1979 v-20 refresh.

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

Bought this V-20 in Washington near Bremerton in late 2021. It need all the usual items but the bones were good. Motor is a tried and true Mariner 200 2 smoke. Wanted to space it out and do a 5 year plan on her. First step was to remove old items that were bolted on and didn’t work, re wire, install some seats and give her a sea trial.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

Got her in a running enough shape that we gave her a sea trial. Shake down and validation of purchase. It was still cold out so we treaded lightly.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

Phase one complete. Now onto the next phase. Some new non skid, tighten up some loose items, work on the helm, rod boxes and add some rod holders. Made a bench seat for the kids. Seems to all be ok.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

Ran her for a few months like she was and had a blast. I p and down the sound, from port to port. Fished, crabbed, shrimped and looked for whales. She was a great ride, nice and dry. Did some minor mods but nothing special.

At the end of the season, I was starting to get the smell of gas when trailering up hills. I had a feeling the tank was bad. I hate being right.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

Gas tank, impeller, shift and throttle cables, new swim step and some auto trim tabes. Took me into 2023 and into the summer, but we were back on the water!! More friends and more fun. Boat was running great- till the 200 Mariner decided to eat here reed valves. Time to do the carbs with race valves.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

Deployed and homeport shifted. Out of Bremerton, and down to San Diego. When I got back it was late 2024 and the boat had been sitting. Fore deck was soggy, batteries were dead, lots of corrosion, and the boat looked tired. Time to freshen her up.

Redid the deck, added non skid, added some new srltainless steel and got a tune up. New batteries for the season and away we went.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

The deck work…… the mush that I pulled out was just over the fore hatch and under the helm. Stringer test was good. Got lucky.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

So here we are in early 2025, back on the water, but she’s still not done. Need to add that missing part. I think a tower in a box will do.

If you don’t have one- get one. 999$ and well worth it. Also added some bean bag chairs. Kids and adults love them. Got mine from Dicks. 100$ each. Made by big Joe. One of the best purchases.

 

[brennanlukas@gmail.com]

So that brings us to today. Late July 2025. Had the boat out 8 times since May. Running strong and running great. Fishing with the boys, family days and all in all a great boat.

But what’s next? Well the rest of the 5 year plan looks like this in my head……….. but I need some help to make sure I’m on track.

1. Enclosure- just over the windshield and down the sides by about 12 inches. Just to keep from getting wind whipped. Not planning on running the length, or doing a back curtain. Unless you think I should? Pros? Cons?

2. Transom- it’s not done yet, but just like my knees, it’s only a matter of time. The question is- pourable transom? Or a non porous material, or just good old fashion ply? Anyone have a success story? I want to add a bracket, I think this is going to play into the transom height. This area is confusing and mushy in my head.

3. Outboard bracket- once the transom is done, I would love to add a bracket. I have seen a few for sale, but I have also tossed the idea of making my own. Anyone have a link to a good bracket build?

4. Repower the boat. This is more like a 2026/2027 item, but I’m starting to look at the options. Definitely not brand new, definitely 4 stroke, and possibly all fly by wire. Might stick with mercury unless you all have a reliable option that is proven.

Those are next big items. As small things pop up, and we know they do, I add to the thread if it seems worthy.

Thank you all.

 

[scook]

Great to see a competent guy really getting bringing one back to good shape. Mine’s an I/O, so I’m no help there. I think there are several transom build threads, and if I were an outboard guy I’d be very pro high transom and bracket. Following sea and low outboard transom don’t feel good to me.

On another note, welcome to the site - nice to have another west coast guy here. I grew up in Magnolia on the sound in the 50’s and 60’s, spent time at grandparents’ place on Manzanita Bay around the back side of Bainbridge Is., rowing and bailing an old 12’ clinker built boat my gramps got surplus and repaired after WWII and brought it across and through the locks with dad’s 5 1/2 Johnson when gramps died. We’re in Oregon now, but lots of great memories of my time on the sound.

Really enjoying your restoration/upgrade thread.

 

[Blue_Runner]

Wow Brennan, thanks for sharing the restoration journey. Very nice work! Big Joe bean bags - I have 3 and they are great! Stows nicely in the cuddy. For the enclosure, I have the "full" enclosure and the back curtain came in handy when fishing in cold winter months. I don't do much of that anymore so I actually prefer to leave the rear curtain off and only use front and sides. Gives you a wide open cockpit and really nice for keeping the wind/spray off.

Amazing job, looks really nice. You should be proud. Welcome to the site and keep us posted!

 

[Pipe_Dream]

Welcome, and what a fine way to introduce yourself!

 

[phatdaddy]

WOW is right! Great job and thanks for the picks!

I had A 3/4 enclosure, no back. I’m in north Florida, so not that cold for me, and I loved it. Great for the summer thunderstorms and the chilly days of winter. allowed for year round use. On the front , I had zippers on either side of the windshield to allow access to the bow for anchoring,boarding,etc. Side panels were separate with a zipper connection at the corner of the windshield. That top lasted about 15 years, mainly because i never took the Bimini down and put the side curtains up after thanksgiving and took them down in April. also my boat is under a shed year round.

All that got torn up after Hurricane Michael in 2018. Still miss it today.

If I was going to redo it, only change i would make is to wrap the windshield back (like you want to do) before joining the sides. If you’re going to have this done, do it all at one time.

I also repowered in 2015, went from 1502S merc to a 1504S merc. Been a great motor so far, got 960 hours on it with no real issues. I do miss the 2S for acceleration and sound, but love the fuel mileage. Average 3.50 vs 2.0.

On the transom, Skunk Boat has a great how to video on YouTube , he went with the pour method. One issue with the V-20’s is the curved transom, not flat, so little harder than most.

Maco Joe added a bracket to his. He found a used one and adapted it to his I/O hull. Might be able to find it in the media section

Given the pictures above, I have no doubt you have the skill set to do whatever u decide to do