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Looking to pic up my first charger. Its s project boat, needs interior work and has a cracked transom. Im aware 86 is when they started going down hill quality wise. Im capable of repairing the fibreglass work and gel coat. The price is right so i dont mind the project, wanted one for a while now. What are some things to look out for on these? So long as the hull and gel coat are in good shape i dont see why it couldent be fixed and put the quality back into it. I have a late 80's black max 200 to go on it when its finished. Anyway some tips and advice from the charger boys would be great, thanks!

Hi Carson. I know Charger DL's pretty well, but know nothing about restoration.... I sent you a PM. Welcome to the site. Lots of good people and information here.......

Welcome aboard! You have come to the right place. Lots of good info and people to point you in the right direction. If you are getting into this plan to at least check out the core and replace if necessary. Most of these old boats were well loved and spent their summers soaking up the lake living in the water. A number of guys here have done a re-core and they can help with questions if need be.

Id love a few pictures from some one who has done a re-core. Im a visual learner lol this dl will be a big project but it would be a shame to see it end up in the scrappers

I've done this...check out Garrigan's boat first lol. You're looking at the blue one on kijiji I'm guessing? It needs a transom for sure...and full interior. You'll burn through the $3k that Peter wants for his boat pretty quickly AND it has a jackplate and trim on the wheel..etc.

I've got LOTS of pictures of my charger restoration if you decide to go that route though. I'm a sucker for a project boat and never smart enough to walk away lol.

Like i said to peter today if i had $3000 burning a hole in my pocket i would go for it, but i dont so thats why im buying a project. If it takes 5 years to rebuild thats fine by me. Ive got lots of spare time to mess around with it. If i was real worried about $$ invested id take up knitting as a hobby lol. Some thing rewarding about slipping something in the water that you have put alot of work into and is truly yours.

I was just trying to be responsible lol.

Like I said...I LOVE projects!!

Yea i love projects to, already have to many but you know how it is lol

i like where this is going .. i have around $3000 into this and its a turd, and as you can see im a couple g's from completion..






rebuilding boats isnt cheap or easy.. or in some cases sane.. but if your stubborn like me it can be a load of fun.. just be prepared to open up your wallet and make 100% sure the boat your restoring is one your going to keep.. best advice i can give you was given to me here, find one in the best cosmetic shape possible , that way you will only really need to re do the core transom floor and interior..

garriganps boat is by far the best way to get into a solid DL for a steal. if i didnt buy my valero i would of bought his charger.

heres an idea of what a rotten charger looks like inside ,. http://www.hpbc.ca/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1367&start=10

Good advice Dok. Pete's boat is a deal over a re-do. Anyone who has ever done a resto will tell you that whatever you "think" it will cost, double it and you might be close.

The satisfaction of doing it yourself, is pretty cool though.

Too each his own

I Ioved my 83 DL and could totally conceive of having another one. Some day

Good luck with the project - if that's how you choose to go.