Blake Jackson, Rayglass Service Technician, loves what he does. He was recently reminded why as part of the team that repowered, reupholstered, and refit a tired Rayglass 2500 named Pasha. 

She was structurally sound, and a great boat at core, but had high hours and plenty of wear and tear. Over a few weeks Blake and the team refurbished most everything onboard, including the engine. The results were special. 

Introducing Pasha - Rayglass Legend 2500

The Rayglass Legend 2500 is New Zealand’s most awarded boat for good reason, so when boaties buy them they tend to hang on to them for decades. That’s exactly what Pasha’s owner had done. She’d had thousands of hours of use, and probably caught a few hundred snapper too. 

Now a Rayglass will last better than most boats on the market, but after all those good times and big snapper - even the toughest vessels need a little love. 

One of the biggest parts of the refurb was taking out an old 350 petrol V8 engine and repowering her with a new Mercury Victory 270hp diesel. But the problem is, the old V8 was far bigger than the new powerblock. 

Installing a brand new Mercury 270hp Diesel

Blake says installing the new engine was the most time consuming part of the job:

“We had to cut stringers on an angle for clearance, move the pedestals where the engine mount sat.”

“The engine hatch sizes were increased … we also cut out and enlarged the area of the hatchhole, then also cut a new front engine hatch that is deeper to cater for the larger motor.”

The amount of work Blake had to do before the engine could even go in was absolutely massive. The boat also needed new battery cables, switches, new soundproof lining, fuel lines, mounted fuel filters - all of which had to be accounted for and installed before the new motor went in. 

Thankfully because Blake frontloaded most of the work, when it came to actually installing the engine it was smooth sailing:

“When the motor finally went in it was mostly ready. You can estimate and measure but you only know exactly how things will fit when the motor goes in, so there was a bit of in and out, a few minor adjustments.”

In the end Blake says it was a team effort finishing the job:

“Mike [Thompson, Service Manager] had done a similar install on his own boat so he did a bit of work. He knew all the processes that made it easier, which helped. Then Tim, Ngahi and Andre in the refurb team got stuck in and did a cut and polish, and a full refurbishment on the interior.”

“We made an old boat completely new”

Almost every surface of Pasha was refurbished from a new engine, to new u-Dek, to graphics, and all the rest. The devil was in the detail - all the way down to reapplying FloCoat throughout the bilge to make sure the space looked 100% brand new (and fit with all the other new gear).

Blake reckons that end result is easily worth all the hours:

“To get a boat that came in looking like Pasha. Then to see the end result. And you’ve been able to do everything perfectly - not just a new motor and leaving the other stuff, but a proper refurbishment. To make an old boat completely new again. That’s so rewarding.”

“You stand back and look at all the work and it just looks brand new. It’s so good. And just being able to work on this calibre of boat, and the vessels out there in Sail GP and the America’s Cup.”

The client’s reaction to the end result is another reason why Blake loves what he does:

“He was so rapt. He talks to Tony every now and then and has been saying how great the boat is. How much better the fuel economy is with the new engine. We spent all this time getting Pasha perfect, so hearing that feedback goes a long way.”

“I spend a lot of time out on the water myself and Rayglass is a staple brand in every marina. When I go out to Waiheke I see multiple boats I worked on just like Pasha and I say, I know that person, I worked on that boat. It’s really rewarding to see them all out there enjoying it.”

Have you got an old boat that could do with a few extra horsepower, a few touch ups, or a full refurbismnet? Get in touch with the Rayglass Premium Restoration team to get a quote.