First Boat, ‘81 Condesa + New Member Intro

[telenautics]

Hello there, newbie to the forum here and new owner of an ‘81 Condesa.

We bought it near Sacramento from a lovely older couple whose son passed away in the middle of a restoration—all of the trim had been removed, carpets redone and seats reupholstered but everything was completely disassembled. I’ve been slowly working through the jig saw puzzle, rebuilding the seats/engine covers, oiling the trim.

The 330 Merc has 382 hours and runs great now. It’s also my first in depth mechanical project and I’ve done most of that myself-replaced starter, impeller, prop, hydraulic trim lines, re-timed engine. Boy did this era of 454s put some of its core components in nearly impossible to reach areas! The only outside work we had done was rejecting the carb for the altitude (Lake Tahoe). We are probably going to pitch the prop down as well since we’re still a little under our WOT rpm’s.

We’ve gone out in a somewhat assembled state a couple times and had a blast. We plan to spend a couple of stretches camping on the lake in emerald bay, etc as the summer winds down. It’s been a rewarding journey so far, though it’s been a minefield tracking down part numbers etc. Will be bugging you guys for some answers as I plug away but happy to be a part of the community. Thanks!

[jhnmdahl]

Looks like a fun project! I don't know anything about your camper top, but hopefully someone who does will chime in shortly.

[AsLan7]

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Yes so glad you found us telematics.

Not as familiar with your model but appreciate the pics.

Welcome aboard mate!

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[Krob1114]

Welcome aboard.
Nice work so far.

[Kate]

"new owner of an ‘81 Condesa."

Just finished restoring an '86 Condesa that also was partially restored. Hope you're having fun, as I did.

"oiling the trim."

With? I used Cetol, which is great.

Did the convertible top come with it?

I added a windlass. Getting on to to the deck to drop and retrieve anchor is a real pain.