New Member 23 Montego

[rtwheeler]

Hello all!
I am a new member. I bought an 89 23 Montego at the end of November and am slowly saving it from the brink of rotting away. I am looking forward to getting some good advice for the restoration from you all. The picture is from the day I picked it up. It took myself and someone else about three and a half hours just to pull it out of the woods! The entire boat has been cleaned and the interior has been stripped since this pic was taken. It is a relatively small boat compared to a lot I have seen on here, but this is my first cruiser (nowhere near my first boat lol). Its great to be on here!

[Viper]

Welcome aboard. You have your work cut out for you but I'm glad you're taking the time and expense to bring her back to life. She belongs in the water. Kudos to you for keeping one of the brand's early models out of the dump, or in her case, the woods Can't wait to see some pictures of her restoration and that celebratory day when she hits the water again.

[Cooler]

Wow! We need an updated pic, to see the difference. Welcome aboard. Lot's of help here. You may want to do some moisture testing on the transom before you get too far. I think you will be OK, but there may have been more coring in the hull back then. Top deck it definitely cored with 3/4" or 1" balsa. er

[ColRon]

Welcome Aboard! As Cooler said, we need updated photos so we can follow you through your entire project. For me, boats are like cars, the older ones have much more character and style that the new ones today, which all basically look the same.

[waybomb]

Welcome aboard!
Mine was like that when we bought it. Sat for 10 years uncovered. We did all the work ourselves. Wife did the sewing; we both did the scrubbing; I did the mechanicals and buffing.
Only thing we paid others to do was the granite counter tops, and the stainless back splash.
You could follow our project on photobucket in the past, but I am not paying those liars for their switch and bait on pix.
Boat is like new now, and has less than 300 hours on it.

[rtwheeler]

Thanks all! I will add some updated pics later this evening. Surprisingly, I haven't found much wrong with the electrics and engine. Engine is original but only 93 hours on it and it runs like a dream. I am very excited to get her back on the water. I will do some moisture testing on the transom to make sure it is alright but from what I have seen and felt it is in great shape. I appreciate the responses everyone!

[Viper]

If you haven't already, I strongly recommend you remove the drive and inspect the gimbal bearing and all the bellows. Check the u-joints, and replace the gear lube. When you drain the gear lube, check it's condition and look for water. It would be prudent at this time to pressure test it before reinstalling. With the drive off, see how easy is it to move the shifter if you haven't tried it already. If there's any resistance, replace the lower shift cable.

Keep us posted.

[g36]

Welcome

[g36]

What a find!

[bud37]

Welcome to the forum......hope it all works out and good luck .