The engine is a 1986 Mercury 2.2 hp two stroker, lightweight and low on hours. I spent about $75.00 to refurbish the engine, including a new fuel tank, spare prop, plug, and fuel petcock. It starts easily and runs well.
The dinghy was in poor shape, and had been poorly maintained. There had been over 30 holes drilled into the boat, many simply plugged with silicone, the gunwale was badly cracked in several places, the seats were cracked around the floor, and the hardware was corroded.
With my usual oversight, I failed to take any photos of the dinghy before I started restoring it. Here is a photo of the hull as I began sanding. There were several layers of peeling paint and gouges to fair out, not to mention numerous holes to grind and patch.
After about a quart of epoxy, a good bit of fiberglass work, and three weeks of my time, she is again seaworthy. The interior paint is Glidden Porch & Floor Polyurethane Alkyd Enamel. This seems like a very nice, yet inexpensive paint, so I hope it works out well for durability. The exterior is Interlux Brightsides.
Here is a photo of the finished dinghy, engine installed.
With all this work on boats going on around him, my son became inspired to design and build his own. He took his large inner tube pool float and
inserted a large plastic washtub which fit very snugly into the center. It became his pool boat, which he named "Tubby." It is a very stable design and
I am proud of him for thinking of it.
Tickled by his ingenuity and to encourage his creativity, I built a small propulsion unit for Tubby from materials I had on hand,
including some 1/2" PVC, a sealed battery, a bilge pump (thruster), a doorbell switch, and some scrap wood. Here is the result of our collaboration:
The Maiden Voyage of M/V TUBBY:
