97 Fiesta Vee 266 refurbishing/restoration
Wormwood
Member Posts: 2 ✭
I guess I'm a glutten for punishment but I bought 1997 FV266 new used it for a few years, then had a kid, after which things slowed down. Now that our daughter is driving, I started to think about our boat that's been in storage for 2 years solid. Of course a 19 year old boat needs some TLC in the finer things but the hull is still so smooth it feels wet & the body lines/design still looks current with most mfg. that are available today. It still has the 5.7 mercruiser & bravo3 which are in great shape, so after looking at the prices of new boats (which is beyond ridiculous....) it decided to fix & update ours.
The first thing I've noticed is the gapping void of anything late 90's Fiesta Vee 266... There's nothing available for sale, could anyone clue me in? I thought Rinker sold more 266's than anything else in the express cruiser line? Second thing, I'm coming to grips with the weight, Rinker didn't consider how weight could effect performance & EVERYTHING installed on this boat is heavy!!! I considered putting a generator on it only if I could trim an equal amount of weight off.... I could trim enough weight just by cutting the holding tank size in half!!!
I currently have all the interior out, the dash, all seating, potty, holding tanks, plumbing.... Pretty much everything but the engine & lower end. All totalled I'm sure I'll spend more than I should, but it's worth it. When you kill the engine to watch the sunset over a calm lake... It just doesn't get much better.
Can anyone suggest some websites that would have decent prices but can offer assistance with the fitment of various systems? Anything besides the big ones like west marine, iboats, or Overton's?
thanks,
Wormwood
The first thing I've noticed is the gapping void of anything late 90's Fiesta Vee 266... There's nothing available for sale, could anyone clue me in? I thought Rinker sold more 266's than anything else in the express cruiser line? Second thing, I'm coming to grips with the weight, Rinker didn't consider how weight could effect performance & EVERYTHING installed on this boat is heavy!!! I considered putting a generator on it only if I could trim an equal amount of weight off.... I could trim enough weight just by cutting the holding tank size in half!!!
I currently have all the interior out, the dash, all seating, potty, holding tanks, plumbing.... Pretty much everything but the engine & lower end. All totalled I'm sure I'll spend more than I should, but it's worth it. When you kill the engine to watch the sunset over a calm lake... It just doesn't get much better.
Can anyone suggest some websites that would have decent prices but can offer assistance with the fitment of various systems? Anything besides the big ones like west marine, iboats, or Overton's?
thanks,
Wormwood
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