Going from red to black

[Rick]

We have enjoyed this 1978 233 Formula for 23 years and we are not done yet ! We were looking at newer Formulas at the boat show and the guys at Sundance Marine told me to never sell this claasic boat. They suggested for us to paint it black like the new ones at the show. My family and I agreed to keep it and give it a paint color reversal. It will be awlgrip super jet black with a red boot stripe. The interior already has white seats with red and black stripes that I had redone from a 242 Formula. 

[Rick]

  After all the labor in stripping, sanding and prepping I did for new paint job it was definitely worth it.The boat looks amazing in gloss black ! I was afraid that we might not like it as much with the colors reversed after 23 years of being red. My whole family loves it and Its like having a new boat but even better without having payments. I can not wait to put it all back together and go for a long ride!

[Dave Holm]

looks like a great job mate

[Rick]

Thanks Dave, even after all thes years it feels like we got a new boat again. I still catch myself calling it the red boat.

[Dave Holm]

Ha ha its like having new carpet in the house

[Rick]

Just added two recent pictures of the boats transformation from red to black. It looks we will be enjoying this boat for another 23 years.

[Dave Holm]

What paint did you use mate?

 sorry i just saw awlgrip :) 

[Rick]

I have enjoyed being a member of this Formula 233 site for a couple of years. I have learned a lot from other members here. Its awesome to see my boat on this site being transformed now just like other Formula's have done here. When I watched David Mccallum and Rick Bettus black boats being built I was very interested in painting the sides of my boat black also. Then when I went through all the pictures and saw Robert Oherlihy's new paint job with the red boot stripe and chrome thunderbird emblem I was hooked and had to make the color change. Thanks guys !

[Mosby West]

The black is awesome.  Another long time 233 owner.  I've had mine for 28 years and she's been through a couple of redos.  I'm putting a bracket on her now and I'm curious what length motor shaft you used on yours.  It looks like a 25".  How high is the cavitation plate above the bottom of the vee?  You have a great looking boat.

[Rick]

Thanks Mosby. I have  225 Mercury  optimax with a 25 inch shaft. I had a custom bracket made with a 25 inch set back . The top of the engine hood will hit the transom if I tilt it completely out of the water you need a 30 inch set back. The cavitation plate is 2.5" to 3" above the bottom of boat. I have been using a 19" mirage plus prop and it works great with this set up. My platform is 6' wide and the box on the bracket that the engine bolts to is 16" wide. My boat does not squat at all with this single opti but with heavier 4 strokes it might. I don't understand why people would buy 4 stroke outboards when todays newer 2 strokes get the same mpg and half the moving parts minus all the weight. If I was to do it again I would put a twin engine bracket on just in case if I wanted to get crazy  and run a pair of 225 opti's.