a mess but it peels the leftovers off like a charm.
So here goes some before pics...



Now the fun begins...




4 layers of paint...stripper with paint scraper...got the stripper at Lowes



Now we're getting somewhere...Sanded Primed with etching primer and painted with Parkers Marsh Grass


Decided to go with a stencil for the camo. Always liked the Classic Frog Skin Camo so I looked online and came across Black Jax Stencils. Dave was very helpful and his stencils are top notch and easy to work with.


Installed Gator Trax BTB hydro turf and did a really light paint to dull it down to match. Pretty pleased with how it turned out.



Now off to build the fastgrass blind before the blue wing bombers get here...cheers. Look forward to participating on the forum.