Restoring a '08 22ve

[Vettedrmr]

First off, big shout out to Matt Garcia for getting my registration through the system with the email issues the forum is having!

This past September we purchased a '08 22ve that needs, more than anything else, a lot of TLC. The boat was stored without a cover under a roof-only structure, so the upholstery took a beating, as did the gel coat, which needs a good compounding/buffing/detailing.

Mechanically, the previous owners learned a quite painful lesson about the need to winterize a boat down in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area; having to replace the engine in spring '23 due to a cracked block. The long block was replaced with an LQ9 (6.0 liter?).

So, lots of stuff to work on, which, at 67 years old and retired, I'm actually looking forward to!

Y'all have a good one,
Mike

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[D&P Powell]

Welcome to the Forum. Good to hear Matt helped you get on line. He’s always very responsive.

[Grebva3]

Keep us updated with your progress!!

[Vettedrmr]

Keep us updated with your progress!!

Will do.

First up: getting the interior re-upholstered. You can see in the photos that the cushions really suffered under the poor storage conditions they experienced. Rather than let the boat sit at the upholstery shop, I took a full day and removed all the cushions, side panels, etc. I really like the way Tige installed the panels: I think there were 4 "wood" screws; everything else is 7/16" nuts and studs. The shop doing the work is recommended by literally EVERYONE in this area, and my job was the last he's taking for the off-season. If I'd taken my boat to him it would probably be May 2025 before finishing, but since I already have everything loose for him he can work on it when he has a small amount of dead time. So, maybe sooner?
For anyone thinking of getting this done, be prepared for a large bill; mine is going to be around $7,500. Could it be done cheaper? Maybe. But I'd much rather it be right and spend the extra funds. And a 22ve has a LOT of cushions to do! The back seat in the truck is as full as the bed.

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[Grebva3]

I’d highly encourage doing the gator step flooring. Not cheap but man the final product is worth it. If adding ballast Mikes Liquid Audio is the man for ballast and Audio. He knows the 22V and 22Ve exceptionally well.

[Vettedrmr]

I’d highly encourage doing the gator step flooring. Not cheap but man the final product is worth it. If adding ballast Mikes Liquid Audio is the man for ballast and Audio. He knows the 22V and 22Ve exceptionally well.

I've started thinking about flooring, but only just. Thanks for the suggestion.

[lee]

With all of that removed, makes it easy to clean stuff.

[Matt Garcia]

Glad you were able to post. Lots of knowledgable folks on here. Welcome to the forums!

[h2o-ski]

Awesome you are giving life back to the boat.

As a note, winterizing a boat in most of Texas is putting the cover on the boat until it gets warm. Where I am at insurance even covers damage due to freeze for free since we rarely see the temps and duration to cause freeze damage.

[Vettedrmr]

Awesome you are giving life back to the boat.

As a note, winterizing a boat in most of Texas is putting the cover on the boat until it gets warm. Where I am at insurance even covers damage due to freeze for free since we rarely see the temps and duration to cause freeze damage.

Yeah, a cover would probably have saved at least some of the upholstery. However,.....

[Vettedrmr]

Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning....

Got some time to spend on the boat, so I got started cleaning everything. The tower was dirty, almost stained. I got some Mother's metal polish and spent some quality time getting at least the top coat of grime and bugs off the aluminum. Still doesn't look as good as the Monster tower on our LaBrisa, but a ton better than before. Left of the speaker cable I've cleaned, to the right is still to be done.



I also got started cleaning up the hull. I've removed the ugly registration numbers that the previous owners had applied to the top half of the hull (I don't think it was a state requirement), as well as some almost illegible tige-related emblem on the rear corners (some kind of "Convex" logo, I think). I used a heat gun on low and a plastic razor blade to remove them, then some 3M adhesive remover to clean the glue off. However, as you can see, there's some shadow imprints that I've got to remove.

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I also took my first shot at compounding the hull today. I'm using 3M Perfect It EX, a wool buffer pad, and a variable speed buffer on slow. It's not aggressive enough to get rid of these imprints, but so far it's doing a great job on the oxidation. This photo was taken after my first attempt at compounding this part of the hull. It hasn't been cleaned other than a simple wipe; I've just gotten started down this path. But the work goes quicker than I thought it would, and I've got plenty of time!

Y'all have a good one,
Mike

[h2o-ski]

You are making some serious progress. For the ghosts, I would recommend wet sanding with 2000 grit. Don't get the cheap stuff, but rather the 3M or equivalent. I bought the cheap Amazon sand paper and now I have to redo an entire side of my boat.

[lee]

The tower was clear coated at one time.

[Vettedrmr]

You are making some serious progress. For the ghosts, I would recommend wet sanding with 2000 grit. Don't get the cheap stuff, but rather the 3M or equivalent. I bought the cheap Amazon sand paper and now I have to redo an entire side of my boat.

Picked up a pack of 2000 grit today; going to be giving it a shot tomorrow.

[Vettedrmr]

The tower was clear coated at one time.

I wondered about that; thanks for clarifying. That explains some of the discoloration and why I wasn't seeing the black residue the instructions said I should see.

Thanks again, and have a good one,
Mike